Average conveyancing fees in 2026
Buying usually costs more than selling. The buyer's conveyancer orders searches, checks the mortgage conditions, registers the new owner and handles stamp duty.
| Transaction | Average total, including disbursements |
|---|---|
| Buying only | £1,509 |
| Selling only | £929 |
| Buying and selling | £2,438 |
Source: reallymoving Conveyancing Costs Index, Q2 2026, from more than 82,000 quotes. Figures include VAT, expenses and disbursements. They exclude stamp duty.
What a quote includes
A quote has two parts: the legal fee and disbursements.
The legal fee is the firm's own charge for the contract, enquiries, the report to you and your lender, exchange and completion. Most firms charge a fixed fee from the property price, plus VAT at 20%.
Disbursements are third-party costs the conveyancer pays for you.
Searches. Local authority, drainage and water, environmental, and local searches such as coal mining. Often a few hundred pounds as a pack.
HM Land Registry. A national fee. See the table below.
Official copies. A few pounds per document.
Identity checks. Usually charged per person.
Bank transfer. The fee for sending the completion money.
Leasehold pack. Charged by the freeholder or managing agent when you are selling a leasehold.
HM Land Registry fees
On a purchase the conveyancer registers you as the owner. These are the Scale 1 fees for a transfer of the whole of a registered property, in force since 9 December 2024.
| Property price | Online | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £80,000 | £20 | £45 |
| £80,001 to £100,000 | £40 | £95 |
| £100,001 to £200,000 | £100 | £230 |
| £200,001 to £500,000 | £150 | £330 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £295 | £655 |
| Over £1,000,000 | £500 | £1,105 |
Stamp duty, on top of the conveyancing fee
Stamp Duty Land Tax is not part of the conveyancing fee. Your conveyancer files the return and pays it. These are the 2026 rates for a main home in England and Northern Ireland.
| Portion of the price | Standard rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% |
First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the slice from £300,001 to £500,000. The relief is lost above £500,000.
An extra property, such as a buy-to-let or a second home, usually adds a 5% surcharge.
Non-UK residents pay an extra 2%.
Scotland and Wales charge their own taxes, LBTT and LTT.
A home mover buying a £250,000 main home in England pays £2,500: nothing on the first £125,000 and 2% on the next £125,000. A first-time buyer at that price pays nothing.
What sellers pay
A sale is simpler, and it still has costs.
The legal fee for the contract, replies to enquiries, and redeeming the mortgage.
Official copies of the title.
A leasehold management pack, if you are selling a leasehold.
Any mortgage exit fee your lender charges.
The estate agent's fee, usually the largest cost of a sale.
What pushes the bill up
A straightforward freehold is the cheapest case. These are the usual reasons a quote rises.
Leasehold. The lease, service charge and ground rent add work.
A new build. Developer deadlines and extra documents.
Shared ownership, Right to Buy, or a help-to-buy scheme.
Unregistered land or a problem with the title.
A gifted deposit. Extra source-of-funds checks.
A buy-to-let or a company purchase.
A higher price. Fees often scale with value.
Search or survey problems that need more enquiries.
Why the lowest quote can cost more
A delayed completion can cost more than a few hundred pounds saved on the quote: a lost mortgage rate, a rebooked removal, extra rent, or a chain that collapses.
Low headline fees often come with a heavy caseload, which is why updates dry up.
How many live cases does each person handle?
Will I have a named contact, and how quickly do you reply?
Is the quote fixed, and what would change it?
Are you on my lender's panel?
Is there a no-sale, no-fee option?
Are you regulated by the SRA or the CLC?
The House Smart panel
The conveyancers on our panel carry about half the live cases of a typical high-volume firm. The fee can be higher than the cheapest online quote. In return there is time to answer you, and the file is not stuck behind a backlog. Email letschat@housesmartpropertygroup.co.uk for a quote.
Get a conveyancing quote
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Get a quoteFrequently asked questions
How first-time buyers can treat the mortgage and the survey as one process, from an agreement in principle to completion.
A step-by-step walkthrough for first-time buyers: what to book, when to book it, how to read the report, and how to renegotiate on defects.