Fee Structure

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Conveyancing Fees

In most transactions we are able to agree a fee at the outset of the transaction . Please feel free to contact us for a written costs quotation.

Here are details of our Standard Residential Conveyancing Fees :

FEES Correct as at 28th February 20221

Sale and Purchase – FREEHOLD PROPERTY

Note: The sale/purchase of a leasehold property may incur additional charges – there will also be additional disbursements such as notice fees and/or management/service charge fees payable.
Fees are all quoted net of VAT which will be added at the current rate of 20%.

IMPORTANT : We DO NOT charge any extra fees for dealing with a Mortgage Lender nor for dealing with your Stamp Duty Return [see LTT below]

Property Value up to £400,000 – Our fee is £650.00

For transactions above £400,000 fees increase by £50 for each additional £50,0000

Re-mortgage fees £395.00 + VAT and disbursements
Freehold Reversion £350.00 + VAT and disbursements
Notice of Severance £100.00 + VAT and disbursements
Transfer of Equity £275.00 + VAT and disbursements

In all cases Vat is currently charged at of and in addition to our fees

DISBURSEMENTS PURCHASE

Pre Contract Searches

Local Authority , Water & Environmental Searches £175.46 ( This may vary slightly depending on location of property ) These searches are recommended for all purchases and are mandatory if you are receiving a mortgage loan.

The following searches are discretionary and subject to mortgage lender requirements

Chancel Search £28.00
Coal Mining Search £61.80

Pre Completion searches

Land Registry Official Search of Register £3.00
Bankruptcy (LC search) £2.00 per name

Land Registry Registration Fees – based on property price.

Land Registry fees

0 – £80,000                   £45.00
£80,001- £100,000       £95.00
£100,001 – £200,000    £230.00
£200,000 – £500,000    £330.00
£500,000 – £1,000,000 £655.00
£1,000,001 +                £1,105.00

Stamp Duty Land Tax and Welsh Land Transaction Tax [LTT]
The Welsh Land Tax Calculator can be found here :

https://gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator

Stamp Duty Land Tax ( for properties in England ) can be found here
Stamp Duty Land GTax

DISBURSEMENTS SALE
OCE and Plan £6.00 (£3 each) per title
OC doc £3.00

ID Check £4.62 per name MANDATORY FOR ALL

Important Notes

The conveyancing prices above include all work required to buy/sell your property provided no unforeseen problems arise i.e. a deed of easement is not required, or the title is not defective and thus an application to the Land Registry is not required to rectify or create a title. If such problems arise during the transaction, then you will be advised beforehand of the likely additional costs.
If a Declaration of Trust is required to set out shares in the property you are buying with a co-purchaser(s)  then an additional fee will be payable for the preparation of the Trust Deed. You will be advised of the cost of these additional works beforehand.

Probate and Administration of Estates – Fees of Vale Solicitors 

Correct as at 28th February 2022

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration. In most cases we will act for you on the basis of a fixed fee   which will depend on the complexity and value of the estate. 

In all cases we will provide an initial consultation free of charge so that we may assess how best to proceed on your behalf . It may be that the circumstances of the estate do not require Probate – if that is so we can advise you straight away .

Our fees fall into three sections depending on the complexity and size of the estate :

• Probate Application

• Administration and Higher Value Estates

• Professional Executor fee

• Probate Application

Basic Application for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration 

1.a Basic Fees

If there is a Will the application is by the named  Executors for a Grant of Probate. If there is no will the application is by Administrators for a Grant of Administration of the Estate. 

We offer fixed fees where the estate does not exceed the Inheritance Tax Threshold and you simply wish us to obtain the Grant so that you can then deal with the administration of the estate personally. ( Currently the threshold is £325,000 for an individual or £650.000 for the survivor of a marriage or civil partnership. )

We would ask  you to provide us with a list of the values of all assets in the estate and details of any liabilities.  If there is a will we must be provided with the original. We then prepare the  Estate summary for the Inland Revenue and the required Executors / Administrators Statement of Truth. We submit the Application to the Probate Registry on  behalf of the executors and then report to you with the Grant of Probate when received.

The Grant of Probate/Administration is your legal authority to deal with the assets of the deceased and to distribute the estate among the beneficiaries. At this fee level we do not deal with the transfer or encashment of any assets or any payments to beneficiaries.

Our fixed fee for this application is £650  plus £130 Vat . In addition there will be a Court application fee of £273.00. ( The Court provides a single copy of the Grant but if there are a number of assets it is advisable to request additional copies at a cost of £1.50 each )

On an average straightforward application our total fixed fee and expenses would be  £1,053.00 (Our fee £650 fee plus £130 vat plus £273  Probate Court Fee )

1.b Additional Fees 

If the estate exceeds the Inheritance Tax threshold described above there may be additional allowances to Tax . Residential property relief may apply  which should raise the  Inheritance Tax Threshold to £1,000,000.  This  application would require additional Inland Revenue returns and correspondence with HMRC  which we will deal with for an additional fixed fee of £300 plus Vat 0f £60.00. 

If the estate includes a residential property that is to be transferred to a beneficiary we can assist with that for an additional fixed fee of £150 plus Vat and the Land Registry fee (the Land Registry charge according to the value of the property . Current  land registry fees are )  

£0 to £100,000		£20
£100,001 to £200,000		£30
£200,001 to £500,000		£45
£500,001 to £1,000,000		£65
£1,000,001 and over		£140

 

• Administration and Higher Value fees

 

If you wish us to deal with the Administration of the estate additional fees are payable. 

In addition to obtaining the Grant we would carry out the following additional work for the executors :

 

• Review the assets and liabilities and write the initial letters to banks, building  societies, utilities (including council tax) and insurance.  
• Submit statutory notices, if requested. 
• Notify the beneficiaries of their entitlements under the will / intestacy and obtain  identification. 
• Draft probate application and inheritance tax forms. Calculate if there is inheritance  tax to pay. 
• Submit application to the Probate Registry to obtain grant of probate / letters of administration, once the probate application and inheritance tax form have been  signed. 
• Once probate is received, collect the assets and pay outstanding liabilities. 
• Pay any legacies or interim distributions to the residuary beneficiaries. 
• Submit bankruptcy checks. 
• Prepare estate accounts for approval by the executor(s) / administrator(s). 
• Finalize the income tax position of the deceased. 
• Pay out balance to residuary beneficiaries

. Assenting of residential property to beneficiaries   

 

For this additional work we charge (in addition to the Probate Application fees set out in paragraph 1 ) an administration fee of  £2,750  plus Vat of  £550. These fees are fixed  for an estate up to £500,000 in value . For estates in excess of £500,000 we charge a higher value estate fee of 1% of the excess 

 

Examples 

1. An estate of  £500,000 

Probate Application  Fee £650.00  plus Vat £130 

Admin fee £2,750.00  plus Vat £550

Probate Court Fee £273

Total £4,353.00

 

1. An estate of  £950,000

Probate Application Fee £650 plus Vat £130 

Admin fee of £2,750 plus Vat £550

Higher Value Estate Fee ( (£950,000-£500,000  =£450,000 x 1%) :  £4,500  plus Vat £900

Probate Court Fee £155

Total £9,753.00

 

Depending on the deceased’s circumstances and those of the beneficiaries it may be necessary to incur additional expense of Between £90 to £350 including VAT at 20% for “statutory advertisements” in the London Gazette and in a local newspaper or newspapers. These protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors. It may also be necessary to carry out  Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches at £1 each in respect of beneficiaries 

 

The following are not included in the fixed fee price: 

• Property sale (if applicable).
• Deeds of variation for the beneficiaries. 
• Business or farming advice (if applicable). 
• Any investigations by HMRC into the deceased’s lifetime tax affairs. 
• Changes to legislation during course of estate administration. 
• Trusts, including in which the deceased was a beneficiary as at the date of death. • Trusts set up by the deceased under the will. 
• Financial advice on the suitability of the disposal of assets in the estate. 
• Personal taxation of estate beneficiaries. 
• Restitution for long term care funding incorrectly paid to the deceased (if  appropriate). 
• Additional or certified copies of documents. 

. Any investigation or claim by the Department of Work and Pensions

• Anything else not specifically identified in the scope of the fixed fee as set out above. 

 

Inheritance Tax is payable at 40% on the value of a person’s Inheritance Tax Threshold (which may include  more than the assets passing under their will if they have made gifts during their lifetime) . Gifts to charity and to Spouses are exempt from Inheritance Tax. 

On average, estates are dealt with within 12 months. The timescale may be longer than this  due to factors outside our control. 

 

3. Professional Executors Fee

Where the deceased has appointed our firm as executors in the will we take on the personal responsibility of the executors and this is reflected in an additional value based fee of 0.5 % of the value of the estate 

 

Examples 

1. An estate of  £500,000 

Probate Application  Fee £650.00  plus Vat £130 

Admin fee £2,750.00  plus Vat £550

Professional Executor’s Fee 0.5% – £2,500 plus Vat of £500

Probate Court Fee £273

Total £7,353.00

 

1. An estate of  £950,000

Level 1 Fee £650 plus Vat £130 

Admin fee of £2,750 plus Vat £550

Higher Value Estate Fee ( (£950,000-£500,000  =£450,000 x 1%) :  £4,500  plus Vat £900

Probate Court Fee £273

Total £9,753,00

In all cases we will give you a detailed fee for agreement before we commence work on your behalf and we invite you to contact us with any queries in connection with our costs.