Our overall fees for uncontested probate services (acting for the executors in administering the will of someone who has died) vary depending on how complex your matter is and what you would like us to do. This note provides a guide to how we calculate our charges for straightforward uncontested probate matters, together with an indication of how much the typical case is likely to cost. For an estimate tailored to your specific matter, please contact us on hello@clowessolicitors.co.uk. We will discuss your matter and needs with you and provide you with a bespoke cost estimate.

Our charges

Our charges consist of:

• Our professional fees for the legal work, usually charged at an hourly rate.
• Costs and expenses paid to others in order to progress your matter, such as the application fee for the grant of probate. We handle making these payments on your behalf during the course of your matter, either using money that you have given us in advance, or invoicing them to you together with our fees. These payments are called disbursements.
• VAT is charged on our professional fees at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%. Many disbursements also carry VAT, and we will inform you of the VAT on each disbursement as we go along.

Calculating our fees

This note provides an outline of our likely charges for the probate work involved in administering a straightforward probate matter, where someone has died leaving a valid will which is not disputed, their beneficiaries can be easily identified and contacted, and their estate is not very large or complex.

Our fees will either be agreed with you as a fixed fee at the start of your case or be based on how much time it takes to deal with your case.

Our standard hourly rates are:

Senior solicitors and legal executives with 8+ years PQE:                       £255.00

Solicitors and legal executives with 4+ years PQE:                                   £208.00

Other Solicitors, legal executives and licensed conveyancers:               £177.00

Trainee solicitors, Paralegals and other fee earners:                                £115.00

On average a typical straightforward probate matter takes between 10 to 15 hours of work to complete. This means that on average the typical costs are between £2,500 and £4,000 plus VAT at 20%.

How straight forward or complicated the case is, and what assets are involved, will have an impact on the final costs. For example:

• If someone has died leaving only one beneficiary in an undisputed will and no property, the costs would be toward the lower end of the typical price range because the estate will be simple to administer.
• If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, the costs will be toward the higher end of the typical price range, even if the will is not disputed.

For an application for a grant of probate or letters of administration only, where we are only instructed to apply for the grant and not to complete any work involved in the administration of the estate we will charge a fixed fee as follows:

• Application for a grant of probate / letter of administration : £695 plus VAT
• Completing of a full inheritance tax return and arranging payment of inheritance tax to HMRC, an additional fee is charged: £250 plus VAT

We would still be delighted to work with you in more complicated matters but would need to give you a quotation for the work tailored to your individual circumstances. Please contact us on hello@clowessolicitors.co.uk. We will discuss your matter and needs with you and provide you with a bespoke cost estimate.

Disbursements and other expenses

Disbursements are payments that are made to third parties on your behalf, for example the application fee for the grant of probate. They are separate payments for which the estate is liable in addition to our professional fees described above.

In a typical probate matter, the estate will need to pay the following disbursements:

• Probate application fee, which is currently £273 plus £1.50 for every extra office copy of the grant of probate which you require.
• Land registry search fees of £4.20.
• Fee for a legal notice to be posted in The London Gazette and the local paper, which can help to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors. This is usually £308.

Other costs to consider

The costs estimates above do not include:

• A member of our staff acting as an executor of the estate.
• Any additional costs of disposing of estate assets, such as the costs of selling a property. For information about our conveyancing charges, see below.

Matter time frame

A typical straightforward probate matter such as those described above can normally be dealt with within 6-8 months, as follows:

• Assessing the estate and applying for the grant of probate: 6 to 8 weeks.
• Notifying asset holders and placing legal notices: 8 weeks.
• Distributing the assets: 8 weeks
• Preparing and finalising the estate accounts: 8 weeks.

Legal work involved in the transaction

Although estates will vary depending on their circumstances, in a typical probate matter we will need to do the following work, which will be covered by the guideline costs outlined in this note:

• Identifying the executors and beneficiaries.
• Communicating with and advising the executors, and communicating with the beneficiaries and other parties, throughout.
• Checking the type of probate application you will require.
• Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application.
• Completing the probate application and any forms required by HM Revenue & Customs.
• Drafting the legal oath which the executors will need to swear.
• Making the application for the grant of probate.
• Obtaining the grant of probate and distributing copies as necessary.
• Collecting and distributing the assets of the estate.
• Preparing the final estate accounts and obtaining approval from executors and beneficiaries.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Staff dealing with the matter

Your probate matter will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced probate team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team, and the work they undertake or supervise, are available here.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.

Conveyancing services: buying, selling and mortgaging residential property

This note provides a guide to how we calculate our charges for residential conveyancing and an indication of how much the typical transaction is likely to cost. For an estimate tailored to your specific matter, please contact us on hello@clowessolicitors.co.uk. We will discuss your matter and needs with you and provide you with a bespoke cost estimate.

Our charges

Our charges are made up of:

• Our professional fees for the legal work charged on a fixed fee.
• Costs and expenses paid to others in order to progress your matter, such as Land Registry fees. We handle making these payments on your behalf during the course of your matter, either using money that you have given us in advance, or invoicing them to you together with our fees. These payments are called disbursements.
• VAT is charged on our professional fees at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%. Many disbursements also carry VAT, and we will inform you of the VAT on each disbursement as we go along.

Calculating our fees

Our fees are calculated as follows:

• If you are simply re-mortgaging your property then we charge a fixed fee of £750 plus VAT at 20%.
• If you are buying or selling a property, our fees depend on the value of the property, as set out in the table below.

• The fee estimated in the table is for one sale or one purchase only. If you are selling one property and buying another, the fees will be calculated separately for each transaction according to the value of the property involved.
• If you are buying, selling or remortgaging a leasehold property (rather than a freehold) then there is an additional charge of £350 plus VAT at 20%.

Disbursements and other expenses

If, at any point during the transaction money needs to be sent by telegraphic transfer, we charge a fee of £30 plus VAT at 20%.

The disbursements which you pay will depend on:

• Whether you are buying or selling property or both.
• Whether you are buying a freehold or leasehold property.
• The type of property, as some types of property may require additional searches or enquiries.
• The location of the property concerned, as properties in some locations may require additional searches or enquiries.
  • Buying a property

Clients buying a freehold property will typically need to pay the following disbursements:

• Search fees: estimated at £300 dependent upon the location of the property;
• HM Land Registry fee: £20 to £500 dependent on the value of the property;
• Land Charges Search (unregistered land): £2.90 for each name;
• Land Registry Search: £8.80 for each title number.

  Selling a property

When selling a property, you will ordinarily need to pay the following disbursements:

• Land Registry office copy entries and title plan: £17.60 for each title number.

• Leasehold properties

If the property is a leasehold property then the disbursements will be different and may typically include:

• Notice of Transfer fee, as set out in the lease: typically in the region of around £90;
• Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged), as set out in the lease: typically in the region of around £90;
• Deed of Covenant fee. This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate, but may be in the region of £250;
• Certificate of Compliance fee. This will be confirmed on receipt of the lease and can typically be in the region of around £90; and
• Leasehold Management Pack: typically in the region of around £200 to £300. This fee is chargeable when selling a leasehold property.

If you are simply remortgaging then we do not anticipate you incurring any disbursements except for Notice, Deed of Covenant and Certificate of Compliance fees in line with the above for leasehold properties.

Stamp duty land tax

If you are buying a property you will also need to pay stamp duty land tax (SDLT). The amount which you need to pay to the government depends on the price of the property. 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/#!/intro (or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website https://www.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator).

We will submit the SDLT return and pay the tax due on your behalf, from the funds we have received from you, your lender, or your connected sale.

Other costs to consider

If you have a mortgage to discharge over a property you have sold, or have incurred an estate agent’s fee, we will normally pay the money owed directly to your lender and agent as needed out of the sale money we receive on your behalf from the buyer.

You should also be aware that if you are purchasing a leasehold property then ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Examples of our charges

The table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to the client selling a freehold property with no mortgage for £300,000:

The table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to a client buying a replacement property with no mortgage for £350,000:

Transaction time frame

How long it will take from your offer being accepted to completion will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 12 weeks. The process can take more or less time depending on the other parties involved and whether your matter forms part of a chain.

For example:

• A first time purchase of a new build property with a mortgage in principle and a transaction that goes smoothly could take as little as six weeks.
• A purchase of a leasehold property which requires an extension of the lease can take significantly longer, between three and six months, and additional charges would apply.

Legal work involved in the transaction

The precise stages involved in a conveyancing transaction may vary according to the circumstances.

However in a typical property transaction we will need to do the following work, which will be covered by the guideline costs outlined in this note:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice.
• Check that you have the necessary funds in place to finance the transaction, including any purchase price, SDLT and our charges.
• Advise you on the contract and transfer, and prepare the documents if you are selling.
• Carry out routine searches and enquiries on any property you are buying
• Advise you on all information and correspondence received
• Communicate with all other parties and lenders involved and advise you on those communications
• Advise you on the conditions of any mortgage you are entering into.
• Liaise with any mortgage lender in relation to the transaction and the drawdown or discharge of any mortgage
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Complete the transaction and arrange transfer of funds.
• Submit the SDLT return and arrange payment of the tax due.
• Complete any required registrations, for example with HM Land Registry, and deal with any requisitions

In a simple remortgage transaction some of the above steps may not be required.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Staff dealing with your transaction

Your conveyancing transaction will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced conveyancing team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team, and the work they undertake or supervise, are available here.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.17