Conveyancing Fees UK: What You'll Actually Pay

Overview

Conveyancing fees are the combined costs of the legal work needed to move a property from one owner to another. When you buy or sell a home, you will usually instruct either a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer to handle the paperwork, carry out the necessary checks, deal with the Land Registry, and manage the transfer of funds on completion day.

The total you pay is made up of two distinct parts. The first is the professional fee, which is what your solicitor or conveyancer charges for their time, expertise, and the administration of the file. The second is disbursements, which are payments your representative makes to third parties on your behalf.

Disbursements include things like local authority searches, Land Registry registration fees, and Stamp Duty Land Tax where it applies. Understanding the split matters because some firms quote a low headline figure for their own fee but bundle heavy markups into the disbursements, which is where the real surprises tend to hide.

Key steps

1. Get quotes in writing from several firms. Ask at least three solicitors or licensed conveyancers for a full written quote rather than a headline figure over the phone. The quote should break down the professional fee, VAT, and every expected disbursement so you can compare like for like and spot where one firm has left something out.
2. Check what is and is not included. Some quotes exclude items that are almost always needed, such as bank transfer fees, leasehold management packs, or additional searches. Ask specifically about charges for dealing with a mortgage, Help to Buy schemes, gifted deposits, or unregistered titles, because these common situations often trigger extra fees that are not shown on the initial quote.
3. Understand the disbursements you will pay. Disbursements typically include local authority searches, water and drainage searches, environmental searches, Land Registry fees, and Stamp Duty Land Tax where relevant. These are set by third parties rather than your conveyancer, so they should be broadly similar between firms. If one quote shows dramatically lower disbursements, ask why.
4. Factor in the property type and tenure. Leasehold transactions almost always cost more than freehold because of the additional work involved in reviewing the lease, liaising with the freeholder or management company, and obtaining the leasehold information pack. New builds, shared ownership, auction purchases, and properties with unusual title issues all tend to sit at the higher end of the fee range.
5. Confirm the fee structure before you instruct. Before signing the client care letter, check whether the quote is fixed or estimated, what happens if the transaction falls through, and whether any no-sale-no-fee arrangement applies. Understanding these terms up front means you know exactly where you stand if things do not proceed to completion, which happens more often than most buyers expect.

Common questions