Our Fees

Size matters – our size means that we are on the panel with all high street lenders so that you will have one solicitor acting for both you and your lender for your transaction potentially saving you time and costs.

Quality matters – you will have a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer acting for you from beginning to end of your matter. We have grown our reputation on the personal service that we deliver to our clients. Please see the profiles of our team for more information.

Relationship matters – our profile pages set out who is in our property team, which office they are based in and their level of experience. You will be communicating with this person quite regularly over the period of the transaction so please do contact them to start the relationship blossoming! For a guide to the process please look at these documents:

• Guide to a sale
• Guide to a purchase
• Guide to remortgage

Natalie Berry is the Director overseeing the Property department.

PURCHASE FEES

What are my legal fees going to cost?

Each property transaction is unique so please contact us to obtain a bespoke estimate for your purchase.

An example estimate for a freehold purchase of a property registered at the Land Registry for £500,000 with a mortgage:
Our legal fee   £1200 + VAT

An example estimate for a leasehold purchase of a property registered at the Land Registry for £350,000 with a mortgage:
Our legal fee   £1300 + VAT

These standard fees do not take into account matters that are unforeseeable at the outset of your matter which can cause unexpected difficulties and additional time and are therefore likely to increase the cost of your matter. For example, if the land is unregistered, if there are title defects, lack/missing paperwork, all parties being co-operative and that there are no unreasonable delays in providing information and no indemnity policies are required.

If you would like a specific solicitor or partner to look after your matter their hourly rate may apply instead of the standard legal fees listed. Hourly rates are displayed below.

Supplemental Fees:

Online ID verification (per person)	£30 + VAT
Bank Transfer Fee (per transfer)	£30 + VAT
Lenders report fee	£150 + VAT
Documentation fee	£40 + VAT
New build fee	£200 + VAT
Help to Buy	£200 + VAT
SDLT fee	£30 + VAT

Disbursements/other costs:
These are costs incurred on your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

• HM Land Registry fee – calculated according to the amount of the purchase price (see Land Registry fees calculator here)
• Search fees – approximately £290 (with the benefit of the search fee guarantee that if your matter goes abortive we will you obtain another search pack for free if you reinstruct us on another property within 6 months of the searches having been submitted)
• SDLT/Land Tax – dependent upon the purchase price of the property and can be calculated using the calculator on HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website.
• Bankruptcy search – £2 + VAT per name
• Land Charges search – £3 + VAT per title

There are certain disbursements on leasehold matters that relate to the individual lease but typically include

• Notice of transfer fee – to the Landlord or Management Company as per the requirements of the Lease and can range from £30-£150 per notice
• Notice of charge fee (if the property is mortgaged) – anything from £30-£150
• Deed of covenant fee – as required by a Management Company and can be from £50-£400
• Certificate of compliance – to be confirmed by the Management Company and can range from £50-£400

You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply from the date of ownership of the property and these will be confirmed once we have the lease information.

How long will it take?
Each sale/purchase is unique and the time it takes from your offer being accepted until you can move into your property depends on a number of factors. The average process takes 8-12 weeks to get to completion albeit leasehold purchases tend to take longer. We have completed a transaction as fast as 24 hours before so it does depend on each individual case!

Stages of the purchase process:
Please see the Guide

 

SALE FEES

What are my legal fees going to be?
Our legal fee estimates below are for all the work that we can foresee (without knowing more details from you!) for the sale of your home.

An example estimate for a freehold sale of a property registered at the Land Registry for £500,000 with a mortgage:
Legal fee         £1200 + VAT

An example estimate for a leasehold sale of a property registered at the Land Registry for £350,000 with a mortgage:
Legal fee         £1450 + VAT

These standard fees do not take into account matters that are unforeseeable at the outset of your matter which can cause unexpected difficulties and additional time and are therefore likely to increase the cost of your matter. For example, if the land is unregistered, if there are title defects, lack/missing paperwork, all parties being co-operative and that there are no unreasonable delays in providing information and no indemnity policies are required.

If you would like a specific solicitor or Partner to look after you matter their hourly rate may apply instead of the standard legal fees listed. Hourly rate are displayed under our individual profiles.

Supplemental fees:

Online ID verification (per person)	£30 + VAT
Bank transfer Fee (per transfer)	£30 +VAT
Documentation	£40 +VAT
Leasehold fee	£150 +VAT

Disbursements/other costs:
These are costs incurred on your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

HM Land Registry downloads	£3-£10 + VAT per document or plan
Bankruptcy search	£2 + VAT per name

On the sale of a leasehold property there will be additional charges for the Landlord and or Management Company to provide information that is essential for the sale. This will range from £100-£300. The Landlord/Management Company will determine the cost.

How long will it take?
Each sale/purchase is unique and the time is takes from your offer being accepted until you can move into your property depends on a number of factors. The average process takes 8-12 weeks to get to completion. We have done it as fast as 24 hours before so it does depend on each individual case!

Stages of the sale process:
Please see our guides for the stages of the process.

 

REMORTGAGING

What are my legal fees going to cost?
Our legal fee estimates below are for all the work that we can foresee (without knowing more details from you!) for the remortgage of your home.

House price brackets:

£0–£150,000	£550.00 + VAT
£150,001–£250,000	£600.00 + VAT
£250,001–£500,000	£600.00 + VAT
£500,001–£750,000	£600.00 + VAT
£750,001–£850,000	£600.00 + VAT
£850,001–£950,000	£600.00 + VAT
£950,001–£1,050,000	£600.00 + VAT
£1,050,001–£1,300,000	£700.00 + VAT
£1,300,001–£1,500,000	£750.00 + VAT
£1,500,001–£1,750,000	£800.00 + VAT
£1,750,001–£1,750,000	£900.00 + VAT

The above is based on the property being in Buckinghamshire and being registered at the Land Registry. Please contact us for an estimate about your specific remortgage.

Supplemental fees:

Online ID verification (per person)	£30 + VAT
Bank transfer Fee (per transfer)	£30 +VAT
Documentation	£40 +VAT
Leasehold fee	£150 +VAT

Disbursements/other costs:

These are costs incurred on your matter that are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

HM Land Registry downloads	£3-£10 + VAT per document or plan
Bankruptcy search	£2 + VAT per name
HM Land Registry fee	calculated according to the value of the property
Search fees	approximately £290 (although some lenders will accept a no search indemnity which can be cheaper depending upon the value of the property)
Bankruptcy search	£2 + VAT per name
Land Charges search	£3 + VAT per title

There are certain disbursements on leasehold matters that relate to the individual lease but typically include:

Notice of charge fee (if the property is mortgaged)

anything from £30-£150

How long will it take?

Each remortgage is unique depending on the property. The average process takes 3-4 weeks to draw down the funds from the lender.

Stages of the remortgage process

Please see our guide for the stages of the process.

At Hine Solicitors we understand that the loss of a loved one is difficult. We provide our clients with a professional and thorough service in a friendly and supportive manner. We understand that no one case is the same and offer different service levels to suit you.

Fixed Fee

If you would like us to assist in obtaining the Grant of Representation only, then we offer to complete this on a fixed-fee basis so that you know precisely how much it will cost you. We would deal with all steps for you up to obtaining the Grant.

The fixed fee ranges between £1,750 plus VAT to £5,000 plus VAT depending on several factors, including:-

(a) Whether or not the deceased left a Will
(b) The size and extent of the estate (for example if there are a large number of   shares/bank accounts/investments)
(c) Whether or not Inheritance Tax is payable and whether the Inheritance Tax can be realised easily from the estate.

Hourly Rate

If you would like us to deal with the administration of the estate in its entirety then we would undertake this for you on an hourly rate basis. Each estate is different but, depending on the complexity of the matter,  and the amount of work involved, we estimate our fees for dealing with the entirety of the administration range from £2,500 approximately 10 hours  to £48,000 approximately 160 hours plus VAT.    If the estate is protracted or if other issues/assets/information/family dynamics come to light during the administration then the estimate may need to be revised and could exceed 160 hours.

The hourly rate of fee earners in the department are currently (as at February 2023) as follows:-

• Partner – £300 plus VAT
• Associate Director – £285 plus VAT
• Senior Solicitor – £275 plus VAT
• Associate Solicitor – £250 plus VAT
• Legal Executive – £250 plus VAT

All our costs are subject to VAT which is currently 20%.

Other costs

These are sums payable to third parties (known as “disbursements”). You can expect the following to be payable in most estates

(a) Grant of Probate Court application fee – £273 plus £1.50 per sealed copy of the Grant
(b) Notices for creditors (also known as Section 27 Notices) – between £200 and £300
(c) Land Registry fees – £3 plus VAT per property
(d) Bankruptcy Searches – £2 plus VAT per beneficiary

In some cases Inheritance Tax may also be payable. There are a number of reliefs and allowances which may apply to your case, as well as differing options for the payment of Inheritance Tax. We will advise you on this and guide you through this process.

There may also be other sums payable, for example, to estate agents, surveyors, accountants and other professionals involved in the administration.

These costs do not include the fees or disbursements for the sale of any property in the estate. This is charged separately and our property team will be pleased to assist you and provide a quote for their services.

Timescales

The time it takes to deal with each estate is different and depends on a number of factors, such as, the complexity of the matter, the size and extent of the estate, whether or not Inheritance Tax is payable, the terms of the Will and family/beneficiary dynamics. On average you can expect the estate to be dealt with between 6 months to 2 years. Once the probate application is submitted it can take approximately 16 to 20 weeks to obtain the Grant of Representation and a further 16 to 24 weeks thereafter to gather in the assets (current timescales issued by the government due to Covid backlogs). It may take longer to market and sell any property in the estate.

Any further questions?

If you would like to know more then please call us. We will be pleased to have an initia free 15 minute consultation with you to go through the estate, establish how we can assist you, and answer any initial queries you may have.

 

Our estimates for the provision of advice and representation at the Magistrates’ Court in relation to standard road traffic offences that can only be heard in a Magistrates’ Court dealt with at a single hearing are set out below. For matters that proceed to further hearings or are matters that can also be heard in the Crown Court, please speak to us directly to obtain a full case specific estimate.

We strive to give accurate and honest cost estimates but we recognise that each case has its own unique issues which can increase or decrease the costs involved. Below are some example fees based on being at Court for up to half a day (but if all day then extra costs may be incurred).

We offer an initial fixed fee meeting of up to an hour for £150 + VAT. If you do decide to instruct us for the hearing then this fee will be deducted from the fees outlined below.

Driving With Excess Alcohol/Fail To Provide	£600 + VAT
Speeding	£750 + VAT
Careless Driving	£850 + VAT
Use of Mobile Telephone Whilst Driving	£600 + VAT
Driving Without Insurance	£600 + VAT

 

What work do the above fees include?

• Considering the evidence
• Providing advice in relation to plea, likely sentence and options available to the Court
• Advising on whether an exceptional hardship or special reasons argument can be made
• Representation at a single hearing

Many clients instruct us when their driving licence is at risk either by way of accruing too many penalty points or because the offence itself attracts the possibility of an immediate disqualification from driving. In those circumstances we can advise on whether to put forward arguments for exceptional hardship or special reasons to avoid the loss of their driving licence. If such an argument is presented in Court then our fee would be £1200 +VAT.

Additional costs will be incurred if we are required to;

• Interview and take statements from any witnesses
• Provide advice on appeal or need to instruct an expert witness
• These services will be charged at the hourly rate for the solicitor or caseworker engaged

Disbursements/other fees
The estimates do not include disbursements such as mileage (45p per mile), car parking or public transport fees which are charged as incurred.

Who will be carrying out the work?
Our motoring team is made up of qualified solicitors, trainee solicitors and caseworkers may be available to reduce the cost of some elements of the case preparation. Please see the hourly rate page for information relating to each solicitor.  The team is led by partner, David Hicks, who has over 20 years’ experience working in criminal defence and qualified as a solicitor in 1998.

 

We offer an initial fixed fee appointment of up to an hour for £250 + VAT. After the initial appointment we will provide a cost estimate for the work anticipated for your individual matter. The initial appointment fixed fee does not include advice on Settlement Agreements which is determined by the individual Agreement.

Our estimates will be bespoke depending upon your individual situation. We charge at hourly rates for the time spent on your case. The work will be completed by one of our Employment team whose details are displayed in the profile section of our website but in summary the hourly rates of our Senior Solicitors who conduct this work are:

Joy Johnson	£250 + VAT

It may be appropriate to instruct Counsel to attend a hearing. The fees to instruct Counsel will depend on the experience of the advocate and their involvement with your matter.

The indicative costs for acting for employers defending a claim to the Employment Tribunal for unfair or wrongful dismissal are likely to be within 25% of those acting for an employee (see estimates on Employment for Individuals page). However, this can vary significantly depending on the instructions, time delays, reporting requirements, travel requests and witnesses that need to be interviewed. These example fees do not take into account matters that are unforeseeable at the outset of your matter which can cause unexpected difficulties and additional time and are therefore likely to increase the cost of your matter. For example where there is a large amount of documentation, if experts are required or if a large number of witnesses required.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, e.g. court fees or experts. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

We offer an initial fixed fee appointment of up to an hour for £250 + VAT. After the initial appointment we will provide a cost estimate for the work anticipated for your individual matter. The initial appointment fixed fee does not include advice on Settlement Agreements whereby we try to limit the fee to the contribution being offered by the employer (where reasonable) which is determined by the individual Agreement. We would tell you in advance if our fee is likely to be more than this if for example the case is protracted, complex,  involves material amendments to the Agreement or negotiation with the employer. The employee remains responsible for ensuring that our fee is discharged and is payable irrespective of whether or not the employee ultimately accepts the terms of the Agreement. The firm’s minimum fee for advising, negotiating and concluding a proposed Settlement Agreement is £350 plus VAT.

Our estimates will be bespoke depending upon your individual situation. We charge at hourly rates for the time spent on your case. The work will be completed by one of our Employment team whose details are displayed in the profile section of our website but in summary the hourly rates of our senior solicitors who conduct this work are:

Joy Johnson	£250 + VAT

It may be appropriate to instruct Counsel to attend a hearing. The fees to instruct Counsel will depend on the experience of the advocate and their involvement with your matter.

Below are indicative costs for acting for employees bringing a claim to the Employment Tribunal for unfair or wrongful dismissal.

Example and key stages of a claim:
Typical Unfair Dismissal Claim

Notice of Claim/Letter Before Action	£500–£1,000 + VAT
ACAS Early Conciliation	£250–£1,500 + VAT (dependent on engagement by other side)
ET1 – Grounds of Complaint	£500–£1,500 + VAT
ET3 – Grounds of Resistance	£500–£1,500 + VAT
Preliminary Hearing/PHR	£500–£1,000 + VAT
Disclosure	£500–£1,000 + VAT
Witness Statements	£750–£1,000 + VAT per witness
Preparation of Trial Bundle(s)	£500–£1,500 + VAT
Final Hearing	£1,000–£2,000 + VAT for 1st day then £750 plus VAT per day thereafter
Estimate of between	£5,000 + VAT to £12,000 + VAT to proceed through to a final hearing lasting 1 day

 

If your matter is atypical and more complex than normal or there are elements of discrimination, where the other party fail to cooperate or where we do not receive timely and accurate instructions, these estimates are likely to be exceeded.

These example fees do not take into account matters that are unforeseeable at the outset of your matter which can cause unexpected difficulties and additional time and are therefore likely to increase the cost of your matter. For example where there is a large amount of documentation, if experts are required or if a large number of witnesses are required.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, e.g. court fees or experts. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

 

Time estimates
The time taken to take a matter, if necessary, all the way to a final hearing at an Employment Tribunal (not including any Appeal) can vary significantly. Typically we would expect a matter to be listed for final hearing approximately 9-15 months after issuing a claim.

The main fixed dates are the limitation dates for bringing an Employment Tribunal claim (for Unfair Dismissal with no other grounds of complaint this is typically 3 months less one day following the Effective Date of Termination). Other deadlines/limitation dates may apply so always seek advice as soon as possible. Once a claim has been issued the respondent will then have 28 days following receipt of your claim from the Tribunal.

We offer an initial fixed fee meeting of up to an hour for £250 + VAT.

For sending a protocol-compliant letter of claim in a straightforward debt claim, the typical cost would be £295 plus VAT (i.e. one hour’s work). It would be more in a complex matter or if investigatory work or counsel’s opinion were needed prior to sending the letter.

For issuing court proceedings in a straightforward money claim for a fixed amount of up to £25,000, and entering judgment in default of a response, an additional two hours’ work would be likely, i.e. £590 plus VAT. This is in addition to the £295 plus VAT for the first letter.

What work does the above fees include?

• Taking your instructions and reviewing the documentation.
• Sending a letter of claim.
• Drafting and issuing a claim in court.
• Entering judgment if there is no response.

The above fees are for an uncontested claim. If a claim is contested, we will need to give a bespoke estimate – please contact us.

Who will carry out the work?
The work will be completed by one of our senior solicitors in our Dispute team whose qualification details are displayed in the profile section of our website. In summary the hourly rates of our senior solicitors who conduct this work are:

John Young	£295 + VAT

Disbursements/other costs
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, e.g. court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and they should be the same at all firms if they are just charging you what they are being charged.

How long will it take?
Probably about three months from when you first instruct us to when we ask the court to enter judgment in default, assuming there is no reply from your opponent.