Re-mortgage of a freehold or leasehold residential property

FEE SCALE

The following scale of fees is inclusive of all legal work required to complete a re-mortgage of a single residential property (freehold or leasehold).

Legal Fees

We set out below our fee structure for the refinancing of residential properties.  Fees will vary according to the nature of any particular transaction and whether the property subject to the re-mortgage is freehold or leasehold.

A member of our Real Estate Team will be pleased to discuss your requirements

 

Re-mortgage of a single freehold property

Amount of the loan

Estimated fee range (exclusive of VAT)

Estimated fee range (exclusive of VAT)

Up to £750,000

£1,500 – £2,500

£750,001 – £1,000,00

£2,501 – £3,500

£1,000,000 +

Fee available on application

Re-mortgage of single leasehold property

Amount of the loan

Estimated fee range (exclusive of VAT)

Estimated fee range (exclusive of VAT)

Up to £750,000

£1,750 – £2,750

£750,001 – £1,000,00

£2,751 – £4,000

£1,000,000 +

Fee available on application

Please note that if at any stage of a transaction our instructions are changed or a matter arises which adds to the complexity of the transaction we reserve the right to increase our fees accordingly.

Our fees are higher in relation to a leasehold property as there is more work involved, including for example:-

  • Checking lease terms and any supplemental title documents.
  • Checking whether there have been any alterations to the Property and whether these have been permitted by the landlord.
  • Checking management information relating to ground rent, service charges and buildings insurance.

The amount of work involved in relation to a particular transaction (freehold or leasehold) can vary widely, and matters can arise during the transaction which could turn a straightforward re-mortgage transaction into a more complex one.  Examples of such potential complexities might be:

  • A defect in title or a problem with the terms of a title document. Such defect if not remedied can affect the use to which a property may be put, your ability to obtain a mortgage or the future saleability of the property.
  • Preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction.
  • An issue with regard to the provision of funds or the source of any funds over and above the new mortgage required to discharge any existing mortgage over the Property.
  • Indemnity insurance policies may be required to protect against a minor defect in title or absence of planning permission or building regulation approval, which may attract additional time and expense.
  • The case becomes urgent.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to a legal transaction that are payable to third parties, such as, in the context of a real estate transaction, Land Registry fees or fees payable to a Managing Agent. The payment of these disbursements will be handled by us on your behalf and we will normally require cover for those costs before paying out the same.

We will provide you with a full list of expected disbursements at the commencement of your transaction and keep you informed of any additional disbursements during the course of your re-mortgage.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of those disbursements that are commonly incurred in connection with a re-mortgage of a residential property:

Type of disbursement or other cost

Usual cost (as at January 2019)

Usual cost (as at January 2019)

Land Registry

(The cost of obtaining official copies of title documents)

£6.00 plus VAT for copies of the title registers and title plan, per each title

£3.00 plus VAT for each copy document

Electronic money transfer fee

(or CHAPS fee)

£35.00 plus VAT

Notice fee

(payable to a Landlord for example on the registration of a Notice of Charge – Leasehold only)

This fee may vary but is usually between £40.00 and £100 plus VAT per notice.

Land Registration fees

This fee is based on the value of the mortgage. Details on request.

Search fees

(including but not limited to, searches with the Local Authority, Water and Drainage Authority, Environmental Search and Chancel Repairs Search.)

Approximately £400

If it becomes clear that additional disbursements will need to be incurred during the course of your re-mortgage we will provide you with the relevant details.  We will normally request a payment on account of around £500 at the outset to cover the cost of necessary searches.

Value Added Tax

VAT, currently chargeable at the rate of 20%, will be added to our fees and several of the disbursements. We will confirm at the outset of the transaction the disbursements we believe will be incurred, and which of those will attract VAT.

Stages of the process

The stages involved in a re-mortgage of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, we set out below some key stages that are likely to take place.

  • Writing to the existing lender to obtain a redemption statement.
  • Obtaining up to date official copy entries of title from the Land Registry.
  • Carrying out searches.
  • Forwarding the result of searches and also answers to enquiries to the new lender’s solicitors.
  • Checking that the net mortgage advance will be sufficient to redeem the current mortgage.
  • Requesting a final redemption statement from your existing mortgage lender.
  • Carrying out searches on your title prior to completion.
  • Requesting mortgage funds.
  • Redeeming the existing mortgage.
  • Registering the new mortgage against your title at the Land Registry.

How long will my re-mortgage take

This will depend on a number of factors. The average process can take between 4-8 weeks.