DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much does conveyancing cost when buying a house in the UK?
When you buy a home the conveyancing quote is only part of what you actually pay. The solicitor's own fee sits alongside disbursements such as searches, the Land Registry fee and stamp duty, and the two are easy to muddle up. The real prices below come from people who have paid, so you can see the solicitor fee on its own before the third-party costs are stacked on top. This is general information, not legal advice.
The quick version
- The quote splits into two parts, the solicitor's fee for their work and disbursements they pay out on your behalf, like local searches and the Land Registry fee.
- Stamp duty is a separate tax on top and often dwarfs the legal fee, so it is worth working out yours before you compare quotes.
- Online and national conveyancers usually charge less than a high-street firm for the same purchase, though you give up some face-to-face contact.
- Under the SRA price transparency rules most firms now publish an indicative fee, but the headline figure rarely includes every add-on.
- Many firms offer 'no completion, no fee', so you are not left paying the full amount if the purchase falls through.
- The same purchase can produce very different quotes depending on whether the firm charges a fixed fee or bills by the hour, so ask which model you are being offered before you compare numbers.
What people actually paid
Where these 9 prices come from — 6 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 conveyancing (buy) page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 74% more than the advertised list price for conveyancing (buy).
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
- £1,600“I recently paid about £1600 in SE London for a property worth £250-300k bracket”
- £1,700“We just paid 1700 also soton area”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
The biggest swings come from the property itself and the firm you pick. Fees often scale with the price of the house, and a leasehold flat costs more to handle than a freehold because there is extra paperwork with the freeholder and managing agent. New builds, shared ownership and gifted deposits all add work, as does having a mortgage rather than buying with cash. Where the property sits changes the search fees, since different councils charge different amounts for local searches, and firms based in more expensive parts of the country tend to carry that into their own charges too. On top of all that, the firm's model matters. A fixed-fee online conveyancer, often part of a larger national operator running high volumes of standard purchases through a call centre model, is priced very differently from an independently owned high-street solicitor charging by the hour and offering a named contact throughout. Neither model is automatically better, but they are built around a different balance of cost and personal attention, and that shows up in the quote. That is why two quotes for the same house can look nothing alike until you break them down.
How to pay less
- Get the fee broken into the solicitor's charge and the disbursements, so you compare like for like rather than one lump sum.
- Ask several firms including an online conveyancer, since the same purchase can cost noticeably less away from the high street.
- Check whether the quote is a genuine fixed fee or an estimate that can climb, and get any extras listed upfront.
- Look for 'no completion, no fee' so a collapsed sale does not leave you out of pocket for the full amount.
- If you are also selling, ask whether the firm will handle your sale and purchase together for a combined rate.
- Ask what happens if the transaction gets complicated, for example a lease extension or an unregistered title, and get that extra charge agreed in writing before you instruct the firm rather than finding out after the work has started.
Common questions
What is the difference between the solicitor fee and disbursements?
The solicitor fee is what the firm charges for doing the legal work. Disbursements are costs they pay to other people on your behalf, such as local authority searches, the Land Registry fee and bankruptcy checks. Stamp duty is a separate tax that also appears under disbursements on many quotes. A cheap-looking fee can still come with heavy disbursements, so always look at the total.
Is online conveyancing safe?
It can be, and plenty of people use national online firms with no trouble. The work is regulated the same way as a high-street solicitor, so the firm should be on the SRA register or licensed by the CLC. The trade-off is less face-to-face contact and sometimes slower replies, so it suits people who are happy to deal by phone and email.
Do I pay conveyancing fees if the sale falls through?
It depends on the firm. Many offer 'no completion, no fee', which means you do not pay their main charge if the purchase collapses. You may still owe for searches and other disbursements already paid out on your behalf, so check exactly what is covered before you instruct anyone.
Why do conveyancing quotes vary so much between firms?
Two firms can quote very differently for what looks like the same job because they are not always pricing the same thing. One quote might be a genuine fixed fee covering everything short of an unusual complication, while another is a low headline figure with several extras added once the file is opened. Ask each firm to confirm in writing exactly what is and is not included before you compare the numbers side by side.
What extra costs come with a leasehold flat compared to a freehold house?
Leasehold purchases usually add a management pack fee charged by the freeholder or managing agent, plus extra time reviewing the lease terms, service charge accounts and any ground rent arrangements. Some firms charge a separate fee for this leasehold work on top of the standard conveyancing fee, so check whether it is already built into your quote or billed as an addition.
Should I use the same solicitor for buying and selling at the same time?
Using one firm for both transactions can bring the price down, since some offer a combined rate rather than charging two full fees. It can also make the chain easier to manage because one team has sight of both sides of the deal. It is still worth asking for the combined price broken down so you can see whether it actually beats two separate quotes.