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Any extra costs need to be fair and only come into force where your conveyancing lawyer has to perform these additional tasks for you and provided they could not be anticipated at the start of the process. 

In these instances, Homeward Legal includes all foreseeable legal costs in their standard conveyancing offering as part of the fixed legal fee plus we offer No-Completion No Fee Protection so that in the unfortunate event that your property transaction falls-through you will not be liable for any of the conveyancer's fixed legal fees for the work completed. 

The local authority search is a set of enquiries made of the local authority's records by your conveyancing solicitor. These relate specifically to the planning and building control records, roads and highways, local development plans and other aspects of local authority control that might impact your property in some way. It is worth noting, however, that the search only relates to the property you are thinking of buying, and will not report on any records affecting neighbouring or nearby properties.

The local authority search focuses on the subject property only, so, as an example, it would not reveal planning applications relating to other properties or land in the area around your prospective building. A separate search, known as a 'Plan’ or ‘Planning Search', would be needed to extend the search to include neighbouring properties and any adjoining land.

The local authority search is a key part of the conveyancing protocol because the information is generally highly relevant to the purchaser’s interests. Mortgage lenders will also insist on this search being carried out, unfortunately at the expense of the buyer (although Homeward Legal can act on the behalf of most lenders and advisers so that they do not pass on their legal costs to you).

However, if you are a cash-buyer, it is up to you whether you choose to have this search carried out, and you should inform your conveyancing solicitor if this is the case at the time of appointing them.

SDLT stands for Stamp Duty Land Tax, and is a tax payable to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by a buyer on all properties bought for £125,000 and above. 

However, in July 2020, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a stamp duty holiday, which means that anyone completing on a main residence up to the value of £500,000 will not have to pay any stamp duty. This was extended in the 2021 budget to the end of June , and from June to September 2021 was extended to property's up to the value of £250,000. Please note that this only applies to properties in England and Northern Ireland.

There are other government schemes in place such as ‘Help to Buy’ which you may be eligible for. In particular, for first-time buyers, the stamp duty threshold has been raised to £300,000. For more information our experienced team are on hand.

The information provided below is how SDLT was calculated prior to Chancellor Sunak’s announcement.

Note that if the property being purchased is a buy-to-let or a second home, then, as of April 2016, each value band has been increased by 3%.

First-time buyers already have a higher stamp duty threshold, paying no property tax on transactions up to £300,000.

The current levels of SDLT have been in place since December 2014 and are calculated as a percentage of the final purchase price according to the following brackets:

• £0 - £125,000 - 0% (3% for buy-to-let, or second homes)
• £125,001 - £250,000 - 2% (5%)
• £250,001 - £925,000 - 5% (8%)
• £925,001 - £1.5 million - 10% (13%)
• £1.5 million - 12% (15%)

The tax owed is not a flat rate but is calculated as the purchase price moves up through the bands. So, for example, if you buy a house for £950,000, the first £125,000 will not incur any tax, the next £125,000 will be taxed at 2%, the next £675,000 at 5% and the remaining £25,000 at 10%:

First £125,000 = £0
Next £125,000 = £2,500
Next £675,000 = £33,750
Final £25,000 = £2,500
Total = £38,750

Your conveyancing solicitor will submit the SDLT return to HMRC on your behalf upon completion of your home purchase, at the same time as registering the change of ownership with the Land Registry.

Note, too, that, from 1 April 2018, the Welsh government abandoned SDLT and introduced the Land Transaction Tax (LTT), which operates on a very similar basis, although the trigger threshold is currently set at £180,000.

Your conveyancing solicitor should be able to advise if there are any other government schemes in place (such as ‘Help to Buy’) to assist with your purchase and whether you are eligible to take advantage of any that are running. In particular, for first-time buyers, the stamp duty threshold has been raised to £300,000.

It is strongly recommended that all prospective purchasers book an inspection of the property they are intending to buy. There is a wide range of defects that can affect a property, from cracked roof tiles to the suspected existence of asbestos, from unsupported chimney stacks to wet rot in the cellar. These will not be reported on by a conveyancing solicitor, as it is not part of the legal remit.

In addition, a survey will identify any structural issues so that you can budget for remedial and upkeep works if necessary. Local builders and your RCIS surveyor can provide detailed advice on what you should consider, and whether it is worth renegotiating the asking price to help pay for any major works post-purchase.

New owners will often be frustrated with the lack of formality around what fixtures and fittings should be included in a sale, and indeed what should be included under each term. Sometimes this list isn't firmed up until the transaction nears completion, and it can also form post-offer negotiations, causing potential delays.

However, to avoid confusion, an approximate list will need to be agreed by the buyer and seller prior to offer. The seller will note these in the formal conveyancing form known as the fixtures and fittings form (FFF), which confirms in detail what will be sold with the property, and which formally becomes part of the contract of sale.

When acting for a purchaser, a conveyancing lawyer will carry out an environmental search, which will identify if the property is on a known floodplain.

Whether the house or flat is in one of these locations or not doesn't necessarily mean that it has flooded in the past, or will be flooded in the future, because the basic environmental search only assesses the general risk. Furthermore, the information returned in the search cannot factor in the existence and effectiveness of flood defences, such as the Thames Barrier.

If a potential risk is identified and is deemed significant, your conveyancing lawyer may recommend a further, more detailed search (from a specialist company such as Searches UK or Landmark), which will be charged as a third-party fee. Please speak to your solicitor if you have any concerns about the flood risk with respect to your property.

See a sample Homecheck Flood Report.

When selling a leasehold property, the length of the lease can impact the buyer's mortgage options. Most lenders won't approve loans for properties with less than 70 years on the lease, and some require 80 years or more. 

Shorter leases can also reduce property value and increase the cost of extending the lease. 

If your lease is nearing the end, consider extending it before selling to make your property more attractive to buyers. For more details, check out our guide on leasehold conveyancing and lease extensions.