Real Estate Law Pricing & Fee Transparency

What You Pay Your Solicitor

Legal fees cover the professional work: reviewing contracts, conducting due diligence, handling Land Registry applications, negotiating terms, and managing exchange and completion.

Our legal fees are always quoted as a fixed amount before engagement. The figure depends on transaction complexity, not on how many hours we spend.

The Three Layers of Property Transaction Cost

Layer 1 — Professional Legal Fees: Our charge for the legal work itself. Fixed, quoted upfront, no hourly surprises.
Layer 2 — Disbursements: Third-party costs we pay on your behalf (searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer charges). These are set by external bodies, not by us.
Layer 3 — Government Charges: Stamp Duty Land Tax or other levies payable to HMRC. Calculated by statute, not by your solicitor.

We separate these three layers in every quote so you can see exactly where your money goes.

What You Pay the Government

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is calculated on the purchase price using HMRC's published bands. We calculate this for you and include it in your cost breakdown, but it is not a legal fee.

We never bundle SDLT into our fee quote to make our charges look lower.

Fee Components Explained — Line by Line

This matrix shows every possible cost element in a standard residential property transaction. Not all will apply to your matter.

Cost Element	Who Sets It	Typical Range	What It Covers
Legal Fee (Sale)	Us	£650 – £1,400	Drafting contract pack, responding to buyer enquiries, managing exchange and completion, redeeming mortgage
Legal Fee (Purchase)	Us	£750 – £1,600	Reviewing contract, raising enquiries, reporting on title, managing mortgage draw-down, Land Registry application
Legal Fee (Remortgage)	Us	£450 – £850	Title review, lender requirements, redemption of existing mortgage, registration of new charge
Legal Fee (Transfer of Equity)	Us	£550 – £950	Transfer documentation, lender consent, SDLT assessment, Land Registry update
Local Authority Search	Local council	£100 – £350	Planning history, building control, road schemes, contaminated land, tree preservation orders
Environmental Search	Search provider	£30 – £55	Flood risk, contamination, ground stability, radon, energy infrastructure
Water & Drainage Search	Water company	£30 – £60	Connection to mains water, sewer maps, adoption status
Land Registry Fee	HM Land Registry	£20 – £910	Registration of transfer or new charge, fee scaled to property value
Bankruptcy Search	Land Registry	£2 per name	Required by most lenders before completion
Bank Transfer Fee	Our bank	£30 – £45	Telegraphic transfer of completion funds
VAT (20%)	HMRC	Applied to legal fee	Value Added Tax on our professional charges only, not on disbursements paid to third parties
Stamp Duty Land Tax	HMRC	Varies by price	Government tax on property purchases above the nil-rate band; higher rates for additional properties

Your Fee Transparency Journey With Us

Initial Enquiry

Tell us the transaction type, property value, and any known complications. No charge, no obligation.

Detailed Fee Letter

Within 48 hours you receive a written breakdown showing every cost element — legal fees, disbursements, and estimated government charges — with nothing hidden.

Compare Freely

Take our breakdown to any other solicitor. If their quote doesn't separate costs the same way, ask them why.

Fixed Fee Lock

Once you instruct us, the legal fee is locked. If the matter becomes more complex than anticipated, we absorb the additional work unless the scope fundamentally changes — and we'll tell you before it does.

Final Statement

At completion you receive a line-by-line financial statement matching your original quote. Any variance is explained in writing.

Legal documents and property contracts being reviewed on a desk

Why We Abandoned Hourly Billing in 2019

Hourly billing in conveyancing creates a perverse incentive: the longer a matter takes, the more the solicitor earns. We moved to fixed fees because we wanted our interests aligned with yours — completing your transaction efficiently and correctly.

Every matter we handle is scoped at the outset. If a title defect adds three weeks of correspondence, that's our problem, not yours. The fee you agreed stays the same.

"Our purchase hit a boundary dispute that took two months to resolve. The legal fee didn't change by a penny. I've never experienced that with a solicitor before." — M. Okonkwo, first-time buyer, Surrey

This model isn't for every firm. It requires experienced lawyers who can scope accurately. We've refined our scoping over six years and thousands of transactions.

Understanding Disbursements: The Costs We Don't Control

Disbursements are payments made to third parties during your transaction. We pass these through at cost with no mark-up. Here are the most common ones and what they actually do.

Local Authority Searches

Reveals planning permissions, building control records, road schemes, and environmental notices affecting the property. Turnaround varies by council — some take 48 hours, others take six weeks.

£100 – £350

Environmental & Flood

Assesses contamination history, flood zones, subsidence risk, and nearby industrial activity. Essential for mortgage lenders and for your own peace of mind.

£30 – £55

Land Registry Fees

Payable to HM Land Registry for registering the transfer of ownership or a new mortgage charge. The fee scales with property value and is set by statute.

£20 – £910

Are We the Right Fit for Your Matter?

✓ We're a strong fit if…

You want every cost explained before you commit
You're buying, selling, remortgaging, or transferring equity on residential property in England
You value fixed fees over hourly uncertainty
You want a solicitor who communicates by email and phone, not just post
You're a first-time buyer who needs guidance through each stage
You're an experienced investor who wants efficient, no-fuss conveyancing

✗ We may not be the best choice if…

Your matter involves agricultural land or large rural estates (we refer these to specialist firms)
You need representation in property litigation or court proceedings
Your property is located in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland (different legal systems apply)
You need commercial lease drafting for multi-unit retail or industrial premises

Data We Collect

When you use our enquiry form or contact us by email or telephone, we collect your name, email address, phone number (if provided), and details of your property matter. We do not collect data through automated tracking beyond a simple cookie-consent preference stored in your browser's localStorage.

How We Use Your Data

Your information is used solely to respond to your enquiry, prepare fee estimates, and — if you instruct us — to carry out your legal matter. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties except where required by law, regulation, or where necessary to complete your transaction (e.g. Land Registry, your mortgage lender, local authorities).

Data Retention

Enquiry data from individuals who do not instruct us is deleted within 12 months. Client files are retained for six years after matter completion in accordance with Solicitors Regulation Authority guidance, after which they are securely destroyed.

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data. Contact us at [email protected] to exercise these rights. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Last reviewed: January 2026

Scope

This website provides general information about our real estate legal services and fee structures. It does not constitute legal advice. No solicitor-client relationship is formed by visiting this website or submitting an enquiry.

Fee Estimates

All fee ranges displayed on this website are indicative and based on standard residential transactions in England. Your actual fee will be confirmed in a personalised fee letter before you instruct us. We reserve the right to adjust estimates where the scope of a matter materially changes after instruction, but we will always notify you in advance and obtain your consent before incurring additional charges.

Intellectual Property

All content on this website — including text, layout, and design — is the property of Real Estate Law Frontier and may not be reproduced without written permission.

Limitation of Liability

We make reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of information on this site, but we accept no liability for errors, omissions, or reliance on website content as a substitute for professional legal advice.

Effective from: March 2026

The fee information, disbursement ranges, and process descriptions on this website reflect typical residential property transactions in England as of early 2026. Actual costs depend on the specifics of your matter, including property value, title complexity, lender requirements, and local authority search turnaround times.

Stamp Duty Land Tax rates and thresholds are set by HMRC and may change. We calculate SDLT based on current legislation at the time of your transaction. This website does not guarantee any particular SDLT outcome.

Nothing on this website should be treated as a substitute for tailored legal advice. If you are uncertain about any aspect of a property transaction, please contact us or seek independent legal counsel.

Updated: February 2026

How Real Estate Legal Fees Actually Work