Are cheap low-cost conveyancing services better than costly conveyancers?
The entire conveyancing process is designed to ensure the smooth transfer of legal title from one person to another.
It helps the buyer secure the title to the land together with all the rights to avoid any challenges in the future. Hence, the conveyancing process is essential before buying or selling a property.
So, should you go for cheap residential conveyancing solicitors? Well, the answer depends on your exact property requirements and the property location. Most cheap online conveyancers are scam, but not all of them are.
It is always better to trust licensed conveyancers and request a conveyancing quote from them.
This article covers:
- What is conveyancing?
- Who are conveyancing solicitors?
- Costs involved in conveyancing
- Should you hire cheap online conveyancers?
- What are the charges involved in conveyancing?
- What are the different searches in conveyancing?
- What type of property is cheapest for conveyancing?
- Low cost online conveyancing is not always bad
- Cheaper conveyancing quotes based on different locations in the UK
- Are conveyancers cheaper than solicitors
- How to get cheap conveyancing quotes when moving to your new house?
What is Conveyancing?
Conveyancing involves transferring the legal possession of real estate from one person to another, which also grants a legal liability such as mortgaging the property.
It covers all the work required to carry out the legal and administrative work required during the transfer of property ownership from the seller to the purchaser.
Learn more about conveyancing:
- What is staircasing in conveyancing?
- What is residential conveyancing?
- What searches do conveyancers do?
- What is a local search in conveyancing?
- What is no sale no fee conveyancing?
- Hiring no sale no fee conveyancing solicitors
- What is a draft contract?
- What are conveyancing deeds?
- What is the difference between sale deed and conveyance deed?
- How long are conveyancing searches valid?
- What’s the difference between leasehold and freehold?
- What is DIY conveyancing?
Who are Conveyancing Solicitors?
Conveyancing solicitors have expertise in law and procedures applicable to residential properties. They are beneficial as they represent you in selling and purchasing the property.
The conveyancing solicitors play a significant role in the entire transfer of property process. They keep an eye on all the details while keeping everything required in the correct order.
Learn more about cheap conveyancing solicitors:
- What is a licensed conveyancer?
- Difference between licensed conveyancers and solicitors
- Why is choosing the right conveyancer important?
- Process of appointing a conveyancing solicitor
- How to choose the right conveyancing solicitor?
- Do you need a conveyancer for buying a house?
- Finding the best conveyancer
- Can you change conveyancing solicitors?
Costs Involved in Conveyancing
The average conveyancing fee for purchasing a house in the UK is nearly £2200. In contrast, it is nearly £1700 to sell a property in 2023, which includes various other costs, including the solicitor’s legal fees, conveyancing disbursements, and more at the average Uk price of £277,000.
Conveyancing cost is the amount that you pay to your solicitor during the transfer of ownership and includes:
- Solicitor’s legal fees for his time and service
- Conveyancing disbursements enable them to purchase third-party services on your behalf.
Various conveyancing solicitors offer a fixed fee for their conveyancing services. In contrast, others charge at an hourly rate that might appear cheaper at first but can instantly add up as it is without the third-party costs.
Learn more about conveyancing costs:
- What is a conveyancing quote?
- What should a conveyancing quote include?
- Can I request a free online conveyancing quote?
Should You Hire Cheap Online Conveyancers?
Traditional conveyancers are usually dearer than online conveyancing services. Online conveyancers offer cheaper services as they take different cases simultaneously, whereas traditional conveyancers deal with only one seller or purchaser.
Online conveyancers in the United Kingdom give you the same service experience as traditional conveyancing solicitors with improved convenience and without difficulty.
Keeping these advantages in mind, hiring cheap online conveyancers for practical service experience is recommended.
Cheap Conveyancing Quotes
The amount that you pay to your conveyancer falls into two main categories. The first one is the conveyancing fee you pay your conveyancer for the actual work.
The second is disbursements which cover all the hidden payments that the conveyancer has to make on your behalf, including stamp duty charges, title deed copies fees, property transfer fees, and more.
Learn more about cheap residential conveyancing costs:
- What are conveyancing fees?
- When should you pay solicitor’s fees?
- No Sale No Fee Conveyancing Solicitors
What are the Different Searches in Conveyancing?
Conveyancing searches are the enquiries made by your conveyancer to look out for more information about a property you plan to buy. Your conveyancer must conduct different types of searches with the local administration and other third parties.
Here are the primary searches while purchasing a property:
- Local authority searches for things like restrictions and planning applications that could affect the property.
- Water searches to establish that the purchased property has access to water supply services.
- Drainage searches to establish that the property has access to correct drainage sewers if needed.
- Environmental searches to ensure that the property has not been built on potentially contaminated land and is free from flood risks.
- Title searches to confirm with the land registry that the person selling the property is the legal owner.
Learn more about conveyancing searches:
What Type of Property is Cheapest for Conveyancing?
The conveyancing price is directly proportional to the value of the property you purchase or sell.
Suppose you are purchasing a freehold property, then the conveyancing fee is much cheaper than a leasehold property with higher conveyancing fees. Conveyancing fees are higher for a shared ownership property as more conveyancing work is needed.
Hence, the higher the price of the property, the higher the conveyancing fee you need to pay.
Low Cost Online Conveyancing is Not Always Bad
You can hire an online conveyancer for two factors. The first factor is that they are cost-efficient, and the second is because of the convenience they offer their clients.
However, it is recommended to be conscious of the possible challenges you may face while conveyancing, as online conveyancers take up multiple cases simultaneously. You must ensure that the digital conveyancer has adequate systems to support the workload effectively.
Hence, it is opined that low-cost online conveyancing is not always bad.
Cheaper Conveyancing Quotes Based on Different Locations in the UK
A significant portion of conveyancing quotes is spent on property searches, which vary from location to location depending on the local authority council of that place and the set prices.
The local authority search is a must for all the conveyancers as it consists of all the information required about the property, including Con29 and LLC1.
Here are the conveyancing quotes across different locations in the UK:
City | Cost of Conveyancing Searches |
London | £133.20 |
Cardiff | £116.40 |
Bristol | £110 |
Manchester | £74.50 |
Leeds | £72.70 |
Are Conveyancers Cheaper Than Solicitors?
Solicitors are dearer than conveyancers. They charge more fees as they are more qualified and experienced in property law.
They can offer great help even with complicated cases which involve remortgaging and leave extension. That is why conveyancers are usually cheaper than solicitors.
How to Get Cheap Conveyancing Quotes When Moving to Your New House?
You can contact different consulting companies to reach out to several conveyancers for reasonably priced conveyancing quotes and ask them to provide you with their conveyancing quotes.
You can then compare the different conveyancing quotes and decide which one is affordable and offers the best service before moving to your new house.
Conclusion
Conveyancing solicitors have all the training and skills required to transfer property ownership swiftly without missing out on any adjustment that needs to be met when purchasing and buying any property.
I hope this article enables you to understand the need to hire cost-efficient and effective conveyancing solicitors when purchasing or selling any property.