Cheap conveyancing solicitors, are there hidden extras?
What is cheap conveyancing?
Cheap conveyancing refers to the solicitor or conveyancer's legal fees. A cheap conveyancing quote starts at £400 on average; however, this is never what you end up paying after you apply the add-ons. You then question "What do you get for a cheap quote?" and "What are the hidden extras?". Conveyancing solicitors have adopted the budget airline to keep a cheap fee but add as much as possible along the way.
But is buying the most expensive asset you'll ever own and spending £10,000s on buying it all about saving £100-£300 on the solicitor to get a cheap quote? Aren't you scared of what you're going to get?
The absolute utopia is finding a cheap conveyancing solicitor who is fast and good at what they do. The problem is you don't know what you'll get before you choose your solicitor, so the dirt cheap conveyancing quote you got could mean you end up pulling your hair out, wasting time with a solicitor who doesn't reply and is slow.
With the above said, there is no guarantee an expensive conveyancing solicitor will be any good either. There are ways to ensure you can get the cheapest conveyancing quote and not sacrifice service or speed...here's how:
How to spot the hidden extras in a cheap conveyancing quote
It is easier than you may think to spot hidden extras in a cheap quote:
- Estimate, not a Fixed Fee. Most conveyancing quotes are Fixed Fees, but some state the quote is only an estimate. An estimate will always change upwards, so you pay more than the original quote. A Fixed Fee Quote can still be cheap and include all the work needed to complete the transaction.
- Additional charges for standard fees. Sometimes, solicitors or conveyancers need to charge an additional fee for work they couldn't have planned for at the outset. The problem is when a cheap conveyancing solicitor provides a low quote, knowing they will charge hidden extras no matter what. Check out our list of additional fees below, which should be included in any cheap quote.
What Additional Fees should be included in any cheap conveyancing quote?
Additional conveyancing fee | Cost Range | Should it be Additional? |
| Administration Fee | £40-£100 | Admin charges such as printing and postage should be standard in any quote and not charged in addition. |
| No Sale No Fee Protection Fee | £50-£200 | We include No Sale No Fee Protection as standard for all our sale and purchase quotes - however, other law firms often levy a fee so make sure to check if it is or isn't included as standard. |
| File Storage Fee | £50-£100 | A solicitor must store a purchase file for 12 years and a sale file for less. The cost of storing your file should be built into the cheap conveyancing quote, especially as most files are digital now. |
| Case Tracker Fee | £15-£50 | Online tracking allows you to view the progress of your conveyancing based on specific milestones reached, and if the solicitor has the technology, you should have this as standard. We offer a FREE online Conveyancing Process beyond any other online tracker. Click here to use for free today |
| TT/CHAPS/Bank transfer Fee | £30-£80 | Every sale and purchase has a minimum of one bank transfer, so this should be included in all cheap conveyancing quotes. You should be aware of this additional fee for more than one bank transfer. |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) Filing Fee | £50-£125 | For every purchase, the buyer's solicitor must file an SDLT declaration to HMRC, so this should be included in all cheap conveyancing quotes. |
| Mortgage Fee | £50-£250 | Where you are taking out a mortgage or repaying one, you should declare this to your solicitor when they quote so they include it within your cheap quote. If they don't ask, then it'll be an Additional Fee in their terms and conditions. |
What are the risks of low cost conveyancing solicitors?
As the diagram shows above, you rarely pay for something cheap that is of amazing quality and delivered quickly. For example, fast food is cheap and quick, but the quality isn't Michelin-starred! Waitrose efficiently delivers quality food, but they don't do it cheaply.
Solicitors and conveyancers are the same when offering the utopia of all 3 - it isn't achievable unless one of them gives. If your goal is to find a low cost conveyancing solicitor, then you need to accept the process won't be quick, and you may not work with a highly qualified conveyancer or solicitor.
What should you check when working with cheap conveyancing solicitors?
- 1
Online reviews
Solicitors and conveyancers can no longer hide from bad reviews online. If you want to compare your conveyancing quote, look for any 1-star reviews that talk about Additional Fees. A rating of 4.5 and above is a good level to have.
We're proud of our online reviews and we offer competitive conveyancing quotes delivering a quality service:
- 2
First call
How did you find calling the solicitor when you got a quote? Did you speak to the same person twice? If you struggle with communication during the quote stage, then be prepared for this throughout the whole conveyancing process.
A good service will mean you get replies to your missed calls and emails on the same day, without having to chase again.
- 3
Easy to read quote
Did you spot grammatical or spelling errors in the quote or email communication? You want a cheap quote, but you don't want to be double-checking all the legal documents for details that are incorrect. Read more - 4 ways to spot incompetent conveyancing solicitors.
- 4
Avoid warehouses
Large factory conveyancing firms handle 1,000s transactions a month. You can spot these by:
- No direct dial numbers
- Emails go to a general inbox, not a specific person
- You work with a team of people, not just a solicitor and their case handler/secretary.
- Their online reviews state the firm is a warehouse.
You may find this working style suits you as they are all online, and you aren't interested in a 1-2-1 with your solicitor as long as the job gets done. This is the balance of a cheap conveyancing quote; keep the costs low and accept the service may be slower or not as good as if you paid more.
How do you find a cheap conveyancing quote?
The best place to find a cheap conveyancing quote is through an online search on Google. There are several top-ranking law firms where you can get an online conveyancing quote.
Use the guide above to check the quotes to ensure they are as good as they appear. We have our own online conveyancing quote that gives Fixed Fee quotes backed with a No Sale, No Fee Promise.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
