Our Fees Price Transparency Guide

In almost all cases, for the sale of an existing residential property, we will charge a fixed fee which will be agreed with you in advance. That fixed fee will cover the work which is expected and foreseeable at the point that the fixed fee quotation is given. Occasionally, where the work involved in a transaction becomes more complicated, it can become necessary to charge an increased fee for the additional work which is required. Where this happens, we will advise you at the earliest opportunity that such additional work is required and provide you with a quotation for the additional work required.

The standard fixed fee for existing or newly built residential property sales varies depending on the property value.

All of our above charges are exclusive of VAT which is charged at the current rate of 20%.

This fee will cover the following work in connection with a sale:

– Entering into missives (a contract) on your behalf to sell the property
– Advising you on the terms of the missives
– Ordering and exhibiting property searches to the purchaser’s solicitor
– Exhibiting title deeds to the purchaser’s solicitor
– Answering the purchaser’s solicitor’s queries regarding the title deeds
– Revising and having signed the Disposition (deed transferring ownership)
– Attending to settlement, receiving funds, paying any required mortgage redemption and paying net sale proceeds to you
– Attending to discharge of your mortgage lender’s security over the property
– Notifying the Local Authority of change of ownership

The above fee rates will be applicable on most residential sales but there are some cases where a higher fee will be appropriate. These include:

– Where the title is more complex, perhaps comprising multiple titles or where there are private access/service arrangements.
– Where the property is a plot of land which the purchaser plans to build on
– Where the property is affected by unauthorised alterations or statutory notices

Outlays
The outlays in connection with a sale vary depending on the type of property, its title and location. Below is a list of the most common outlays:

This is not an exhaustive list and further outlays can arise. We will usually provide an indication of the outlays likely to be incurred at the start of a transaction and we will let you know as any further outlays arise. The outlays are quoted inclusive of VAT at 20% where applicable.

Estate agency services are charged separately from the sale conveyancing. The conveyancing process involves the missives (contract) for the sale, and the transfer of the title to the purchaser. Estate agency is the process of marketing the property, finding potential buyers and negotiating offers.

Our estate agency fee is a commission charged on the sale price of the property. Typically, this will be 1.25% of the sale price plus VAT at 20%. This is subject to a minimum fee of £1500 plus VAT at 20%.

Where you require us to carry out attended viewings of your property, these are charged on a per viewing basis, typically at £25 plus VAT at 20%.

Outlays
There are outlays payable during the estate agency process. These are for the Home Report, which is prepared by a separate firm of chartered surveyors and for photography and marketing expenses.
The cost of a Home Report varies depending on the property value. Our provider’s charges are as follows, inclusive of VAT at 20%:

Photography and marketing expenses depend on what you ask us to do. Our estate agents will recommend to you a package of photography, perhaps videos, and other marketing materials which suit the size and location of your property and typically this will be in the region of £250-500. Additional marketing in the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre (ESPC) can be provided, the cost of which starts from £246, but varies depending on location of the property.

For the majority of family law work we are unable to charge a fixed fee. This is because we simply do not know how much work will be involved in dealing with your particular matter. Every separation case is different and the fee charged varies accordingly. Even when we have met with you and have an indication of your situation and what your desired outcomes are, we will not know how long it will take to negotiate with your spouse or partner to achieve those outcomes.
For this work we will therefore charge based on our time in dealing with a matter at a rate dependent on the experience of the person acting for you. Below is a table showing the current hourly rates of our various lawyers and support staff, together with unit rates (an hourly rate is broken down into 10 units):

All of our above charges are exclusive of VAT which is charged at the current rate of 20%.

Full details of our charges, and how these are applied, can be found in the Terms of Business issued on commencement of any work for you. We will usually have our file in connection with family law matters assessed by an independent law accountant who will determine an appropriate fee for the work carried out, based on the charges in our Terms of Business.

Outlays
Outlays (payments to third parties) are incurred on many family law matters. These vary from case to case but can include:

The outlays are quoted inclusive of VAT at 20% where applicable.

The administration of an executry estate is a complex matter involving care and attention throughout what is sometimes – particularly with taxable estates – a lengthy process. It is not possible for us to quote a fixed fee for this type of work, as each executry estate varies depending on the type and size of assets involved, whether or not there is a Will, the number of beneficiaries, whether or not the estate is subject to Inheritance Tax, and various other matters.

For this work we will therefore charge primarily based on our time in dealing with the estate at a rate dependent on the experience of the person acting for you. Below is a table showing the current hourly rates of our various lawyers and support staff, together with unit rates (an hourly rate is broken down into 10 units):

Executry administration will typically involve work being carried out by multiple members of our team, led by a Partner or other solicitor but with the assistance of others, and several different hourly/unit rates from the above table may therefore apply to different parts of the work carried out on your behalf.

All of our above charges are exclusive of VAT which is charged at the current rate of 20%.

In addition to the hourly/unit rates given above, a charge will also be made for handling funds in connection with the executry estate. This is charged as a percentage of the funds handled in the course of a matter. The maximum percentage charges are as follows:

The costs involved in administering an estate will generally be paid from the estate prior to distribution and therefore an Executor will only be required to pay the charges where the estate is insufficient to cover these.

Full details of our charges, and how these are applied, can be found in the Terms of Business issued on commencement of any work for you. We will usually have our file in connection with an Executry Administration assessed by an independent law accountant who will determine an appropriate fee for the work carried out, based on the charges in our Terms of Business. The fee for the independent law accountant will usually be met by the estate.

Outlays
Outlays (payments to third parties) are incurred in dealing with most Executry estates. These vary and we cannot set out here all possible costs, but the most common outlays likely to be incurred are court dues for the granting of Confirmation which is the court order which allows executors to deal with the estate (£341 for estates valued at up to £250,000 or £684 for estates valued over £250,000), and registration dues for registration of a Will (£20).

In most cases we are able to provide a fixed fee quotation for the preparation of a Will. For a typical basic Will, our fees are as follows:

– £375 plus VAT at 20% for a single Will
– £650 plus VAT at 20% for a pair of Wills whose terms mirror each other

These costs include:

– An initial meeting to discuss your situation and to take your instructions
– Preparation of draft Will(s) and writing to you with the drafts for approval
– Providing final Will(s) to you for signing
– Providing you with a copy of signed Will(s) and retaining the original in our strongroom

Some Wills are however more complicated and more detailed advice can be required, which will necessitate a higher fee. Circumstances where this might be the case include:

– Where detailed Inheritance Tax advice is required
– Where the Will requires trust provisions
– Where your instructions are particularly complicated, such as where you are leaving your estate to many different beneficiaries

Where this is the case, we will usually be able to provide you with an indication of the likely cost following our initial discussion with you.

Sometimes where you have an existing Will it is possible to make changes with a Codicil. A Codicil is a document which is read alongside your existing Will and which either includes a minor amendment or addition to your existing Will. The cost of this depends on the number of changes being made to your Will, but our fee typically starts from £200 plus VAT at 20%.

Outlays
There are not usually any outlays (payments to third parties) incurred in preparing Wills.

In most cases we are able to provide a fixed fee quotation for the preparation of Powers of Attorney. For a typical Power of Attorney, our fees are as follows:

– £375 plus VAT at 20% for a single Power of Attorney
– £650 plus VAT at 20% for a pair of Powers of Attorney whose terms mirror each other

These costs include:

– An initial meeting to discuss your situation and to take your instructions
– Preparation of draft Power(s) of Attorney (including welfare or continuing powers or both), and writing to you with the drafts for approval
– Meeting with you to sign the Power(s) of Attorney
– Writing to your Attorneys with consent forms for signature
– Registering your Power(s) of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian
– Providing you with a copy of the registered Power(s) of Attorney when available and retaining the registered Power(s) of Attorney in our strongroom.

Some Powers of Attorney are however more complicated and more work is required, which will necessitate a higher fee. Circumstances where this might be the case include:

– Where the terms of the Power(s) of Attorney are not standard
– Where there is doubt as to the mental capacity of the person making the Power(s) of Attorney, as this may require consultation with a doctor before proceeding

Where this is the case, we will usually be able to provide you with an indication of the likely cost following our initial discussion with you.

Outlays
The only outlays usually incurred in connection with Powers of Attorney are registration dues for registration of the Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland). This is currently £96 per Power of Attorney document (£192 for a pair of Powers of Attorney).