When you buy or sell a home, the estate agent's fee isn't the only bill. You'll also pay a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to do the legal work — and on top of their fee sit a string of smaller third-party costs called disbursements (searches, Land Registry, bank transfers and so on). Added up, these are one of the most under-budgeted parts of moving.
This guide lays out, plainly, what conveyancing actually costs in 2026 — for buying and for selling — what every line on the bill is for, how leasehold changes the picture, and a realistic all-in total. The figures are UK-wide. Where England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, we say so. And because tax bands and fees do move, treat every number as "current at the date shown — check the latest before you commit."
Two bills, not one: legal fee vs disbursements
Your conveyancing invoice has two parts, and it helps to keep them separate in your head:
- The legal fee — what the solicitor or conveyancer charges for their own work (checking contracts, raising enquiries, handling the money, registering the change). VAT at 20% is added to this.
- Disbursements — money the firm pays out to third parties on your behalf and passes straight through to you: council searches, the Land Registry, bank transfer charges, ID checks. Some carry VAT, some don't.
When you compare quotes, compare the total — legal fee + VAT + all disbursements. A tempting low headline fee often has the disbursements bolted on afterwards.
A cheap quote isn't cheap if the searches, bank fees and Land Registry costs are hidden underneath. Always ask for the all-in figure.
What the legal work costs — buying and selling
As a rough guide for a standard freehold home in 2026:
| Transaction | Typical legal fee (before disbursements) |
|---|---|
| Buying a freehold home | ~£500 – £1,150 + VAT |
| Selling a freehold home | ~£610 – £950 + VAT |
| Leasehold (either side) | Add roughly £300+ for the extra work |
Add disbursements on top — on a purchase these can add £700 or more, mostly because a buyer pays for the searches; a seller has fewer.
Across a linked sale-and-purchase (selling one, buying another), the combined average conveyancing bill — including disbursements — was £2,434 in early 2025, up 11.9% in a year (Reallymoving Conveyancing Costs Index, Q1 2025). Fees vary by firm and region, so quotes are the only reliable guide.
Why a buyer pays more: the buyer's solicitor investigates the title, orders searches, checks the mortgage offer and registers you as the new owner. The seller's solicitor mainly answers enquiries and hands over the paperwork — less work, lower fee.
The disbursements, line by line (buying)
These are the third-party costs a buyer typically pays. Individual prices vary by area and provider:
| Disbursement | Typical cost | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority search | Part of £250–£450 search bundle | Planning history, roads, enforcement notices, whether the road is council-adopted |
| Water & drainage search | Included in the bundle | Confirms mains water/sewer connection and public drains near the property |
| Environmental search | Included in the bundle | Contaminated land, flood risk, past industrial/landfill use |
| Bankruptcy search | ~£2–£4 per name | Required by your lender — checks buyers aren't bankrupt |
| Land Registry priority / official copies | ~£3–£7 each (from £3) | Copy of the title register and plan; a search that "freezes" the title while you complete |
| Telegraphic / CHAPS bank transfer | ~£20–£40 | Same-day transfer of the purchase money on completion |
| ID & anti-money-laundering (AML) checks | ~£6–£20 per person | Legally required identity and source-of-funds verification |
| SDLT / LTT / LBTT return | Often £50–£100 handling (the tax itself is separate) | Your solicitor files the tax return and pays the tax to HMRC / Revenue Scotland / the WRA |
| Land Registry registration fee | £20 – £1,105 by value (see next section) | Registering you as the legal owner |
The single biggest disbursement is usually the search bundle (£250–£450) and, on higher-value homes, the Land Registry fee. A seller's disbursements are far lighter — mainly the official copies of their title (a few pounds) and a bank transfer fee to send on the mortgage redemption.
Note on the SDLT return: your solicitor must file the Stamp Duty return and pay the tax within 14 days of completion (gov.uk). Even a first-time buyer who owes £0 usually still needs a return filed. The tax itself is not a conveyancing cost — see our Stamp Duty guide.
The Land Registry fee — set by bands, not a percentage
In England and Wales, registering the ownership change is a fixed fee set by HM Land Registry, based on the price. It's a flat fee per band, not a percentage — and it's much cheaper when your solicitor files electronically (which almost all do for a standard sale). These bands took effect on 9 December 2024 (Land Registration Fee Order 2024) and still apply in 2026:
| Property price | Electronic (portal) fee | Postal fee |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £80,000 | £20 | £45 |
| £80,001 – £100,000 | £40 | £95 |
| £100,001 – £200,000 | £100 | £230 |
| £200,001 – £500,000 | £150 | £330 |
| £500,001 – £1,000,000 | £295 | £655 |
| £1,000,001 and over | £500 | £1,105 |
So on a typical £350,000 home the registration fee is usually just £150. There's no VAT on the Land Registry fee itself.
Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. Scotland uses Registers of Scotland, which has its own (and separate) fee scale — those fees rose in 2025, so confirm the current figure with your solicitor. Northern Ireland uses Land & Property Services (LPS) with its own registration fees. The principle is the same everywhere — a fee to register the new owner — but the exact amount depends on the nation.
Leasehold vs freehold — where leasehold costs more
Buying or selling a leasehold flat (or a leasehold house) means more legal work and several extra disbursements that simply don't exist for a freehold house. Expect the legal fee itself to be a few hundred pounds higher, plus these leasehold-only costs:
- Leasehold management / LPE1 pack — the seller must buy this from the freeholder or managing agent. It sets out the service charge, ground rent, accounts and any disputes. Typically £300–£800, sometimes more. This is a seller cost.
- Notice of transfer / notice of charge — the buyer's solicitor formally tells the freeholder about the new owner and the new mortgage. Fees are set by the lease and can run up to £300 (sometimes each).
- Deed of covenant — a promise to abide by the lease terms; the freeholder may charge for it.
- Certificate of compliance — where the lease requires the freeholder to confirm the notices have been served before the Land Registry will register you.
None of these apply to a standard freehold house. It's why a leasehold flat can cost several hundred pounds more to buy or sell than a freehold home at the same price — and why leasehold packs are worth ordering early, as they can be slow to arrive and hold up a sale.
A freehold house has no ground rent, no service charge and no management pack to buy. Leasehold adds real cost and real time — budget for both.
No-sale-no-fee and fixed-fee options
Two things worth asking any conveyancer about before you instruct them:
- Fixed fee. Most firms now quote a fixed legal fee rather than charging by the hour, so you know the number upfront. Always check whether it's genuinely fixed or an "estimate" that can creep — and whether VAT and disbursements are included in the figure quoted.
- No-sale-no-fee (no-move-no-fee). If the deal falls through, you don't pay the firm's legal fee. It's real protection in a market where chains collapse — but read the small print: disbursements already spent are usually still payable (searches, in particular, are non-refundable once ordered). Some firms also add a small "abortive transaction" charge. It reduces risk; it rarely makes a failed purchase completely free.
Cheapest is not always best. An online "factory" conveyancer at a rock-bottom price can be slow and hard to reach, which costs you far more in a stressful chain than the fee you saved. A responsive local solicitor who answers the phone is often worth the extra.
A realistic all-in example
Here's a worked, mid-market example — a buyer purchasing a £350,000 freehold house in England, filing electronically, in 2026. Your own quote will differ, but this is a realistic shape:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Legal fee | £900 |
| VAT (20% on legal fee) | £180 |
| Search bundle (local, water/drainage, environmental) | £350 |
| Land Registry registration fee | £150 |
| Bank transfer (CHAPS) | £30 |
| ID / AML checks | £20 |
| Bankruptcy & priority searches, official copies | ~£15 |
| SDLT return handling | £60 |
| All-in total (excluding the SDLT tax itself) | ≈ £1,705 |
Notes: the Stamp Duty tax (£7,500 on this home as a non-first-time main residence) is separate and on top. A leasehold flat at the same price would add several hundred pounds (management pack + notice fees). A seller's bill on the same home would be far lower — mostly the legal fee, VAT and a couple of small disbursements. Treat this as an illustration, not a quote.
A sensible rule of thumb: budget around £1,500–£2,000 all-in to buy a typical freehold home, and £800–£1,300 to sell, before the Stamp Duty tax — then get real quotes to firm it up.
Quick checklist before you instruct a conveyancer
- Get the all-in figure in writing — legal fee + VAT + every disbursement.
- Ask whether it's fixed or an estimate, and what triggers extra charges.
- Check the no-sale-no-fee small print — which disbursements you'd still owe if it falls through.
- For a leasehold, order the management pack early and ask what the freeholder's notice fees are.
- Confirm the firm is regulated (SRA for solicitors, CLC for licensed conveyancers) and on your lender's approved panel.
- Remember the Stamp Duty / LTT / LBTT return deadline (14 days after completion for SDLT) — your solicitor handles it, but the tax money must be ready.
Fees and tax bands can change at government budgets — always check the latest before you commit, or have an agent who'll flag it for you.
We're not solicitors — but we coordinate the whole move so nothing slips. Before you commit we'll give you a free, honest steer on the all-in costs to expect for your price and property type (freehold or leasehold), help you get comparable conveyancing quotes so you're not just picking the cheapest headline, and keep solicitors, brokers and both sides of the chain talking so your sale or purchase actually completes. All of that in English or Lithuanian, and the valuation is always free with no obligation.