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Is this solicitor's quote reasonable?
Comments
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Don't go for an estate agent solicitor! And don't pick the cheapest either. Try and get family/friends recommendations.
Indemnity insurances are often needed but shouldn't be included in an estimate.
You also only need a local land search, the others should be optional.Currently studying for a Diploma - wish me luck
Phase 1 - Emergency Fund - Complete :j
Phase 2 - £20,000 Mortgage Fund - Underway0 -
Indemnity insurance is used o cover situations like:
* there is an extension or other works, but no planning permission or Building Regulations
* there is a restrictive covenant in the deeds forbidding something which has been done (or requiring something that has not been done)
etc
However, in siuations like this, the seller should really pay for the insurance.
Note there is a difference between paying
* for the insurance itself, and
* paying for the solicitor to arrange it
In the quote above, there is a charge for arranging it (which is outrageous), but no price for the insurance itself.0 -
That quote for a decent solicitor is 'ok' according to my OH (conveyancing solicitor).
Look closer at the solicitor they are recommended. Is he an in house solicitor? Only working for the EA. The reason why I say this is OH is a fantastic conveyancer (I am biased but he is always getting thank you gifts and has sorted out all my friends purchases!) and he is an EAs recommended solicitor (but is independent to them). It is worth paying for a trustworthy solicitor with a very good communication history!!
Just to mention he did say that the indemnity policy charge shouldn't be a separate charge and has queried why it is you need this (there must be a reason?)
Good luck! It's a minefield, if I didn't have him here I would be clueless.0 -
No. I believe £1342 is not a charge by the solicitor - it is a disbursement which they will pay on your behalf to HMRC to cover stamp duty. And yes, it makes no difference which conveyancer you use.They have included stamp duty in their figures but obviously this will be payable and the same for every company so £1342 is the actual cost they are charging for their services.
But the reason I raised the question is that some unscrupulous conveyancers charge a fee for filling in the form that accompanies the payment.
Always check the T&C for any quote you get to make sure that'snot an added 'extra'. It can be another £50, and in one case I saw a conveyancer charge £135 + VAT to complete the form.......0 -
Has the solicitor checked the SDLT figures? It might be quite a bit higher if you are liable for the extra Second Property 3%!0
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This shouldn't be an issue because I am a first time buyer!paddy's_mum wrote: »Has the solicitor checked the SDLT figures? It might be quite a bit higher if you are liable for the extra Second Property 3%!0 -
The total quote from them was as stated above was £2482 of which £1100 was stamp duty so therefore the £1342 is everything else they are charging for excluding the stamp duty.No. I believe £1342 is not a charge by the solicitor - it is a disbursement which they will pay on your behalf to HMRC to cover stamp duty. And yes, it makes no difference which conveyancer you use.
But the reason I raised the question is that some unscrupulous conveyancers charge a fee for filling in the form that accompanies the payment.
Always check the T&C for any quote you get to make sure that'snot an added 'extra'. It can be another £50, and in one case I saw a conveyancer charge £135 + VAT to complete the form.......0 -
always_sunny wrote: »why don't you get 3 free quotes online to compare? https://www.reallymoving.com/
Most solicitors also have online quote facilities...
A great place if you want to go to find solicitors who cannot drum up business from recommendations.
The £745 is probably not the cheapest, but by no means unreasonable for a leasehold property. But I'd not use them on the basis they were recommended by the EA. Ask friends who recently purchased whether they were happy with the service they received from their solicitor. Trust me, having one that doesn't make you tear your own hair out is worth paying an extra couple of hundred quid for."Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius0
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