Conveyancing fees UK 2026: How much does it cost to buy or sell a home?

Conveyancing quotations have an unfortunate habit of looking simpler than they really are.

You may see a reassuring headline figure, only to discover separate amounts for VAT, searches, electronic transfers, mortgage work, identity checks or leasehold administration. Another firm may quote a higher figure at the outset but include nearly everything.

I have encountered this myself when comparing costs for a house move. The lowest figure on the screen was not necessarily the lowest amount that would eventually have left the bank account. The difficult part was not finding a price; it was establishing what the price actually covered.

Quick answer: For a reasonably straightforward transaction in England or Wales, a useful 2026 starting point is around £1,300 to £1,400 including VAT for the conveyancer’s legal fee on a freehold sale or purchase. Leasehold legal fees average closer to £1,600 to £1,750. Buyers must then budget for searches, HM Land Registry fees, possible mortgage-related charges and any Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax. Sellers may face additional leasehold, title or mortgage-redemption expenses.

Those figures are only benchmarks. The final amount depends on the property, its price, the legal title, the mortgage arrangements and what the quotation includes.

Although people commonly search for “conveyancing fees UK”, there is no single UK conveyancing system. This guide concentrates on England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal processes, taxes and registration charges.

Contents

• How much are conveyancing fees in 2026?
• What are conveyancing fees?
• What does the legal fee cover?
• What are conveyancing disbursements?
• What conveyancing costs does a buyer pay?
• What conveyancing costs does a seller pay?
• How much does it cost to buy and sell at the same time?
• Why does leasehold conveyancing cost more?
• What additional conveyancing fees might appear?
• How should you compare conveyancing quotations?
• What does fixed-fee conveyancing mean?
• Is no move, no fee conveyancing worthwhile?
• What do you pay if the transaction falls through?
• When are conveyancing fees paid?
• Should you choose the cheapest conveyancer?
• Frequently asked questions

How much are conveyancing fees in 2026?

There is no official fixed tariff for conveyancing. Firms decide their own charges and may calculate them according to the property price, type of transaction and anticipated complexity.

A 2026 survey of 100 conveyancing firms in England and Wales produced the following average legal fees. The figures include VAT but exclude disbursements and supplementary charges.

The research assumed a property value of no more than £300,000 and a mortgage being obtained or redeemed. It did not include disbursements or additional charges. The full methodology is available in the 2026 conveyancing-fee research.

A higher-value purchase, complicated title or transaction involving several additional features may cost considerably more. Equally, some firms will quote below these averages for a straightforward transaction.

A freehold buyer should commonly budget for a total of roughly £1,800 to £2,500 once the legal fee, searches, registration fee and routine transaction charges are combined. This excludes Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax, which may be much larger than the conveyancing bill itself.

For a leasehold purchase or sale, the overall cost can readily exceed £2,000 once the legal work and third-party leasehold charges are included.

These ranges are for budgeting, not fixed price bands. A quotation based on the actual property and transaction is always more useful than a national average.

What are conveyancing fees?

Conveyancing fees are the costs associated with the legal transfer of a property. They arise when you buy, sell, remortgage or, in some circumstances, change the ownership of a home.

The expression is often used loosely to cover three quite different types of payment:

The conveyancer’s legal fee is what the firm charges for its professional work.

Disbursements and third-party expenses are sums paid to organisations such as HM Land Registry, search providers, landlords and management companies.

Property tax may be payable by the buyer. In England this is Stamp Duty Land Tax. In Wales it is Land Transaction Tax. It is not part of the solicitor’s fee, even though the conveyancer will normally collect and submit it.

This distinction matters when comparing quotations. A £1,000 legal fee is not a £1,000 total bill if VAT, searches and registration charges must be added.

My related guides explain what a conveyancing solicitor does and how the residential conveyancing process works from instruction to registration.

What does the legal fee cover?

The work included depends on whether the firm acts for a buyer or seller and on the assumptions behind the quotation.

Legal work for a buyer

The buyer’s conveyancer usually reviews the contract pack and title, orders searches, raises enquiries, reports on the legal position and deals with exchange and completion.

Where there is a mortgage, the conveyancer will commonly act for the lender as well as the buyer. This requires them to check the lender’s instructions and confirm that the property provides acceptable security.

After completion, they normally submit the relevant property-tax return and apply to HM Land Registry to register the buyer and any mortgage.

Legal work for a seller

The seller’s conveyancer obtains the title information, prepares the draft contract and sends the contract pack to the buyer’s representative.

They deal with legal enquiries, prepare the transfer document, exchange contracts and receive the purchase money on completion.

If the seller has a mortgage, the conveyancer obtains a redemption statement and repays the lender from the sale proceeds. The remaining net proceeds are then sent to the seller or applied towards a connected purchase.

Work that may not be included

A quotation may assume that the property has one registered title, is freehold, has no unusual restrictions and involves an ordinary mortgage from a mainstream lender.

Extra work may therefore attract an additional charge. The important question is not simply “What is your legal fee?” but “What assumptions have been used, and what work would cost more?”

What are conveyancing disbursements?

A genuine disbursement is broadly a payment made by the conveyancer to a third party on the client’s behalf. Examples include HM Land Registry fees and certain search fees.

Disbursements are not necessarily fixed, identical in every transaction or unavoidable. The amount may depend on the property price, location, mortgage lender and type of title.

A cash buyer may sometimes decide not to obtain a particular search after receiving advice. A mortgage lender, by contrast, will normally insist on searches or another arrangement acceptable under its instructions.

It is also worth checking whether every item labelled as a disbursement really is one. An electronic money-transfer or bank-transfer charge is usually part of the conveyancer’s own service and is normally subject to VAT. HM Revenue & Customs explains this distinction in its guidance on charges that do not qualify for disbursement treatment.

From the client’s perspective, the most important point is that the quote shows the complete amount, the applicable VAT and any third-party costs that remain uncertain.

What conveyancing costs does a buyer pay?

A buyer’s quotation usually contains more separate expenses than a seller’s because the buyer must investigate and register the property.

Conveyancing searches

A standard search package commonly costs around £250 to £450. It may include a local authority search, drainage and water search and environmental search.

The location may make further searches advisable for flooding, mining, ground stability, infrastructure, radon or other risks. These produce additional charges.

My guide to conveyancing searches explains what the main searches reveal and why their prices vary.

HM Land Registry fee

The buyer pays a fee to register the purchase. The amount depends on the property value and the type of application.

For many electronic applications involving the transfer of the whole of an existing registered title, the current fee ranges from £20 to £500. Applications made by post, first registrations, new leases or transfers of part may attract a higher fee.

The latest figures can be checked using the official HM Land Registry registration-fee guidance.

Final searches

Before completion, the conveyancer will normally carry out a priority search against the title. Where the buyer has a mortgage, a bankruptcy search is also usually made against each borrower.

These individual charges are relatively small, but they should still appear in the quotation.

Mortgage-related charges

Some firms include acting for the mortgage lender within the main legal fee. Others charge a separate mortgage supplement.

There may also be a charge for reviewing a particular lender’s requirements or dealing with a mortgage obtained through a specialist or less commonly used lender.

Before instructing the firm, confirm that it is on the proposed lender’s conveyancing panel. If it cannot act for the lender, a second firm may need to become involved, increasing the overall cost and potentially delaying the purchase.

Electronic money-transfer charge

The conveyancer may charge for sending the purchase money to the seller’s conveyancer. This is commonly described as a telegraphic transfer, CHAPS or electronic money-transfer charge.

It should be identified clearly and VAT will usually be payable. Check how many transfer charges are expected, particularly if mortgage redemption, purchase funds or net proceeds will be sent separately.

Identity and anti-money laundering checks

Some firms include routine identity verification within their fee. Others show it as a separate charge for each client.

Additional work may be needed where purchase funds come from several sources, an overseas account, a company, a trust or a gift from another person.

A gifted deposit is not inherently suspicious, but the conveyancer must normally verify the donor’s identity, source of money and the nature of the gift. This can produce an additional fee.

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax

A buyer in England may have to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax. A buyer in Wales may instead have to pay Land Transaction Tax.

The amount depends on matters such as the purchase price, whether the buyer owns another residential property, residence status and eligibility for relief.

The tax is not a conveyancing fee, although the conveyancer will normally collect it and submit the return. Current liabilities can be estimated using the official Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator or the Welsh Revenue Authority’s Land Transaction Tax calculator.

What conveyancing costs does a seller pay?

A seller does not usually need searches or a registration application, so the list of third-party expenses is often shorter.

Title documents

The conveyancer obtains official copies of the registered title, title plan and any documents referred to in the register.

These charges are usually modest, although several titles or numerous filed documents will increase the total.

Mortgage redemption

The legal work involved in redeeming one ordinary mortgage may be included in the quoted fee or shown as a separate supplement.

Further charges may arise if there is more than one mortgage, a restriction benefiting another lender or a secured loan that requires separate repayment and discharge arrangements.

Electronic transfer of sale proceeds

The conveyancer may charge for transferring the net sale proceeds to the seller’s bank account.

Where the seller is also buying, the proceeds may instead be retained and used towards the purchase. The quotation should make clear how many electronic-transfer fees have been allowed for.

Estate agent’s fees

The seller’s conveyancer will commonly pay the estate agent from the sale proceeds if authorised to do so.

The estate agent’s commission is not a conveyancing fee and should not be confused with the solicitor’s bill.

Leasehold information

A leasehold seller will usually need a management information pack from the landlord, managing agent or management company.

The seller commonly pays for this directly or provides the money to the conveyancer before the pack is ordered. The amount is set by the organisation supplying the information, not by the seller’s conveyancer, and can run to several hundred pounds or more.

How much does it cost to buy and sell at the same time?

A home mover who is both selling and buying must budget for two legal transactions.

Using the 2026 market benchmarks, the combined legal fee for a straightforward freehold sale and freehold purchase would be approximately £2,700 including VAT, before searches, registration charges, transfer fees, tax and any supplementary work.

The firm may offer some economy because both transactions are being handled together, but the legal work is not simply one job. There are two titles, two contracts and two completion arrangements.

The purchase side will usually generate the larger third-party expenses. The sale side may nevertheless become costly if it is leasehold or if a title problem must be resolved before exchange.

It is sensible to ask for one statement showing the expected cost of the sale, another showing the purchase, and a combined estimate of the money required to complete.

Why does leasehold conveyancing cost more?

Leasehold conveyancing involves investigation of the lease as well as the ordinary registered title.

The buyer’s conveyancer must consider the lease term, ground rent, service charges, insurance, restrictions, management arrangements, planned works and the obligations of the landlord and leaseholder.

Information is also required from the landlord, management company or managing agent. The buyer’s lender may have detailed requirements about the lease and financial arrangements.

A leasehold seller’s conveyancer must obtain and supply the management information, answer additional enquiries and deal with any arrears, consents or share certificates.

As a result, both the legal fee and the third-party expenses are usually higher. My leasehold property guide explains the wider legal issues involved.

Leasehold charges paid by the seller

The seller will commonly pay for the management information pack. Further charges may be made for updating information, providing insurance documents, answering additional enquiries or dealing with an outstanding consent.

Leasehold charges paid by the buyer

After completion, the buyer may have to pay for a notice of transfer, notice of mortgage, deed of covenant, membership transfer or certificate of compliance.

The lease or transfer documents usually determine what is required. The amounts may not be known when the first quotation is produced, so the conveyancer should explain that they are additional third-party charges.

What additional conveyancing fees might appear?

No two property transactions are completely identical. A genuinely straightforward quotation may therefore need to change if the legal work turns out not to be straightforward.

Possible supplements include dealing with a leasehold property, new-build home, shared ownership lease, unregistered title, transfer of part, auction purchase, company purchase, trust, declaration of trust or more than one registered title.

Additional work may also arise from a gifted deposit, Lifetime ISA, existing Help to Buy ISA, Help to Buy equity loan, complex source of funds, unusual mortgage lender or short period between exchange and completion.

A title defect may require a statutory declaration, deed of variation, consent, indemnity policy or negotiations with a third party. These are not necessarily tasks that could reasonably have been included in a routine quotation prepared before the title was seen.

However, an extra fee should not simply appear without explanation. The conveyancer should identify the additional work, explain why it falls outside the original assumptions and tell the client what it is expected to cost.

How should you compare conveyancing quotations?

Comparing only the headline legal fee is one of the easiest ways to choose the wrong quotation.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires firms advertising residential conveyancing to publish price and service information. This must make clear whether VAT is included, what work is covered, what may cost extra and what disbursements are likely.

You can read the regulator’s price-transparency guidance.

When comparing quotations, look for the following points.

• Is VAT included in every relevant figure?
• Are the legal fee and third-party costs shown separately?
• Does the quote cover acting for a mortgage lender?
• Are identification and electronic-transfer charges included?
• Is the property assumed to be freehold or leasehold?
• What additional fees may apply?
• What is payable if the transaction does not complete?
• Has a referral fee been paid to the estate agent or another introducer?

A quotation cannot always predict an unknown management-company fee or the cost of resolving a title defect. It should nevertheless distinguish clearly between a known charge, a realistic estimate and a cost that cannot yet be calculated.

Watch for invented disbursements

A firm should not make its legal fee look unusually low by moving parts of its own charge into a list headed “disbursements”.

Searches, Land Registry fees and payments required by a management company are recognisable third-party costs. An “administration fee”, “file setup charge” or “expedition fee” is usually part of the firm’s own pricing and should be presented transparently.

Check the assumptions

A low fixed price may assume a registered freehold property, one mortgage, one title, no gifted deposit, no trust arrangement and no unusual legal issues.

There is nothing inherently wrong with those assumptions. The problem arises when they are hidden in small print and the customer reasonably believes the quotation is more comprehensive than it is.

Ask about referral fees

An estate agent, mortgage broker or developer may recommend a particular conveyancer and receive a referral fee.

Referral arrangements are not automatically improper, but the financial arrangement should be disclosed. You remain free to choose another firm.

I would not reject a recommended conveyancer solely because a referral fee exists. I would, however, compare the total price and service independently rather than assume that “recommended” necessarily means best or cheapest.

What does fixed-fee conveyancing mean?

A fixed fee usually means that the legal fee will remain the same while the transaction stays within the stated scope and assumptions.

It does not necessarily mean that the entire bill is fixed. Search fees, Land Registry charges, tax and leasehold administration expenses may still be added.

Nor does it mean that every unexpected legal problem must be dealt with for the original price. A firm may charge extra where the title is defective, the transaction changes significantly or work outside the agreed service becomes necessary.

The terms of engagement should explain what the fixed fee includes and identify the circumstances in which it can increase.

A fixed fee is different from an estimate. An estimate is an informed prediction of the likely charge rather than an agreement that the fee cannot change.

Is no move, no fee conveyancing worthwhile?

A no move, no fee arrangement can reduce the financial risk of a transaction falling through, but the expression has no single standard meaning.

It usually means that some or all of the firm’s legal fee will not be charged if the sale or purchase fails to complete. It rarely means that every penny will be refunded.

Search fees, Land Registry charges, identity checks and other payments already made to third parties are commonly non-refundable. Some firms also exclude particular reasons for the transaction failing or charge a higher legal fee for the protection.

Check whether the arrangement applies if you withdraw voluntarily, the survey reveals a problem, the mortgage is refused, the other party pulls out or you decide to use a different firm.

Also check whether the benefit is a genuine write-off of the legal fee or merely a credit towards another transaction started within a limited period.

What do you pay if the transaction falls through?

Unless a no move, no fee arrangement applies, the conveyancer will normally be entitled to payment for work already completed.

The amount may be calculated as a proportion of the fixed fee, according to the stage reached or by reference to the time spent. The terms should explain the approach.

Third-party costs that have already been incurred usually remain payable. A search provider will not ordinarily refund a completed search merely because the buyer later withdraws.

This can feel particularly harsh when the collapse was caused by somebody else. Unfortunately, each party ordinarily bears their own pre-contract expenses because an ordinary accepted offer is not legally binding until exchange.

Before instructing a firm, ask for a simple explanation of what you would owe if the matter ended before the contract pack arrived, after searches were ordered or shortly before exchange.

When are conveyancing fees paid?

Most firms request an initial payment on account when they are instructed. For a buyer, this commonly covers searches and early third-party expenses.

A leasehold seller may be asked to provide a further payment so that the management information pack can be ordered.

The buyer normally sends the remaining purchase funds, tax and outstanding costs to the conveyancer before completion. The firm must have cleared money in time to complete the purchase.

For a seller, the legal fee and authorised expenses are commonly deducted from the sale proceeds on completion. The seller then receives the remaining balance after the mortgage, estate agent and other agreed payments have been dealt with.

If the transaction lasts for an unusually long time or substantial extra work is required, the firm may ask for further money before completion.

Should you choose the cheapest conveyancer?

There is nothing wrong with seeking a competitive price. Conveyancing is expensive, particularly when added to tax, mortgage costs, surveys and removals.

However, a difference of £100 or £200 should be considered alongside the experience of the person handling the matter, their caseload, accessibility and ability to deal with complications.

In my experience, the quality of communication has an enormous effect on how stressful a house move feels. A technically capable conveyancer who explains what is outstanding is far easier to deal with than a cheaper service that leaves the client guessing for several weeks.

Online or volume conveyancing is not automatically poor, just as a high-street firm is not automatically attentive. Either model can work well or badly.

Ask who will have day-to-day responsibility, whether you will have a named contact, how updates are provided and who covers the file during absence.

Relevant experience also matters. A straightforward registered freehold purchase is very different from an auction, new build, shared ownership lease or complicated unregistered property.

MoneyHelper provides a useful independent checklist for choosing and comparing conveyancers.

Frequently asked questions

The figure that matters is the total

A conveyancing quotation should allow you to understand, with reasonable confidence, what the move is likely to cost.

It cannot predict every title defect, landlord’s charge or unexpected complication. It should nevertheless show the legal fee, VAT, expected third-party expenses, assumptions and potential supplements clearly enough for a sensible comparison.

The cheapest headline figure may turn out to be perfectly good value. It may also be a basic fee surrounded by charges that only become obvious later.

I would compare a small number of detailed quotations rather than a large number of headline prices. Once the figures are broadly competitive, the experience of the conveyancer, their communication and their ability to handle the particular property become at least as important as saving the final few pounds.

Buying or selling a home is already financially demanding. A clear quotation will not make conveyancing inexpensive, but it should prevent the bill from becoming one more unwelcome surprise.

Last legally reviewed: 1 August 2026

This guide is based on general principles of English and Welsh law, is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice or establish a professional relationship.

About the author, Clare Lowes