Save Money on Your Conveyancing Costs
It is only once you start the conveyancing process that you find out exactly how costly buying a home can be. You might think all you have to do is save a 10% deposit; however, there are many more costs to consider before you can finalise your purchase.
We have set out below the best ways to save money across the board. By making smart choices, you can potentially save hundreds of pounds on your overall property transaction.
What conveyancing costs can you save money on?
Here are the core conveyancing costs and disbursements that you can actively save money on.
Solicitor's Legal Fees
One of the most significant savings you can make lies in who you choose to handle your conveyancing legal work. For the majority of first-time buyers, selecting that first solicitor can feel incredibly difficult. However, here are our proven tips for saving costs on your solicitor's legal fees without compromising on the quality of your legal protection:
- Estate Agent Referrals: Avoid this route if you are strictly looking to save money. An estate agent-referred solicitor often comes at a significant premium. This is because the solicitor typically pays a lucrative referral fee (or 'kickback') to the agent to secure the recommendation, and this hidden cost is ultimately passed on and added to your final bill.
- Mortgage Broker Referrals: Similar to estate agents, many corporate high-street mortgage brokers have commercial agreements with bulk-conveyancing factories. Unless you are working with a carefully selected, independent panel of brokers who guarantee fixed, negotiated rates, these recommendations almost always come with a referral markup built in at a cost to you.
- Online and Independent Searches: The cheapest conveyancers are usually found online. Digital-first firms do not have the overhead of expensive high-street offices and can pass those savings on. However, you must ensure that any online solicitor is fully regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), and always check their independent reviews to ensure low fees do not result in a slow, unresponsive service.
Expert Tip: All solicitors must have transparent legal fees
Under the strict Transparency Rules enforced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), all regulated law firms are legally required to publish clear, accessible, and accurate pricing for their residential conveyancing services.
This means your solicitor must provide a comprehensive, itemised breakdown of their total costs upfront. A genuine quote will clearly separate their core legal fees from VAT and third-party disbursements (such as local property searches and Land Registry fees). If an initial quote looks suspiciously cheap, the firm may be temporarily hiding these mandatory disbursements in the small print. Always demand a fixed-fee, fully itemised quote before officially instructing a firm.
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
Conveyancing Searches
During the purchasing process, your conveyancer must conduct mandatory property searches. If you are buying with a mortgage, lenders strictly require these searches to protect their financial investment from hidden liabilities (such as contaminated land or planned nearby roadways). What many buyers do not realise is that property searches are an area where you can easily save between £100 and £200 by shopping smart.
- Regulated vs. Official Searches: An 'Official' Local Authority search is conducted directly by council staff, which often carries a premium price tag and is subject to local council backlog delays. A 'Regulated' (or personal) search is compiled by a specialist independent agency using the exact same council records, but is often significantly cheaper and faster. You should ask your solicitor if you can pay for regulated searches to save money. Important Caveat: Always check with your solicitor first, as a small number of mortgage lenders strictly mandate official searches. Read more: What is the difference between an official and regulated search?
- Overpriced search bundles: Buying your searches in a bundle should provide a bulk-buy discount. Unfortunately, some law firms use third-party disbursements as a hidden profit centre by applying heavy administrative markups. A standard, comprehensive bundle (comprising Local Authority, Water & Drainage, and Environmental Searches) should be affordable. We charge INC VAT for this complete bundle, whereas some high-street solicitors charge anywhere from £378 to £500 INC VAT. The good news is that you are legally entitled to source these searches independently from your solicitor. We have included a way to order our competitively priced bundle below to help you cut your conveyancing costs.
Discounted Bundle of Searches
Order the most common searches required for purchasing a property at a discounted price.
Drainage & Water
Climate Risk Report
Environmental Report
Regulated Local Authority
£325 INC VAT
Order a Search Bundle
RICS Home Survey
A RICS Home Survey isn't a mandatory mortgage requirement, so it is technically one area you could skip altogether. However, doing so is a dangerous false economy; discovering a severe structural defect after you complete could cost you thousands. You should never skip the survey, but you can still save up to £200 by buying smart:
- Choose the correct level: Do not overpay for a Level 3 Building Survey if you are buying a standard 10-year-old flat. A Level 2 HomeBuyer Report is much cheaper and perfectly adequate for modern homes in a reasonable state of repair.
- Shop independently: Do not just accept the surveyor recommended by your estate agent or your mortgage lender. By using an independent panel to compare quotes from local MRICS or FRICS qualified surveyors, you can often save hundreds of pounds for the exact same report.
Mortgage Valuation
You need a mortgage valuation when taking out a mortgage. The lender wants to make sure that the property they are securing the loan against is actually worth the purchase price. To do this, they instruct a RICS surveyor to inspect the property.
You cannot negotiate the direct cost of a mortgage valuation, but you can save money on how you pay for it. If you pay for the mortgage valuation upfront (usually between £400 and £2,000) rather than adding its cost to your mortgage balance, you will save the additional compound interest you would otherwise pay over a 25-year mortgage term. We calculate the average savings to be around 10% of the valuation cost.
What conveyancing costs can you not save money on?
There are some conveyancing costs where you simply cannot save a penny, and these are:
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
It doesn't matter where you live in England & Wales; if you buy a residential property, you are liable to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). What you pay is a percentage of the purchase price, calculated on a slice basis across different value bands.
The current tax bands are as follows:
| Property Price | Standard Rate of Stamp Duty |
| £0 - £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 - £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 - £1.5 million | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% |
First Time Buyers can make a saving! The good news for first-time buyers is that they can legitimately save money because the Government offers first-time buyer relief.
In 2026, the relief for first-time purchasers is capped. To qualify for any relief, the total purchase price must not exceed £500,000. If the home costs even £1 more, you lose your first-time buyer status for tax purposes and must pay standard residential rates. For properties under that £500,000 limit, the following 2026 rates apply:
|
Property Purchase Price
|
Stamp Duty Rate (SDLT)
|
| Up to £300,000 | 0% (no tax) |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% (only on the portion above £300k) |
| Over £500,000 | Relief is lost (standard rates apply) |
You can use our Free Online Stamp Duty Calculator to see your exact SDLT cost, whether you are a first-time buyer, a second-home mover, or a buy-to-let landlord:
Expert Tip: Steer clear of SDLT mitigation schemes
Many unregulated companies offer "Stamp Duty Mitigation schemes" that use loopholes to minimise your tax bill. We advise you to steer completely clear of these schemes.
- The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) classifies these schemes as unethical and forbids solicitors from involvement.
- HMRC constantly investigates these arrangements. If a scheme is ruled illegal, you will have to pay your Stamp Duty in full, plus heavy penalty interest, and you will lose any fees you paid to the scheme provider.
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
Land Registration Fee
Purchase clients must pay to register the property in their name at HM Land Registry. The cost for this is based on the property price, and because it is a fixed government fee, there is absolutely no way to save on this cost.
|
Value of Property (£)
|
Fee - Electronic
|
Fee - Postal
(New Builds or First Registration)
|
|
0 - £80,000
|
£20
|
£45
|
|
£80,001 - £100,000
|
£40
|
£95
|
|
£100,001 - £200,000
|
£100
|
£230
|
|
£200,001 - £500,000
|
£150
|
£330
|
|
£500,001 - £1,000,000
|
£295
|
£655
|
|
£1,000,001 and over
|
£500
|
£1,105
|
Andrew Boast FMAAT is a qualified accountant, conveyancing specialist and author with over 25 years of experience in the UK property sector. Since beginning his career in 2000 within established SRA and CLC-regulated conveyancing solicitor firms, Andrew has overseen the legal journeys of more than 75,000 clients.
He is the self-published author of the first-time buyer guide: How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone, and a frequent contributor to mainstream UK media on legislative updates, property law, first-time buyer guides, conveyancing best practices, and stamp duty changes. Andrew specialises in resolving complex title issues, property conflict disputes, and property tax options, streamlining the enquiry process to reduce transaction times and maintaining a client-friendly focus.
Amanda Ambler is a highly accomplished conveyancing specialist with over 15 years of dedicated experience across residential property law, legal compliance, and practice management. Having held senior roles, including Head of Legal Practice and Head of Conveyancing at established UK law firms, Amanda possesses a profound, hands-on understanding of the technical intricacies of the property market.
As the designated Legal Content Reviewer for SAM Conveyancing, Amanda ensures that every guide, legal update, and resource published meets the absolute highest standards of accuracy, regulatory compliance, and factual integrity. Her rigorous review process guarantees that complex property legislation and industry processes are communicated clearly, transparently, and safely for home buyers and sellers alike.
