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OUR CHARGES

We aim to be as transparent as possible to enable the consumer to make an informed choice when considering which legal service provider to use. Whilst it is not possible to cater for every possible scenario or complexity which may arise, we do hope that the information provided will be of assistance to you when deciding whether to use our services.

We offer a wide range of conveyancing services ranging from freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, mortgage and remortgage work, lease extension, freehold enfranchisement and transfer of equity. We set out below a guide to the costs you will incur but please bear in mind that in complex cases or those involving considerable additional work, we may quote you a higher fee. We do not charge an additional fee if you are having a mortgage to fund your purchase. We invite you to fill in the Request a Quote form on our website and we will email you a comprehensive detailed quote to include our costs, VAT and disbursements specifically tailored to the property you are buying or selling and based on the information you submit to us. Commercial transactions will be quoted separately.
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ABOUT US

Leonard Jacobs, Consultant at Law Direct Limited trading as Redfern & Co, obtained a London University LL.B (Hons) degree in 1971 and did his training Contract (then known as Articles) at Pinsent & Co. Solicitors in Birmingham from 1972 to 1974. He qualified as a Solicitor in 1974 when he joined Redfern & Co. and has been with the firm since qualifying. He has extensive experience in conveyancing and private client work such as Wills and Probate. Redfern & Co. was one of the first legal firms to obtain the trusted Conveyancing Quality Scheme, a recognised and prestigious Law Society Charter mark, in 2011. You can be confident of high qualify work carried out to your satisfaction in a friendly manner and meeting your expectations. All work is handled personally by Leonard who gives each matter his close personal attention. Please see our many reviews on Yell.com.

Sale or Purchase of a freehold residential property

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.
All fees are exclusive of VAT currently charged at 20%. If any disbursements are exclusive of VAT(currently charged at 20%) these will be specified. 

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

  • Legal fee for freehold Conveyancing. This will be based on the sale or purchase price as follows:-

    Up to £150,000

    £705.00

    Up to £250,000

    £750.00

    Up to £350,000

    £795.00

    Up to £450,000

    £840.00

    Up to £550,000

    £885.00

    Up to £650,000

    £930.00

    Up to £750,000

    £975.00

    Up to £850,000

    £1,020.00

    Up to £950,000

    £1,065.00

    Up to £1,000,000

    £1,085.00

    Up to £1,250,000

    £1,310.00

    Up to £1,500,000

    £1,550.00

    Over £1,500,000

    By Agreement
  • We do not charge an additional fee for acting on behalf of your Mortgagee Lender and our conveyancing fee includes dealing with the mortgage work.
  • Search fees. Typical conveyancing searches on a purchase are:
    • Local Searches made with the Local Authority and these depend on the Local Authority eg Birmingham Council currently charge £95.20 for a Local Search. We will be able to give you a fixed Local Search fee when you provide us with the postal address.
    • Environmental Search. This currently costs £53.70.
    • Water/Drainage Search. This currently costs £61.20.
    • There are a range of optional searches which are an additional cost as follows:-

      Flood Search

      £37.32

      Chancel Search

      £24.84

      Ground Stability Search

      £76.82

      Energy & Infrastructure Search

      £37.80

      Landmark Planning Report

      £44.10
  • HM Land Registry fee. This is primarily based on the value of the property and we will quote you the exact figure based on the price you give us. You can check these prices at the Land Registry’s website www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
  • Electronic money transfer fee. We charge an administration fee of £30 plus VAT for each electronic funds transfer.
  • Electronic submission to HM Land Registry. We charge £15 plus VAT to submit your documentation to the Land Registry on completion of the purchase (in addition to the Land Registry fee).

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Typical disbursements on a purchase transaction are currently:-
  • Stamp Duty (see below)
  • Search fees (see above)
  • HM Land Registry fee (see above)
  • Completion Monitor Compliance Checklist £17.40
  • Lawyer Checker £18.00
  • Anti-Money Laundering Search £8.40 per person
  • Bankruptcy Search (if there is a mortgage) £2.00 per person 
  • Land Registry Search £3.00
  • Stamp Duty Land Transaction submission fee £9.60
These are subject to change. 

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website here.

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. 
It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer or purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle. As a guide, you could expect a standard transaction to take approximately 6-8 weeks but is there is a mortgage involved or there are many parties in the chain, it could take 12-16 weeks. These time scales are very much rough estimates as every transaction is different and some are more complex than others.  
Disbursements on a sale are considerably less than a purchase and will be itemised in your quotation.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances, but should include the following: 
  • Take your instructions and give you initial advice
  • Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed
  • Receive and advise on contract documents
  • Carry out searches
  • Obtain further planning documentation if required
  • Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor
  • Give you advice on all documents and information received
  • Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
  • Send final contract to you for signature
  • Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
  • Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
  • Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
  • Complete purchase
  • Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
  • Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

Sale or Purchase of a leasehold residential property

Our fees cover all the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property is in Wales. 
All fees are exclusive of VAT currently charged at 20%. If any disbursements are exclusive of VAT(currently charged at 20%) these will be specified. 

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

  • Legal fee for leasehold Conveyancing. This will be based on the sale or purchase price as follows:-

    Up to £150,000

    £755.00

    Up to £250,000

    £800.00

    Up to £350,000

    £845.00

    Up to £450,000

    £890.00

    Up to £550,000

    £935.00

    Up to £650,000

    £980.00

    Up to £750,000

    £1,025.00

    Up to £850,000

    £1,070.00

    Up to £950,000

    £1,115.00

    Up to £1,000,000

    £1,135.00

    Up to £1,250,000

    £1,360.00

    Up to £1,500,000

    £1,600.00

    Over £1,500,000

    By Agreement
  • We do not charge an additional fee for acting on behalf of your mortgage lender. Our conveyancing fee includes dealing with the mortgage work.
  • Search fees (see above)  
  • Stamp Duty (see below)
  • Search fees (see above)
  • HM Land Registry fee (see above)
  • Completion Monitor Compliance Checklist £17.40
  • Lawyer Checker £18.00
  • Anti-Money Laundering Search £8.40 per person
  • Bankruptcy Search (if there is a mortgage) £2.00 per person 
  • Land Registry Search £3.00
  • Stamp Duty Land Transaction submission fee £9.60
  • HM Land Registry fee. This is primarily based on the value of the property and we will quote you the exact figure based on the price you give us. You can check these prices at the Land Registry’s website www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
  • Electronic money transfer fee. We charge an administration fee of £30 plus VAT for each electronic funds transfer.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. In addition to the disbursements listed above for a freehold purchase, there are certain disbursements on a leasehold purchase which will be set out in the individual lease relating to the Property or as advised in the Leasehold Management Pack. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease and other documentation from the seller's solicitors.

Additional Anticipated Disbursements on a leasehold purchase

  • Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. 
  • Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. 
  • Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. 
  • Certificate of Compliance fee - To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease
These four fees can range from modest sums to a few hundred pounds. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

See comments above
Disbursements on a sale are considerably less than a purchase and will be itemised in your quotation. However, when selling a leasehold property, it is necessary to obtain a management pack. We will advise the cost of this which varies from property to property.
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold property vary according to the circumstances, but would include the following:
  • Take your instructions and give you initial advice
  • Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed
  • Receive and advise on contract documents
  • Carry out searches
  • Obtain further planning documentation if required
  • Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor
  • Give you advice on all documents and information received
  • Go through conditions of mortgage offer
  • Send final contract to you for signature
  • Draft Transfer 
  • Advise you on joint ownership
  • Obtain pre-completion searches 
  • Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
  • Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
  • Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
  • Complete purchase
  • Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
  • Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors.. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer or purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer. In such, a situation additional charges would apply. How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. 
As a guide, you could expect a standard transaction to take approximately 6-8 weeks but is there is a mortgage involved or there are many parties in the chain, it could take 12-16 weeks. These time scales are very much rough estimates as every transaction is different and some are more complex than others.  
Disbursements on a sale are considerably less than a purchase and will be itemised in your quotation.

*Our fee assumes that: 
  1. this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
  2. this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
  3. the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise
  4. all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
  5. no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Mortgages and Remortgages:

As mentioned, whilst we do not charge an additional fee for dealing with the mortgage aspect of your purchase, if you are just remortgaging and not purchasing we will charge a fee starting at £650 plus VAT and disbursements depending on the value of the property and amount of the mortgage. We will prepare a detailed quotation based on the information you give us. If it is necessary to make fresh searches, we will let you know the cost as well as any other disbursements such as Land registry fees.

Transfer of Equity

Typically we charge a fee starting at £650 plus VAT and disbursements. Again, a detailed quotation will be provided based on the information you give us.
Please note: The fees mentioned above are indicative only for a typical transaction. A detailed comprehensive quotation listing all charges, VAT and disbursements will be provided on enquiry by you or if you complete the Request a Quotation form on our website.

Applying for the Grant of Probate or Administration, collecting and distributing the assets

We typically charge on a fixed fee basis ranging from £750 plus VAT(currently 20%) and disbursements for a straight forward estate, to £1,550 plus VAT and disbursements for a mid-range estate, to £4,950 to £15,000 plus VAT and disbursements for a more complex estate.
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. We will provide a detailed quotation once we have full details of the assets and liabilities and terms of the Will

Certain factors can affect the price we charge and will be calculated based for example on the following factors:
  • That there is a valid Will
  • If there is more than one property
  • If there are numerous bank or building society accounts
  • If there are other intangible assets
  • If there are many beneficiaries
  • If there are disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs 
  • If there is inheritance tax payable and the executors need to submit a full account to HMRC
  • If there are claims made against the estate
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. 

Typical disbursements payable when applying for a Grant:
  • Probate application fee(for estates over £5,000) £273
  • Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
  • Statutory Advertisements in The London Gazette and a local newspaper. Cost depends on the local newspaper but will be approximately £250 - £350. This protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors and unexpected claims.
  • FAS Landmark Financial Asset Search to identify assets in the estate (£162)
  • If any additional copies of the Grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually).

Potential additional costs

  • If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information. 
  • Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included and will be quoted separately.

How long will this take?

On average, straight forward estates are dealt with within 6 months. Once the assets in the estates have been identified, the application for probate take approximately takes 12 weeks. When the grant of probate has been received, we can distribute the assets. These are indicative timings only and every case will be different depending on the assets concerned.

We will:
  • Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
  • Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
  • Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
  • Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms 
  • Draft a legal oath for you to swear
  • Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
  • Obtain the Probate and send a copy to you
  • Pay any Inheritance Tax
  • Collect and distribute all assets in the estate