People
Our specialist team of Conveyancers have a wealth of experience in dealing with a wide range of Residential Property matters, from Freehold and Leasehold Sale, Purchase, Remortgage and Transfer of Equity matters, through to more complex New Build and Shared Ownership transactions. Please note that this isn’t an exhaustive list, and you are welcome to contact us regarding all aspects of Residential Property and we will advise you on whether we can assist.
Our Residential Property Department is made up of the following Conveyancers:-
Giovanna Gravante – Partner and Head of Residential Conveyancing. Giovanna started in Conveyancing in 2009 and qualified as a Solicitor in 2013. Giovanna has completed thousands of Conveyancing matters in that time, spanning a range of different areas within Residential Property. Giovanna’s hourly rate is £300 per hour plus VAT.
Joanne Betts – Legal Executive. Joanne came to Brearleys in 2007 and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives based at our Brighouse Office. She has been in legal practice since 2000. Joanne’s hourly rate is £280 per hour plus VAT.
Lorraine Hoyle – Conveyancing Executive. Lorraine came to Brearleys in 2016. She has over 30 years’ experience in Conveyancing since 1982, and is based at our Cleckheaton office. Lorraine’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Rachel Newsome – Conveyancing Executive. Rachel has been at Brearleys since 2000 and has over 15 years’ experience in Conveyancing. She is based at our Cleckheaton office. Rachel’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Carolyn Halsworth – Conveyancing Executive. Carolyn has been at Brearleys for over 20 years and specialises in Conveyancing. She is based at our Morley office. Carolyn’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Kath Ogden – Conveyancing Executive. Kath has worked in the legal sector since 1999, and within conveyancing for over 10 years. Kath is based at our Brighouse office. Kath’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Chloe Duffy – Conveyancing Executive. Chloe has worked within Conveyancing at Brearleys since 2019 and within the property sector prior to that. Chloe is based in Brighouse. Chloe’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Anne Murray – Conveyancing Executive. Anne has recently joined Brearleys and has over 20 years’ experience in Residential Conveyancing across a wide range of matters. Anne is based at our Batley office. Anne’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Nicola Gilligan – Conveyancing Executive. Nicola has also recently joined the department at Brearleys. She comes with over 10 years’ experience at a large city based firm and is based in Birstall. Nicola’s hourly rate is £210 plus VAT.
Pricing
Please see below our current pricing for standard freehold Sale, Purchase, Remortgage and Transfer of Equity fees. Our additional fee where the property is Leasehold (but not a high rise flat) is £250 plus VAT.
Please note that other additional fees may be charged for additional work carried out and depending on the complexity of the matter, the prices of which are contained within our Terms of Business. Please also note that the cost of stamp duty varies depending on the circumstances of the transaction and individual(s). Please visit Stamp Duty Land Tax Calculator for details.
PURCHASE
| Value of Property | Legal Fees | VAT | Searches | OS1 & K16 | TT Fee | HMLR Fee
Electronic 1st Reg |
Stamp Duty | Total
(Electronic HMLR Submission) |
| £0-£79,999 | 575.00 | 115.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 20.00 (45.00) | N/A | 1,083.20 |
| £80,000-£99,999 | 600.00 | 120.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 20.00-40.00 (45.00- 95.00) | N/A | 1,113.20 – 1,133.20 |
| £100,000-£149,999 | 650.00 | 130.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 40.00 – 100.00 (95.00 – 230.00) | TBC | 1,193.20 – 1,253.20 |
| £150,000-£199,999 | 700.00 | 140.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 100.00 (230.00) | TBC | 1,313.20 |
| £200,000-£299,999 | 725.00 | 145.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 100.00 – 150.00 (230.00 – 330.00) | TBC | 1,343.20 – 1,393.20 |
| £300,000-£399,999 | 810.00 | 162.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 150.00 (330.00) | TBC | 1,495.20 |
| £400,000-£499,999 | 875.00 | 175.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 150.00 (330.00) | TBC | 1,573.20 |
| £500,000-£749,999 | 925.00 | 185.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 150.00 – 295.00 (330.00 – 655.00) | TBC | 1,633.20 – 1,778.20 |
| £750,000-£949,999 | 1,025.00 | 205.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 295.00 (655.00) | TBC | 1,898.20 |
| £950,000-£999,999 | 1,125.00 | 225.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 295.00 (655.00) | TBC | 2,018.20 |
| £1M-£1,099,999 | 1,175.00 | 235.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 295.00 – 500.00 (655.00 – 1,105.00) | TBC | 2,078.20 – 2,283.20 |
| £1.1M-£1,249,999 | 1,375.00 | 275.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 500.00 (1,105.00) | TBC | 2,523.20 |
| £1.25M-£1,49,999 | 1,675.00 | 335.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 500.00 (1,105.00) | TBC | 2,883.20 |
| £1.5M-£1,749,999 | 1,925.00 | 385.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 500.00 (1,105.00) | TBC | 3,183.20 |
| £1.75M-£2M | 2,175.00 | 435.00 | 300.00 | 22.80 | 50.40 | 500.00 (1,105.00) | TBC | 3,483.20 |
SALE
| Value of Property | Legal Fees | VAT | Office Copies | TT Fee | Total
|
| A £0-£99,999 | 575.00 | 115.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 757.20 |
| B £100,000-£149,999 | 600.00 | 120.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 787.20 |
| C £150,000-£199,999 | 625.00 | 125.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 817.20 |
| D £200,000-£299,999 | 675.00 | 135.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 877.20 |
| E £300,000-£399,999 | 725.00 | 145.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 937.20 |
| F £400,000-£499,999 | 800.00 | 160.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,072.20 |
| G £500,000-£749,999 | 850.00 | 170.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,087.20 |
| H £750,000-£949,999 | 950.00 | 190.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,207.20 |
| I £950,000-£1,099,999 | 1,050.00 | 210.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,327.20 |
| J £1.1M-£1,249,999 | 1,250.00 | 250.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,567.20 |
| K £1.25M-£1,499,999 | 1,450.00 | 290.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 1,087.20 |
| £1.5-£1.749,999 | 1,650.00 | 330.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 2,047.20 |
| £1.75M-£2M | 1,900.00 | 380.00 | 16.80 | 50.40 | 2,347.20 |
REMORTGAGE (see over for combined TOE and R/m)
| Value of Property | Legal Fees | VAT | No Search Insurance
(approx)
|
OCE, OS1 & K16 | TT Fee | HMLR Fee
(Scale II) |
Total
(Electronic HMLR Submission) |
| £0-£99,999 | 400.00 | 80.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 20.00 (45.00) | 614.00 |
| £100,000 – £199,999 | 450.00 | 90.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 30.00 (70.00) | 684.00 |
| £200,000 – £499,999 | 500.00 | 100.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 45.00 (100.00) | 759.00 |
| £500,000 – £749,999 | 525.00 | 105.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 65.00 (145.00) | 809.00 |
| £750,000 – 999,999 | 550.00 | 110.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 65.00 (145.00) | 839.00 |
| £1M-£1, 249,999 | 575.00 | 115.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 (305.00) | 944.00 |
| £1.25M-£1,499,999 | 600.00 | 120.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 (305.00) | 974.00 |
| £1.5M-£1,749,999 | 625.00 | 125.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 (305.00) | 1,004.00 |
| £1.75M-£2M | 650.00 | 130.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 (305.00) | 1,034.00 |
TRANSFER OF EQUITY (see over for combined TOE and R/m)
| Value of Property | Legal Fees | VAT | OCE, OS1 & K16 | HMLR Fee
|
Total
|
| £0-£99,999 | 500.00 | 100.00 | 39.60 | 20.00 | 659.60 |
| £100,000-£199,999 | 550.00 | 110.00 | 39.60 | 30.00 | 729.60 |
| £200,000 – £249,999 | 600.00 | 120.00 | 39.60 | 45.00 | 804.60 |
| £300,000 – £499,999 | 700.00 | 140.00 | 39.60 | 45.00 | 924.60 |
| £500,000 – £749,999 | 725.00 | 145.00 | 39.60 | 65.00 | 974.60 |
| £750,00 – £999,999 | 750.00 | 1550.00 | 39.60 | 65.00 | 1,004.60 |
| £1M-£1,249,999 | 775.00 | 155.00 | 39.60 | 140.00 | 1,109.60 |
| £1.25M-£1,499,999 | 800.00 | 160.00 | 39.60 | 140.00 | 1,139.60 |
| £1.5M-£1,749,999 | 825.00 | 165.00 | 39.60 | 140.00 | 1,169.60 |
| £1.75M-£2M | 850.00 | 170.00 | 39.60 | 140.00 | 1,199.60 |
TRANSFER OF EQUITY & REMORTGAGE
| Value of Property | Legal Fees | VAT | No Search Insurance
(approx)
|
OCE, OS1 & K16 | TT Fee | HMLR Fee
|
Total
(Electronic HMLR Submission) |
| £0-£99,999 | 500.00 | 100.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 20.00 | 734.00 |
| £100,000 – £199,999 | 550.00 | 110.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 30.00 | 804.00 |
| £200,000 – £499,999 | 600.00 | 120.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 45.00 | 879.00 |
| £500,000 – £749,999 | 650.00 | 130.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 65.00 | 959.00 |
| £750,000 – £999,999 | 700.00 | 140.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 65.00 | 1,019.00 |
| £1M-£11,249,999 | 750.00 | 150.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 | 1,154.00 |
| £1.25M-£1,499,999 | 800.00 | 160.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 | 1,214.00 |
| £1.5M-£1,749,999 | 850.00 | 170.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 | 1,274.00 |
| £1.75M-£2M | 900.00 | 180.00 | 24.00 | 39.60 | 50.40 | 140.00 | 1,334.00 |
Time scales and Process
There are so many stages to selling and buying a property. We find the key to a successful move is allowing sufficient time to complete all these stages. In order to make advance plans we suggest that on a freehold purchase 8-12 weeks is allowed from receipt of the contract from the seller’s solicitors to completion and on a sale we suggest the same timescale is allowed from receipt of signed client care and protocol forms to completion.
Please note that if either your sale or purchase is a leasehold transaction then the above timescales may be longer, and are generally 12-16 weeks depending on the complexity of the matter and third parties. We recommend that a minimum of one week is allowed between contracts being exchanged and the completion date.
The above are merely guidelines and are obviously subject to change, depending on the particular circumstances of each transaction.
- Sale transactions – contact us as soon as a buyer has been found, or you are optimistic that an offer will shortly be made, so that:-
(a) We can give you a breakdown of the costs involved.
(b) You can complete a Sale Questionnaire and Fixtures and Fittings Form to enable us to issue the required information promptly to the buyer’s legal advisors.
A draft contract will be issued to the buyer’s solicitors, together with all the necessary supporting documents. When the contract has been approved, we will ask you to sign this in readiness for exchange of contracts.
When the buyers have received their local search and mortgage offer (where applicable) and their solicitor is satisfied as to the title, we will negotiate a completion date and the deposit. Contracts can then be exchanged.
On the day of completion you must clear and vacate the property by 12 noon, leaving the keys with the Estate Agents. We will attend to the redemption of your existing mortgage and settle the Estate Agent’s account on your behalf (if applicable). If you are not leaving the keys with the Estate Agents please advise us of any alternative arrangements.
- Purchase transactions – When you have agreed to purchase a property the Estate Agent may require you to pay a reservation fee, if this should happen, an allowance will be made for this at completion. Please let us know if you have paid such a reservation fee. We would suggest that any offer for a property is made “subject to survey”. This puts the seller on notice that you may wish to renegotiate the price should your survey reveal that building work is needed. When you let us know you have found the home of your dreams we will ask you for money on account, so that we can carry out the preliminary searches.
When we receive the contract from the seller’s solicitor, we will:-
- a) Apply for the Local Search and any other searches we consider appropriate.
- b) Approve the contract and title. We may feel it necessary to raise additional enquiries of the seller’s solicitor. When we are satisfied that all is in order, we will return one copy of the contract to the seller’s solicitor, for signature in readiness for exchange of contracts.
If the property is leasehold (particularly common when buying a flat) there will be detailed lease terms and conditions. We will need to check these carefully and will also make further enquiries with the seller’s solicitor and/or the managing agents of the property about what service charges and management costs you will have to pay.
If you require a mortgage, the written offer has to be received from the Lender and the original mortgage deed signed by you before exchange of contracts can take place.
If you are applying for a mortgage your mortgage lender will need an independent valuation of the property, usually they will appoint their own surveyor to do this but you will have to pay for it. Remember this is a valuation and not a survey. You should consider appointment your own surveyor (possibly the same person as the valuer) to carry out a survey on the property, as it is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor as this may enable you to re-negotiate the price. Where there is an Estate Agent the Estate Agent and not your solicitor will re-negotiate on your behalf.
When we have received the local search and offer of mortgage and have satisfied ourselves as to the title, we will report to you and ask you to sign the contract and mortgage deed. We will also ask you for the deposit to be used on exchange of contracts. If you have a related sale we will usually be able to arrange that the deposit received from your buyers is used for your purchase and passed up the chain.
The Exchange – At this stage we are ready to arrange an exchange of contracts once a completion date has been agreed. It is at this stage that stress levels rise! However, we are here to take the strain. The majority of people buying and selling are involved in a chain. This means that there is a series of transactions and everbody wants to sell and buy on the same day so that they do not have to pay for bridging finance or rented accommodation. We therefore have to wait until all parties in the chain are ready.
We will liaise with any Estate Agents and other solicitors until the exchange has been achieved. When exchange has taken place, the completion date is legally binding and you can now swing into action and organise your move.
Completion – We will let you have a statement showing all the costs and disbursements due and will draw this up as soon as possible after exchange of contacts, so that you can arrange to let us have cleared funds in sufficient time for completion. On completion day, if you have a sale, we must wait for the buyer’s solicitor to send us the sale money by telegraphic transfer before we can send out the money by the same method on your purchase. This means that it is unlikely that you will get the keys to your new house before lunchtime on the day of completion. We would suggest that you do not leave your old house before you have checked with us that it is in order for you to do so. If you just have a purchase we can usually send the money quite early on the morning of completion but you are unlikely to get the keys before midday, as you must allow the seller time to vacate the property.
