Typical solicitor fees?

jski_11

Hi all. 

Trying to get some independent input on whether we are being way over quoted for our solicitor fees. 

We are first time buyers and everything I have found online has told me to expect fees of between 750-1500 for solicitor fees. 

We have been given a quote for £2.4K by a firm we were recommended and can’t help bit feel this seems a little high?

They have good reviews and are solicitors specialising in priority, not just conveyancers, which I’m told is better. They also come recommended - is this just one of those “get what you pay for” situations or are they charging way over the odds? 

Thanks,

Jordan 

MovingForwards

Contact a couple of other firms and see how their prices compare, make sure they all list every cost and disbursement for an accurate comparison.

Prices vary throughout the UK, depends on the cost of the property and also whether it's a flat / house, leasehold / freehold, with / without mortgage, using or not using H2B ISA / LISA, and H2B equity loan.

tacpot12

My step-son and his girlfriend have just paid about £700 in legal fees for the purchase of their new home. They are first time buyers. Theirs is a leasehold house in the north of England. 

Unless you already know that the purchase is going to be legally complicated, £2,400 seems much too high. I would seek out other recommendations. 

Sandtree

It’s high but they can trade on their reputation. You can pay half that but it may be a roll of the dice how they are. 

Do you prefer to pay more for a better chance of good service or prefer to take a chance to save money?

We paid a lot less as FTB but never spoke to the same person twice and was disappointed with a couple of areas (asking about permitted use of the balcony we were told to read the lease ) 

Thrugelmir

jski_11 said:

We have been given a quote for £2.4K by a firm we were recommended and can’t help bit feel this seems a little high?

What's the breakdown of the estimate?  

propertyhunter

FYI - if you want a comparator, my solicitor (central London city firm) charged me £1380 + VAT for fees (excludes disbursements) for a freehold 3-bed detached home. 

GoogleMeNow

You'll need a breakdown of their charges and a breakdown of the charges by other firms to make a good comparison.

Some of the cheaper firms may add fees for 'additional work', which might be included in the more expensive quote.

If you look at the Waiting to Exchange Thread, you will read about many people unhappy with the service they are getting from their solicitor.  Most significantly, they are not happy because they find it difficult to get in touch with their solicitor for updates and the transaction has taken far longer than they wanted.  This is usually because the cheaper solicitor takes on more work than the more expensive solicitor and therefore less time is spent on each file, less chasing other parties and less time chatting to their client.

As a poster already mentioned, the charges can vary depending on whether the property is freehold, freehold with a management company, leasehold, shared ownership, registered, unregistered, whether you are a cash buyer, buying with a mortgage, dealing with Help to Buy Equity Loan, HTB ISA, LISA etc etc.

Slithery

Does that include all disbursements or not?

Freehold or leasehold?

What's the full breakdown?

MovingForwards

@Deleted_User unless OP is buying in Scotland, our figures are of no benefit as the buyer pays for the searches in England and Wales.

[Deleted User]

MovingForwards said:

@Deleted_User unless OP is buying in Scotland, our figures are of no benefit as the buyer pays for the searches in England and Wales.

Opps, I didn't realise they differed.