What you are actually paying for
When people search for conveyancing costs in Essex, they are usually comparing two things at once: the fee the solicitor charges and the other costs that surround the transaction. The solicitor's fee covers the legal work — checking the title, reviewing the contract, raising and answering enquiries, dealing with the other side, and handling exchange and completion. It is the part of the quote that varies most between firms, and it is the part where an hourly-rate estimate can quietly grow.
A fixed-fee quote does the opposite. It sets the legal fee at the outset, based on the property and the transaction type, so that a straightforward purchase costs what was quoted regardless of how many emails the file generates. At Burns & Co. Legal we quote fixed fees for purchases, sales, remortgages and transfers of equity, and we tell you the figure in writing before you instruct us.
The second part of the cost — disbursements — is not the solicitor's fee at all. These are third-party costs paid on your behalf: searches, land registry fees, bank transfer charges and, on a purchase, stamp duty. Every firm has to pass these on, so they should look broadly similar on every quote. If they do not, ask why.
Why quotes differ so much between firms
The reason a £950 quote and a £1,750 quote can describe the same transaction is that they may not include the same work. Some quotes exclude the work of acting for your lender on a purchase. Some add fees for each enquiry raised, for dealing with a leasehold title, or for completion funds. Some quote low and recover the difference in 'administrative' charges that appear late in the file.
A genuinely fixed quote lists what is included: the lender's work, leasehold work where relevant, and the standard expected steps of the transaction. It also states what would take it outside the fixed fee — most commonly an unexpected title problem, a dispute, or a change to the transaction itself — and what happens in that case.
The lowest quote is frequently not the cheapest. A file that runs four weeks longer because the solicitor is under-resourced costs you living expenses, bridging interest, or a locked-in mortgage rate. Price is one line of the comparison; the others are timescale, named contact, and what the quote actually commits to.
The disbursements, line by line
On a typical purchase in Essex you should expect: local authority, drainage and environmental searches (roughly £250 to £350 depending on the council); the Land Registry registration fee, which scales with price (around £135 to £540 for most homes); and a bank transfer fee for sending completion funds, usually £10 to £30. If you are buying with a mortgage, some lenders also require a priority search at completion.
On a sale, the picture is lighter: no searches, no stamp duty, and often only the Land Registry fee for official copies of your title, which is a few pounds. On a remortgage, your new lender's own solicitor requirements are included in our fee, and there are no searches at all.
Stamp duty is the largest single cost on most purchases, and it is nothing to do with the solicitor — it is a tax paid to HMRC. The rates and thresholds change with budgets, so the right approach is to have your solicitor confirm the calculation for your specific circumstances rather than relying on an online calculator, particularly if you own more than one property.
How to compare quotes properly
Put two quotes side by side and ask four questions. Is the legal fee genuinely fixed, or an estimate that can rise? Does it include acting for the lender? Does it include leasehold work if the property is leasehold? And who will actually run the file — a named solicitor, or a caseworker you may never speak to?
Then ask the question most people forget: what happens if something goes wrong? A firm that can answer that plainly — what counts as 'additional work', and what it would cost — is a firm that has thought about the transaction. A firm that answers vaguely is a firm whose quote may not survive contact with your file.
We publish our fixed fees and confirm them in writing, with a named solicitor on every matter. If you would like a figure for your own sale, purchase, remortgage or transfer of equity, you can get one in minutes through our quote page.