England, Wales and Scotland. SRA Transparency Rules and HM Land Registry fees

Compare conveyancing: which route, and what each one may legally do

Comparing conveyancing on the headline fee is comparing the smallest and most negotiable part of the bill. Two things make a real comparison possible and almost nobody uses them. Every firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority is required to publish the price of residential conveyancing, along with the basis of its charges, the VAT position, who will do the work and the key stages, so the information is already out there in a form you can line up. And a large part of what you pay is fixed by HM Land Registry and by stamp duty, so it is identical whoever you instruct. This page compares the six routes on the things that actually differ.

Regulator

Jurisdiction

Option			SRA Transparency Rules checked 15 August 2026
High-street solicitor Unusual titles, leasehold with a difficult freeholder, probate sales, anything where a conversation saves a week	A firm of solicitors doing conveyancing alongside other work, usually with a named fee earner you can reach and often with local knowledge of the estates, the freeholders and the searches that matter.	The Solicitors Regulation Authority.	Yes. Rule 1.3(a) applies the price transparency requirement to the conveyance of residential real property, covering freehold and leasehold sales and purchases and mortgages or remortgages, and rule 1.5 sets out what must accompany the price.	Buyer or seller, and can also handle related work: a will, a declaration of trust, a probate sale, a transfer of equity.	The Legal Ombudsman for service, the SRA for conduct. Rule 2.1 requires the firm to publish details of its complaints handling procedure including how and when to complain to both.	Capacity rather than competence. A small team is the reason it is responsive and the reason a holiday can cost you a fortnight. Ask who covers your file when your fee earner is away, and get the answer in writing.
Online volume conveyancer Straightforward freehold purchases and sales, where the chain is simple and price matters most	An SRA-regulated firm operating conveyancing at scale, usually case-managed through a portal, frequently reached through an estate agent or a comparison site rather than directly.	The Solicitors Regulation Authority, on exactly the same terms as a high-street firm. Scale is the difference, not regulation.	Yes, on the same rules. Rule 1.5 requires the total cost or the average cost or range, the basis of charges including any hourly rates or fixed fees, whether fees and disbursements attract VAT and how much, and the key stages with likely timescales.	Buyer or seller. Related work is usually outside the fixed fee and sometimes outside the service entirely.	Identical: the Legal Ombudsman and the SRA, with the complaints route required to be published.	The gap between the advertised fee and the total. Because rule 1.5 requires disbursements and VAT to be set out, the published price page is where the real number is, and it is worth reading before the quote email. Also ask what a referral fee to the introducer adds, and who you speak to when something goes wrong.
Licensed conveyancer Residential conveyancing where you want a property specialist rather than a general practice	A specialist property lawyer rather than a solicitor. Licensed conveyancers exist under Part II of the Administration of Justice Act 1985, which created the Council for Licensed Conveyancers and the licensing regime they practise under.	The Council for Licensed Conveyancers, a statutory regulator, not the SRA.	Not under the SRA rules, because those apply to SRA-regulated firms. The CLC operates its own regulatory arrangements, so ask directly for the same breakdown the SRA rules require and compare like with like.	Buyer or seller in residential conveyancing. The practice is specialised by design, so unrelated legal work goes elsewhere.	The Legal Ombudsman covers CLC-regulated lawyers as well as solicitors, so the service complaint route is the same one. Conduct complaints go to the CLC rather than to the SRA.	Nothing about the qualification. What is worth checking is the same thing you would check anywhere: whether the firm is on your lender's panel, because that decides whether one firm can act for both you and the lender.
A firm on your lender's panel Any purchase with a mortgage, which is most of them	Not a separate kind of firm but a status. Lenders maintain panels of conveyancers they will instruct to act for them, and a firm on the panel can usually act for you and for the lender in the same transaction.	Whichever regulator applies to the firm, SRA or CLC. Panel membership is a commercial arrangement with the lender, not a regulatory one.	As for the underlying firm.	You and the lender together, where the panel and the conflict rules allow it. Off panel, the lender instructs its own conveyancer and you pay for both.	As for the underlying firm.	Check panel membership for your specific lender before instructing, not after. Discovering it at the mortgage offer stage means either changing conveyancer and starting again, or paying a second firm to act for the lender, and neither is cheap at that point.
Scottish solicitor Any property in Scotland, where the process is genuinely different rather than differently named	A Scottish solicitor. Scotland is a separate legal system, and residential purchase there runs on missives, a different point of binding commitment, and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rather than stamp duty.	The Law Society of Scotland.	Not under the SRA rules, which apply to England and Wales. Ask for the same breakdown and compare on the same headings.	Buyer or seller, and in Scotland the solicitor is commonly involved in the offer itself rather than joining after a price is agreed.	The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, not the Legal Ombudsman.	Do not carry English assumptions across the border. The stage at which you are committed, the survey position and the tax are all different, and an English conveyancer cannot act on a Scottish title.
No conveyancer at all A transfer between people who already trust each other, with no mortgage and a clean registered title	Doing it yourself. It is lawful to deal with HM Land Registry without legal representation, and the Registry publishes guidance on making an application without it.	Nobody. You are the conveyancer.	Not applicable. You still pay the Land Registry fee and any stamp duty, and those are the same figures a firm would pay on your behalf.	Yourself only. A lender will not accept it: with a mortgage this route is not available.	None. There is no professional indemnity insurance behind your own mistake, and no ombudsman.	HM Land Registry's own framing is the honest one: land registration is complex, designed to protect legal and financial interests in property, and there can be significant consequences for any error. The saving is the legal fee only, and the risk is the whole value of the property.

How these were chosen, how they are ordered, and what this table cannot tell you

Six routes rather than six named firms. Firm-by-firm price tables go stale within weeks and cannot be verified by a reader, and there is a better source anyway: the SRA Transparency Rules require every regulated firm to publish its own conveyancing prices, so a genuine like-for-like comparison of firms is something you can now assemble yourself from primary sources. What this page compares is the thing that does not change week to week, which is what each type of provider is permitted and required to do.

Every regulatory statement here is taken from primary material read on 15 August 2026: the SRA Transparency Rules for what a firm must publish, the Administration of Justice Act 1985 for the statutory basis of licensed conveyancers, gov.uk for stamp duty rates and for HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, and mygov.scot for the Scottish position. Nothing is taken from a conveyancing firm's own marketing.

Order runs from the most common route to the least, ending with the two special cases: Scotland, which is a different legal system rather than a variation, and acting without a conveyancer, which is lawful and is the route HM Land Registry itself advises caution about. It is not a ranking of quality. A good high-street firm and a good volume conveyancer both complete transactions competently, and both types contain firms that do not.

No legal fee appears anywhere in this table, and that is deliberate. Conveyancing fees are set by firms, vary by transaction type, tenure, lender and region, and the SRA requires each firm to publish its own. A range invented for this page would anchor you on a number that describes nobody, and it would be out of date faster than the rest of the page. The fees that ARE published by an authority, the Land Registry scale and stamp duty, appear in full in the data table below, because those are the ones no firm can discount.

This page is not legal advice and does not recommend a provider. It sets out what each route is regulated to do so that you can compare the quotes you gather on a basis other than the largest number on the front page.

High-street solicitor SRA Transparency Rules
Online volume conveyancer SRA Transparency Rules
Licensed conveyancer Administration of Justice Act 1985, Part II (legislation.gov.uk)
A firm on your lender's panel gov.uk, buying and selling your home
Scottish solicitor mygov.scot, buying a home
No conveyancer at all gov.uk, registering land or property with HM Land Registry

Compare My Conveyancing is an independent site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Law Society of Scotland, HM Land Registry, HM Revenue and Customs or any government body, and it is not a firm of solicitors or licensed conveyancers. Nothing here is legal advice on a transaction. We publish no legal fee anywhere on this site: no authority sets one, every SRA-regulated firm is required to publish its own, and a national average would describe no transaction in particular. The Land Registry and stamp duty figures shown are quoted from the government pages cited on this page and read on the date at the top of it; both change on their own cycles, so check the date before relying on a figure. We take no commission from any firm in this comparison and carry no paid placements.

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What a conveyancing quote must contain, and the fees no firm can discount, 2026

Last updated 2026-08-15

Two thirds of a conveyancing bill is not the conveyancer's fee. This table separates what a firm is required to tell you about its own charges from the amounts fixed by HM Land Registry and by stamp duty, which are identical whoever you instruct.

The disclosure rows are taken from the SRA Transparency Rules, read on 15 August 2026, which apply to SRA-regulated firms and cover residential conveyancing by rule 1.3(a). Land Registry figures are the Scale 1 fees published in HM Land Registry's Registration Services fees guidance, last updated 28 April 2025, and are quoted as published for a transfer of whole; the portal column is the fee where the firm applies through the portal or Business Gateway rather than by post. Stamp duty figures are the residential rates published on gov.uk for a main residence, together with the additional property surcharge and first-time buyers' relief as gov.uk states them. Nothing here is estimated and no legal fee appears anywhere, because no authority publishes one and every SRA-regulated firm is required to publish its own. Land Registry fees and stamp duty rates both change on their own cycles, so the date at the top of this page is the date these figures were read and is the date they belong to. Scottish transactions pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rather than stamp duty and are not covered by these rows.

What a conveyancing quote must contain, and the fees no firm can discount, 2026
Item	What it is	Amount	Source
The legal fee	The firm must publish the total cost of the service or, where not practicable, the average cost or range of costs, and the basis for its charges including any hourly rates or fixed fees	Set by the firm and published by it	SRA Transparency Rules 1.3(a), 1.5
VAT	The firm must state whether any fees or disbursements attract VAT and if so the amount of VAT they attract	Stated by the firm	SRA Transparency Rules 1.5
Who does the work	The firm must publish the qualifications and experience of the staff who will carry out the work	Stated by the firm	SRA Transparency Rules 1.5
Stages and timescales	The firm must publish what services are included in the price displayed, including the key stages of the matter and likely timescales for each stage	Stated by the firm	SRA Transparency Rules 1.5
Complaints route	The firm must publish details of its complaints handling procedure including how and when a complaint can be made to the Legal Ombudsman and to the SRA	Stated by the firm	SRA Transparency Rules 2.1
Land Registry fee, £100,001 to £200,000	Scale 1 fee on a transfer of whole of a registered title	£230 by post, £100 through the portal	HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, 28 April 2025
Land Registry fee, £200,001 to £500,000	Scale 1 fee on a transfer of whole of a registered title	£330 by post, £150 through the portal	HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, 28 April 2025
Land Registry fee, £500,001 to £1,000,000	Scale 1 fee on a transfer of whole of a registered title	£655 by post, £295 through the portal	HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, 28 April 2025
Stamp duty, main residence	Rates on the purchase price, applied in slices	Zero up to £125,000; 2% from £125,001 to £250,000; 5% from £250,001 to £925,000; 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million; 12% above £1.5 million	gov.uk stamp duty land tax residential rates
Stamp duty, additional property	A surcharge where buying means you will own more than one residential property	Usually 5% on top of the standard rates	gov.uk stamp duty land tax residential rates
Stamp duty, first-time buyers	Relief, withdrawn entirely above a price ceiling	No stamp duty up to £300,000, then 5% from £300,001 to £500,000. No relief at all if the price is over £500,000	gov.uk stamp duty land tax residential rates

Firms regulated by the SRA must publish the price of residential conveyancing: rule 1.3(a) applies the transparency requirement to freehold and leasehold sales and purchases and to mortgages and remortgages.
A published conveyancing price must be accompanied by the basis of charges, whether fees and disbursements attract VAT and how much, who will do the work, and the key stages with likely timescales.
The HM Land Registry Scale 1 fee on a £200,001 to £500,000 transfer of whole is £330 by post and £150 through the portal, so the same transaction costs £180 more if the firm does not apply electronically.
Stamp duty on a main residence is zero up to £125,000, then 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million and 12% above it.
First-time buyers pay no stamp duty up to £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000, and the relief is unavailable entirely if the price is over £500,000.
Buying a property that means you will own more than one usually adds a 5% surcharge on top of the standard stamp duty rates.
Land registration fees and stamp duty are identical whoever you instruct, so the only part of a conveyancing quote that is genuinely comparable between firms is the legal fee and its VAT.

Cite this page

“What a conveyancing quote must contain, and the fees no firm can discount, 2026”, Compare My Conveyancing, https://comparemyconveyancing.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-15). The disclosure rows are taken from the SRA Transparency Rules, read on 15 August 2026, which apply to SRA-regulated firms and cover residential conveyancing by rule 1.3(a). Land Registry figures are the Scale 1 fees published in HM Land Registry's Registration Services fees guidance, last updated 28 April 2025, and are quoted as published for a transfer of whole; the portal column is the fee where the firm applies through the portal or Business Gateway rather than by post. Stamp duty figures are the residential rates published on gov.uk for a main residence, together with the additional property surcharge and first-time buyers' relief as gov.uk states them. Nothing here is estimated and no legal fee appears anywhere, because no authority publishes one and every SRA-regulated firm is required to publish its own. Land Registry fees and stamp duty rates both change on their own cycles, so the date at the top of this page is the date these figures were read and is the date they belong to. Scottish transactions pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rather than stamp duty and are not covered by these rows.

Go deeper

Sourced, dated, kept current.

Questions, answered directly

How do you compare conveyancing quotes properly?

Strip out the parts that are identical everywhere. Stamp duty is fixed by rate bands and the HM Land Registry fee is fixed by value band, so neither differs between firms except in whether the firm files electronically. What is left is the legal fee including VAT, and what that fee includes. SRA-regulated firms are required to publish the total cost or an average or range, the basis of charges, the VAT position, who does the work and the key stages, so the comparison can be made from primary sources before you contact anyone.

Do conveyancers have to publish their prices?

SRA-regulated firms do. Rule 1.3(a) of the SRA Transparency Rules applies the price transparency requirement to the conveyance of residential real property, covering freehold and leasehold sales and purchases and mortgages or remortgages. Rule 1.5 requires the total cost or the average cost or range, the basis of charges including hourly rates or fixed fees, the qualifications and experience of the staff doing the work, a description of disbursements, the VAT position, and what is included including the key stages and timescales.

What is the difference between a solicitor and a licensed conveyancer?

Regulator and scope. A solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and can handle work beyond conveyancing. A licensed conveyancer is a specialist property lawyer regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, which exists under Part II of the Administration of Justice Act 1985. Both can act on a residential purchase or sale, and the Legal Ombudsman covers both for service complaints. The practical question for either is whether the firm is on your lender's panel.

How much is the Land Registry fee?

It depends on the price band and on how the application is made. On a transfer of whole of a registered title, the HM Land Registry Scale 1 fee is £230 by post or £100 through the portal for £100,001 to £200,000; £330 or £150 for £200,001 to £500,000; and £655 or £295 for £500,001 to £1,000,000, as published in the Registration Services fees guidance last updated 28 April 2025. The difference between the two columns is decided by how the firm files, not by anything about your transaction.

How much stamp duty will I pay?

On a main residence in England and Northern Ireland the rates are zero up to £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% from £250,001 to £925,000, 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% above that, applied in slices. Buying a property that means you will own more than one usually adds 5% on top. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000, with no relief at all if the price is over £500,000. Wales and Scotland have their own taxes with their own bands.

Do I have to use a conveyancer at all?

Not by law, and in practice yes if there is a mortgage, because a lender will not accept a borrower acting for themselves. HM Land Registry publishes guidance on making an application without legal representation, and its own framing is worth quoting: land registration is complex, designed to protect legal and financial interests in property, and there can be significant consequences for any error. The saving is the legal fee alone, and there is no indemnity insurance and no ombudsman behind your own mistake.

Why do you not publish average conveyancing fees?

Because no authority publishes one and every SRA-regulated firm is required to publish its own. A national average would be out of date quickly, would describe no transaction in particular, and would anchor you on a figure less accurate than the ones already published by the firms you are choosing between. The fees that are set by an authority, the Land Registry scale and stamp duty, are published in full on this page, because those are the ones no firm can discount and the ones people are usually surprised by.

Sources

Compare on what actually differs

Six routes on who regulates them, what they must publish, who they may act for and where each one goes wrong.

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