Is This The Highest Conveyancing Quote Ever ?

sambuick

I am an existing client of this solicitors. Did one sale in 2009 and one in 2010 along with other bits of work: deed of trust, transfer of ownership etc. Prices slightly above average, but service is ok, local office, solicitor is a director partner and she does the actual work.

So i recently asked for a quote for a purchase: 500k property, freehold, cash, no chain, Birmingham. Here is the quote:

Our Fees
Our fees on your purchase £1500
Our charge for bank transfer £35
Our charge for SDLT Return £49
Our charge for digitally archiving your purchase £25

Other Payments
Environmental search £45.24
Land charges search £4.00
Land Registry fee £280
Land Registry search £8.oo
Local Search (Birmingham City Council) £75
Stamp Duty £15000

Total (inc. VAT) £17,343.04

I didn't know whether to laugh, or cry. So i just did both.

taxsaver

Seems to be a corollary between their fee and the SDLT payable.... a very scientific quote!

BitterAndTwisted

You don't need a partner to do a simple conveyancing job. Ask for a quote from someone less senior i the firm.

Ulfar

Maybe its just me but that doesn't seem that unreasonable. Most of it is the stamp duty.

MrandMrsB

Mr B has never been a partner in a firm because he does not enjoy entertaining clients: does not play golf, does not drink alcohol, does not want to become a free mason, etc. Yet he is a much better lawyer than the partners in the firm he worked for for 25 years (they openly admit that) and he charged less. Most solicitors are either good lawyers or good businessmen/women. Maybe it would e worth asking around for a recommendation for an associate. Just a thought.

G_M

Ulfar wrote: »

Maybe its just me but that doesn't seem that unreasonable. Most of it is the stamp duty.

Our fees on your purchase £1500 How much?
Our charge for bank transfer £35
Our charge for SDLT Return £49 and just why is this an extra? It's part of conveyancing!
Our charge for digitally archiving your purchase £25 What? (OK - tell them you don't want/need a digital archive)

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

timmyt

sambuick wrote: »

I am an existing client of this solicitors. Did one sale in 2009 and one in 2010 along with other bits of work: deed of trust, transfer of ownership etc. Prices slightly above average, but service is ok, local office, solicitor is a director partner and she does the actual work.

So i recently asked for a quote for a purchase: 500k property, freehold, cash, no chain, Birmingham. Here is the quote:

Our Fees
Our fees on your purchase £1500 far too high for residential conveyancing, should be £900 max (so being charged £600 more than you should be....VAT is then added on below I see...clever not to show it as you go along)
Our charge for bank transfer £35
Our charge for SDLT Return £49 stupid to separate that out, so the actual charge is £1549
Our charge for digitally archiving your purchase £25 that is their problem not yours, so the charge is £1574...ouch!!!

Other Payments
Environmental search £45.24
Land charges search £4.00
Land Registry fee £280
Land Registry search £8.oo
Local Search (Birmingham City Council) £75
Stamp Duty £15000

Total (inc. VAT) £17,343.04

I didn't know whether to laugh, or cry. So i just did both.

avoid, avoid avoid

GDB2222

G_M wrote: »

Our fees on your purchase £1500 How much?
Our charge for bank transfer £35
Our charge for SDLT Return £49 and just why is this an extra? It's part of conveyancing!
Our charge for digitally archiving your purchase £25 What? (OK - tell them you don't want/need a digital archive)

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

It's £1600 or so, on a £500k house. It's a high price but not totally outlandish.

The solicitor I go to is a one-man-band, so he does it all himself (very thoroughly indeed), charges £625 to 725 + VAT. Plus all disbursements. It would make a difference in this case of about £900 in a total bill of £17,000.

maninthestreet

As others have said, the SDLT is £15,000 alone. Even if you could halve all the other costs, you are still looking at a bill of over £16,000.

herewegoagain2010

I think it's all relative...bigger the house, bigger the bill. Like people have said it's maily SD, but realistically what's 2.3K when you're spending 500k?

Richard_Webster

There are two ways of looking at this:

The overall cost: With the SDLT the lowest figure is going to be in the low £16,000s so you could say that this is not unreasonable (but I don't take that view).

The actual legal fees for the work: The figure of £1500 plus the other bits like the SDLT completion is far too high.

Broadly I agree with TimmyT here. I might be a smidgen cheaper but the sort of figure he gives is reasonable.