How much does conveyancing cost?

A headline legal fee cannot tell you the whole price. Ask for a written total matched to your property and circumstances, with estimates and exclusions identified. The questions below help you establish what is payable, to whom and when.

1 What should a conveyancing quote include?

Ask for a written breakdown that lets you identify these parts:

Do not assume a charge is a third-party cost just because it has its own line. For example, ask who receives a bank-transfer or identity-check charge and what service it covers. Property searches and HM Land Registry fees are examples of payments to outside organisations; an administration charge made by the firm is its own charge.

For SRA-regulated firms, the regulator’s price and service guidance addresses clear pricing, VAT and the work included or excluded. A fixed-fee label still needs a clear description of the work it covers.

2 How do I know whether the price is reasonable?

Start with quotes for the same transaction. A sale, a purchase and a combined sale and purchase are different instructions. A figure prepared for one set of property details may not cover the work needed for another.

Have these details ready when asking for a quote:

• Whether you are buying, selling or doing both, with a price for each transaction.
• The property location and whether it is freehold or leasehold, if known.
• Whether a mortgage is involved and which lender you expect to use.
• Any new-build or shared-ownership arrangement, and whether someone else is contributing funds.
• Anything still uncertain, so the firm can identify which amounts need confirmation.

For a purchase, ask about searches, registration and any property tax as well as legal work. For a sale, ask about obtaining title documents, dealing with any existing mortgage and leasehold information where relevant. If buying and selling together, request a separate breakdown for each. The SRA’s conveyancing pricing guidance explains why transaction details matter.

The useful figure for your budget is a written total matched to those details. Compare it with quotes covering the same work, including applicable VAT and estimated costs. MoneyHelper recommends comparing total costs and checking lender approval and contact arrangements. Those checks help you judge what you are getting for the price.

If you already have two written offers, use our conveyancing quote comparison worksheet to record missing amounts and exclusions before choosing.

3 Buying and selling: how should I compare both fees?

Ask for separate sale and purchase breakdowns even if one firm will handle both. You are comparing two sets of work. A combined total is useful only when you can see what each part covers and whether any agreed discount depends on both transactions proceeding.

These are questions to confirm for your properties, not a list of charges every mover must pay. The SRA’s conveyancing guidance distinguishes sale and purchase work, VAT, disbursements and exclusions. Ask who receives each charge rather than judging it by its label.

Record a subtotal for each transaction and a combined total. Identify excluded tax and other costs before using that total as your moving budget. Do not add an included payment twice. Our comparison worksheet can hold the full figures for each firm; the seller quote checker helps identify questions about the sale side.

4 Can the same conveyancer handle my sale and purchase?

Ask the firm to confirm it can accept both matters, who will handle each file and who will coordinate their progress. Tell it whether you need the sale proceeds to fund the purchase. This means acting for you on your two transactions, not asking one person to represent both you and the other party in a transaction.

For a mortgaged purchase, confirm acceptance by your named lender before instructing. MoneyHelper recommends checking lender approval and contact arrangements. Use our lender-panel checklist to record the answer. One firm handling both matters does not guarantee a discount or a completion date.

5 When will I need to pay if I am buying and selling?

Request a payment schedule for each matter. A quote tells you the expected cost; a schedule tells you when you need the money. Ask what must be paid before your sale completes, what can be deducted from sale proceeds and what you must send separately. Do not assume the firm can fund upfront costs from money it has not received.

GOV.UK says property searches are usually paid upfront. Confirm when the firm proposes to order them and the cancellation position before authorising the expense. Keep money paid towards legal costs separate in your records from the deposit for the property purchase.

6 Could a gifted deposit or leasehold flat affect my quote?

Tell the firm if someone is helping fund your purchase or if the property is leasehold. Ask what information it needs from anyone providing funds and which leasehold work its quote covers; do not assume an earlier figure accounts for details you have not supplied.

Ask for an updated quote if these details change. The legal firm determines the checks and work it needs to do. Supplying the facts early helps it explain the price, although it cannot reveal every issue that might emerge later.

7 Why might an estate agent’s quote differ from an online quote?

Some estate agents receive referral payments from providers they recommend. You must be told about such a payment, and you can choose another provider. A referral payment does not, by itself, establish why a quote is higher or whether the service is suitable. GOV.UK explains recommendations and referral fees.

Check the work and charges behind both prices. A low headline figure may cover less, while a higher total may contain items listed separately elsewhere. Neither the recommendation nor the first number you see replaces that comparison.

Discuss location separately from price. Ask how you will provide documents, complete checks and contact the person handling your matter. A local office and remote contact are compatible options; establish what the particular firm offers. Our choosing guide covers service questions, and our estate-agent recommendation guide explains your choice.

8 Can a fixed conveyancing fee change?

A fixed fee relates to the agreed work. Ask the firm to distinguish that work from exclusions, possible additional services and estimated third-party costs. Keep the quote and engagement terms together, and raise any inconsistency before agreeing to proceed.

For firms regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, its Estimates and Terms of Engagement Code requires an explanation and revised estimate when the relevant estimated charges are likely to be exceeded. The code also requires the basis of charges for work on a transaction that does not proceed to be set out.

If an additional charge appears, request the reason, the relevant quote or terms provision, and a revised breakdown showing the effect on your total. Ask when the extra work became necessary and whether it was previously included. This gives you something specific to discuss rather than treating every new invoice as automatically justified or automatically wrong.

Suggested wording to adapt:

9 Is an upfront payment an extra cost?

It depends on what the payment buys and how it is recorded. A payment credited against an agreed bill reduces the amount left to pay. A separate charge increases the total unless it was already included. Ask for that distinction in writing.

For illustration only, a £1,500 quoted total with the £150 MoveGuide payment already included leaves £1,350 to pay after that credit, assuming no other changes. The £1,500 is an invented example, not a live quote. The £150 payment is part of that total.

For every payment, establish the recipient, what it covers, where any credit will appear and what happens if the move does not proceed. Use the same questions for an intermediary as for the legal firm. The label “deposit” does not, by itself, tell you the refund terms.

10 What happens to the fees if only one transaction stops?

Check the written terms for each matter. A no-move-no-fee promise on one file does not establish what happens to the other file or to costs already paid to third parties. The CLC code requires its regulated firms to state the charging basis for work on a transaction that does not proceed.

• Your sale completes but the purchase stops: request the completed sale bill and a separate account for the stopped purchase, including any fees waived and third-party costs incurred.
• Your sale stops and the purchase is paused or abandoned: ask the firm which work can be paused, what has already been ordered and what charges remain due on each matter.
• One property is replaced: request a new quote identifying any reusable work, repeated checks, agreed credits and changes to any combined discount. Do not assume the previous price transfers.

Ask for a reconciliation of each bill against payments already made, showing any balance payable, money to be returned or credit offered. Our no-move-no-fee guide explains the questions to ask about the firm’s offer. Check an intermediary payment against its own terms as well.

11 Is stamp duty included in the legal fee?

Property tax is separate from the charge for legal work, even when the firm collects both. First-time-buyer status does not automatically mean there is no tax to pay. Check the applicable HMRC SDLT rules for England or Welsh LTT rules, and ask the firm to confirm your calculation. Wales has no specific first-time-buyer relief. Also distinguish the tax itself from any fee the firm charges to prepare the return.

If you buy before selling your current home, ask the firm to recalculate the purchase tax before you rely on the earlier estimate. England’s rules for replacing a main residence and Welsh higher-rate rules have their own conditions. A planned sale is not evidence that a later refund will be available.

12 Compare costs for your move with MoveGuide

MoveGuide is a free conveyancing quote comparison service for people buying, selling or remortgaging a home in England and Wales. Every panel firm is regulated by the SRA or the CLC. We compare firms on our panel, not every firm in the market.

Each quote is itemised and calculated from the firm’s own pricing. It shows the legal fee, VAT and the third-party costs it includes, and says what it leaves out, such as Stamp Duty or Land Transaction Tax. Comparing quotes is free and no payment is taken on the site.

For a linked sale and purchase, use the checklist above to ask the firm to confirm the separate work, combined cost and payment schedule. Give the property details for both matters and name your intended mortgage lender. A comparison quote does not itself confirm lender acceptance.

We will not send your details to any firm unless you ask us to. Getting quotes does not send your details to any firm. A firm gets your contact and enquiry details only when you ask it to call you. MoveGuide may contact you to explain your quotes. Requesting a call does not commit you to instructing the firm.

If you instruct a firm through MoveGuide, a £150 file-opening payment to MoveGuide is included in that firm’s quoted total and credited against your final bill. It is not an extra charge on top of the quote.

If you are instructing for both a sale and a purchase, ask MoveGuide and the firm how the file-opening payment applies to your linked matters and where the credit will appear. Do not assume a separate payment for each matter or a refund if one stops. Confirm the applicable payment and cancellation terms before paying.

If a quote or charge is unclear, contact us so we can help identify what needs explaining. For a service or billing complaint, raise it with the firm first; the Legal Ombudsman may be able to help after its complaints process. Serious conduct concerns are a separate matter for the relevant regulator. The SRA explains its remit; it does not settle ordinary fee disputes or regulate every conveyancing provider.

MoveGuide is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The firm you choose does the legal work.

Compare conveyancing quotes, then ask your chosen firm to confirm both breakdowns before you instruct.