At GGP Law, we aim to provide clear and accurate estimates of costs at the earliest stage of your case. Below we have set out details of our costs for Conveyancing, Road Traffic offences, Wills and Probate.

Conveyancing fees:

Fees for a Freehold Residential Property (Sale)

Legal Fees on properties up to £250,000	Legal Fees on properties from £250,000-£350,000
£ 450.00 plus VAT of £90.00 Basic legal fee	£ 595.00 plus VAT of £119.00 Basic legal fee
£35.00 plus VAT of £7.00 Telegraphic Transfer fee	£35.00 plus VAT of £7.00 Telegraphic Transfer fee

Disbursements:- (disbursements are monies paid to third parties on your behalf):-

Office Copies (Land Registry) £6.00

Total fees on properties up to £250,000 including VAT and disbursements = £578.00*

Total fees on properties from £250,000-£350,000 including VAT and disbursements = £762.00*

Fees for a freehold residential property (Purchase)

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales:

Legal Fees on properties up to £250,000	Legal Fees on properties from £250,000-£350,000
£450.00 plus VAT of £90.00 Basic legal fee	£595.00 plus VAT of £119.00 Basic legal fee
£50.00 plus VAT of £10.00 For completing the Stamp Duty Form	£100.00 plus VAT of £20.00 For completing the Stamp Duty Form
£35.00 plus VAT of £ 7.00 Telegraphic Transfer fee	£35.00 plus VAT of £7.00 Telegraphic Transfer fee

Disbursements:- (disbursements are monies paid to third parties on your behalf):-

Full Search package	£181.00 (to include Local Authority, Water & Drainage, Coal Mining and Environmental, Flood Report )
Land Registry Searches	£3.00
Bankruptcy Searches	£2.00 (per person)
HM Land Registration Fee	£ (this depends on the price of the property and whether the property is subject to first registration). The link below to the Land Registry confirms these fees: http://landregistry.data.gov.uk/fees-calculator.html
Stamp Duty Land Tax	This varies depending on the price of the property and whether you own more than one property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website (https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax) or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website (https://beta.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator)

Please note if you are buying a leasehold property then the following additional fees and disbursements may also be payable:-

Our additional Legal Fees acting in a leasehold matter:-

Additional fee of £100-£250 plus VAT depending on whether there is a management company and/or managing agent

Disbursements:-

Notice of Transfer fee	This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. The fee varies but is likely to be between £50.00-£150.00
Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged)	This fee is set out in the lease. The fee is usually between £50.00-£150.00
Deed of Covenant fee	This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £150 and £300.
Certificate of Compliance fee	To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £100-£300.

The fees payable on a leasehold transaction vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents. You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

* Our fee assumes that this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction. It also assumes the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise and that all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation

SCHEDULE OF ADDITIONAL FEES THAT MAY ARISE

Leasehold Properties	£100.00 – £250.00 Leasehold titles are more complex than freehold titles, and will require further investigation. There may also be administration charges payable to the Freeholder and/or the Management Company. These costs may vary, and we will advise you of these charges as soon as the costs are known.
Unregistered Title	£100.00 – £150.00 Unregistered titles can be more complex than registered titles and may require further investigation.
Transferring funds by Telegraphic Transfer	£ 35.00 per transaction This additional fee may be necessary if, for example, you require monies to be sent to more than one bank account e.g. three sellers with separate bank accounts will incur three separate telegraphic transfer fees
Dealing with a Second Charge (Sale)	£75.00 Our standard fee includes dealing with one Mortgage Lender. If there is a second mortgage to redeem this additional fee applies.
Dealing with a Second Charge (Purchase)	£200.00 – £250.00 Our standard fee includes dealing with one Mortgage Lender. If there is a second mortgage to register this will involve substantial additional work.
Preparation of a Declaration of Trust	£100.00 – £250.00 This document may be required by clients purchasing jointly, in unequal shares. This fee may increase depending on the detail required in the Trust Deed.
Preparation of a Statutory Declaration	£100.00 – £250.00 This may be necessary, for example, to support a defect in the title.
Obtaining Legal Indemnity Policies	Up to £50.00 This may also be in support of a defect in the title.
Completion within 7 days of Exchange of Contracts	£75.00 Some work can only be done once contracts are exchanged. If the period between exchange and completion is less than 7 days it may be necessary for us to charge this additional fee due to us having to expedite matters.
Dealing with a Family/Third Party Gifted Deposit	£100.00 – £250.00 Please ensure if you are having a mortgage, that your mortgage company are aware from the outset of any gifted deposit. This may involve a substantial amount of additional work, for example: further Money Laundering Checks, verifying source of funds and liaising with your mortgage lender.
Corresponding with any other Third Party	£100.00 – £250.00 If we have to liaise with a Third Party, e.g. another firm of Solicitors (other than those acting for the seller/buyer) this will naturally involve additional work.

We will always endeavour to keep costs to a minimum and within the above fee bracket. If it becomes necessary due to the complexity of your matter or unforeseen circumstances, we will obtain you written consent before incurring any further costs, other than those referred to above.

The above fees are exclusive of VAT.

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property which is ready to move into, with a mortgage in principle, it could take as little as 4 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process of a purchase

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

Taking your initial instructions and providing you with initial advice such as obtaining a survey
Liaising with your mortgage lender and/or broker to ensure finances are in place to fund your purchase
Receiving and advising you on contract documents
Carrying out searches
Obtaining further planning documentation if required
Making any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
Providing you with advice on all documents and information received
Going through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Advising you on joint ownership if there is more than one person buying
Meeting with you to sign the final Contract documents
Agreeing the completion date (date from which you own the property)
Exchanging contracts (which makes the transaction legally binding) and notifying you when this has happened
Arranging for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
Completing your purchase
Dealing with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
Dealing with application for registration at Land Registry

Road Traffic offences:

Drink driving offence where you plead guilty – we will conduct all work at a total fixed fee £350 plus VAT

Fee includes:

Up to 1 hour’s attendance/preparation:

Considering evidence
Taking your instructions
Providing advice on likely sentence
Attendance and representation at a single hearing at the Magistrates Court

The fee does not include:

Instruction of any expert witnesses
Taking statements from any witnesses
Advice and assistance in relation to a special reasons hearing
Advice or assistance in relation to any appeal

The key stages of your matter are based on the presumption that you will be entering a guilty plea and have a date for your hearing:

Meet with your solicitor to provide instructions on what happened.
We will consider initial disclosure, and any other evidence and provide advice.
Arranging to take any witness statements if necessary (this will have an additional cost, of £100 per witness).
We will explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court.
We will conduct any further preparatory work, obtain further instructions from you if necessary and answer any follow up queries you have.
We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day.
We will attend court on the day and meet with you before going before the court. We anticipate being at court for to to half a day.
We will discuss the outcome with you. If advice is required on appeal, this will carry an additional cost.

Wills and Probate:

Wills:

We will draft a standard Will for £160+vat, or where couples instruct us to prepare mirror Wills a combined price of £300 + vat. This includes meeting with you to provide you with advice initially, followed by us drafting the Will and meeting with you again to approve the draft and to execute the Will. A standard Will contains the appointment of Executors, funeral wishes, the appointment of children’s guardians, up to 5 money gifts, up to two gifts of property (houses, flats or land), and does not include foreign assets or trusts for life interests or rights to occupy. These costs do not include inheritance tax advice where that advice is deemed to be complex.

Probate:

We undertake Probate work at hourly rates of £185+ Vat per hour of work.

Probate: our estimate to obtain a Grant and to gather in and distribute assets

We anticipate this will take between 4 and 8 hours work at £185 + Vat per hour. Total costs estimated at £888 – £1,776 inclusive of Vat at 20%.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are up to 4 beneficiaries
There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

Probate application fee of £155 plus 50p each for any additional copies (we would generally advise asking for 5 additional copies)
£7 Swearing of the oath (per executor) where there is a Will, or £5 for an intestacy
Bankruptcy Search (£2 per beneficiary)
£84.60 + Vat to place a post in The London Gazette – this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors (these fees are beyond our control and can be seen at https://www.thegazette.co.uk/place-notice/pricing)
Approximately £80-£120 to place a post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
Where we are the Executor, we may also charge a fee of 1% of the net estate.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 – 12 weeks from us receiving all valuations of assets. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 2-4 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-4 weeks.

Inheritance tax:

Inheritance tax is payable on large estates. HMRC provides an Inheritance tax calculator on the following link, but we will assist you in calculating the tax when you instruct us:

https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax-reduced-rate-calculator