Client Care Letter Sample
A Guide to our Fees
We offer an exceptional service and tailor it to suit you and your unique circumstances, so the following can only give you an indication of our fee structure. Please note that conveyancing and Probate fees can vary, which is why we provide a detailed, no obligations quote in advance, with absolutely no hidden extras.
Occasionally a matter comes up which we could not have foreseen. In those cases we will discuss this with you, including potential solutions and any additional fees they might incur, before proceeding. We will always deal fairly and openly with our clients, and explain ourselves carefully.
All fees and disbursements mentioned below are exclusive of VAT. Any quotes we provide will always clearly show the VAT charges.
CONVEYANCING
Residential Sales
The costs on the sale of a freehold property would typically be in the range of £750 to £1,500, while the sale of a leasehold property, which involves more work, would typically be in the range of £1,000 to £1,750.
Leasehold property sales usually require us to obtain sales information and management packs from the freeholder or managing agents, who can make substantial charges for providing the information. Please contact your managing agent for an estimate
In order to verify a client’s identity, we may use a verification system called Thirdfort, for which there will be a charge of £15.
In addition we make a £30 standard charge for any bank fees incurred, for example in sending money to a client’s account, or to a lender to redeem a mortgage.
Residential Purchases and Mortgages
The costs on the purchase of a freehold property will be in the range of £925 to £1,500, and leasehold properties, which usually involve more work, are in the range of £1,200 to £1,900. For remortgaging we usually charge in the region of £800, though we will provide you with a quote based on your specific circumstances.
We also typically charge an average of £250 to represent your lender on a purchase involving a mortgage. Some lenders also make a small charge of a few pounds to cover their administrative costs.
If you are first-time buyers, and using a Help to Buy ISA, there will also be an additional fee of £50 to claim any bonus payment for your purchase.
In addition we make a £30 standard charge for any bank fees incurred, for example in sending money to the seller’s solicitors.
In order to verify a client’s identity, we may use a verification system called Thirdfort, for which there will be a charge of £15. In addition, where we need to verify the source of funds there will be a fee of £10.
We will charge disbursements in addition to our own fees – these cover items like searches, Land Registry charges, etc. which we must pay for on your behalf. All of these will be itemized in our quote and, later, in our billing. There may also be a need for indemnity insurance policies to deal with minor problems on the title, or missing documentation. These vary according to circumstances and, again, would be discussed with you fully beforehand, but can range from just a few pounds for a minor matter up to perhaps £200..
If you have a mortgage you will require searches, and these are usually in the region of £200 to £300 for the basic three searches (local, drainage and environmental).
One of the larger disbursements is Stamp Duty Land Tax, payable on all residential property purchases over £125,000 and working on a sliding scale, according to the property price and whether or not a property is your only residence, or a second or subsequent property, at which point higher rates become applicable. Please refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.
First-time buyers are exempt from Stamp Duty Land Tax up to £300,000, and thereafter different rates apply. We will compute the appropriate figure for you in advance, so you will know exactly what you will be required to pay, but again refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.
Additionally, on completion, there may also be charges for giving notice of your purchase (and a mortgage, if any) to freeholders and management companies. We cannot estimate these without seeing the specific information relating to your purchase.
Land Registry fees are payable on purchases, as we apply to have your ownership of the property (and any mortgage) registered. These will be between £40 and £910, depending upon the property price, but please refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.
Please note that the figures above are dependent upon there being no unforeseen problems, for example if the title of a property is defective and needs correcting, or critical documentation is unobtainable, or if the property is unregistered. If such is the complications occur there will be additional charges.
What is Included in our Service and Quoted Fees?
- Opening the file and dealing with i.d.
• Issuing a client care letter and our Terms of Business
• Issuing Property Information Forms for completion by the client on a sale
• Personal attendance with client and discussing matters as and when they arise by telephone or e-mail
• Correspondence and telephone calls with legal firms, agents, brokers, lenders and management companies
• Making enquiries of other solicitors, and responding to any from other solicitors’ firms
• Preparation of a full and detailed report letter to the client on purchases
• Acquiring redemption figures from lenders on sales and redeeming any mortgage
• Representing the lender for a mortgage on a purchase
• Claiming Help to Buy bonuses where applicable
• Preparing a Statement of Account for the client
• Exchanging contracts and completing
• Filing a Stamp Duty Land Tax return on a purchase and paying the tax due (if any)
• Registration of a purchase with Land Registry, advising lenders where appropriate, and notifying freeholders/managing agents on a leasehold purchase
• Sending a copy of final registration documents to clients for purchases
• Holding deeds packages after completion of a purchase
• Holding files in our archives for a minimum of seven years
• Retrieval of archived files if required
How Long Does it Take?
Straightforward residential conveyancing can take an average of, perhaps, two to three months, but this is dependent upon a number of factors, including the state of readiness of the rest of the chain, prompt issue of a mortgage offer, and there being no unforeseen difficulties arising.
PROBATE
Probate may not be needed for all estates. If the deceased person has left very few assets (perhaps under about £10,000) or owns joint assets with another person, like a spouse, it may well not be necessary. In cases when it is needed, varying levels of complexity can make it difficult to give an approximate figure, but if the deceased has left a correctly executed will, there are no missing beneficiaries or litigious claims, there is only one property involved and there is no Inheritance Tax payable then, depending on the size of the estate, the fees could start at around £2,000. Every matter is dealt with on its own merits and we would give you a quote based on your own specific case.
In addition to our fees, disbursements on Probate cases would include the fees for the Probate Registry, which would be in a range from nil to £215, and there may be a fee for advertising for missing beneficiaries or creditors, though this is not needed in many cases.
What is Included in our Service and Quoted Fees?
- Opening the file and dealing with i.d.
• Issuing a client care letter and our Terms of Business
• Personal attendance with client and discussing matters as and when they arise by telephone or e-mail
• Correspondence and telephone calls with legal firms, banks, building societies, beneficiaries, H. M. Revenue & Customs and H. M. Courts
• Advertising for creditors or beneficiaries, when appropriate
• Preparation of IHT forms and submission online
• Obtaining Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (when the deceased has died without making a Will)
• Calling in all assets
• Preparation of accounts
• Payment of outstanding debts and distribution of monies
• Files will be held in our archives permanently
How Long Does It Take?
Straightforward Probate cases can complete within four to five months, but this is dependent upon there being a correctly executed Will, and no difficulties arising, e.g. tracing beneficiaries. However if there are delays from any third parties, outside our control, unavoidable delays may occur.
Where more complex cases cause problems these will be discussed with clients and options set out to solve them; however these may incur extra charges. Any extra charge and the effect on timescales would also be fully discussed and agreed with clients before we proceeded.
We are happy to have a free, no-obligation discussion to see how we can help. Simply fill out our form with your details so we can schedule a time to talk.
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Angelo and his team worked hard and diligent on my case. I would recommend Angelo and his team to anyone who is in need of knowledgeable and caring attorneys.
Hunter Solicitors Cares. We were very happy and satisfied with how they represented us in our will case. They got results. They are compassionate, caring people who really did their best for us.
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