Complaints Process

We want to give you the best possible service, however, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you should write to the Senior Partner at Drysdales Solicitors LLP, Cumberland House, 24-28 Baxter Avenue, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 6HZ.

Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, disability or other characteristics. You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority at www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint?

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint before any investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final response to your complaint and no more than 6 years from the date of act/omission; or no more than 3 years from when you should reasonably have known that there was a cause for complaint. If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them at www.legalombudsman.org.uk or 0300 355 0333 between 9:00am – 5:00pm. The email address is enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk . Their address is Legal Ombudsman, Po Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ.

Costs Information

The Provision of Advice and Representation to Employees in relation to the bringing of claims before the Employment Tribunal against an Employer for Unfair Dismissal or Wrongful Dismissal

Our pricing for bringing claims for Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal:

Simple Case: £3,000.00 – £5,000.00 excluding VAT;
Medium Complexity Case: £5,000.01 – £7,000.00 excluding VAT;
High Complexity Case: £7,000.01 – £10,000.00 excluding VAT.

Factors that could make a case more complex:-

  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;
  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person;
  • Making or defending a costs application;
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the Claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties);
  • The number of witnesses and documents;
  • If it is an automatic Unfair Dismissal claim, e.g. if you were dismissed after blowing the whistle on your Employer;
  • Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal hearing of £750.00 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 1-3 days depending on the complexity of the case. It is impossible to predict the number of days required as it depends on the number of witnesses who will be called by the Claimant and Defendant. It may be possible for the Barrister to appear on your behalf at the Tribunal hearing without our attendance and therefore this additional charge will not be required.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Counsel’s fees are estimated between £1,250.00 – £2,500.00 per day (depending on the experience of the Advocate) for attending a Tribunal hearing (including preparation).

Key Stages

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of the claim:-

  1. Taking your initial instructions;
  2. Reviewing the papers and advising you on the merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change);
  3. Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
  4. Preparing claim or response;
  5. Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party;
  6. Exploring a settlement and negotiating a settlement throughout the process;
  7. Preparing or considering a Schedule of Loss;
  8. Preparing for (and attending) preliminary hearing;
  9. Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents;
  10. Taking Witness Statements;
  11. Drafting Statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
  12. Preparing bundle of documents;
  13. Reviewing and advising on the other party’s Witness Statements;
  14. Agreeing list of issues, chronology and/or cast list;
  15. Preparation and attendance at final hearing including Instructions to Counsel.

The stages as set out above are an indication and some of the stages may not be required in some cases.

How long will my matter take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 4-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 24-36 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale, once we have more information as the matter progresses.

Fee Earners

The individual who carries out work within the area specified above is: –

  1. Andrew Murrell – Partner.

The experience and qualifications of this individual is specified on “Our Team” page of our website found at “About Us”.

Costs Information

Purchase and Sale of Freehold residential property:

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

Conveyancer’s Fees and Disbursements

The legal fees for us dealing with your purchase or sale is based upon the value or consideration of the property you are purchasing or selling in accordance with the table below.

Value of propertyOur fees for buyingOur fees for selling
Below £100,000£800.00 + VAT£750.00 + VAT
£100,001 – £175,000£850.00 + VAT£800.00 + VAT
£175,001 – £250,000£900.00 + VAT£850.00 + VAT
£250,001 – £400,000£950.00 + VAT£900.00 + VAT
£400,001 – £600,000£1,000.00 + VAT£950.00 + VAT
£600,001 – £800,000£1,050.00 + VAT£1,000.00 + VAT
£800,001 – £1 million£1,150.00 + VAT£1,100.00 + VAT
Over £1 million0.15% + VAT0.15% + VAT

You should note that there will be extra fees payable if you are purchasing using the Help to Buy Schemes which will be an additional £700.00 plus VAT.

If the property is a new build, we will charge an additional £700.00 plus VAT.

Disbursements
Fee for acting on behalf of the Mortgage Lender?

There will be none. Unlike some firms, we do not make an additional charge for acting on behalf of the mortgage Lender, on the basis there is only one mortgage.

The typical disbursements incurred are the following: –

  1. Search fees – These depend on where the property is located. If it is in Southend on
    Sea the searches are as follows: –

    • Local Search: £128.00;
    • Environmental Search: £94.80;
    • Water and Drainage Search: £54.00;
    • Chancel Search: £24.00;
    • Land Registry Search: £3.00;
    • Bankruptcy Search: £2.00 per name.
  2. HM Land Registry fee – There is a fee for registering the purchase of the property at HM Land Registry. This is based on the value of the purchase price. If the purchase price was £250,000.00, the HM Land Registry fee for registration would be £135.00. To ascertain the HM Land Registry fee, please go to www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
  3. Electronic money transfer fee – £56.00 (inclusive of VAT);
  4. Referral fees – Amount of referral fee paid – As a firm, we do not pay referral fees to third parties.

As an example of our fees, if you were purchasing a house in Southend on Sea for £250,000.00, the total fee would be £1,391.80 including all disbursements and VAT. In addition to this, you will need to pay Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase) and again if the purchase price of the property was £250,000.00, the Stamp Duty Land Tax on standard rate would be £2,500.00 (but this may vary if you are a first-time buyer or if you have a second home).

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.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property and whether you own or have an interest in another property, as stated above. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales, by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website. The website to go to is www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8-12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage, in principle it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are buying a Leasehold property that requires an extension of the Lease, this can take significantly longer and between 3 and 4 months. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However below are some of the key stages included in our fee:

  1. Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
  2. Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact Lender’s Solicitors if needed;
  3. Receive and advise on Contract documents;
  4. Carry out searches;
  5. Obtain further planning documentation if required;
  6. Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s Solicitor;
  7. Give you advice on all documents and information received;
  8. Go through conditions of mortgage offer;
  9. Send final Contract to you for signature;
  10. Draft Transfer;
  11. Advise you on joint ownership;
  12. Obtain pre-completion searches;
  13. Agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
  14. Exchange Contracts and notify you that this has happened;
  15. Arrange for all monies needed to be received from Lender and you;
  16. Complete purchase;
  17. Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
  18. Deal with application of registration at Land Registry;
  19. Notify you and your Lender (if any) that registration has been completed.

Our fee assumes the following: –

  • This is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to), a defect in Title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction;
  • 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;
  • No Indemnity Policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if Indemnity Policies are required.

Sale of Residential property

Please refer to the conveyancing costs schedule above for our fees for dealing with the sale of a Freehold residential property. The only disbursement payable is for a copy of the Freehold Title from HM Land Registry at £6.00. If any other documents are referred to on the Title, then these are £3.00 per document. We will also charge a transfer fee of £56.00 (inclusive of VAT) per bank transfer.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from accepting an offer until you can complete your sale will depend on a number of factors. The average process will take between 8-12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are selling to a first-time buyer and not buying another property, it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are selling a property and there is a long chain or any Leasehold properties in the chain, then this could take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months.

Transfer of Equity

Our fees for dealing with Transfer of Equity for a Freehold property are £450.00 plus VAT and £550.00 plus VAT for a Leasehold property, if the property is not subject to a mortgage. If the property is mortgaged, then the mortgage company’s consent will be required and you will need to obtain this from them.

For mortgaged properties, an additional £200.00 plus VAT is payable in addition to the above fees for dealing with your mortgage company’s requirements.

In addition to the above fees, you will be responsible to pay for any Land Registry disbursements and Stamp Duty Land Tax if applicable.

Remortgages

Our fees for remortgages are £600.00 plus VAT for a Freehold property and £700.00 plus VAT for a Leasehold property plus disbursements.

In the case of a Transfer of Equity or remortgage of a Leasehold property, then there is likely to be additional fees payable to the Landlord and/or Management Company.

Voluntary First Registration

Our fees for a voluntary first registration will be £500.00 plus VAT plus the appropriate disbursements, including Land Registry fee.

Fee Earners

The individuals who carry out work within the area specific above are: –

  1. Mark Robertson – Partner;
  2. Anna Barbouti – Solicitor;
  3. Elaine Holland – Partner / Licensed Conveyancer;

The experience and qualifications of these individuals are specified on “Our Team” page of our website found at “About Us”.

Costs Information

Purchase and Sale of a Leasehold residential property:

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) for properties in England or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property is in Wales.

Conveyancer’s fees and Disbursements

This firm’s legal fees for acting for you in the purchase or sale of your Leasehold residential property are set out in the table below and the fee will be based on the value of the Leasehold property you are buying or selling.

Value of propertyOur fee for buyingOur fee for selling
Below £100,000£950.00 + VAT£900.00 + VAT
£100,001 – £175,000£1,000.00 + VAT£950.00 + VAT
£175,001 – £250,000£1,050.00 + VAT£1,000.00 + VAT
£250,001 – £400,000£1,100.00 + VAT£1,050.00 + VAT
£400,001 – £600,000£1,145.00 + VAT£1,100.00 + VAT
£600,001 – £800,000£1,200.00 + VAT£1,150.00 + VAT
£800,001 – £1 million£1,300.00 + VAT£1,250.00 + VAT
Over £1 million0.17% + VAT0.17% + VAT

You should note that there will be extra fees payable if you are purchasing using the Help to Buy Schemes which will be an additional £700.00 plus VAT. If the property is a new build, we will charge an additional £700.00 plus VAT.

Disbursements

Fee for acting on behalf of the mortgage Lender?
There will be none unlike some firms, we do not make an additional charge for acting on behalf of the mortgage Lender on the basis there is only one mortgage.

Search fees

These depend on the Local Authority in which the property is situated. If the property is in Southend, the local search fees will be as follows: –

  1. Local Search: £128.00;
  2. Environmental Search: £94.80;
  3. Water and Drainage Search: £54.00;
  4. Chancel Repair Search: £24.00;
  5. Land Registry Search: £3.00;
  6. Bankruptcy Search: £2.00 per name.

HM Land Registry fee

If the property is £250,000.00 which you are purchasing and it is based in Southend on Sea,
the Land Registry fee will be £135.00. To check the Land Registry fee, you need to visit
www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees

Electronic Money Transfer fee

This fee is £56.00 (inclusive of VAT).

VAT payable

If the property you are purchasing is £250,000.00, the VAT payable on our fees will be
£169.00.

Anticipated Disbursements

Notice of Transfer fee

This fee is chargeable if as set out in the Lease. Often the fee is between £10.00 – £200.00.

Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged)

This fee is set out in the Lease. Often the fee is between £10.00 – £200.00.

Deed of Covenant fee

This fee is provided by the Management Company for the property and it can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £100.00 – £200.00.

Certificate of Compliance fee

To be confirmed upon receipt of the Lease as it can range between £50.00 – £200.00.

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 the pack provided by the Landlord and/or Management Company.

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 the information is received. On completion, a proportion of these will need to be paid by you to the end of the next service charge period.

Referral fee

Amount of referral fee paid?

Unlike some Solicitors Firms, we do not pay any referral fees to third parties.

Estimated total fees

If you are purchasing a Leasehold property for £250,000.00 in Southend on Sea, the total fees payable excluding Stamp Duty Land Tax would be £1,571.80. This total also excludes any fees payable under the Lease as above.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property and whether you own or have an interest in any other property. You can calculate the amount that you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales, by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website. The website to check Stamp Duty Land Tax for England is www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process will take 8-16 weeks where it is a Leasehold property you are purchasing.

It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are buying a Leasehold property that requires an extension or variation of the Lease, this can take significantly longer between 3 and 6 months. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential Leasehold property vary according to the circumstances, however below are some of the key stages included in our fees:

  1. Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
  2. Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact Lender’s Solicitors if needed;
  3. Receive and advise on Contract documents;
  4. Carry out searches;
  5. Obtain further planning documentation if required;
  6. Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s Solicitor;
  7. Give you advice on all documents and information received;
  8. Go through conditions of mortgage offer;
  9. Send final Contract to you for signature;
  10. Draft Transfer;
  11. Advise you on joint ownership;
  12. Obtain pre-completion searches;
  13. Agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
  14. Exchange Contracts and notify you that this has happened;
  15. Arrange for all monies needed to be received from Lender and you;
  16. Complete purchase;
  17. Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
  18. Deal with application of registration at Land Registry;
  19. Notify you and your Lender (if any) that registration has been completed.

Our fee above assumes the following: –

  • This is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to), a defect in Title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the  main transaction;
  • This is the assignment of an existing Lease and is not the grant of a new Lease;
  • 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;
  • No Indemnity Policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if Indemnity Policies are required.

Sale of Leasehold residential property

Please refer to the conveyancing costs schedule above for our fees for dealing with the sale of a Leasehold residential property. The disbursements payable are the cost of office copies from HM Land Registry for the Freehold and Leasehold Titles and the copy Lease being a minimum of £15.00.

Another disbursement will be the cost of the Leasehold sale pack which needs to be obtained from the Landlord and/or Management Company, the cost of which is set by them which can be up to £500.00 plus VAT. We will also charge a transfer fee of £56.00 inclusive of VAT per bank transfer.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from accepting an offer until you can complete your sale will depend on a number of factors. The average process will take between 12-16 weeks. It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are selling to a first-time buyer and not buying another property, it could take 12 weeks. However, if you are selling a Leasehold property that requires an extension of the Lease, this could take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

Fee Earners
The individuals who carry out work within the area specified above are: –

  1. Mark Robertson – Partner;
  2. Anna Barbouti – Solicitor;
  3. Elaine Holland – Partner / Licensed Conveyancer;

The experience and qualifications of these individuals are specified on “Our Team” page of our website found at “About Us”.

Costs Information

Provision and advice and assistance and representation in relation to licensing applications for business premises:

The following costs information relate to our fees for acting for an individual or Company in applying for a new Premises Licence or to vary a Premises Licence to allow those premises to be used for one or more licensable activities or extend the licensed area.

Our fixed fee for applying for a new Premises Licence or varying a Premises Licence is £1,200.00 including VAT but excluding disbursements. This fee is made up of legal fees of £1,000.00 and VAT on legal fees of £200.00.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as the application fee. We will pay the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Application fee

This is payable to the Licensing Authority and depends on the ratable value of the premises. The average application fee is £190.00.

Advertising fee

This depends on the particular newspaper the advertisement appears in and the amount of text in the advertisement, but the average cost is £300.00 – £350.00. The disbursement relating to newspapers may vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located and we will give you an accurate figure once we have obtained a quotation for this fee.

Our fixed fee for licensing includes: –

  1. Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application;
  2. Advising you as to the type of plans you are required to submit with your application;
  3. Completing the application form for a new Premises Licence (including the operating schedule) in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local Licensing Authority alongside suitable plans which you need to supply;
  4. Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the Licensing Authority;
  5. Preparing copies of the Premises Licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities;
  6. Drafting the Notices to be advertised and displayed on the premises;
  7. Advertising the Premises Licence application and submitting the Notice to the local newspaper;
  8. Arranging for you to display the Notice(s) advertising the Premises Licence application and advising as to where and how this should be done by you in order to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003;
  9. Providing a Designated Premises Supervisor consent form for signature by a personal Licence holder proposed by yourself;
  10. Checking the Licence once granted and correcting any errors with the Licensing Authority.

The fee does not include: –

  • Obtaining suitable plans which you must arrange, although we can recommend individuals/Companies who can produce plans;
  • Attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or responsible authority;
  • Dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties;
  • Advising you on amending conditions proposed in the operating schedule or by the Licensing Authority, responsible parties or interested persons;
  • Attendance and representation at a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing of the responsible authorities. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a Licensing Sub-Committee is required, then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at an hourly rate.

How long will my application take?
The application process usually take 5-6 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you. This is on the basis of the application being straightforward and you being able to provide all necessary documents promptly. If your matter is more complex for example and there is substantial opposition from interested parties or if there is a delay in receiving the documents that we need, it will take longer.

Fee Earners
The individual who carries out work within the area specified above is: –

  1. Andrew Murrell – Partner.

The experience and qualifications of this individual is specified on “Our Team” page of our website found at “About Us”.

Costs Information for Probate and other private client matters.

In relation to the collection and distribution of the assets belonging to a person following their death where these are within the UK and the matters are not contested:

Applying for the Grant of Probate and Collecting and Distributing the Assets

If we are required to apply for the Grant of Probate and collect in and distribute the Estate’s assets, we anticipate that this will take between 15-25 hours at £300.00 per hour and the total cost of our fees excluding disbursements will be between £4,500.00 – £7,500.00.

In addition, we will charge a percentage fee for the responsibility of dealing with the Estate which is 0.5% on the value of the house and 1% on other assets.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one Beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple Beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. We will handle the full process for you.

This quote is for Estates where:

  1. There is a valid Will;
  2. There is no more than one property;
  3. There is no more than three bank or building society accounts;
  4. There are no other intangible assets;
  5. There are between 1 – 4 Beneficiaries;
  6. There are no disputes between Beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise, this is likely to lead to an increase in costs;
  7. There is no inheritance tax payable and the Executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC;
  8. There are no claims made under the Estate;
  9. We are not appointed Executors under the Will.

If the Estate does not fall under the above, then please contact us for a quote.

Disbursements to be paid in addition to this fee

  1. Probate application fee: £155.00;
  2. Sealed grant: £1.50 per copy (1 per asset)
  3. Bankruptcy only Land Charges Department searches: £2.00 per Beneficiary;
  4. Advertisement posted in the London Gazette and posting advert in the local newspaper to protect against unexpected claims from unknown Creditors: this will depend on the location of the deceased as the local newspaper costs can vary but an approximate cost for any one in the Southend or Leigh on sea area is £260.07.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Court fees. We handle the payments of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs

If there is no Will or the Estate consists of any shareholdings (stocks and bonds), there is likely to be additional costs that could vary significantly depending on the Estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more
information.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the Estate is not included. We are however happy to deal with this for you at an additional cost.

How long will this take?

On average, Estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 3-12 months. Typically obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 12-24 weeks. Collecting assets then follows which can take a further 12-24 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets which normally takes 4-8 weeks. If there is a property to be sold or if income tax is due for the administration period, then this could take longer than the time scales above.

Applying for Grant of Probate only

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. Once this is received, we will end the sealed copies to you to enable you to undertake the collection and distribution of assets yourself.

How much does this service cost?
Total fixed fee of £1623.07 including VAT and disbursements on the basis that all of the points listed under “this quote is for Estates where” referred to above applies.

Breakdown of Costs

  • Legal fees: £1,000.00;
  • VAT on legal fees: £200.00;
  • Disbursements: £423.07 (as below);
  • Probate Court fee; £155.00;
  • Four office copies of Probate: £6.00;
  • Bankruptcy only Land Charges Department Searches: £2.00 per Beneficiary;
  • Advertisement posted in the London Gazette and in a local newspaper to protect against unexpected claims from unknown Creditors. £260.07.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. This work is included in our fixed fee.

As part of our fixed fee, we will:

  1. Provide you with a dedicated and experienced Probate Solicitor to work on your matter;
  2. Identify the legally appointed Executors and Beneficiaries;
  3. Accurately identify the type of Probate application you require;
  4. Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application;
  5. Complete the Probate application and the relevant HMRC forms;
  6. Draft a legal Oath for you to swear;
  7. Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf;
  8. Obtain the Probate and securely send the required copies to you.

Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 12-24 weeks.
We have set out above our fee for dealing with a Probate application only and our fee for dealing with obtaining the Grant of Probate and collecting and distributing assets. For details of our Probate fee earners, please see below.

Intestate Estates

If somebody dies without a Will, a set of statutory rules govern who inherits and who is entitled to deal with the Estate. If this applies, then please contact us to discuss further. Some intestacies will be straightforward and others more complex. For this reason, we cannot provide a quote for an intestacy without further information to enable us to estimate the time required to deal with the matter. However the hourly rate will still be £300.00 + VAT per hour.

Inheritance Tax

HMRC has two types of forms for Estates. The above quotes are on the basis that HMRC’s ‘Return of Estate Information’ form is required and not a full inheritance tax return.

If the deceased was survived by their spouse or civil partner and the Estate passes to them, a full inheritance tax return will generally not be required unless the Estate is worth more than £1,000,000.00.

If the Estate passes to Beneficiaries other than a spouse or civil partner, then generally a full inheritance tax return will be required if the deceased’s Estate is over £325,000.00 or is less than this figure but the deceased has:

  1. Made gifts of over £150,000.00;
  2. The right to benefit from a Trust;
  3. Owns assets outside the UK of more than £100,000.00;
  4. Paid premiums on a Life Insurance Policy that did not pay out to a surviving spouse or the Estate;
  5. Disposed of their pension rights in the 2 years before their death.

If the Estate passes to Beneficiaries other than a spouse or civil partner, then the rules around inheritance tax and the different allowances are quite complex so please feel free to contact us to discuss further and we will then be able to confirm which type of HMRC form is required and if any inheritance tax is likely to be payable. For more information please also see www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax

Fees for Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney

Single Will

Our fees for advising on preparing a single Will on a simple Estate will be £300.00 plus VAT which equals £360.00.

Wills for husband and wives, civil partners and other couples where the Wills are to be the same (mirror Wills)

For two Wills on simple Estates, our fee will be £500.00 plus VAT which equals £600.00.

Home Visit

If we have to visit you at home or in Hospital to take instructions for the Will and return to you with the Will for signature, we will add an additional £250.00 plus VAT which equals £300.00. This covers home visits or Hospital visits in the Southend on Sea, Rochford or Castle Point Borough Council areas. We will give an additional quote for visits outside of these areas.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney.
Our fees for advising and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney depend on whether you require the Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare and/or Property and Finance.

Single one type: £400.00 plus VAT equals £480.00 plus registration fee of £82.00 which totals £562.00.

Single two types: £600.00 plus VAT equals £720.00 plus registration fee of £164.00 which totals £884.00.

Couple one type: £600.00 plus VAT equals £720.00 plus registration fee of £164.00 which totals £884.00.

Couple two types: £1,000.00 plus VAT equals £1,200.00 plus registration fee of £328.00 which totals £1,588.00.

Lasting Powers of Attorney at Home

For attending at your home, we charge an additional cost of £125.00 plus VAT which equals £150.00 for one visit assuming that this is in the Southend on Sea, Rochford or Castle Point Borough Council areas.

Fee Earners

Fee earners dealing with Probate and private client matters are:

  • Lorna Steed – Partner
  • Anna Barbouti – Solicitor

For more information on each of these fee earners, please see ‘Our Team’ under the ‘About Us’ tab above. Lorna Steed and John Grimes are responsible for supervising all fee earners handling Probate and private client matters.

Costs Information

Debt Recovery up to the value of £100,000.00.

The following costs information relates to our costs for business to business debt recovery where the debt is undisputed. These costs apply where the claim is in relation to an unpaid Invoice which is undisputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the debtor disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which may be on a fixed fee basis if for example a one-off letter is required or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.

Debt Value

Our fee (including VAT) total:

Our Fee
Up to £5,000.00:£600.00 including VAT plus Court fee
£5,001.00-£10,000.00:£900.00 including VAT plus Court fee
£10,001.00-£50,000.00:£1,200.00 including VAT plus Court fee
£50,001.00-£100,000.00:£2,000.00 including VAT plus Court fee

In respective of Court proceedings, there is a Court fee payable which can be found on the following website: www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are and you need to refer to the form EX50.

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that: –

  • The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor;
  • Interest and compensation may make the debt into a higher banding with a higher cost;
  • The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as where a Bailiff is needed to collect your debt;
  • There is no VAT payable on Court fees.

Our fee includes: –

  1. Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation;
  2. Undertaking appropriate searches;
  3. Sending Letter Before Action;
  4. Receiving payment and sending on to you or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing a Court claim;
  5. Where no Acknowledgement of Service or Defence is received, applying to the Court to enter judgment in default;
  6. When judgment in default is received, writing to the other side to request payment;
  7. If payment is not received within 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.

Matters usually take 4-8 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of judgment in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve and you should contact us to obtain further information on costs.

Fee Earners

The individual who carries out work within the area specified above is: –

  1. Andrew Murrell – Partner.

The experience and qualifications of this individual is specified on “Our Team” page of our website found at “About Us”.