Buying & selling
Conveyancing fees in the UK (2026): what solicitors charge to buy and sell
The legal fee is the number on the quote. The bill is the legal fee plus a page of disbursements, and the gap between the two is where most surprises live. Here is what conveyancing costs in 2026, line by line.
The short answer
| Transaction | Typical legal fee (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sale only, freehold | £700–£1,100 | Fewer searches, less paperwork than a purchase |
| Purchase only, freehold | £950–£1,400 | Plus searches and disbursements — see below |
| Sale and purchase, one firm | £1,500–£2,500 | Usually cheaper than two firms, and one person watches the whole chain |
| Remortgage | £300–£600 | Often free through the lender's panel firm, with a cash alternative if you use your own |
| Leasehold, new build, shared ownership | Add £200–£400 | More parties, more documents, more deadlines |
Those are the solicitor's or licensed conveyancer's own fees, and most firms quote them fixed. VAT is usually on top, so check. The figure that catches people is not the fee — it is everything that gets added to it.
The fee is half the bill: disbursements
Disbursements are costs the conveyancer pays to other people on your behalf and passes on at cost. They are not negotiable and they are not optional, but they should always be listed separately so you can compare one quote with another.
| Disbursement | Who pays | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority, environmental and drainage searches | Buyer | Roughly £250–£400 together; varies by council |
| Land Registry registration fee | Buyer | Banded by purchase price — from around £20 for the cheapest properties to several hundred pounds |
| Land Registry office copies and priority searches | Both | A few pounds each |
| Bank transfer (CHAPS) fee on completion | Both | £20–£40 per transfer |
| Identity and anti-money-laundering checks | Both | £10–£30 per person |
| Stamp duty return (SDLT / LBTT / LTT) submission | Buyer | Often £50–£100 as an admin fee; the tax itself is separate |
| Leasehold management pack | Seller | Set by the freeholder or managing agent — often £150–£400 |
| Indemnity insurance, if a defect in the title needs covering | Usually seller | £20 to a few hundred pounds, depending on what is being insured |
What moves the price
- Leasehold. The management pack, the lease itself, ground rent and service charge enquiries, and often a notice fee to the freeholder after completion. Expect the higher fee and a longer timetable.
- New build. Reservation deadlines of around 28 days concentrate the work, and developers' contracts run long. Firms that do new-build regularly charge for the pace.
- Shared ownership and Help to Buy. Extra parties — the housing association, the government agency — and extra paperwork.
- The purchase price. Some firms band their fee by price; a £900,000 purchase carries more liability than a £160,000 one.
- Your lender. If the firm is not on your lender's panel, a second firm has to act for the lender and you pay for both.
- Chains and delays. Fixed means fixed at most firms, but read the terms — some charge extra if the transaction drags past a set period or falls through and restarts.
Solicitor or licensed conveyancer?
Both are regulated — solicitors by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, licensed conveyancers by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers — and both registers are public. Solicitors can also handle disputes; licensed conveyancers do property and nothing else. For an ordinary transaction either is fine and the fees are similar. What matters more is who will actually handle your file, how quickly they answer, and whether they have done your kind of transaction where you are buying.
Solicitors' fees for selling a house
Selling is the cheaper side: £700–£1,100 for a freehold, because there are no searches to order and less to check. The seller's disbursements are small — office copies of the title, the bank transfer to redeem the mortgage — unless the property is leasehold, in which case the management pack is the seller's cost and the first thing to order. If you are selling and buying, one firm for both is almost always cheaper and faster than two.
How to compare quotes like for like
- Ask for the legal fee including VAT, and the disbursements listed separately. A quote that blends them cannot be compared with one that does not.
- Ask what is excluded. "Additional work" clauses — for a gifted deposit, a deed of variation, an unregistered title — are where a cheap headline fee grows.
- Ask about no-sale-no-fee. Common, and worth having; check whether disbursements already spent are still payable if it falls through.
- Ask who handles the file and how you reach them. A named person with a direct line beats a call centre in every chain.
- Check the regulator's register. SRA or CLC, by firm name, before you send any money.
- Get three quotes on the same brief. The spread for identical work is regularly several hundred pounds.
Questions people ask
How much are solicitor fees for buying a house?
Typically £950–£1,400 in legal fees for a freehold purchase in 2026, plus VAT and disbursements — roughly £250–£400 of searches, a Land Registry fee banded by price, and a handful of small charges. Leasehold adds £200–£400 and a longer timetable.
How much are solicitor fees for selling a house?
Typically £700–£1,100 for a freehold sale. There are no searches on the selling side, so disbursements are small — unless the property is leasehold, in which case the management pack, often £150–£400, is the seller's cost.
Are disbursements included in a conveyancing quote?
They should be listed on it, separately from the legal fee. They are paid at cost to third parties — councils, the Land Registry, banks — so they are the same whichever firm you use. A quote that hides them inside one number is not comparable with one that shows them.
Can I get conveyancing for free?
On a remortgage, often — many lenders offer "free legals" through their panel firm, or a cash alternative if you use your own conveyancer. On a purchase or sale, no; anything called free is being paid for somewhere in the price.
Why does leasehold cost more?
More documents and more parties. The conveyancer has to read the lease, obtain and check the management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, raise enquiries about service charges and ground rent, and often serve a notice after completion. Each is billable time.
Is a cheap online conveyancing quote a false economy?
Not necessarily — some online firms are efficient and well priced. The false economy is a low headline fee with wide "additional work" clauses, or a firm too stretched to answer the phone during a chain. Compare the full quote and ask who handles your file.
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