Our Fees

WILLS:
Straight forward Single Will: £175 + VAT – total £210
Straight forward Mirror Will: £275 + VAT – total £330
Complex Wills:  Costs will be discussed after initial instructions before you decide whether to proceed.

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY:
Single – either Health & Welfare or Property & Finance:  £350 + VAT – total £420
Double – two people or both Health & Welfare and Property & Finance: £700 + VAT – total £840

There will be an additional charge of £82 per document (no VAT) for registration fees for lodging with the Office of the Public Guardian. Any other third party charges such as a doctors fee for acting as Certificate Provider will be advised as necessary.

OBTAINING GRANT OF REPRESENTATION ONLY
We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Representation on your behalf.

How much does this service cost?
Total fixed fee of £780.00 (incl. VAT), the breakdown for which is given below. 
This includes: obtaining the grant only.

Breakdown of costs:

Legal fees £650.00
VAT on legal fees £130.00

In addition the following Disbursements may be payable:
* Probate court fee of £300.00 plus £1.50 for each additional office copy – no VAT.
* Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary) – no VAT.
* From £100.00 + VAT approximate (from £120 approximate). Post in The Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
* From £160.00 +VAT approximate (from £192 approximate). Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
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.

As part of our fixed fee we will:
* Provide you with a dedicated and experienced solicitor to work on your matter
* Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators
* Accurately identify the type of Grant application you will require
* Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
* Complete the Grant Application and the relevant HMRC form IHT205
* Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
* Obtain the Grant and securely send all copies obtained to you

Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-9 months from initial instruction to Grant of Representation being received.

Exclusion from our fixed fee:
* Identifying the beneficiaries
* Obtaining details of the assets and liabilities
* Payment of funeral
* Any other HMRC forms such as IHT217 for Transferable Nil Rate Band or a full Inheritance Tax Return
* Realisation of assets and distribution

APPLYING FOR THE GRANT OF REPRESENTATION, COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTING THE ASSETS
We anticipate this will take between 5 and 20 hours work at £120.00 -£200.00 per hour depending on the level and experience of the individual solicitor/fee earner carrying out work on your matter. The solicitor/fee earner will change throughout the matter depending the complexity of the work involved. Total costs estimated at £600.00 – £4,000.00 plus VAT – estimated total £720 – £4,800.

The exact cost will depend on the complexity 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. Costs will increase where we are appointed as Executors and in circumstances where there is a property that we need to clear and sell, as well as maintaining until it is sold.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
* There is a valid Will
* There is no more than one property
* There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
* There are no other intangible assets
* There are 1-10 beneficiaries
* There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
* There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
* There are no claims made against the estate

In addition, the following Disbursements may be payable:
* Probate court fee of £300.00 plus £1.50 for each additional office copy – no VAT.
* Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary) – no VAT.
* From £100.00 +VAT approximate (from £120 approximate). Post in The Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
* From £160.00 + VAT approximate (from £192 approximate). Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
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.

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.
* If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 per sealed copy (1 per asset usually).
* Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
* Valuations on property or other items
* Payment of Inheritance Tax

How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 10-12 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6-8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 3-4 weeks. This is an estimate, and the solicitor/fee earner will keep you updated as your matter progresses.

Residential Conveyancing:

NB: Please be aware that there may be unforeseen disbursements (some of which will attract VAT) which we may not be aware of until a matter is underway.  We will keep you informed of all and any additional charges as they arise.  We have an online quotation tool on our front page which sets this out in detail when you request a quotation.

*Please note that as every conveyancing transaction is different there may be other fees chargeable dependent upon the nature of the matter. Any extra required charges will be explained at the outset where possible and clients will be kept informed during the lifetime of the transaction. All fees given are an estimate and subject to the hourly rate of the fee earner working on your matter. Timescales vary from transaction to transaction. Clients will be informed of an approximate timescale at the outset, kept informed at regular intervals thereafter and as matters progress.

Summary of key stages:
Whilst we cannot be specific in respect to timetables we do try to provide a plan of order in which stages can be reasonably expected to occur.  Please note though that these stages can sometimes happen all at once or at different times and no two transactions are the same.  If one of these stages is delayed by, for instance, provision by the seller’s solicitors of their Contract pack, this can have a knock-on effect on the remaining stages.  The timetable below shows how a typical matter could expect to progress but is merely a guide and not a guarantee:

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Our fees for commercial property matters are based upon the hourly rate of the fee earner dealing with your matter. For standard freehold commercial purchases, our estimated fees begin at £1,000 + VAT (from £1,200 in total) and any disbursements and increase depending on the purchase price, the nature of the matter and the work involved. For a more accurate estimate, please contact the firm direct.