Pricing Structure: SRA Transparency Rules : 2018
- Basics
- Staff / References
- What is involved
- Contact / timescale
- Examples : Sale
- Examples : Purchase
- Supplementary Costs
- SDLT / Land Registry
- Disbursements
- Other Services
- Wills
- LPA
- Complaints
Residential Conveyancing : the conveyance of residential real property or real estate which comprise :
(a) freehold or leasehold sales or purchases : or
(b) mortgages or remortgages : or
(c) purchase of freehold reversion or lease extension
we charge from £545.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a freehold sale plus disbursments
we charge from £695.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a freehold purchase plus disbursments
we charge from £595.00 plus vat (20%) on average of a leasehold sale plus disbursments
we charge from £895.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a leasehold purchase plus disbursments
we charge from £525.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a re-mortgage plus disbursments
we charge from £525.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a freehold reversion plus disbursments
we charge from £745.00 plus vat (20%) on average for a lease extension plus disbursments
there will be other costs on top : these are fees and charges we will need to pay on your behalf as part of the process : these can be summarised as follows :
SDLT and Land Registry fees : dependent on price see example below
Guide Price Range
Up To £100,000 | £495 plus VAT (20%) and disbursments |
£100,001 – £250,000 | £595 plus VAT (20%) and disbursments |
£250,001 – £500,000 | £695 plus VAT (20%) and disbursments |
£500,001 – £999,000 | £895 plus VAT (20%) and disbursments |
Examples of overall costs : see notes under seperate tab above
important notes :
(1) these figures assume that the transaction is ‘standard’ and has no unforeseen issues that may lengthen the process or increase costs
(2) these figures are just an average price based on recent instructions : the actual cost to you will depend on a number of factors which we will discuss with you if you decide to instruct us
Staff: our people involved in doing the work will include :
David Warren Jones
Sole principal and head of our team : Solicitor with over 35 years’ experience specialising in residential conveyancing : lease extensions and private client work : lasting powers of attorney : David has lived and worked in Bournville and Astwood Bank for many years and has helped hundreds of families and individuals.
Susan Clark
Chartered legal executive with over 30 years’ experience specialising in Wills Probate and freehold reversions : Susan has been an invaluable member of team for over (24) years.
supported by :
Sonia Lawrence – Senior Legal Secretary (10) plus
Ann Bennet – Senior Legal Secretary (20) plus
Karen Hawkins – Senior Legal Secretary (25) plus
collectively over (55) years’ experience in residential conveyancing and private client work
References : our existing clients have said of us
- a very professional and thorough team
- as first time buyers, your advice and explanation throughout was excellent
- I have always been treated kindly and always met a friendly atmosphere
- I was most impressed by your service and will not hesitate to recommend you in the future
- impressed by attention to detail and explanation of jargon
- many thanks to you and your staff for all the work and detailed attention you gave to the matter
- thank you so much for all your efficient thorough and extremely professional service
- thank you for all your help and support in buying our first home : we really appreciate everything you’ve done
- we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your services in the future
- our sincere thanks for all your patience and kind help and support
What is involved
We understand the stress involved in moving home :
the work we will carry out will involve : (sale)
-
taking of instructions and provision of initial advice
-
checking that your financial arrangements are in place
-
obtaining land registry entries : advise on and drafting contract for sale
-
submission of property information and fittings and contents forms
-
reply to enquiries of buyer’s solicitors
-
give you advice on all documents and information received
-
obtain redemption statement from your lender
-
personal meeting to discuss and sign contract papers
-
liaise with your selling agents throughout
-
agree a completion date
-
exchange contracts and notify you when this has happened
-
complete sale
-
redemption of mortgage : settle agent’s account
-
account to you for sale proceeds
the work we will carry out will involve : (purchase)
-
taking of instructions and provision of initial advice
-
checking that your financial arrangements are in place
-
receive and advise on contract documents
-
carry out searches
-
obtaining further planning documentation if required
-
make necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitors
-
give you advice on all documents and information received
-
go through conditions of mortgage with you
-
personal meeting to discuss and sign contract/mortgage papers
-
draft Transfer deed
-
advise on joint ownership
-
agree a completion date : date from which you will own the property
-
exchange contracts and notify you this has happened
-
obtain pre completion searches
-
arrange for all monies needed to be received from your lender and you
-
complete purchase
-
deal with payment of SDLT : Stamp Duty Land Tax
-
deal with application for registration at Land Registry
What is not included : obviously our fees do not include any external costs and charges that we may incur as part of the process : (eg estate agents commissions : removal costs) : you will be responsible for these items
Instruction : contact us on (0121 414 1949) or by email (info@davidwarrenjones.co.uk) or fax on (0121 471 3181) if you wish to instruct us on your matter or should you have any further enquiries/questions before making your choice of legal representative
Timescales : how long will the process take :
this is difficult to estimate as the overall length of time can depend on a number of factors some of which may well be outside your or our control : general guide :
freehold house
submission of draft contract papers to exchange | : four to six weeks |
exchange to completion | : one to two weeks |
leasehold flat
submission of draft contract papers to exchange | : six to eight weeks |
exchange to completion | : one to two weeks |
this timescale can of course, be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain : for example : first time buyer at the bottom of the chain / new build property at the top of the chain
Please note we also undertake :
-
wills : simple and tax/care home fee efficient
-
probate : grant only or full administration
-
powers of attorney : EPA registration or full LPA process
Examples of overall costs : sale (s)
All Professional fees will be subject to VAT (20%)
(1) sale freehold house £250.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £507.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 626.40
(2) sale : freehold house £250.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £557.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 686.40
(3) sale leasehold house £250.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £557.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 686.40
(4) sale leasehold house £250.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £607.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 746.40
(1) sale freehold house £350.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £532.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 656.40
(2) sale : freehold house £350.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £582.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 716.40
(3) sale leasehold house £350.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £582.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 716.40
(4) sale leasehold house £350.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £632.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 776.40
(1) sale freehold house £500.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £557.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 686.40
(2) sale : freehold house £500.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £607.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 746.40
(3) sale leasehold house £500.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £607.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 746.40
(4) sale leasehold house £500.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £657.00 plus vat plus disbursements : £15.00 plus vat : 806.40
Examples of overall costs : purchase (s)
All Professional fees will be subject to VAT (20%)
(1) purchase freehold house £250.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £739.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 2500.00 Land Registry fee : 135.00 estimated total : 3761.90
(2) purchase freehold house £250.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £839.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 2500.00 Land Registry fee : 135.00 estimated total : 3881.90
(3) purchase leasehold house/flat £250.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £889.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 2500.00 Land Registry fee : 135.00 estimated total : 3941.90
(4) purchase leasehold house/flat £250.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £989.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 2500.00 Land Registry fee : 135.00 estimated total : 4061.90
(1) purchase freehold house £500.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £789.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 15000.00 Land Registry fees : 135.00 estimated total : 16321.90
(2) purchase : freehold house £500.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £889.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 15000.00 Land Registry fees : 135.00 estimated total : 16441.90
(3) purchase leasehold house/flat £500.000 : no mortgage
legal fees : £939.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 15000.00 Land Registry fees : 135.00 estimated total : 16501.90
(4) purchase leasehold house/flat £500.000 : subject to mortgage
legal fees : £1039.50 plus vat plus disbursements : £239.50 :
SDLT : 15000.00 Land Registry fees : 135.00 estimated total : 16621.90
Supplementary costs : there may be occasion when circumstances dictate we need to charge further fees : to ensure you are fully aware these are set out below : it may be, of course, none of these apply to your transaction but, in case one or more should, we want you to be aware of these from the outset
Planning : Build Regs : Chancel policy
£10.00 for each policy
Defective title indemnity policy
£25.00 for each policy
Consent form : occupier : sale or purchase
£25.00 for each form
Revised mortgage offer : purchase
£25.00 for each offer
Further mortgages to discharge : sale
£25.00 for each mortage
Second mortgages : purchase
£50.00 for each mortage
Home Buyer’s report : full review
£25.00
Statutory Declarations
£50.00 for each
Merger of title
£50.00 for each
Insurance : approval
£25.00 non lender cover
Expedition fee : completion less than 7 days
£50.00
External funding : eg parents
£50.00
Bankruptcy searches : clearance
£10.00 per entry
Emails and phone calls : max of 10%. on estimated fees
if we are required to respond to numerous emails/calls on a regular basis we reserve the right to make an additional charge not exceeding 10% of the estimated fees
Extensive additional correspondence : max of 10% on estimated fees
We would normally expect paperwork to be sorted within 6 – 8 weeks : if (for any reason) this lasts beyond 12 weeks we reserve the right to look to an increment on our fees not exceeding 10% of the estimated fees
Note (1) : all costs are subject to VAT (20%)
Note (2) : further disbursements may be incurred if specialist searches prove necessary : eg coal : tin clay : radon : limestone
STAMP DUTY LAND TAX : PURCHASE
this depends on the purchase price of your property and whether it may (for example) be being bought as a second home
you can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website
(https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/into)
we have also included some figures in the examples shown and direct you to the separate page on our website in this respect
LAND REGISTRY FEES : PURCHASE
this again will depend on the purchase price of your property
we have again included some figures in the examples shown and direct you to the separate page on our website in this respect
DISBURSEMENTS : these are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties : such as search fees : we will handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process : where possible we have incorporated reference to these in the fee structure set out BUT if you are purchasing a leasehold property (especially a leasehold flat) there may well be supplementary disbursements that will need to be budgeted for details of which we will not know until the management information is available : these could include :
a. notice of transfer fee
b. notice of charge fee
c. issue of share certificate fee
d. certificate of compliance fee
e. deed of covenant fee
note (1) : these costs, on occasion, can be considerable and can run into several hundreds of pounds
note (2) : for freehold property purchases on the Bournville Village Trust you will also need to budget for BVT fees of £150.00 plus vat
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES : we can provide advice and guidance : following areas
-
residential sales and purchases
-
re-mortgages
-
freehold purchases
-
lease extensions
-
enduring powers of attorney : registration
-
lasting powers of attorney : preparation and registration
-
wills
-
probate : grant only applications
-
probate : full estate administration
-
care home fee planning : will trusts
-
care home fee planning : lifetime trusts
PREPARATION OF WILLS
for simple straightforward Wills : our fee will be from :
single Will | : £225.00 plus vat (20%) |
double Will | : £295.00 plus vat (20%) |
: for husband/wife : civil partners etc |
for more detailed Wills which may involve IHT and/or Care Home Fee planning fees may be considerably more : full cost estimates will be provided prior to any drafting being undertaken
for example :
will trust : £745.00 plus vat (20%) and disbursements
lifetime trust : £1295.00 plus vat (20%) and disbursements
Lasting Powers of Attorney : guideline fees : standard drafting
Single person
Financial Decisions LPA
Preparation – Registration
Total = £445 plus VAT (20%)
Financial and Health and Care Decisions LPA
Preparation – Registration
Total = £495 plus VAT (20%)
—————————————
Husband and Wife / Civil Partners
Financial Decisions LPA
Preparation – Registration
Total = £595 plus VAT (20%)
Financial and Health and Care Decisions LPA
Preparation – Registration
Total = £645 plus VAT (20%)
Supplementary Notes
(1) OPG (Office for the Public Guardian) fees of £82.00 for the registration of each LPA subject to any qualification for remission of exemption from these fees
(2) more specialist drafting : for example :
(a) LPA for business purposes
(b) need for incorporation of extensive instructions and/or preferences
(c) where the Solicitor is asked to be an attorney
will result in an increase on these estimates : further guidelines as to potential costs can be provided on request and prior to any drafting
COMPLAINTS : we want to give you the best possible service : however, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service provided you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem
in the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues : if you would wish to make a formal complaint, then full details of our complaints procedure are set out below : making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter
what to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
the Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves : they will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter
before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first : if you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
within six months of receiving a final response from the Solicitor about your complaint: and
one year from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint: or alternatively
one year from the date you should reasonably have known there are grounds for complaint
if you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them
contact details
visit : www.legalombudsman.org.uk
call : 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 and 17.00
email : enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
post : Legal Ombudsman : P O Box 6806 : Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
what to do if you are unhappy with our behavior
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help you if you care concerned about our behavior : this could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic
visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the SRA
DAVID WARREN JONES
MY COMPLAINTS POLICY
in the event of a problem you are entitled to complain : complaints will be handled promptly, fairly and in accordance with this policy
complaint about my firm’s bill :
your complaint can include a complaint about my firm’s bill : in this respect I would draw your attention to the following points with regard to my bill of costs :
- if you are not satisfied with the amount of my fee, I will treat this as a complaint : my complaints procedure is set out in my ‘terms of engagement’
- you may have the right to object to any bill of costs by complaining to the Legal Ombudsman or by applying to the Court for an assessment of the bill under Part (III) of the Solicitors Act 1974 : the Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have applied to the Court for assessment
- I am entitled to charge interest on the outstanding amount of the bill in accordance with Article (5) of the Solicitors (Non-Contentious Business) Remuneration Order 2009
- the due date for payment is 30 days from the date of the invoice unless specific arrangements to the contrary have been made with me
- interest is due after the due date for payment
commitment to high quality legal service :
I am committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all my clients : when something goes wrong I need you to tell me about it : this will help me maintain and improve my standards : it is my intention that all complaints will be handled promptly, fairly and in accordance with this policy : a full copy of this policy is available to you on request
my complaints procedure
if you have a complaint, please write to me personally (David Warren Jones) with the details
what will happen next?
- I will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain the details. I will also let you know who will be dealing with your complaint : you can expect to receive my letter within (2) working days of me receiving your complaint
- I will record your complaint in my central register and open a file for your complaint : I will do this within (5) working days of receiving your complaint
- I will acknowledge your reply and confirm what will happen next : you can expect to hear from me within (5) working days of your reply
- I will then start to investigate your complaintthis may involve one or more of the following steps :at my discretion :
- if I acted for you, I will consider the basis of your complaint : I will then send you my detailed reply or invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter : I will do this within (10) working days
- if someone else (Susan Clarke) acted for you, I will ask her to give me their initial response to your complaint within (5) working days : I will do this within (5) working days
- I will then examine their reply and the information in your complaint file : I may also speak to the person who acted for you : I will do this within (5) working days of receiving their reply and the file
- I may ask another independent local solicitor to investigate your complaint and report to me : I will do this within (10) working days
- I will then write inviting you to meet me and discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint : I will do this within (5) working days
- within (5) working days of the meeting I will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions I have agreed with youif you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, I will send you a detailed reply to your complaint : this will include my suggestions for resolving the matter : I will do this within (10) working days of completing my investigation
- at this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you can write to me again : I will then arrange to review my decision : this may happen in one of the following ways :
- I will review the decision myself within (5) working days : or
- at my discretion :
- I may arrange for someone who is not connected with the complaint to review my decision : I will do this within (10) working days
- I may ask my local Law Society or another local firm of solicitors to review your complaint within (10) working days : I will let you know how long this process will take
- I may invite you to agree to independent mediation within (10) working days : I will let you know how long this will take
- I will let you know the result of the review within (10) working days of the end of the review : at this time I will write to you confirming my final position on your complaint and explaining my reasonsit is my intention to respond to all complaints in full within eight weeks
- If we are unable to resolve the problem between us then : you have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman at the conclusion of my firm’s complaints processthe Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints up to six years from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring or (if outside of this period) within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of it : if you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman this should be done within six months of the date of my final decision on your complaintcontact details for the Legal Ombudsman are as follows : Legal Ombudsman
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Post: PO Box:6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Website: legalombudsman.org.uk
if I have to change any of the timescales above, I will let you know and explain why you will not be charged for the cost of handling the complaint
DAVID WARREN JONES
SOLICITOR