Our Fees

Additional Fees Explained

Drafting or approving a Statutory Declaration – a declaration is a type of sworn statement. Often it is needed in very specific circumstances, for instance to assert there has been no problem gaining a right of access where there is no legal access or an assertion that the maker is solvent. This necessity may come during the course of your transaction.

Dealing with Help to Buy ISA/Lifetime ISA – these are two of the various government assistance schemes to aid first time buyers. If you qualify then extra paperwork will need to be prepared in order to obtain the amount of money that may be due. This must be applied for prior to completion and must be used for the purposes of purchasing your property or the benefit could be lost.

Putting in place or approving an Indemnity Insurance Policy – often this is needed by buyers or sellers in a variety of differing situations. For instance where there should have been a building regulations consent for an alteration, where there are no documented rights of access over privately owned land where there should be such access or where there is a document noted as missing that affects the title of a property being sold but this document has been noted as having been in existence but lost. We will advise you if this will be needed and send to you a copy of the insurance policy so you can review its terms, conditions and exclusions.

Dealing with an additional Title Number – a property you purchase has a title which has either been registered at the Land Registry or classed as “unregistered”. Where it is registered, in the overwhelming majority of cases it will bear a title number. Sometimes however the property can be comprised of two or more titles. For instance where there is a house and a separate garage. This is not a concern but can involve extra work when preparing the contracts and completion.

Deed of Trust – where there are two or more buyers you may opt to own the property in unequal shares. A deed of trust between such buyers is the best way of preserving the respective interests in the property being purchased.

Redeeming an additional Charge – the majority of buyers purchase with assistance of one mortgage company. Some however can use two or more and this can involve considerable extra work.

Registering an additional Charge – in some cases there may be more than one Charge to register against the property or register elsewhere which can involve considerable extra work.

If the mortgage company is using separate solicitors – most lenders will use us for the legal formalities when the purchase is proceeding. A minority do not and have their own solicitors. This can cause considerable extra work and duplication of paperwork when it is submitted for approval to the mortgage lender’s solicitors.

Unregistered Title – title to all land in England and Wales is either registered at the Land Registry or unregistered. Title to land has to be registered when it changes  hands in the overwhelming majority of cases. Often the title to a property has not been registered because it has not changed hands for many years. Where title is unregistered this can involve considerable extra work.

Dealing with Criss-Cross Leases – this is a very specific situation. This applies to a property converted into two flats and you are buying one of them. We have to check that each lease has been properly constituted and that repair, maintenance and insurance obligations are correctly established. This can involve extra work.

Dealing with Solar Panels – this applies where there are solar panels installed on a purchase property. There are various complicated regulatory requirements that solar panels need to be legally installed and used and this can involve extra work.

New Build Fee – this applies when one is purchasing a new property and there is often extra documentation to examine and report on which can involve extra work.

Drafting a Deed of Covenant – this often  applies often where a flat changes hands and the landlord wants a promise from the buyer that he/she will keep to the terms of the lease after completion or similarly where a freehold house changes hands and there is a management company dealing with communal maintenance, repair and insurance.

Dealing with Notices – this often applies where a flat changes hands and the landlord or management company wants a formal notice so that it can update its records.

Dealing with Certificate of Compliance – this often applies where a flat or house (with a management company) changes hands and the landlord or management company requires certain formalities to be performed after completion so that it can formally consent to the title being transferred to the buyers and this can involve extra work.

Dealing with ID and Source of Funds (if not straight forward) – regulatory requirements mean we have to establish the identity of all clients and confirm the source of any funds being used for the transaction. Sometimes this is straight forward but where it isn’t there will be additional work. Some examples of this are where there is a gift, funds have been moved from account to account, money is coming from abroad.

Receiving multiple transfers of money – no extra charge is made for two transfers but more than two requires extra work on our part and we charge for this extra work. You can avoid this by sending all the money required in one transfer.