Charges
We believe that it is important for you to be clear about how much you are going to be charged before we start work for you. We will always give you a quote and if this has to change for any reason, for example if matters become more complicated part way through, we will let you know how much the increased cost will be before beginning the extra work.
A lot of our work can be charged at fixed amounts. This includes most Wills, Divorce, Powers of Attorney and Property work. Some work however, is less predictable and we will charge by reference to an hourly rate. In those circumstances, we try to give an estimate as to the total cost. This will include most Estates Administration work and Family Law matters. One way in which we often proceed for clients for this sort of work, is to say that we will work up to an agreed amount and then review what further work is needed and at what cost before carrying on.
Disbursements
These are costs that we have to pay out on your behalf – other people’s charges. They may include court fees, searches on property transactions or fees for experts such as barristers or medical practitioners. We will always include a list of the expected disbursements for each matter when providing the initial quote. We will also usually ask you to provide us with the money for these costs up front, so that we can pay them on your behalf.
We believe that the quality of the advice you receive is more important than the cost and so we do not try to be the cheapest. However, we believe that we are competitively priced because we keep our overheads low, whilst using state of the art technology to work as efficiently as possible.
Loyalty Scheme
For longstanding clients of the firm or for people who instruct us to do a number of jobs at the same time, we usually build a discount into our quotes. From time to time, we run reduced price schemes or promotions in certain areas of work and it is always worth checking with us what may be available.
Our Price Estimate
The table below provides cost estimates for the types of work that we do.
| Type of Work | Cost (total including VAT) | Payments to other people | What this covers | How long will this take? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Conveyancing – sales, purchases and mortgages of freehold and leasehold properties This type of work is dealt with by David Williams, a Director of the Company and the Head of our Property Department. Further details about him can be found here. | Sales: Between £600 and £1,000 depending on the value of the property and whether there are any complicating factors, such as the property being leasehold or not registered at the Land Registry Purchases: Between £650 and £1,500 depending on the value of the property and whether there are any complicating factors, such as the property being leasehold or not registered at the Land Registry or what sort of mortgage is required Mortgages: £450 for a remortgage or further advance and £800 for an equity release | Sales: There are usually Land Registry charges of around £6, estate agents’ fees and sometimes fees for leasehold management companies Purchases: There are usually Search Fees ranging from about £300 to £600 depending on what searches are required, Land Registry charges ranging from about £20 to £910 depending on the value of the property and whether or not it has already been registered previously, and sometimes fees for leasehold management companies and Stamp Duty Land Tax Mortgages: similar to purchases above | Sales: Producing the contract paperwork for the buyer’s solicitor, answering any questions that they raise on the title to the property, completing the sale, redeeming any mortgage, paying the estate agents and any leasehold management company and paying the balance to you Purchases: Assessing the title to the property, raising questions on the title and conducting any necessary searches, reporting on the title to you and any lender, completing the purchase and any mortgage, registering the title with the Land Registry and paying Stamp Duty Mortgages: similar to purchases above | Sales: The likely timescale for your sale will depend on whoever is buying your property and the length of the chain below them. Typically, it can be between 6-8 weeks but see the comments on Purchases below. Purchases: 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. The average process takes between 6-8 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 4 months. In such, a situation, additional charges would apply. Mortgages: similar to purchases above |
| Probate – help with the administration of estates This type of work is dealt with by Chris Milne, a Director of the Company and the Head of our Private Client Department. Further details about him can be found here. He is assisted by Christopher Seddon, an experienced Private Client Consultant, and Sarah McDermott, a trainee paralegal | Fixed fees: Between £600 and £1,200 depending on whether a small or large HMRC Inheritance Tax Return is required Hourly rates: Between £170 and £200 per hour depending on whether it is our most junior paralegal or our most senior solicitor who is doing the work We will always try to give an estimate of the total cost of the work, once the extent of the estate is known and we will always discuss with the personal representatives and beneficiaries what work can be shared in order to limit the cost | There are usually swear fees of £5 or £7 per personal representative and a Probate Court fee of £155 (plus £0.50 for each official copy). There can also be fees for Will searches, property and shares valuations, advertisements for creditors or missing beneficiaries, indemnity insurance, etc., depending on what the estate consists of. | Fixed fees: Using the information that you provide from the Will, the death certificate and about the assets and liabilities of the estate to produce the HMRC Inheritance Tax Return and the Oath, paying the initial tax, if any, and applying for the Grant of Representation Hourly rates: Obtaining all the information required about the deceased and the assets and liabilities of the estate to be able to prepare the HMRC Inheritance Tax Return and the Oath, applying for the Grant of Representation, using the Grant to access all assets of the estate and pay all liabilities, including paying all taxes due, obtaining clearance from HMRC, paying legacies and distributing the rest of the estate to the beneficiaries. | Fixed fees: On average, where we are just obtaining a Grant and only a small HMRC Inheritance Tax Return is required, this takes between 3-6 weeks. Where a large Inheritance Tax Return is required, the process usually takes between 2-4 months Hourly rates: Where we are helping administer the whole of the estate and not just obtaining the Grant, typically, obtaining the Grant of probate takes 1-6 months (depending on the size of the estate), collecting the assets and paying the liabilities then follows, which can take between 1-3 months. Once this has been done, we can pay legacies (which, ideally, should be paid within a year of someone dying), then obtain clearance from HMRC (which can take several weeks, depending on how busy HMRC are) and then distribute the assets, which normally takes about 4 weeks. |
| Wills This type of work is dealt with by Chris Milne, a Director of the Company and the Head of our Private Client Department. Further details about him can be found here. He is assisted by Christopher Seddon, an experienced Private Client Consultant, and Sarah McDermott, a trainee paralegal. | £120 for a single simple Will £195 for joint simple Wills £200 to £1,000 for more complex Wills, depending on the complexity of a person’s estate and whether tax advice, property arrangements and trusts are to be included | Usually none | All work from taking instructions to providing draft documents, amending those drafts, producing neat copies for signing and then checking and storing the signed Wills, providing copies, and any related property arrangements, such as the severance of a joint tenancy | The whole process from taking initial instructions to the signing of the Will usually takes between a few days and a few weeks. |
| Powers of Attorney This type of work is dealt with by Chris Milne, a Director of the Company and the Head of our Private Client Department. Further details about him can be found here. He is assisted by Christopher Seddon, an experienced Private Client Consultant, and Sarah McDermott, a trainee paralegal. | £120 for a single General Power of Attorney £195 for joint General Powers of Attorney £300 to register an Enduring Power of Attorney £375 to make and register a Lasting Power of Attorney £650 to make and register 2 Lasting Powers of Attorney £900 to make and register 4 Lasting Powers of Attorney £150 to revoke or partially revoke a Power of Attorney | The Office of the Public Guardian charges £82 to register each Power of Attorney unless you qualify to have the fee reduced or waived altogether, depending on what income you receive | All work from taking instructions to providing draft documents, amending those drafts, producing neat copies for signing, registering the documents where necessary with the Office of the Public Guardian and then checking and storing the registered documents and providing copies | The whole process from taking initial instructions to the signing of the Power of Attorney usually takes between a few days and a few weeks. The Office of the Public Guardian usually takes about 8 weeks to register the documents. |
All of the above information is designed to give you a fair and reasonable assessment of the likely costs and an individual quotation will be given to you at the outset of your transaction, taking into account your particular circumstances. All of the above information is given as guidance and is not binding in terms of the individual transactional or quotation. If you have any queries about the price or service that may be provided on your transaction, please do not hesitate to contact any of the practice’s Directors through sols@onionsanddavies.co.uk.
All of the above prices are subject to the rate of VAT that is charged, currently 20%
© 2018 Onions & Davies. Onions & Davies Solicitors is the trading name of Onions & Davies Ltd, Company Reg. No. 8322297, Registered Office address: 91 Cheshire Street, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 3A. Onions & Davies is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID Number: 607617)