Costs Information - Whittingdales, Solicitors

All work that Whittingdales do, whatever it is, will be charged at Mr Whittingdale’s hourly rate. This will be between £250 – £350, depending on the complexity of the case. VAT @ 20% will be added to the total fee BUT You will not be responsible for Whittingdales charges until a number of things have happened:
1. You have said what you wish to achieve
2. Mr Whittingdale has considered whether and, if so upon what terms and within what timescale, he believes he can meet your expectations
3. Mr Whittingdale has told you what he expects it will cost and how many chargeable hours it will take, to achieve the desired outcome, so far as it is possible to assess this at the outset
4. Mr Whittingdale has written to you confirming what you have asked him to do and what he expects it to cost and the anticipated timescale for achieving your objective
5. You have received, considered, and accepted Whittingdales terms of business.
The following examples are included for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an offer
Conveyancing fees
Freehold sale £2,500.00 including VAT £3,000
Leasehold sale £2,500.00 including VAT £3,000.00
PURCHASE
Freehold purchase (without mortgage) £2,500.00 including VAT £3,000.00
Leasehold Purchase (without mortgage) £2,500.00 including VAT £3,000.00
Includes:
complying with money laundering requirements for ID purposes
checking Land Registry title documents
making searches and enquiries - (additional fees apply)
drafting transfer
exchange of contracts
requisitions on title
work up to completion
post completion work
SDLT form
Registration
Does not include: tax advice or advice as to value
Additional sums payable in addition to our fees – “Disbursements:”
Sale:
Land Registry office copy and filed plan £7.02 [incl. VAT]
Official copy filed documents £5.04 [incl. VAT] each
Purchase:
Local search – between £150/250 (estimated)
Drainage search between £45/55.00 (estimated)
Land Registry search £7.00
Land Registry bankruptcy search £2.00 per name
Bank CHAPS fee £25.00 (including VAT)
SDLT fees as per current rates
www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates
Note: Abortive transactions are charged at half hourly rate of £250 per hour capped as above
Conveyancing transactions on average take 2 months to complete.
PROBATE
In probate cases our confirmatory letter will include the following detail of the steps to be taken between taking instructions and completing the administration of the estate
In straightforward cases, such as the illustration shown below, this will take between 10 and 20 hours work at £250 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs estimated at -£2,500 – £5,000 (+VAT at 20%).
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. This estimate is for estates where:
There is a valid will There is no more than one property There are no more than 4 bank or building society accounts There are no other intangible assets There are 2 adult beneficiaries There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs There is no inheritance tax payable, and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC There are no claims made against the estate Disbursements included in this fee (where applicable VAT is included at 20%):
Probate application fee of £X £5 Swearing of the oath (per executor) Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary) £X Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors. £X Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims. 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.
Potential additional costs If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information. If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £X (1 per asset usually). Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. How long will this take?
On average, it takes between 9 and 12 months to obtain the Grant of Probate and to complete the estate administration process, regardless of whether or not there's a will.
Probate can take longer than this though and there are some potential delays that can occur along the way. For example, if a property needs to be sold but there are issues with the sale, this in turn will lead to delay.

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