Solicitor Fees for
Selling a House

Solicitors fees are one of the biggest expenses involved in selling a house, which often comes as a nasty shock for first-time sellers.

While the exact fees can vary depending on factors like the house price, location and the type of legal professional you work with, 4-figure sums are standard these days.

This article will run through average solicitor fees for house sales and additional considerations, such as other costs involved in the selling process and whether you need to use a solicitor at all.

Average Seller Solicitor Conveyancer Fees (2024)

Research from Property Solvers shows that average conveyancing fees in 2024 were £1,187.98 for selling a freehold property.

For a leasehold property, average conveyancing fees rise to £1,401.99.

As for remortgaging a property, the average solicitor’s fees were £692.92 (with the remortgage level set at £225,000).

All these figures include VAT and are taken as an average of various locations across the country, with property values below £300,000. However, they don’t account for disbursements or supplementary fees.

Right to Buy, shared ownership and new build properties may have different costs.

What are Seller’s Solicitors Fees?

When you sell a house, you legally transfer ownership from one person to another.

This isn’t something the average person can handle independently, and making a mistake can threaten the whole property transaction. This is why enlisting a legal professional is a must.

You typically pay solicitors fees after you exchange contracts on a house sale and receive the funds. At this point, conveyancing fees and any other charges are deducted from the house sale proceeds.

However, the fee structure can vary between conveyancers, and some may ask you to make an upfront payment so they can use it to obtain the necessary documentation, such as title deeds.

What’s Included

Typically, conveyancing fees cover:

• The contract that outlines the terms of the property sale
• Title Deed (Register) to ensure you have the legal right to sell property from HM Land Registry
• Title Plan
• Transfer deeds
• Law Society (TA) forms to disclose information about the property to the buyer
• Mortgage redemption statement to ensure secured finance is paid off after the house sale is complete
• Exchange of contracts
• Finalisation (completion) of property sale (such as transferring funds and paying outstanding mortgage)
• Post-completion legal aspects (such as registering property transfer with the Land Registry)

In addition, there are general legal services and answering enquiries from buyers.

What’s Excluded

However, there are some additional disbursements the solicitor’s basic fee may not cover. These legal costs include:

• Bank transfer fee
• Local authority searches
• Land Registry fees
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Solicitor vs Conveyancing Fees

The conveyancing process specifically refers to the transfer of property ownership rights, and a conveyancer is somebody who specialises in this process.

Meanwhile, a solicitor is a legal professional who handles various aspects of law. They cover property ownership, but they also have broader legal knowledge. If solicitors primarily focus on house sales, they are known as conveyancing solicitors.

Since a conveyancing solicitor has a wider-ranging experience and more qualifications, they are often more expensive to work with than a licenced conveyancer.

However, the two terms are often used interchangeably in the world of property sales. 

Fee Structure for Property Seller’s Solicitor

As mentioned, a solicitor’s fees may be calculated in different ways.

Many professionals opt for fixed fee conveyancing, which means they will quote an upfront price that covers all legal services provided.

Others may charge by the hour, meaning you will only find out the final cost at the end.

Do I Have to Pay Conveyancing Fees if a House Sale Doesn’t Go Through?

When selling a house, it’s fairly common for a property transaction to fall through.

This can happen if somebody in the chain is unable to obtain mortgage finance, or if they uncover a complex legal issue that puts them off the property.

Whether you still have to cover a solicitor’s legal fees will largely depend on the fee structure and the agreement made.

Law firms that charge per hour are unlikely to give you a refund, but you may avoid payment if you instead agreed to pay your legal fees at the end of the process.

Factors that Affect Solicitors Fees

Legal fees can vary depending on a few factors. We’ve already touched on the difference depending on the type of legal professional you work with, but there are some additional elements.

These include:

• Cost of the property – More expensive properties require more paperwork and are more complex
• Location – Of both the house you’re selling and the conveyancing solicitor. London and South East England based conveyancers tend to charge more
• Online vs Traditional Business – If the firm is online only, they may be cheaper
• Complexity of the sale – Issues like encumbrances, restrictive covenants, overage clauses and easements all create more work for a conveyancer, resulting in higher fees
• Payment method for the sale – Cash is the simplest, while drawing down mortgage finance is the most complex, which can increase costs
• Type or tenure of property – Freehold properties are generally the simplest, while a shared ownership or leasehold property will be more complex. New build properties also tend to carry a greater conveyancing cost.

Do I Have to Pay Solicitor’s Fees?

Considering the expenses, you may be wondering if you need to pay conveyancing fees at all.

Using a solicitor isn’t a legal requirement, so technically, it’s possible to go without them.

However, unless you happen to have experience in transferring property ownership and other complex issues, this is unlikely to be a feasible choice.

Making a mistake in the legal process can result in delays – at which point you’ll need to bring a solicitor on board and pay their legal fees anyway.

An alternative way to get around conveyancing fees is to sell to a house buying company instead. These firms give free cash offers for buying any property, and their quote often includes all legal costs.

But bear in mind that property buyers only offer around 85% of the full property value, which can end up being equivalent to the fees for selling.

Other Fees Involved in Selling a House

Unfortunately, solicitor fees are far from the only costs of selling a house.

There are some additional fees for selling you could face, although these can vary depending on your situation.

How to Get the Best Value for Money

If you want to keep your conveyancing fees as low as possible, make sure you contact various solicitors or conveyancers for quotes.

As mentioned, a solicitor’s legal fee is likely to be higher than the fee of a licensed conveyancer, so this is another factor.

You can also look out for additional conveyancing services that are included in the fee, such as free searches or cashback.

Getting the Best Service

Of course, cost shouldn’t be the only thing that you consider.

If you’re carrying out a more complex sale, such as one with restrictive covenants – then opting for an experienced solicitor is likely better than saving money on a conveyance.

Look out for elements like:

• Accreditation with professional organisations like the Council for Licensed Conveyancers or the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS)
• Years of experience
• Local knowledge
• Knowledge of a particular property type and tenure, such as a leasehold property

After all, if the sale falls through, you will end up losing more money than you save.

Mind Those Fees

You only need to look at the average fees for selling a house to see that conveyancing fees are an expensive business.

Plus, there are extra fees to pay in a house sale, such as bank transfer fees and estate agents, which can result in a costly final bill!

This makes it more important than ever to make sure you get good value for money when it comes to conveyancing costs.

One way to do this is through opting for a property buyer instead who can help you sell your house fast while saving on fees. Contact Property Solvers to find out more.