Residential Conveyancing Solicitors
Buying or selling a home can be the largest investment you make; therefore you want to make sure you get expert property advice and the best value for money. At Thomson Snell & Passmore we seek to give you peace of mind by ensuring you have your own dedicated lawyer and that the transaction runs as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Scroll past the map to view our fees, timescales and the stages involved in buying or selling a property.
Please note from 1 July to 30 September 2021 SDLT will not be payable on the first £250,000 of your purchase price. It is difficult to advise with any accuracy how long a transaction may take around this time as much will depend on factors outside of our control including the easing of lockdown restrictions and if the Government have to make any changes to their proposed plans. We will however keep our clients updated during the course of their transaction.
Important Information – Temporary Reduced SDLT Rates
From 1 July to 30 September 2021 SDLT will not be payable on the first £250,000 of your purchase price. As of 1 October 2021 the SDLT rate returns to normal and is not payable on the first £125,000 of the property price.
There remains an increased interest in property transactions which, coupled with remaining COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns it is greatly impacting on the amount of time it is taking for us to receive mortgage offers, surveys/valuations, responses to enquiries and search results.
It is difficult to advise with any accuracy how long a transaction may take around this time as much will depend on factors outside of our control. We will however take all reasonable steps to progress matters and keep our clients updated during the course of their transaction.
As a result if you are purchasing a property we highly recommend that you plan and ensure you are in a position to pay SDLT at the correct and higher rate, with or without a reduction bearing in mind a higher rate may be due depending on when your matter completes.
You can access the SDLT calculator using the link https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro
The SDLT reduction is something that is more relevant to a buyer who has to pay SDLT. However your buyer’s interest could be dependent on taking advantage of the SDLT reduction.
How we can help you
With a broad range of property conveyancing legal know-how we provide an efficient, personal and informative service to our clients in the following areas:
- Freehold and leasehold – sales, purchases, mortgages and re-mortgages
- High value properties (including large country homes and prestigious London properties)
- Listed buildings
- Holiday homes and investment properties
- First time buyers
- Executor and attorney sales
- Court of Protection sales and purchases
- New-builds
- Lease extensions and lease enfranchisement
- Matrimonial and probate transfers
- First registrations of title with the Land Registry.
Why choose Thomson Snell & Passmore?
- 98% of our clients rate our service as ‘excellent’. If you have been referred to us by an agent it is because they are an advocate of our expertise and client care. 84% of our work comes from existing happy clients or is referred to us by an agent
- Our local knowledge and strong networks with agents ensures your property transaction proceeds as efficiently as possible. We are on all of the major lenders’ panels and do not receive or pay referral fees
- Our market leading team of ten experienced conveyancing lawyers specialise in dealing with the sale and purchase of all types of residential property. We are one of the largest and most experienced residential conveyancing teams in Kent and the South East, with offices in Tunbridge Wells and Dartford. Because of the level of service we provide and the quality of work, the team have been recognised in the Chambers HNW Guide for Real Estate with Rebecca Swain and Claire Josef being ranked as leading individuals
- We offer direct contact with the same lawyer (via telephone and email) throughout your transaction. In the event of any absence, our residential conveyancing team is structured to ensure that your transaction will be looked after by another lawyer, without a reduction in our level of service. We can provide peace of mind by offering searches that check for any future development proposed near your property. The standard searches we propose reveal details of planning permissions granted on properties nearby
- All of our searches and correspondence with the Land Registry are conducted online, for speed and to keep costs down
- We are committed to full transparency on fees and giving our clients meaningful choice as to the basis on which they wish to proceed. We ensure that clients are kept fully up to date on costs as the matter progresses
- Our clients can also benefit from our strong network of lawyers who can provide additional advice on all aspects of your property transaction, including wills, trusts and tax planning, dispute resolution, family law and lease enfranchisement.
The pin map below identifies where in the UK our recent clients are based. This has been created using data from The Conveyancing Map supplied by the TM Group.
Fees
We appreciate that costs quickly mount when buying or selling a property. With this in mind, we offer a comprehensive range of fixed fee services aimed at keeping legal costs to an absolute minimum. To view a full summary of what is, and is not, included in our fees click on the links for a sale, purchase or a mortgage/re-mortgage.
Our fee proposal will be based on a full understanding of your needs, once we have taken into account the actual features of the matter and know what is important to you. Matters that can affect the fees include time sensitivity, leases, new-builds, private drainage, Listed Buildings, complex and/or multiple titles, complex financing arrangements, third party involvement, major building works or plans and tenanted properties; as well as those items identified in the summary of work referred to above. Our pricing is calculated on an hourly rate basis and this varies between £165.00 and £370.00 (plus VAT at 20%) depending on the level of experience. Please click here for more information.
The tables below provide an average fixed fee range for the type of transaction referred to. It assumes that the work is within our standard scope of work and has no unexpected complications or high priority. If there are any unexpected complications or items that are outside of our initial scope we will inform you as soon as we become aware and will discuss the potential consequences, before any additional charges are incurred. VAT will apply to these fees.
Sale
|
Value
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Freehold
|
Leasehold/ Listed Building
|
|
Up to £500,000
|
£1,200 - £2,500
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£1,500- £3,000
|
|
£500,000-£1m
|
£1,500 - £3,500
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£1,800 - £4,000
|
|
£1m - £2m
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£2,500 - £4,500
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£3,000 - £5,000
|
|
£2m - £3m
|
£3.500 - £6,000
|
£4,000 - £7,000
|
|
Above £3m
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£4,500 plus
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£5,000 plus
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Purchase
|
Value
|
Freehold
|
Leasehold/New build/Listed Building
|
|
Up to £500,000
|
£1,200 - £2,500
|
£1,500 - £3,000
|
|
£500,000- £1m
|
£1,500 - £3,500
|
£2,000 - £4,000
|
|
£1m - £2m
|
£2,750 - £5,000
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£3,250 - £7,000
|
|
£2m - £3m
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£3,500 - £7,000
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£4,500 - £8,000
|
|
Above £3m
|
£4,500 plus
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£5,500 plus
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Mortgage/Re-mortgages (excluding Equity Release)
|
Value
|
Freehold
|
Leasehold /Listed Building
|
|
Up to £500,000
|
£1,000 - £2,000
|
£1,250 - £2,000
|
|
£500,000-£1m
|
£1,500 - £2,500
|
£1,500 - £3,000
|
|
£1m - £2m
|
£2,000 plus
|
£2,500 plus
|
Additional fees and disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as those listed below. We handle payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Any reference made to VAT is charged at 20%.
- Search fees (for purchases and re-mortgages): £350 - £500 approx. (plus VAT)
- HM Land Registry fee: For purchases, please use this link to view: the Land Registry’s fee scale 1. For sales, the Land Registry document fees are usually less than £20 (incl. VAT) (depending on the number of copy documents we have to obtain at £3 +VAT per document). For mortgages and re-mortgages these are usually up to £20 (incl. VAT) for obtaining copy title documents. In addition there will be a registration fee based on the value of the new mortgage. Please use this link to view: the Land Registry’s fee scale 2
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (for purchases and some transfers ) Please use this link to use: HMRC’s SDLT calculator. We will also advise you on basic SDLT liability. For more complex transactions, additional charges for advice may apply
- Managing agents fees (for sales, purchases and mortgages/re-mortgages). These vary and are stipulated by the Landlord and/or managing agents. They are generally unavoidable and non-negotiable. The costs are incurred for obtaining ground rent, service charge and management information, consents to sell, details of major works, notifications of changes to ownership and lenders and transferring shares in management companies among other things
- Electronic money transfer fee £30 +VAT per CHAPS transfer e.g. sending money on completion.
How long will the transaction take?
The time from your offer being accepted until you can move in, will depend on a number of factors, including the size of the chain. Assuming there is no chain it typically takes between 4 – 6 weeks from when a solicitor receives/sends the contract pack. When you are part of a chain, due to factors beyond our control, it will typically take a minimum of 8 weeks. Mortgage offers, delayed searches, management packs and information from third parties are all factors that can influence the time a transaction takes.
Stages of the process
Our infographic clearly shows the entire sale and purchase process, what we do and what to expect from each stage. Which can be found here: Buying and selling a property - the legal process.
Who will work on my matter?
All work is supervised by the Head of Department, or a senior, fully qualified member of the team who also has supervisory authority. If you instruct us we will advise you as soon as possible who will be working on your matter and who the supervisor is.
See the bottom of the page for details of the team who may work on your matter.
Get in touch
Contact us on 01892 510 000 or email us to discuss your requirements.
Alternatively, you can read our frequently asked questions on conveyancing related legal matters here; FAQ - Residential Conveyancing
