Solicitors fees

pma13

Omg I seriously underestimated the cost of conveyancing!! Had quotes from £ 1800 to £1200 (200 stamp duty) And every quote seems to include something different and I am worried about choosing the incorrect one and then getting added extras to the bill ! Can anyone advise me what I should be looking for and also I've today been told that I don't have to have all searchs? Any advice / pointers

sevenhills

There is a compare page on here some where; when I looked it quoted around £1,100

Hedgehog99

Make yourself an Excel sheet listing the costs from each itemised quote then you can see the charges that are missing from some quotes & included on others. Their websites might list the usual admin charges.

The searches are a small part of the budget and could save you a lot of hassle in the long run if they flag up anything you/your mortgage lender should be worried about. You can also do your own research - local planning applications and environment agency flooding etc, plus check google streetview & satellite images for recent changes or things you can't see over the garden wall.

It's your solicitor's time that ramps up the bill. See whether it's best for you to pay a fixed fee (watch the small print though!) or an hourly rate. Answer their questions promptly. Try to minimise the number of times you contact them and think whether you really need to. Read everything they send you thoroughly so that you are happy with it and know what the solicitor is talking about if they refer to it.

Check whether the quotes are inclusive of VAT - that adds an evil whack to an already expensive process - I had to pay £320 in VAT on the legal bill for purchase. Add VAT where necessary to your Excel sheet.

There's a lot of paperwork, so I personally preferred having a solicitor near enough that I could drop things off by hand - saved on postage and time, and I could be sure they'd received it.

Watch out for fees at other stages of the process too - mortgage application fees etc. If there's an excuse to slap a fee on something, they will. £20 here, £50 there... sometimes £100... all adds up :eek:

Good luck!

It's worth it when you emerge the other side.

pma13

Lots of good pointers there ! Thank you for taking the time

BlessedNotStressed

Wow - it must vary widely from region to region. We only paid £750

pma13

Well yes I was perhaps being a bit optimistic and thinking because I live in what some might class as a poorer area the price might not be as high but how wrong was I !

G_M

I too stress the advantages of a conveyancer you can visit. Not just to drop things off quickly, but to speak to face to face for advice/explanation if a problem arises or you don't understand something.

Visit several local ones - you'll soon 'feel' which ones you trust. This matters as well as the price.

For price comparison, read:

http://www.theadvisory.co.uk/conveyancing-quote.php

Lauralou79

Our solicitors weren't the best in the end. Just slow: however I do think local is good it was very handy for dropping things off.
We had an all in quote at the beginning which was £500 basic then all the add ons like searches etc. It was around £900 in total not including stamp duty and nothing extra was added which was good. No surprises! Amazing how different prices range from and to!

G_M

Conveyancer SE - welcome to the forum!

I note you've made a number of helpful posts providing advice/information.

However, be aware of the forum rules against touting for business. Quoting your own company's fee structure together with a username clearly stating your business seems pretty near (if not over) the line.

You might consider editing your fees out of your post and quoting 'average' fees, or a typical range. This would be just as useful to the OP without the hint of your vested interest......

bob_bank_spanker

G_M wrote: »

Conveyancer SE - welcome to the forum!

I note you've made a number of helpful posts providing advice/information.

However, be aware of the forum rules against touting for business. Quoting your own company's fee structure together with a username clearly stating your business seems pretty near (if not over) the line.

You might consider editing your fees out of your post and quoting 'average' fees, or a typical range. This would be just as useful to the OP without the hint of your vested interest......

Huh?

Their username does not reference their business (I can't find any company called Conveyancer South East).

I cannot see what rules are broken by quoting their fee structure. The company I work for (expensive) do not do fixed fees, and work on a basis of £450/hr Partner time down to £200/hr Trainee time. Disbursements are recovered on a cost basis.


To the OP, I agree with Conveyancer that you should focus on the fee element first, then tackle the extras like searches.

folkestonelisa

I am in the process of purchasing my house and I didn't go with the cheapest, I went with a company that have been the most helpful. Even before I instructed them. I contacted a solicitor who was recommended and I'm still waiting for him to call me back 2 months later ( I had that with about 5 solicitors 😳)