How much does it cost in legal fees to buy a house?

Solicitors who process the sale or purchase of a house are known as conveyancers. Conveyancing fees can vary from firm to firm like their quality of service.

In most cases, conveyancers will charge a fixed fee when buying a house. It is generally the case that their fee is higher when buying a house compared to when selling one. This is because the conveyancer will perform searches and ask questions of the seller to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

If you are purchasing a house with a mortgage, the lender providing the mortgage may cover the cost of legal fees if you use their conveyancers. If you use your own conveyancer, you will need permission from the lender to use them because the conveyancer will be doing work for both you and the lender.

In general, a conveyancer’s fee should not exceed £1,500. This includes the cost of legal searches that the conveyancer will add to your bill. It is always recommended that you shop around and thoroughly research the conveyancer you intend to instruct. This is because the cheapest conveyancer may not provide the best service.

The conveyancer’s fee cannot be added to your mortgage. It is likely that the fee will be spread across several instalments during the buying process, as the conveyancer will incur costs on your behalf at several stages.