Solicitor fees: what are they?

Chris94

I received my invoice for solicitor fees and purchase price today. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what these things are so I don't sound like an idiot when I phone up tomorrow and ask my solicitor himself?

1. Legal fee
2. Help to buy fee
3. LBTT Admin Fee
4. Registration dues

1. The legal fee was fairly hefty. Is this supposed to be the entire cost of the solicitor's work?
2. Is the help to buy fee for dealing with purchases involving the help to buy scheme?
3. My purchase price is less than £145k which apparently receives LBTT tax of 0%. Is an LBTT admin fee still applicable here?
4. What does registration dues cover? This was also pretty hefty, and not sure what it is.

davidmcn

Chris94 wrote: »

1. The legal fee was fairly hefty. Is this supposed to be the entire cost of the solicitor's work?

Yes, apart from...

2. Is the help to buy fee for dealing with purchases involving the help to buy scheme?

...their work involved in dealing with the help to buy stuff and...

3. My purchase price is less than £145k which apparently receives LBTT tax of 0%. Is an LBTT admin fee still applicable here?

...their work involved in preparing and submitting the LBTT return (which is still necessary even if there's no tax actually payable)

4. What does registration dues cover? This was also pretty hefty, and not sure what it is.

It's the Land Register's fee for registering your title (and mortgage).

G_M

Chris94 wrote: »

1. Legal fee
2. Help to buy fee
3. LBTT Admin Fee
4. Registration dues

1. The legal fee was fairly hefty. Is this supposed to be the entire cost of the solicitor's work?
2. Is the help to buy fee for dealing with purchases involving the help to buy scheme?
3. My purchase price is less than £145k which apparently receives LBTT tax of 0%. Is an LBTT admin fee still applicable here?
4. What does registration dues cover? This was also pretty hefty, and not sure what it is.

1) yes - cost of the solicitor's work for the conveyancing.
2) HTB is not standard conveyancing - it's an additional task which involves extra work. So an additional fee
3) Yes - Not sure about Scotland but assume it's the same as SDLT in Eng. HMRC still require a declaration to be completed.
True - most decent solicitors would do this as part of the basic solicitors fee (1 above), but if they quoted it separately at the start, or it's in their T Cs as an extra, then they can charge it.
4) if in doubt, ask. Could be Land Registry. In Eng it could relate to registering a lease with the freeholder or similar - but it is almost certainly a 'disbursement' ( charge the solicitor has to pay on your behalf).