UK Conveyancing Fees Calculator
Work out what you'll actually pay in UK conveyancing fees — split into legal fees, itemised disbursements and the exact HM Land Registry fee (calculated from the official Scale 1 schedule, not guessed). Choose buying, selling or remortgaging, toggle freehold or leasehold, and see the full line-by-line breakdown — no form to fill in first.
£1,340 - £1,600 total conveyancing cost
Legal fees: £900 - £927 · Disbursements: £290 - £523 · Land Registry fee: £150
| Line item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Legal fees (buying, freehold) | £900 | £927 |
| Local authority searches | £250 | £450 |
| Bank transfer fee | £20 | £39 |
| Anti-money laundering checks | £6 | £20 |
| Bankruptcy search | £4 | £4 |
| Property fraud check | £10 | £10 |
| Land Registry fee (Scale 1, transfer of whole, electronic) | £150 | £150 |
| Total | £1,340 | £1,600 |
Where the Land Registry fee comes from
The Land Registry fee shown is a real, exact figure from HM Land Registry's official Scale 1 (electronic, transfer-of-whole) fee table -- not an editorial estimate -- assuming a standard purchase of an already-registered whole title, submitted via the portal. Voluntary first registrations, part-transfers and lease grants use different scales and are not modelled here.
Legal fees and disbursement ranges: Homeward Legal and HomeOwners Alliance / Reallymoving (2026). Land Registry fee: GOV.UK Scale 1/2 official schedule. How we calculate →
What are conveyancing fees?
Conveyancing fees are the total cost of the legal work needed to buy, sell or remortgage a UK property. They have two completely different components: the legal fee (what your solicitor or licensed conveyancer charges for their own work) and disbursements (fixed third-party charges your solicitor pays on your behalf — searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer charges — and simply passes on to you).
On a £250,000 freehold purchase, that typically works out to £900-£927 in legal fees plus £290-£523 in disbursements plus a £150 Land Registry fee — a total of £1,340-£1,600. Enter your own price and situation above for an itemised breakdown.
Buying vs selling: why buyers pay more
Buying costs more than selling because buyers pay almost every disbursement: searches, the Land Registry transfer fee, anti-money-laundering checks, a bankruptcy search. Sellers mainly pay for a copy of the title deeds and their share of the bank transfer fee. On a £250,000 freehold sale that's typically just £804-£1,000 total, versus £1,340-£1,600 to buy the same property.
Buying and selling at the same time (moving house) simply adds the two bills together, since two separate transactions each need their own conveyancing file — there's rarely a combined discount beyond a solicitor choosing to waive one admin fee.
Freehold vs leasehold: the leasehold premium, decoded
Leasehold properties cost more to convey because the solicitor has extra checks to run: reading the lease terms, requesting a management information pack from the landlord or managing agent, reviewing service charges and ground rent, and serving formal notices (a "Notice of Assignment" or "Notice of Transfer", and a "Notice of Charge" if there's a mortgage) on the freeholder. That typically adds £150-£400 to the bill compared with an equivalent freehold purchase.
On a £400,000 leasehold purchase that's £1,227-£1,460 in legal fees plus £290-£823 in disbursements (including the leasehold-specific Notice of Assignment, up to £300) plus the £150 Land Registry fee — a total of £1,667-£2,433. If you're selling a leasehold property, budget for the Leasehold Management Pack too (£300-£800) — that's a seller cost, not a buyer one: on a £250,000 leasehold sale the total is typically £663-£1,507 versus £804-£1,000 for freehold.
Disbursements decoded: what they actually pay for
Disbursements aren't optional add-ons your solicitor invents — they're third-party fees they're legally required to pass through at cost. The main ones on a purchase: local authority searches (£250-£450, checking planning, drainage and environmental issues), anti-money-laundering checks (£6-£20, verifying your identity), a bankruptcy search (£4), a property fraud check (£10, confirming the firm you're sending money to is genuine) and a bank transfer fee (£20-£39) for the telegraphic transfer that gets your funds to the seller's solicitor on completion day.
The single biggest disbursement is the Land Registry fee — and unlike the others, it isn't a fuzzy editorial range. It's set by a public schedule (HM Land Registry's Scale 1, electronic transfer-of-whole), so our calculator computes the exact figure rather than guessing: £150 on a £250,000 purchase, rising to £295 above £500,000 and £500 above £1,000,000.
New build, shared ownership, gifted deposits and Help to Buy
Some situations add legal work without a clean published price tag. New build purchases involve a reservation fee, a tighter deadline to exchange contracts, and more work once the property is finished — but neither of our sources publishes a separate new-build supplement, so we flag it as a complexity factor rather than inventing a number. Same for shared ownership.
Other add-ons are chargeable and published: a Help to Buy supplement (around £120) if you're redeeming a Help to Buy equity loan or ISA bonus, and a gifted deposit supplement (£50-£100, plus up to £200 for optional insurance) if part of your deposit is a gift and your solicitor needs to document its source for anti-money-laundering purposes. On a £250,000 leasehold purchase with Help to Buy, that's £1,387-£2,203 total, versus £1,267-£2,083 without it.
Remortgage conveyancing fees: do you even need to pay?
If you're taking a new deal with your existing lender (a "product transfer"), there's no legal work to do and no conveyancing fee at all. You only need a solicitor if you're switching to a new lender, who will want their own checks and their charge registered at the Land Registry. That's typically a much smaller bill than buying or selling — around £195-£315 in legal fees plus a small Land Registry charge-registration fee (£45 on a £300,000 mortgage, Scale 2 electronic) — some lenders even throw in a free legal package, so always ask before assuming you'll be billed.
Fixed fee vs no-completion-no-fee: what the small print really means
"Fixed fee" conveyancing means the legal fee won't change once quoted — it says nothing about disbursements, which can still rise if, say, an extra search turns out to be needed. "No completion, no fee" means you won't pay the legal fee if your purchase or sale falls through — but read carefully: some firms still charge for the disbursements they've already paid out on your behalf (searches ordered, AML checks run) even if completion never happens. Ask specifically what's covered before you instruct anyone.
Because both legal fees and disbursements can vary firm to firm, comparing at least two or three like-for-like quotes — same property type, same "what's included" list — is the most reliable way to avoid a surprise final bill. Our stamp duty calculator and estate agent fees calculator cover the other two big line items in a UK move, so you can see the full moving-cost picture in one place.
Frequently asked questions
How much are conveyancing fees in the UK in 2026?
Buying typically costs £1,340-£1,600 (freehold) to £1,267-£2,083 (leasehold) on a £250,000 property, including legal fees, disbursements and the Land Registry fee. Selling is cheaper — typically £804-£1,000 at the same price. The average combined cost of buying and selling a home in the UK was £2,434 in the Reallymoving Conveyancing Costs Index (Q1 2025).
What's the difference between legal fees and disbursements?
Legal fees are what your solicitor or conveyancer charges for their own work. Disbursements are fixed third-party costs (searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer charges) that your solicitor pays on your behalf and passes on to you at cost — they aren't solicitor profit and don't vary by firm the way legal fees can.
Why do leasehold properties cost more to convey?
Because the solicitor has to check the lease terms, request a management pack from the landlord or managing agent, review service charges and ground rent, and serve formal notices of the sale. That typically adds £150-£400 to the legal fee compared with an equivalent freehold purchase, and sellers of leasehold property also pay for a Leasehold Management Pack (£300-£800).
How is the Land Registry fee calculated?
It's set by HM Land Registry's official Scale 1 fee schedule (transfer of whole, submitted electronically) — not an editorial estimate. It rises with the property price: £20 up to £80,000, £40 up to £100,000, £100 up to £200,000, £150 up to £500,000, £295 up to £1,000,000 and £500 above that. On a £250,000 purchase, that's £150.
Do I pay conveyancing fees when I remortgage?
Only if you're switching to a new lender. A same-lender "product transfer" needs no legal work and no fee at all. With a new lender, expect a smaller bill than buying or selling — typically £195-£315 in legal fees plus a Land Registry charge-registration fee based on your mortgage amount (Scale 2, e.g. £45 on a £300,000 loan).
What is 'no completion, no fee' conveyancing?
A guarantee that you won't be charged the legal fee if your purchase or sale falls through before completion. It doesn't automatically cover disbursements your solicitor has already paid out (like search fees) — always check exactly what's included before instructing a firm.
Are Help to Buy and gifted deposits charged extra?
Yes, typically. A Help to Buy supplement (redeeming an equity loan or ISA bonus) is around £120. A gifted deposit supplement, covering the paperwork to document where the money came from, is £50-£100, plus up to £200 if you take out optional insurance against a later dispute.
When do I actually pay conveyancing fees?
Most of the bill is due on completion day, but you'll usually send an upfront payment on account (commonly £250-£500) when you instruct your solicitor, to cover early disbursements like AML checks and searches. The balance is settled on or around completion.
Related UK moving-cost tools
Conveyancing fees are one of three big line items when you buy or sell in the UK. See also our stamp duty calculator (SDLT, LBTT and LTT compared), our Land Registry fee calculator (the same official Scale 1/2 schedule used above, on its own), and our estate agent fees calculator for the selling side.
Researched & verified by the Calcuris Data & Research Team. How we build and check our tools →