engrossment fee

matt0907

Hi guys,

I am signing my contract but I noticed there is an engrossment fee for seller's solicitor. My solicitor said it's for preparing the Transfer Deed. The fee is £150. I am wondering if this is a reasonable price. Plus because my wife for some reason wasn't in title deed(due to she isn't on the mortgage). So I ask my solicitor to add her into the deed. But my solicitor told me for doing this, seller's solicitor may charge me again for this modification. Doses this sound normal too? Thanks if anyone can clear my confusion.

Fire_Fox

Welcome!:) You really need to ask your conveyancer these questions, legal advice is what you pay them for.

matt0907

thans for the reaply, I did ask my solicitor. but just wondering if this fee is normal. I am just worry this fee seem to come form no where and I am gonna end up paying a lot of unexpected cost.

GDB2222

I am lost here. Are you buying a property? If so, why would you pay any of the seller's fees?

matt0907

Yes I am buying a house. And that is also the part I feel weird that I have to pay the engrossment fee for seller's solicitor. But when I asked my solicitor about this. She seem to feel this is normal and that is why I am wondering if I can get any advice from here.

GDB2222

matt0907 wrote: »

Yes I am buying a house. And that is also the part I feel weird that I have to pay the engrossment fee for seller's solicitor. But when I asked my solicitor about this. She seem to feel this is normal and that is why I am wondering if I can get any advice from here.

If this is an unexpected cost, you are perfectly entitled to insist on a £150 price reduction if this is a normal private sale.

Or are you holding back something relevant? Is this under the RTB scheme, for example? Who are you buying from?

picklepick

Is this a leasehold property?
Or a new build/conversion?

matt0907

This is a free hold house. The seller is housing association.

matt0907

Basically seller's solicitor put this engrossment fee in the contract.

picklepick

Ah right, if you are buying from a housing association they insist upon providing a standard form of Transfer Deed. They will make a charge for this which must be met by you, the buyer.

I have no idea what the usual cost of this is though!

Your solicitor should have known that this would be charged from the start

matt0907

Thanks for reply again. And unfortunately my solicitor never mentioned this until I noticed that fee been added to my contract. And now I slightly worry about if they are going to add another £150 on top just for adding my wife into the deed. Is it even legal to chage this by each modification?