How much does conveyancing cost? Fees for buying, selling and remortgaging

The short answer

Buying a home in England or Wales, the conveyancing costs about £1,500 on average, including VAT and the third-party costs the law firm pays for you, such as searches and the HM Land Registry fee. Selling costs about £900 on average, and buying and selling together about £2,400. Stamp duty is extra.

These are averages from across the market in 2026, not Keyfolio's prices. Your own figure depends on the price, the type of property, where it is and what else is involved. The quickest way to know it is an itemised quote: Keyfolio gives you one in a few minutes, with every cost listed.

The law firm's fee

The legal fee pays for the firm's own work: checking the title, reviewing the searches, raising questions with the other side, acting for your lender, exchanging contracts, completing and registering you as the owner. For a freehold purchase it is commonly around £800 to £1,000 plus VAT, and it usually rises with the price. A leasehold property usually costs around £300 more.

Some work takes more time and carries more risk, so firms add a fee for it. Common examples are:

• Leasehold property, because of the lease and the management pack
• New build homes
• Shared ownership and Right to Buy
• A gifted deposit, or money from abroad
• Buying through a company, at auction or as a buy-to-let

A firm that quotes a low headline fee and adds these later can end up costing more than one that lists them at the start, so compare the total.

VAT

VAT at 20% is added to the law firm's fee and to its admin fees. Most third-party costs, such as the HM Land Registry fee, carry no VAT, so check whether a quote shows its figures with VAT or without it before you compare two quotes.

Searches

On a purchase, your conveyancer orders searches: reports from the local council, the water company and others about the property and the area. Typical costs are:

• The local authority search, about planning, roads and anything the council records against the property: about £250 to £450, depending on the council
• The drainage and water search, about the connection to the public sewer and water supply: about £35 to £60
• The environmental search, about flood risk, ground contamination and similar: about £40 to £80

Your conveyancer may suggest others for where the property is, such as a mining search. Read more in our guide to property searches.

HM Land Registry fees

When you buy, your conveyancer registers you as the new owner at HM Land Registry and pays its fee for you. The fee depends on the price. These are the fees in England and Wales for a whole property applied for online, as most conveyancers do, in force since 9 December 2024:

• Up to £80,000: £20
• £80,001 to £100,000: £40
• £100,001 to £200,000: £100
• £200,001 to £500,000: £150
• £500,001 to £1,000,000: £295
• Over £1,000,000: £500

Your conveyancer also buys official copies of the title (£7 each online) and runs a bankruptcy search on each buyer, £6 a name online. Northern Ireland has its own registry, Land and Property Services, with its own fees.

The other small costs

A quote usually lists a few smaller items. Typical figures are:

• Identity and anti-money laundering checks: about £6 to £20 a person, usually plus VAT
• Sending your money by same-day bank transfer: about £25 to £50 for each transfer
• Filing the stamp duty return: often part of the legal fee, sometimes a separate charge

For a leasehold flat there are third-party costs as well: the management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, about £300 to £800 and usually paid by the seller, and a fee for each notice the new owner and lender give the freeholder after completion, which some charge nothing for and others up to about £300.

Selling and remortgaging

Selling costs less than buying, about £900 on average including VAT, because there are no searches or registration fees to pay. A leasehold sale costs more, because the seller usually pays for the management pack.

A remortgage costs about £300 on average when you move to a new lender, and many lenders offer free legal work for it. Staying with your lender on a new deal (a product transfer) needs no conveyancing at all. Adding or removing an owner at the same time is a transfer of equity, which costs more.

Stamp duty is separate

Stamp duty, called Land Transaction Tax in Wales, is a tax, not a conveyancing cost, but your conveyancer files the return and pays it for you from money you send them, so it often appears on the same quote. Work out yours with our stamp duty calculator.

How to keep the total down

• Compare itemised quotes, not headline fees: check what each one leaves out or marks as to be confirmed
• Ask which admin fees apply to you before you instruct, and get the fees confirmed in writing
• Send your identity documents and the source of your deposit early, which avoids delays that can cost money
• Check whether your lender offers free legal work on a remortgage
• Be wary of a quote far below the others: the difference often comes back as extras later

Where these figures come from

The HM Land Registry fees are from GOV.UK, and the official copy fees from GOV.UK. The averages for buying, selling and remortgaging and the leasehold costs are from the HomeOwners Alliance, using Reallymoving's figures for 2026. The legal fee range, the local authority search and the other search and admin costs are from ClearScore. Fees change, so check the figures in your own quote.

Get your own figure

Every move is different, so the only figure that counts is yours. Keyfolio gives you an instant, itemised quote from regulated law firms, with the legal fee, VAT, searches, HM Land Registry fees and an estimate of stamp duty, so you know the full cost before you choose.