UK Land Registry Fee Calculator

What is the HM Land Registry fee?

The HM Land Registry (HMLR) registration fee is a flat, statutory fee you pay to register a change at the Land Registry for a property in England or Wales — buying a home, taking out a new mortgage, transferring a property as a gift, registering unregistered land for the first time, or registering a new lease. It is separate from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT): SDLT is a percentage-based tax on the price you paid, while the HMLR fee is a fixed amount that only depends on which price/value band you fall into — not a percentage of the price.

For example, buying a £350,000 home with your solicitor submitting the transfer electronically via the portal costs £150 in HMLR fees — the same fee whether the house is worth £200,001 or £500,000, because both fall in the same £200,001–£500,000 band. HMLR fees are set out in the Land Registration Fee Order 2024 and have applied since 9 December 2024 (Land Registration Fee Order 2024) — still in force as at 2026-07-18.

Scale 1 vs Scale 2 — the two fee tables

HMLR uses two separate fee scales. Scale 1 covers first registrations, transfers of registered land for monetary consideration (i.e. buying a property), leases and surrenders — the fee is based on the price paid or the value of the lease. Scale 2 covers transfers or assents not for monetary consideration (gifts, assents to a beneficiary, transfers between separating spouses under a court order), transfers of registered charges, and charges of registered estates (mortgages and remortgages) — the fee is based on the property value (for a gift) or the amount secured (for a mortgage), and is consistently cheaper than the equivalent Scale 1 band.

At the same £200,001–£500,000 band, the Scale 1 postal fee is £330 while the equivalent Scale 2 postal fee is only £70 — Scale 2 applications are consistently the cheaper table, band for band.

Electronic (portal) vs paper — but only for whole-title applications

Applying electronically through HMLR's portal or Business Gateway is roughly 55% cheaper than applying by post — but only if the application affects the whole of a registered title. On a £350,000 whole-title purchase, the electronic fee is £150 versus £330 by post — a saving of £180.

That discount disappears entirely for three cases, which pay the full postal fee no matter how they're submitted: transfers of part of a title (e.g. £330 on a £350,000 part-title transfer, identical by post or portal), registering a lease, and applications affecting only part of a Scale 2 estate. In practice, nearly all everyday conveyancing (a straightforward whole-house purchase with a mortgage submitted together) does qualify for the electronic discount, because both the transfer and the accompanying charge affect the whole title and are lodged by a conveyancer using HMLR's Business Gateway.

Remortgages and new charges

Taking out a new mortgage or remortgage is charged under Scale 2, based on the amount secured — not the property's market value. If the mortgage secures further advances up to a ceiling, the fee is based on that maximum ceiling, not the amount currently drawn. Remortgaging with £200,000 secured costs £30 electronically or £70 by post. There's no separate HMLR fee at all to register the discharge of the old mortgage.

If you're buying with a mortgage in one transaction (transfer and new charge submitted together and completed on the same day), HMLR only charges the Scale 1 fee for the transfer — the accompanying charge is free. The fee for the charge only becomes payable if it's submitted after the transfer has already completed.

First registration: voluntary vs compulsory

Registering land or property that has never been on the Land Registry (common for older, unregistered property) is a first registration, charged under Scale 1. A voluntary first registration — done proactively, without a triggering sale or mortgage — gets a reduced fee, at least 25% cheaper than the standard rate: on a £400,000 property that's £250 instead of £330 for a compulsory first registration (triggered by a sale, gift, or new mortgage). HMLR may also charge a further £40 if a physical inspection of the property is needed — refundable if the inspection doesn't go ahead.

New leases: premium plus rent

Registering a new lease is charged under Scale 1, but the value assessed isn't just the premium — it's the premium plus the highest annual rent reserved in the first five years of the term. Buying a new flat on a 99-year lease for a £150,000 premium with rent rising to £125 by year five is assessed on £150,125, costing £230. If there's no premium and the rent can't be quantified (e.g. rent is a percentage of variable service charges), the fee falls back to the lease's assessed value, with a £45 minimum.

Same price, four ways to pay — the comparison

For the same £350,000 purchase, the fee can be £150, £330, £330 or £330 depending purely on whether the application covers the whole title or only part, and whether it's submitted electronically or by post — the cheapest route here is "Whole title, electronic (portal)". Change the price and application type above and the comparison table recalculates all four scenarios live.

Because HMLR fees are due on the same transaction as Stamp Duty Land Tax but calculated on a completely different basis (flat banded fee vs percentage-based tax), see our UK stamp duty calculator and conveyancing fees calculator for the other costs due at completion on the same purchase.