What are the conveyancing costs in Wapping?
The conveyancing costs are broken into two sections: the fixed fee you pay your solicitor, and the conveyancing disbursements (known as third-party costs). Here is a transparent breakdown of both costs for property transactions in your area.
1. Solicitor Legal Fees
At SAM Conveyancing, our fixed legal fees remain consistent nationwide, regardless of your property's location. We provide a guaranteed fixed fee for standard residential conveyancing based on your property's purchase price, its tenure (freehold or leasehold), and whether your transaction involves a mortgage or utilises affordable housing schemes such as shared ownership. Below are the current fixed conveyancing fees for a standard freehold valued at £250,000.
- Sale or Purchase: £748 INC VAT INC VAT (plus an additional £60 INC VAT if purchasing with a mortgage).
- Transfer of Equity: £399 INC VAT INC VAT
- Help to Buy Loan Repayment: £333 INC VAT INC VAT
- Shared Ownership Staircasing: £748 INC VAT INC VAT
- Remortgage: £399 INC VAT INC VAT
- Lease Extension: £720 INC VAT INC VAT
2. Conveyancing Disbursements (Third-Party Costs)
Disbursements are fixed third-party fees paid to external bodies (like local councils and HM Land Registry) to complete your legal paperwork. These costs shouldn't vary too much from solicitor to solicitor.
- Property Purchase Tax (SDLT / LTT): Calculated dynamically based on your purchase price, your buyer status (such as a first-time buyer), and whether the property is located in England or Wales.
- HM Land Registry Fee: Ranges from £20.00 to £1,105.00, scale-calculated dynamically based on your property’s purchase price and whether it is an existing registered property or a new build.
- Conveyancing Search Bundle: £325 INC VAT (Includes Local Authority, Water & Drainage & Environmental)
- Online ID Fee: Ranges from £15 to £48 and avoids having to send personal documents in the post or visit our office in order to prove your ID.
- Mortgage Portal Fee: The cost to download your mortgage offer and communicate with your lender. It is £12 if your mortgage lender uses the Lender Exchange portal, or £45 INC VAT if they use the LMS Portal.
Conveyancing search costs and turnaround for Wapping
Search Provider | Cost | Turnaround Time |
|---|---|---|
Search Provider London Borough of Tower Hamlets This is the local authority search, which is mandatory if you are obtaining a mortgage. | Cost £308.40 INC any VAT | Turnaround Time 8 to 10 Working Days |
Search Provider Thames Water This is the Water & Drainage Search, which is mandatory if you are obtaining a mortgage. | Cost £83.40 INC VAT | Turnaround Time 1 to 3 working days |
Wapping Specific Searches |
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Why choose SAM Conveyancing Solicitors in Wapping?
We are a hand-selected panel of SRA-regulated solicitors who deliver to you the high standards we expect, and you'll have a member of the SAM team to guide you through the process from start to finish. Just 1 person you know by name can email or call directly and get your question answered on the same day (normally instantly).
Doing it our way, we've helped over 56,000 clients and gained all the experience from the different transactions. From pressurising agents to complex legal enquiries, and even overcoming issues with your mortgage lender. Our strap line is Property Challenges Solved because that is simply what we do, day in, day out.
Get in contact today and see from the very first call why we are the best conveyancing solicitors for a property transaction in Wapping.
Expert Tip: Check your environmental search
Given Wapping's proximity to major waterways, elevated flood risk is a primary concern. Your solicitor must order an advanced Environmental Search and verify that Thames Water infrastructure is adequate, as standard home insurance policies may exclude flood cover in this specific area without proper certification.
You can find this information in your environmental search purchased during the conveyancing process.
Partner & Conveyancing Solicitor
We're first-time-buyer friendly
86% of our purchase clients are First-Time Buyers, so we are hyper-attuned to what you need when buying your first home.
- We take the time to explain the process
- We offer tips on timescales
- We keep it real, never overpromising
Islamic finance solicitors
Specialists in Sharia-compliant conveyancing for Islamic mortgages.
- Can review, advise and negotiate with all Sharia Mortgage Lenders.
- Terms of the contract fully explained with confirmation of Sharia compliance and UK legal compliance.
- We can help with Ijara (Lease), Diminishing Musharaka (Reducing Partnership), and Murabaha (Cost-Plus Financing).
New build solicitors
Our conveyancing solicitors are skilled with new-build purchases to help you navigate the transaction.
- Fixed Fees
- Your conveyancing deposit will be protected by our no sale, no fee policy.
- Independent advice, not developer-led.
Our Conveyancing Services
We can help with all of your conveyancing needs; simple to complex, and always affordable.
- Purchase
- Sale
- Transfer
- Remortgage
- Help to Buy Repayment
- Help to Buy Sale or Transfer
- Auction Sale or Purchase
- Shared Ownership Sale & Purchase
- Shared Ownership Staircasing
- Lease Extension
- Purchase of Freehold
- New Builds & Off-plan Purchases
- First Time Buyers
- Second Homes
- Buy to Let landlords
Fixed quote for our legal costs plus a budget-friendly breakdown of third-party disbursements.
Your sale or purchase is protected by our no sale, no fee guarantee.
Our panel solicitors are pre-approved to work with 99% of mortgage lenders in England & Wales.
Panel solicitors accredited by the Conveyancing Quality Scheme; regulated by the SRA.
Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in and around Wapping
Our Wapping conveyancing solicitors can help you with your conveyance locally or in any of the surrounding areas, including London, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Poplar and Walworth.
We have many offices throughout England and Wales, so you can find a solicitor near you.
- Teesdale Street, Cambridge Heath, London E2 6PU
- Flat 11, Pavan Court, 114-116 Sceptre Rd, London E2 0JS
- 4 Blisworth House, Whiston Road, E2 8SG
- 240 Brick Lane, London E2 7EB
- 13a Church Crescent, London E9 7DH
- Red Lion Court (apartments) – Reardon Path, Wapping.
Marketed by Cluttons.
Wapping Property Prices
Average property price in Wapping Source: UK House Price Index lasted updated on 26/06/2026 | £713,094 |
What is the population of Wapping: Source: Office for National Statistics lasted updated in the 2021 Cencus | 12,411 (2011) |
Thinking of moving to Wapping?
Wapping is a district of East London in Tower Hamlets Borough. It is very close to the River Thames on the north side, and historically, the river has influenced its economy heavily. It hosts some excellent pubs such as The Prospect of Whitby, London's oldest pub, which dates back to 1520. The Pelican Stairs (by the aforementioned pub) and Wapping Old Stairs give public access to the Thames itself, and these are very popular with archaeologists, who often find items of interest among the flotsam and jetsam!
The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Rd, London, E1 1BB
London Bridge Hospital, 27 Tooley St, London, SE1 2PR
Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond St, London, WC1N 3JH
Wapping Station is on London's overground network and offers connections to destinations including Highbury & Islington, Clapham Junction, Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace. There are A roads close by and numerous local buses.
Distance to Airports from Wapping
| Airport | miles by car |
| Heathrow | 18.9 miles |
| Gatwick | 29.2 miles |
| Stansted | 36 miles |
City of London School, Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 3AL
St Michael's Catholic College, Llewellyn Street, Bermondsey, London, SE16 4UN
Swanlea School, 31 Brady Street, Whitechapel, London, E1 5DJ
Local conveyancing solicitor
Are local, licensed conveyancing solicitors near me more expensive?
Local or high street property lawyers' costs can often be more than those of online conveyancing solicitors. They may handle less cases or be working on a referral arrangement with a local estate agent.
We provide local services, nationally, online, so you get the best of both.
Affordable Housing Schemes
Several affordable housing schemes in Wapping help make buying a property more achievable. The work is more complex, and we have specialist conveyancing solicitors to handle the following:
- Shared Ownership Solicitors
- Right to Buy Solicitors - speak to London Borough of Tower Hamlets to find out if you are eligible
- Discount Market Sale - check with London Borough of Tower Hamlets if they are running a DMS scheme
Wapping conveyancing solicitors
You can rest assured that you're in good hands with us. We hand select our panel for skill and experience, from a simple purchase to complex transactions with specialist ownership structures and deeds of trust.
Is the property over 5 storeys (11m)?
Many leasehold properties in Wapping are in large buildings which now require an EWS1 certificate to confirm if the cladding is fire safe. Thankfully 2022's leaseholder protections mean that most leaseholders are not burdened with the cost of remediation of any defective cladding, but you will need to see the seller's Deed of Certificate to prove that the lease doesn't come with a nasty (and expensive) surprise.
Be particularly wary of purchasing a share of freehold as the freeholders may become liable for the cost of remedying defective cladding. Our specialist leasehold solicitors Wapping are well experienced with handling all of these added complications, so you will be in safe hands with SAM. Property Challenges Solved.
Look no further for your residential conveyancing solicitor in Wapping
Whatever your property challenge, we can solve it.
Selling a property
Your expert conveyancing solicitor's role when selling a property will include:
- Draft contracts – Your conveyancing solicitor drafts the initial legal contract to be sent to the buyer's solicitor.
- Responding to enquiries – your solicitor responds to any questions the buyer's solicitor may have (this is where you'll find out if you are missing documents, which can cause delays to your sale).
- Investigating issues – your solicitor may need to complete further investigation to try and satisfy them.
- Exchange contracts – once the buyer's solicitor has satisfied their enquiries, contracts are finalised and exchanged.
- On the day of completion – your solicitor receives the money for the sale, discharges the mortgage (if required), pays the estate agent, deducts their fee and then sends the net sale proceeds to you.
- Post completion – your solicitor receives the DS1 discharge documents and, when leasehold, settles your liabilities for ground rent and service charges.
Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for selling a property starts from £748 INC VAT.
Buying a home
- Draft contracts – Your solicitor reviews the draft contract sent by the seller's solicitor.
- Raising enquiries – your solicitor will ask the seller's solicitor questions based on the contract, title, and property documents to protect you from any nasty surprises.
- Exchange contracts – once your solicitor is satisfied with their enquiries, they agree with the seller to finalise and exchange contracts
- Day of completion – on the day of completion, your solicitor transfers the money for the sale.
- Post completion – following completion, your solicitor makes an application to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner.
Our Wapping conveyancing solicitors' cost for buying a property starts from £748 INC VAT.
Add or remove someone from a property title
With a Transfer of Equity, you can buy someone out of a shared property and remove them from the title, or add someone to the title to transfer ownership of a share of the property, making them a joint owner. This service includes:
- Property solicitors' fees, including ID checks, office copies
- HM Land Registration fees
- (if party being removed) ID1 Form verification fee
- (if mortgage) Change of mortgage fee
- (if leasehold) Notice fee to freeholder
Our Wapping conveyancing solicitors' cost for a Transfer of Equity starts at £399 INC VAT.
If someone is giving up their share of the property for less than market value, they may be required to get independent legal advice, which will be an additional expense.
Switch your mortgage deal in Wapping
Your remortgage solicitor will perform all the necessary checks, review your new mortgage offer, and update HM Land Registry post-completion. The process is similar to when you purchase but should take less time, as the solicitor doesn't need to raise any legal enquiries.
If you own a leasehold property, your solicitor must carry out extra work to investigate the lease terms. Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for a remortgage in Wapping starts at £399 INC VAT.
Purchase the next chunk of your equity
When you're ready to buy the next chunk of the equity in your shared ownership property, a conveyancer will be required to handle:
- The bank transfer;
- obtaining a mortgage redemption statement from your existing lender;
- receiving your new mortgage offer and confirming the lender terms;
- receiving the memorandum of staircasing;
- handling completion;
- filing SDLT form (if required); and
- registration at the Land Registry.
Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for shared ownership staircasing in Wapping starts at £823 INC VAT.
If you need to add someone to the legal title, you will need to pay an additional fee for a transfer of equity.
Paying off your Help to Buy equity loan
You'll need a solicitor to:
- Receive redemption letter;
- review title for ownership and restrictions;
- obtain Authority to Complete;
- draft a deed of postponement for your current lender;
- handling completion;
- bank transfer; and
- if repaid in full, removal of the loan restriction at the Land Registry.
Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for Help to Buy loan redemption in Wapping starts at £333 INC VAT.
Price based on a freehold with the loan being repaid in full using savings.
Conveyancing FAQs
What are the conveyancing costs?
Fees vary between online conveyancing solicitors, high street conveyancers or housing solicitors introduced by your estate agent.
The actual conveyancing costs, outside of the legal work, should be fixed, including:
For buyers: stamp duty, land registration, property searches, ID searches and leasehold charges (if buying a leasehold property).
For sellers: office copies, title plan and management information (if selling a leasehold property).
Make sure to budget for all of the above conveyancing costs and to get a fixed fee conveyancing quote from several firms, to compare value.
Making the right choice of solicitor is key to the whole process:
- Cheap Conveyancing
- Fast Conveyancing
- Best Conveyancing Service
Should you get a property survey if you're a cash buyer?
We always recommend that property buyers get a RICS home buyers survey to find out if the property you're looking to buy has any suspicions of defects such as subsidence and damp.
Anyone buying with a mortgage must book and pay for a mortgage valuation, carried out on behalf of the lender. This survey, although never as thorough as a RICS home buyers survey, at least considers the condition of the property even if only passingly.
There is no requirement to book any kind of survey if you're buying with cash, however unless you are yourself a property expert, you risk many things going wrong. Defects like subsidence can cost upwards of 10s of £1,000s to rectify and you would be passing up on gathering powerful evidence that could be used to bargain with the seller for a reduction in price if, say, any defects were found.
You should also consider the future resale of the property. Anyone buying with a mortgage will themselves have to get a mortgage valuation and a large percentage of buyers do organise RIC home buyers surveys.
By getting such a survey before you buy the property, you are eliminating much of the possibility of getting a nasty surprise later, if there are any defects. It may even be that they are so bad that you choose to pull out of the purchase, on the grounds of the survey report.
