DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much do remortgage solicitor fees cost in the UK?
A remortgage needs far less legal work than buying a house, so the fee is usually much smaller. Many lenders throw in 'free legals' as part of the deal, which sounds ideal but can be slow and basic. The real prices below show what people paid, whether they took the lender's firm or instructed their own conveyancer. This is general information, not legal advice.
The quick version
- A remortgage needs far less legal work than a purchase, so the fee is usually much lower.
- Many lenders offer 'free legals' through their own panel firm, which can save money but is often slower and more basic.
- If you want to switch faster, or add or remove someone from the deeds, paying your own conveyancer can be worth it.
- The main disbursements are the Land Registry fee and the documents confirming your title, plus sometimes a search or a search indemnity.
- Fees are usually fixed for a standard remortgage, so ask for the total including disbursements before you commit.
- A transfer of equity, a leasehold notice fee, or redeeming a second charge all push the price above the basic rate, so say upfront if any of these apply.
What people actually paid
Where these 6 prices come from — 3 named sources
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the remortgage page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 28% more than the advertised list price for remortgage.
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases and from a small sample so far. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Real prices, in people's own words
- £495“I'm using my own solicitor and they're charging £495 plus VAT, plus other fees, searches etc”
- £650“just over £1.2k! £650 plus VAT of that is just the legal fees, the rest is disbursements”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
The first fork is whether you take the lender's free legals or pay your own firm. Free legals cost you little but come from high-volume panel firms rather than a local high street solicitor, so the person handling your file may never meet you and anything out of the ordinary can trigger extra charges that were not in the headline offer. Paying your own conveyancer usually costs more upfront but buys a named person who answers the phone and can move faster when a completion date is tight. The job also gets bigger if you are doing a transfer of equity, which means adding or removing a name from the deeds rather than a plain like-for-like switch. A leasehold property adds a notice fee to the freeholder, and redeeming a Help to Buy loan or a second charge adds steps too. Where the firm is based can matter as well: a national panel firm working from a call centre tends to price the same regardless of where your property sits, while a smaller local firm may set fees closer to regional norms. A straight remortgage on a freehold house with one owner is the cheapest version, and everything beyond that nudges the price up.
How to pay less
- Compare the lender's free legals option against paying your own firm, weighing speed against cost rather than assuming free is always better.
- Watch for a cashback or fee-free remortgage deal, since the lender sometimes covers the legal work entirely.
- Keep it a straight remortgage if you can, because adding or removing someone from the deeds is a separate, dearer job.
- Ask for a fixed fee that includes the Land Registry charge and title documents, not just the firm's own time.
- If your property is leasehold, check whether a notice fee to the freeholder applies so it is in the quote, not added on later.
- Get the quote in writing before you instruct anyone, and ask what happens to the price if anything unusual turns up on your file.
Common questions
Are free legals on a remortgage actually free?
The lender pays a panel firm to do the basic work, so you often pay nothing for the legal side. The catch is that these firms handle high volumes, so it can be slower, and anything unusual about your case may bring extra charges. If speed matters or your situation is not straightforward, paying your own conveyancer can be the better deal.
Why is a remortgage cheaper than buying a house?
A remortgage does not involve searches, stamp duty or transferring the property to a new owner. The solicitor mainly pays off your old mortgage and registers the new lender's interest, which is a smaller job than a full conveyancing purchase. That is why the fee sits well below what you would pay to buy.
What is a transfer of equity?
It is when you add or remove someone from the legal ownership, for example putting a partner on the deeds or taking an ex off after a divorce. It is often done alongside a remortgage but counts as separate legal work, so it costs more than a plain remortgage. Ask for it to be quoted clearly rather than assumed.
What disbursements should I expect on top of the fee?
The main ones are the Land Registry fee to update the register and the cost of getting your title documents. Some firms also charge for a fresh search or a search indemnity policy instead. Ask for a single figure that includes all of this, since a quote that only covers the solicitor's own time can look cheaper than it turns out to be.
Do I have to use the solicitor my lender picks?
No. If the deal includes free legals, you can usually still choose to instruct your own conveyancer instead and pay for it yourself. People do this when they want a named contact, a faster turnaround, or their situation involves something like a transfer of equity or a leasehold notice that they would rather have handled carefully.
Will a leasehold property cost more to remortgage?
Often yes, because the freeholder or managing agent may charge a notice fee to register the new mortgage, and the solicitor has to obtain and check the lease and any related paperwork. Ask early whether your property is leasehold and get the notice fee included in the quote rather than discovering it partway through.