Pricing

No two purchases are the same, and there are many factors that will impact how we handle the transaction and our fees. For example, the purchase of a new build flat takes much more time to deal with than the purchase of a Victorian semi-detached house. Other examples of where we charge more are whether or not the title to the property is unregistered, if the building is listed, or if you are buying with a mortgage, if the title is defective or if the lease term is short and needs to be extended.

We will give you an estimate that is tailored to you and your purchase at the start of the transaction and this gives you a much better idea of the costs involved.

We do not charge fixed fees. Our fees are charged at our hourly rates (as outlined below) and how long we think a matter will take. 

Our fees (excluding VAT @ 20%)

As a guide we estimate our fees to be:

Property Price	Freehold Legal Fee	Leasehold Legal Fee
Up to £1,000,000	£1,800 – £2,000	£2,000 – £2,500
Above £1,000,000	0.2% of the purchase price	0.25% of the purchase price

Additional legal costs (all costs exclude VAT @ 20%)

There may be supplemental legal costs added to the above-mentioned fees and examples include (this is not an exhaustive list):

£40 fee for each bank transfer

£40 file storage fee

£20 electronic ID check fee

£5 ongoing monitoring ID fee

£15 source of funds fee

£50 dealing with a Lifetime ISA

£250 for dealing with a gifted deposit

£300 acting for a lender

£750 new build fee

If you have a leasehold transaction that involves a relevant or higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act 2022, any additional advice required will be charged on a time spent basis at £300.00 per hour plus VAT @ 20%.

The above-mentioned fees are estimated costs and not a quote. Our fees could be higher if more time is spent than originally envisaged due to complexities in the transaction or additional work.

Hourly Rates

Responsibility	Hourly Rate (excluding VAT @ 20%)
Partner	£300.00
Associate Solicitor/ Associate	£275.00
Solicitor/ FILEX/ CILEX	£275.00
Conveyancer	£250.00
Trainee	£185.00
Paralegal	£160.00

Expenses (all costs exclude VAT @ 20%)

These are costs relating to your purchase that are payable to third parties. The typical disbursements expected are:

£7 per Land Registry document

£7 Land Registry pre-completion search

£6 bankruptcy search (per name/search)

£20 – 500 (no VAT chargeable) Land Registry registration fee

£350 (approximately) for searches (environmental search, water and drainage search, Local Authority search and planning search)

For leasehold properties or freehold properties that are managed there are additional fees such as: Deed of Covenant, Notice of Transfer, Notice of Charge and obtaining a new Share Certificate. These fees generally cost between £50-£300 + VAT @ 20% each. These fees are dependent on the company that manages the building or estate.

Possible further expenses are:
For leasehold purchases, if you are buying a share in the freehold, there is a further Land Registry registration fee to pay.

If you are buying a share in a company that owns the freehold, there is usually a fee to transfer the share certificate and you should budget for about £100 (plus VAT @ 20%).

The Land Registry application fee is based on the value of the property. Please use the link to check
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees#scale-2-fees

Stamp Duty Land Tax is based on the purchase price and other factors. Please use the link to check
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro

The list of expenses is not exhaustive and other expenses may be payable depending on factors that arise during the purchase.

What our fee does not include

Our fee is based on certain assumptions and on the basis that:

• no associated work is required such as dealing with an unregistered title or a transfer of equity or a lease extension
• the matter proceeds in a simple and straight-forward manner and with the standard amount of contact with you, your broker (if any) and lender that we would expect
• there are no unusual complexities. Examples of complexities that may arise include discrepancies in the title, adverse entries in the search results, dealing with multiple titles, time sensitivities or private drainage
• Our fees do not include dealing with a number or areas such as occupier’s consent forms, guarantees, gifted deposits or deeds of covenants. We charge extra for these and some other services.

Who will do the work for you?

We have a highly regarded team of solicitors, legal executives and paralegals who collectively have many years’ experience. We aim to provide you with clear and practical advice throughout and to work to your timescale wherever possible.

There are many factors that impact how we handle a transaction and our fees. For example, a flat sale takes much longer to deal with than a semi-detached house. Other examples are whether or not the title to the property is unregistered or if the building is listed, if the title is defective or if the lease term is short and needs to be extended.

We will give you an estimate that is tailored to you and your sale and this gives you a much better idea of the cost and the expenses.

We do not charge fixed fees. Our fees are charged at our hourly rates (as outlined below) and how long we think a matter will take.

Our fees (excluding VAT @ 20%)

As a guide we estimate our fees to be:

Property Price	Freehold Legal Fee	Leasehold Legal Fee
Up to £1,000,000	£1,800 – £2,000	£2,000 – £2,400
Above £1,000,000	0.2% of the sale price	0.25% of the sale price

Additional legal costs (all costs exclude VAT @ 20%)

There may be supplemental legal costs added to the above-mentioned fees and examples include (this is not an exhaustive list):

£40 fee for each bank transfer

£40 file storage fee

£20 electronic ID check fee

£250 mortgage redemption fee

If you have a leasehold transaction that involves a relevant or higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act 2022, any additional advice required will be charged on a time spent basis at £300.00 per hour plus VAT @ 20%.

The above-mentioned fees are estimated costs and not a quote. Our fees could be higher if more time is spent than originally envisaged due to complexities in the transaction or additional work.

Hourly Rates

Responsibility	Hourly Rate (excluding VAT @ 20%)
Partner	£300.00
Associate Solicitor/ Associate	£275.00
Solicitor/ FILEX/ CILEX	£275.00
Conveyancer	£250.00
Trainee	£185.00
Paralegal	£160.00

Expenses

These are costs relating to your purchase that are payable to third parties. The typical disbursements expected are:

£7 + VAT @ 20% per Land Registry document
£250 – £1000 + VAT @ 20% for a management pack

A management pack will need to be obtained for leasehold properties or freehold properties that are managed. The cost of this is dependent on the company providing the pack.

The list of expenses for a freehold or leasehold sale is not exhaustive and other expenses may be payable depending on factors that arise during the sale.

Possible further expenses are:
Indemnity Insurance policies. These are used to fix defects in titles. The price of a policy varies according to the value of the property and the nature of the defect.

What our fee does not include

Our fee is based on certain assumptions and on the basis that:

• no associated work is required such as dealing with an unregistered title or a lease extension
  the matter proceeds in a simple and straight-forward manner and with the standard amount of contact with you, your broker (if any) and lender that we would expect
• there are no unusual complexities. Examples of complexities that may arise include discrepancies in the title, dealing with multiple titles or listed buildings
• Our fees do not include a number of areas including dealing with deeds of covenants, licences to assign, lease extensions, private drainage as we charge extra for these and some other services

Who will do the work for you?

We have a highly regarded team of solicitors, legal executives and paralegals who, collectively, have many years of experience. We aim to provide you with clear and practical advice throughout and to work to your timescale where possible.

At Coole Bevis LLP, we provide a comprehensive will writing service that meets the high standards set by both the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Our experienced solicitors ensure that your will is expertly drafted, giving you complete peace of mind.

Our service includes an initial consultation to understand your wishes, preparation of a draft will for your review, handling all correspondence and any amendments, and preparing the final will for signing. We also offer secure storage of your completed will at no extra cost, safeguarding it against loss or damage.

Will Type	Cost Range (exc VAT @ 20%)
Single Will without trust and inheritance tax advice	£600.00 – £700.00 upwards
Single Will with trust or inheritance tax advice	£850.00 – £1000.00 upwards
Pair of Mirror Wills without trust and inheritance tax advice	£800.00 – £1,250.00 upwards depending upon complexity
Complex Wills & Wills including trust and inheritance tax advice	Hourly charge plus VAT

In cases where your instructions are particularly complex, we may provide an hourly rate quote. Our fees range from £300 + VAT @ 20% per hour for an Associate Solicitor to £325 + VAT @ 20% per hour for a Partner/LLP Member.

Initial consultations typically last between 30 minutes to 1 hour, during which we’ll gather details about your family situation, assets, and liabilities to provide you with comprehensive, tailored advice. Timeframes for submitting your draft will for approval will be discussed during this meeting.

We offer free home visits within a 10-mile radius of any of our offices for elderly or disabled clients who may find it difficult to attend in person.

Please note that a 50% payment on account of fees is required either at the first meeting or, if corresponding remotely, prior to commencing work. If you decide not to complete your will, we will charge a proportionate fee for the work completed.

The cost information provided is a general guide, and more specific details will be given during your initial consultation.

Need more information?

For expert guidance on Wills and succession planning, contact our team today.

Our service includes attending upon the Donor (person appointing Attorneys) to take initial instructions and to provide all relevant advice.  Drawing and submitting draft documentation for approval.  Preparing documentation for signature and attending you thereon to sign the same.  Correspondence and telephone attendances upon you.  Correspondence upon your Certificate Provider and Attorneys to arrange for their signature to the documentation.   Lodging documents with Office of Public Guardian (OPG) for registration.  Upon receipt of registered Lasting Power of Attorney providing you with a copy.

Upon completion we recommend the original document is stored in our archives for safe keeping on your behalf at no additional cost to you.

Lasting Power of Attorney

Standard documents and those whereby up to a maximum of 2 Attorneys are appointed will be at the lower end of the price scale whereas those appointing additional Attorneys and/or incorporating complex additional instructions and powers will be at the higher end of the price scale.  You will be advised at initial meeting of exact cost.

LPAs	Cost Range (exc VAT @ 20%)
Single Lasting Power of Attorney	£850.00 – £950.00 plus OPG registration fee of £82.00
Two Lasting Power of Attorney’s	£950.00 – £1,300.00 plus 2 x OPG registration fee of £82.00 each
Four Lasting Power of Attorney’s	£1,600.00 – £1,900.00 plus 4 x OPG registration fee of £82.00 each

Examples:

Please note: You may be asked to make a payment on account of 50% of the overall cost estimate when attending for initial meeting or if giving instructions by correspondence prior to any work being undertaken.

The cost information given here is general and you will be given more precise and personalised information at your initial meeting.

We reserve the right to charge additional fees, on a time spent basis, if documentation needs to be redone because of signature errors or loss of documentation by Certificate Providers or Attorneys.

We are proud that our Court of Protection team is a truly specialist team, headed by Partner, Teresa Pender-Stratford. Within the department we have a Panel Deputy, Partner Jennifer Murphy.

We deal with many applications to the Court of Protection for a Deputy to be appointed to manage the property and financial affairs for someone who now unfortunately lacks capacity.

Jennifer Murphy is currently acting as Deputy for a very large number of clients with their affairs greatly differing in complexity.

We are also able to offer services to appointed Deputies to provide support and advice when required and to assist with the preparation and filing of their annual deputyship accounts.

Charging

Rates set by the Solicitors’ guideline hourly rates:

• Grade A – £288.00 per hour – solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience
• Grade B – £242.00 per hour – solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience
• Grade C – £197.00 per hour – other solicitors or legal executives or fee earners of equivalent experience
• Grade D – £139.00 per hour – trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners

All fees are subject to VAT, which is currently payable at the rate of 20%.

There are circumstances, depending on the level of work undertaken in respect of a matter, the complexity of that work and also the value of assets involved, when we may accept fixed fees for work in lieu of assessed costs.

Fixed fees are set by the Court at the following rates:

• Work up to the date of Deputyship Order £1,204 plus VAT @ 20%
• General administration for the first year of Deputyship from date of Order £2,116 plus VAT @ 20%
• General administration for second and subsequent years £1,672 plus VAT @ 20%
• Preparation and filing of Annual Report £336 plus VAT @ 20%

Please note you will be provided with more personalised advice regarding costs at your initial meeting.

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal (all fees noted below are subject to VAT @ 20%):

Case type	Cost
Simple Case	£5,000 – £7,500
Medium complexity case	£7,500 – £12,500
High complexity case	£20,000 – £30,000

We charge based on an hourly rate which varies depending on the member of staff dealing with your matter. Our lowest hourly rate is £150 plus VAT @ 20% and our highest hourly rate is £290 plus VAT @ 20%. The seniority of the members of staff dealing with your case will depend on its complexity. We will discuss this with you when you instruct us.

Factors that could make a case more complex:

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £2,500 per day (plus VAT @ 20%). Generally, we would allow 1-3 days depending on the complexity of your case.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel’s fees estimated between £2,500 to £3,500 per day plus VAT @ 20%, (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

How long will my matter take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 2-4 months. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 12-15 months. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.