Thank you for looking at our property services. Making the decision to remortgage your home can be just as life changing as buying your first property.
A remortgage is when you either renegotiate with your current lender or change the mortgage on your property to a new lender. It is important to speak to a mortgage adviser who can go through the options with you and make sure you get the right deal for what you want to achieve.
There are many reasons you may wish to remortgage such as:
- To reduce the interest rate on your mortgage
- To fix your monthly payments and protect against possible future rate rises
- To raise money to carry out home improvements
- To raise a cash lump sum by releasing equity from your home
- Change in personal circumstances such as a marriage or divorce
- To consolidate your debts
Why Us
We have an experienced team who understand the stress involved in re-mortgaging your property, who know how the banks, building societies and mortgage lenders work. Our approach is simple, we provide a first-class service from our expert team who make the difference by taking the stress away from you and dealing with matters on your behalf.
Good communication is key to making the remortgaging process as simple and stress-free as possible for you. Our team of qualified Solicitors, Licensed Conveyancer and Conveyancer have the legal and technical “know how” to resolve any issues as they arise in a professional and efficient manner, while making sure everything you need to know is explained as clearly as possible.
You will have the confidence that you are our priority, with our aim being that any member of the team is available to speak with you when you need some clarity and certainty at any stage in the process. We feel this provides reassurance and gives you an outlet for any concerns that you may have. We not only want to provide that first-class service, but value for money and no hidden fees.
We are proud to hold Lexcel and CQS Accreditations, issued by the Law Society. This involves the firm undergoing a rigorous audit process which ensures we maintain high levels of client care. We are also accredited with Cyber Essentials.
Pricing
We work on a fixed fee basis, so you will know exactly how much your remortage is going to cost from the outset.
If during the transaction there are any new development which could lead to an additional cost, we will discuss the change in fees with you at the earliest opportunity and agree a way forward.
Our Legal Fees cover all of the work required to complete the legal advice required to mortgage or re-mortgage your property.
Legal Fees and Disbursements
Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all of the work performed by us in actioning your instructions, from commencement of your case to conclusion. VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements, currently 20% and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.
- Our average standard legal fee for a residential mortgage / re-mortgage application is £650 – £1000 plus VAT (£780 – £1200 inc. VAT).
- Below we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.
- Should your instructions require us to take your matter out of the fixed fee rate (see below for what our fixed fee covers) we will charge an hourly rate of £150.00 – £300.00 plus VAT (£180.00 – £360.00 inc. VAT) which will depend on the experience and qualification of the case handler as follows: –
o Partner – £300 plus VAT (£360.00 inc. VAT)
o Solicitor £250 plus VAT (£300.00 inc. VAT)
o Paralegal or Trainee Solicitors £150 – £190 plus VAT (£180 – £228 inc. VAT)
- We will charge the sum of £35 + VAT (a total of £42.00 Inc. VAT) for Electronic money transfers.
- If re-mortgaging as a corporate vehicle there is an additional charge of £750 plus VAT.
- If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This will typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.
Our Fee Assumes That:
- This is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise.
- The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
- All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
Disbursements and Other Costs
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation. If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.
Typical disbursements are:
- Priority search fees £3.75
- Bankruptcy search fees £2.75 per person
- Office copies of title deeds £3.75 per deed
- Lawyer checker £18 plus VAT (£21.60)
- Office copies of title deeds £3.75 per deed
- Stamp Duty submission Fee £12.00
- Land Register Filing fee per registration £5 plus VAT (£6.00)
- Search fees* will vary from council to council but would approximately cost £300 plus VAT (£360 inc VAT) to supply the following reports:
o Local land charges search;
o Enquiries of the local authority;
o Environment search;
o Planning Search;
o Chancel repair liability indemnity; and
o Water and Drainage search
- HM Land Registry fee. The fees chargeable by the land registry can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
* your lender may agree to waive the requirement for searches and proceed with a search indemnity policy which would cost substantially less than the searches. We can obtain a cost once we have details of your transaction.
Where the firm is required to undertake an Anti-Money Laundering search as part of our Client Due Diligence Process the firm will charge:
£5.50 + VAT (£6.60 inc. VAT) for an individual based in the UK
From £13 + VAT (£15.60 inc. VAT) for an individual based overseas or a Corporate Entity.
How long will my Mortgage Application take?
The average mortgage or re-mortgage will take between 6-8 weeks.
Stages of the Process
The precise stages involved in the mortgage application of a residential property vary according to the circumstances.
We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: –
- Taking your instructions and giving you initial advice.
- Undertaking regulatory checks.
- Receiving and advising on contract documents.
- Advising the mortgage offer and its conditions.
- Giving you advice on all documents and information received.
- Advising you on joint or shared ownership.
- Sending final mortgage deed to you for signature.
- Registering the Charge on the property.
Other Factors
Other Factors to consider which may affect your legal fees: –
- Multiple owners.
- Shared ownership scheme.
- Mortgaging where there is a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA.
- Mortgaging property under right to buy.
These fees vary from property to property and can, on occasion, be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information.
Fee Earners
The following fee earners handle Mortgage and Re-Mortgage matters:
- Ricki Bansoodeb is a Partner and Qualified Solicitor. Ricky qualified in 2013 and specialises in all areas of residential and commercial property and has overall supervision of the department.
- Nikhil Amin is a Partner and Qualified Solicitor. Nikhil qualified in 2014 and specialises in all areas of residential property.
- Diana Csok is a Partner and Qualified Solicitor. Diane qualified in 2020 and is experienced in all areas of residential property.
- James Poynor is a Qualified Solicitor. James qualified in 2013 and is experienced in all areas of residential and commercial property. James is supervised by Ricki Bansoodeb, who is a Partner.
- Ashraf Islam is a Qualified Solicitor. Ashraf qualified in 2019 and has experience in all areas of residential property. Ashraf is supervised by Ricki Bansoodeb, who is a Partner.
- Camilla Ireson is a Qualified Solicitor and is supervised by Diana Csok, who is a Partner.
Questions
If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please contact us on 0207 553 9000 or email us at info@housingandproperty.co.uk.