Our Service and Experience in Dealing with Residential Property
Residential Conveyancing is a specialism of Martin Tolhurst and we act on around 7000 property completions a year. According to the Land Registry, we are one of the largest firms of solicitors in the country, undertaking conveyancing. We have more than 30 specialist fee earners dealing with residential property work who would be happy to act on your behalf. For individual fee earner’s biographies, please see the individual links below.
We act on behalf of clients selling and buying and are also on the panel of all major mortgage lenders to ensure that we can act on behalf of your mortgage lender in your sale/purchase transaction. This should save you both time and cost.
A Quality, Award Winning, Conveyancing Service.
As evidence of the quality of service that you will receive, we have won multiple awards for our conveyancing services. In 2018, we were judged to be the best firm in the South East for conveyancing and were placed third nationally in the National LFS Conveyancing awards. In 2021 we won the Conveyancing Training award nationally at the Modern Law conveyancing Awards, and in 2022 we won the Law Net Training and Development awards.
Rated by Our Clients
In 2021 over 600 clients completed surveys/reviews for the service that they had received from us on residential conveyancing transactions and 92% of our clients in those surveys confirmed that they would use us again or recommend us to their family/friends. Our review website scores (all as at 31st may and subject to change) are also very high for the conveyancing industry:
Review Solicitors 4.6*/5
Facebook 4.3*/5
Yell.com 4.6*/5
Google Reviews 4.2*/5
Trustpilot 4.3*/5
Who will deal with your matter?
Your transaction will be dealt with by a named contact at the firm, and this will be one of the conveyancing specialists employed by Martin Tolhurst. We have over 30 specialist conveyancers in Residential Conveyancing whose individual names appear below. By clicking on their biography, you can see their experience and information about them. They will deal with your transaction from the time the file is opened, until completion takes place.
Typical Timescales
Every transaction will differ according to the extent of the chain, whether parties within the chain require a mortgage or a survey, and how quickly mortgage, survey and searches can be obtained. On a freehold transaction, we would anticipate exchange of contracts on average, to be 10–12 weeks from receipt or issuing of contracts until exchange of contracts. Your individual transaction may be more or less than this average. Completion is usually 5–14 days after exchange. On leasehold transactions, because of the involvement of management companies and landlords, an additional 2 weeks is required, giving an average of 12–14 weeks from receipt of contracts to exchange of contracts.
Key Stages
To see the key stages in a residential sale or purchase transaction, please click here.
Our Price Estimate- an exact estimate is available through our calculator.
We charge all clients fees based on a scale according to property price. In addition to price, there are other factors that determine the fees that will be charged including whether a mortgage is being obtained, if the property is freehold or leasehold, the number of buyers and other variables. We are able to give you a fixed estimate at the outset of the transaction once we have details of your proposed transaction. It is easily obtained by inputting the sale/purchase price, and a number of sellers/buyers on our conveyancing calculator tool which can be accessed here.
What is Included in Our Fees Estimate?
Included in the fixed fee transaction prices are the following: -
On a sale – the fee given includes all attendances and correspondence with you from the opening of the file until the file is closed shortly after completion, dealing with estate agents (if any), issuing of contracts, dealing with enquiries raised by the buyers and their solicitors, dealing with any mortgage company and redeeming the mortgage upon completion, dealing with the transfer documents, replies to requisitions and effecting exchange/completion and all associated documentation.
On a purchase transaction, the quotation provided includes all correspondence with you and all telephone calls and attendances with you during the transaction, dealing with the sellers’ solicitors, raising enquiries, considering replies to enquiries, raising searches, checking search replies, providing you with copies of the searches and replies to enquiries and any comments on the same, reporting to you and dealing with any mortgage offer/instructions, reporting to you on the same, arranging your signature with advice on the contract, transfer and mortgage effecting exchange, dealing with post-exchange work, including pre-completion searches, dealing with completion, and dealing with land registration matters and advising you of registration.
On most occasions (but not all), if you have been referred to us through an estate agent we are able to act on a no-sale/no-fee basis, which means that we would not charge you for any legal costs for work that we have carried out if transaction proves abortive. However, any costs that we have incurred; for example, Land Registry fees or search fees) would be charged to you, even if our fees are not. If more information on a no-sale/no-fee arrangement is required, please contact us.
Factors that could increase or decrease our overall costs estimate
- If a lease extension is required or a Deed of Variation to your lease because of an issue within the lease that would involve a formal deed with the landlord/managing agents, then an additional fee with apply. This would usually be around £800 plus VAT but will depend on individual circumstances.
- If you are purchasing a property and your mortgage lender wishes to instruct separate solicitors with whom we have to deal, this would normally involve a great deal more administration. The additional cost is likely to be £150.
- If you are obtaining a help to buy mortgage (by way of second charge on the property) or a help to buy ISA then an additional fee will be payable by you as the buyer. This would usually be £150 (second charge) or £50 (help to buy ISA).
- You are selling and have more than one mortgage/loan to redeem upon completion of the sale or you are purchasing and are taking out more than one mortgage/loan to assist you with the purchase (£150 per loan).
- If a title defect becomes evident during the transaction and needs to be remedied for example, a crucial right of way is not shown on the title to the property or on a leasehold flat the ground rent is excessive. The cost will depend on the remedy and documentation required and the likely cost will be £100–£900 depending on the issue.
- A Declaration of Trust: if you are purchasing a property in joint names and wish to hold the property as tenants in common in unequal shares, then a Declaration of Trust would be recommended. This will confirm the arrangements for the sums put into the equity in the property, and what is to happen upon any sale or transfer of the property in the future. The complexity of the Declaration of Trust will depend on the individual circumstances as will the costs. The cost of a Declaration of Trust starts at £225.
Conveyancing Price Examples 1.
Jonathan and Abigail are purchasing a freehold terraced house in Maidstone for £300,000. They are first-time buyers and are obtaining a mortgage for £270,000 with Halifax PLC. They have sufficient savings to pay the balance £30,000 purchase price, and all legal costs and disbursements themselves. The costs charged by Martin Tolhurst, with disbursements, to Jonathan and Abigail are as follows:-
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors fee acting on purchase | £920. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £184. |
Search fees (Local, Drainage, Environmental Searches) | £330. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £66 |
Land Registration fees | £150. |
Land Registry pre-completion search fee | £4. |
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors’ fee – acting on mortgage | £175. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £35. |
Martin Tolhurst fee for storage of file | £25. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £5. |
Bankruptcy search fee | £4. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £0.80. |
Martin Tolhurst fee for carrying out 2 identity and verification checks | £26. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £5.20. |
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors fees for completing SDLT Form | £75. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £15. |
Stamp Duty Land Tax | nil (first-time buyer relief). |
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors fee for advising on joint ownership | £25. |
VAT at thereon 20% | £5 |
| |
Total | £2050 |
Conveyancing Price Examples 2
Jennifer is selling her late mother's leasehold flat in Dartford for £230,000. There is no mortgage to redeem on the property. The legal costs and disbursements that Jennifer is likely to incur are as follows:
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors’ fee for dealing with the sale | £1,110. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £222. |
Land Registry office copy document fees (estimated) | £29. |
Martin Tolhurst fees for carrying out identification and verification checks | £13. |
VAT thereon at 20% | £2.60. |
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors’ fee for File storage fee | £25. |
VAT thereon 20% thereon | £5. |
Martin Tolhurst fee for sending money by bank transfer (to client for monies on completion) | £35.75. |
VAT thereon at 20% | £7.15. |
| |
Total | £1,449.50. |
Conveyancing Price Example 3
Juliet and Andrea are selling Juliet’s freehold property in Canterbury for £260,000. Juliet and Andrea are purchasing a property in their joint names in Whitstable for £400,000. They do not require a mortgage to assist with the purchase and there is no mortgage to redeem on the sale.
Sale costs | |
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors’ fees for acting on sale | £920 |
VAT 20% thereon | £184 |
Land Registry office copy document fees | £6 |
Files storage fees | £25 |
VAT at 20% thereon | £5. |
Martin Tolhurst fee for identification and verification (one client) | £13. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £2.60. |
Total costs on sale | £1,198.50. |
Purchase legal costs and disbursements. | |
Martin Tolhurst legal fee for dealing with purchase | £1,025. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £205. |
Martin Tolhurst legal cost for dealing with joint ownership | £25. |
VAT thereon 20% VAT | £5. |
Land Registration fees | £150. |
HM Land Registry Pre-Completion search fee | £4. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £0.80. |
Local Drainage and Environmental Search costs (including VAT) | £396. |
Martin Tolhurst file storage costs | £25. |
VAT thereon | £5. |
Martin Tolhurst legal cost - bank transfer fee | £35.75. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £7.15. |
Martin Tolhurst legal costs for completing SDLT Form | £75. |
VAT thereon | £15. |
Stamp Duty Land Tax payable to HMRC | £7,500. |
Martin Tolhurst cost for identification and verification (one further client) | £13. |
VAT at 20% thereon | £2.60. |
Total cost of purchase | £9,390.10 |
Overall Total legal costs for sale & purchase | 10,588.6 |
Conveyancing Price Example 4
John and Gillian Hicks own a property worth £600,000. They are taking out a new mortgage on the property with Nationwide Building Society for £100,000. They have no mortgage on the property at present, but are effectively re-mortgaging the property. The property is freehold and is registered in the joint names. The legal costs and disbursements that they would pay are as follows:
Martin Tolhurst legal fee for getting the remortgage | £625. |
Land registration fees | £45. |
Land Registry search fees | £4. |
VAT thereon | £0.80. |
Bankruptcy search | £4. |
VAT thereon | £0.80. |
Land Registry office copy document fees | £6. |
Local Authority search fee | £120. |
VAT thereon | £24. |
Martin Tolhurst legal costs – file storage fees | £25. |
VAT thereon | £5. |
Martin Tolhurst costs for dealing with bank transfer | £35.75. |
VAT thereon | £7.15. |
Martin Tolhurst legal costs for identification and verification | £26. |
VAT thereon | £5.20. |
Total | £1,058.17 |
Please note in this example that where it is a leasehold property that is being sold it is likely that a leasehold management pack from the landlord or management company will be required. The costs of these packs varies according to each development but is likely to be in the region of £350 which is additional to the charges.
Our People
We have over 30 specialist residential conveyancing fee earners who could be allocated to deal with your transaction. The biographies of the individual specialist residential conveyancing fee earners are shown – please click upon the name of the person allocated to your matter on our web page, or who you believe will be allocated to your matter to see their biography, including their expertise and experience.
As solicitors, we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and observe the SRA Code of Conduct 2019. We have accreditations from the Law Society- we were awarded their Conveyancing Quality Standard in 2012 and have had annual reassessments since that date. We were awarded the quality management standard, Lexcel, in 2010 and have been reassessed annually since that date to retain the mark that only 1000 firms in the England Wales have been awarded. We are insured with an industry-leading insurer, Inter Hannover, who comprehensively insure us for claims up to £10 million. We operate an established complaints procedure.
Our Terms of Business and Terms and Conditions
All of the above information is designed to give you a fair and reasonable assessment of the likely costs and individual quotation will be given to you at the outset of your transaction and this may be adjusted according to the circumstances of your proposed sale or purchase. All of the above information is given by way of 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 the following conveyancing partners:
Richard Carter rcarter@martintolhurst.co.uk 01233 505558
Abdul Mutallib amutallib@martintolhurst.co.uk 01233 505571
Jane Williams jwilliams@martintolhurst.co.uk 01474 573023
For a copy of our Terms of Business or privacy policy please do not hesitate to contact us. If you require an individual price estimate for your residential conveyancing transaction, please contact us further so that we may provide this to you on an individual basis.
All of the above prices are subject to the rate of VAT that is charged, which is currently 20%. All of the above prices and VAT are subject to change at short notice.
Residential Property - Pricing and Service - Printable PDF
