A small upfront payment covers searches. The main legal fee balance is due at exchange or completion. Here's the full payment timeline for buyers and sellers.
When buying a house, solicitor's fees should be fully paid either on the exchange of contracts or on completion. Most solicitors will ask for an upfront payment to cover disbursements such as local authority searches and Land Registry fees.
Some solicitors offer no sale, no fee conveyancing. This means you only pay their main conveyancing fee if the purchase goes ahead. However, you will still need to cover any upfront disbursements, even if the sale falls through.
| Item | When It's Paid |
|---|---|
| Up-front disbursements (searches) | When you instruct your solicitor |
| Legal fee balance | On exchange of contracts or on completion |
Your solicitor or conveyancer will require an initial payment before they begin any work on your case. This covers disbursements, most notably for conveyancing searches. The average cost for property searches is between £250 and £450, covering:
⚠️ Disbursements Are Non-Refundable
Most conveyancers ask for £250–£450 upfront to cover searches and checks. That money is usually gone if the sale collapses, regardless of any No Sale No Fee promise. Make sure your quote separates disbursements from the legal fee so you know exactly what you're risking.
The average solicitor fee when buying a house is £1,743. These fees cover the costs of your solicitor's time, disbursements and other legal aspects related to the purchase. It is typically twice as expensive as solicitor fees for selling a house due to the complex and extensive nature of the work involved.
If the sale falls through, you may still have to pay the solicitor's fees for the work they have completed so far. The further along you are in the process, the higher the fees you will have to pay back.
If you have a No Sale, No Fee solicitor, you may be exempt from paying the legal fees, but the disbursements will still need to be covered as third parties will have been paid by your solicitor.
Solicitor fees are most commonly paid via bank transfer. Your solicitor will provide their bank details, the amount, and when it's due.
🔒 Beware of Property Fraud
Always transfer funds using payment details your conveyancer gave you directly, and confirm by phone before you send anything. Property fraud — where criminals intercept emails and swap in their own bank details — does happen. Your conveyancer should never change payment details by email alone.
If you are buying and selling at the same time, your solicitor will take their full and final fee by deducting the amount from the funds of your sale.
1. House Price
The higher the property price, the more you're likely to pay. A freehold at £200k–£300k costs around £1,320; a freehold at £500k–£600k costs around £1,750.
2. Length of Property Chain
A property chain can cause delays, which can lead to higher fees. The longer the chain, the more coordination required and the greater the risk of the sale falling through.
3. Freehold vs Leasehold
Leasehold adds extra work: reviewing the lease, managing details, liaising with the freeholder. This increases the solicitor's fees and adds third-party building charges.
4. Complexity of Transaction
Costs can be influenced by the circumstances of the sale — council property, government schemes (Help to Buy), shared ownership, new builds, gifted deposits. The more complex, the more time spent.
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Compare QuotesYou pay an upfront amount for searches when you instruct (before exchange). The main legal fee balance is typically paid at exchange or completion, depending on your solicitor's policy. Sellers usually have fees deducted from the sale proceeds at completion.
Before exchange, there are no legal penalties for withdrawing. However, you may need to pay for legal work already completed and disbursements already paid. If you have a No Sale No Fee arrangement, legal fees may be waived, but disbursements (searches etc.) won't be refunded.
No — solicitor fees must be paid directly. They cannot be added to your mortgage. However, you can use your savings, bank transfer, or (for some transactions) have fees deducted from sale proceeds if you're selling simultaneously.