Do I pay Stamp Duty when I remortgage?

In most standard remortgages where you are simply switching lenders to get a better interest rate, you do not pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). However, if you are completing a Transfer of Equity at the same time (such as buying out an ex-partner) and the amount of mortgage debt you are taking on exceeds the SDLT threshold, a tax liability may be triggered.

Can I add or remove a name during a remortgage?

Yes, this is very common. If you are going through a separation or simply want to add a new spouse to the deeds, you can do this simultaneously with your remortgage through a legal process called a Transfer of Equity. Your new mortgage lender will need to assess the affordability of the remaining (or new) borrowers before agreeing to the advance.

Do I need a physical property valuation?

Not always. Many mortgage lenders now use an Automated Valuation Model (AVM)—often called a 'desktop valuation'—where they assess the property's value using digital data and recent local sale prices. However, if your property is a unique build, a high-value home, or if the automated data is inconclusive, the lender will send a surveyor to conduct a brief physical valuation.

Do I need to inform my current lender I am leaving?

No, you do not need to contact your current lender to cancel your mortgage. Once you instruct us, your conveyancing solicitor will request an official redemption statement directly from your current lender and handle the settlement of the debt on completion day.

Why do leasehold remortgages take longer?

Freehold remortgages are generally straightforward, but leasehold properties require third-party involvement. Your solicitor must contact your freeholder or managing agent to ensure your ground rent and service charges are up to date, and they must formally serve a 'Notice of Charge' upon completion. If the managing agent is slow to respond, or if the building requires compliance checks under the Building Safety Act 2022, the process will naturally take longer.

Remortgage Solicitors

Get a free, fixed-fee quote to handle your remortgage conveyancing. We handle residential, buy-to-let, commercial, and any affordable housing scheme.

Our panel is CQS-accredited and on 99% of mortgage lender panels(1) .

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Our residential remortgage legal services

We can help with anything property-related, including:

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Home Remortgage

A straightforward residential remortgage on your own home.

Joint borrowers receive Independent Legal Advice from SAM Conveyancing regarding their single proprietor mortgage

Buy to Let Remortgage

A straightforward residential remortgage for landlords.

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Bridging Finance

A remortgage involving a short-term loan, between alternative funding options.

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Transfer of Equity Remortgage

Remortgaging to add or remove a legal owner from the title.

Help to Buy Remortgage

A remortgage to repay all or some of your equity loan.

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Staircasing Remortgage

A remortgage to purchase a greater share of your shared ownership property.

Equity Release Remortgage

A remortgage to release funds from the equity in your home.

Independent Legal Advice

Reliable, straightforward advice on your mortgage product.

If have a remortgage qustion, call or email on 0333 344 3234 (local call charges apply) / help@samconveyancing.co.uk, or Ask a Free Online Question.

Why choose SAM’s conveyancing solicitors for your remortgage?

We have a panel of CQS-accredited conveyancing solicitors who take all the hassle out of the process and are on 99% of mortgage lender panels (including HSBC, Santander, and NatWest). We also understand what it is like to be in your shoes, so we take the time to keep you updated along the way and help you tackle any property challenges that arise.

"Brilliant experience, would recommend this company to everyone, glad I found them online. They made me understand things I didn’t, and explained everything step by step. I got my remortgage done straight away because of them." Mya Samra

"I am very pleased with Sam Conveyancing. I used them for a remortgage and they were quick and helpful. I'll definitely recommend them. The solicitor they recommended was excellent and quick." Saiid.

"Our first conversation with Oberon was great. He speaks plain English and was good humoured and helpful I've had mortgages before but it's always a bit daunting doing a remortgage. SAM conveyancing were helpful, quick and clear. We will be recommending them to our friends." Sue

Expert Tip: Can I remortgage without a solicitor?

You can remortgage without a solicitor if you are simply doing a product transfer with your existing lender, as they are just changing the interest rate on the agreement they already have with you.

However, if you are remortgaging with a new lender, you must instruct a solicitor. The new lender requires a qualified legal professional to oversee the transfer, investigate the title, and ensure their financial charge is correctly registered at HM Land Registry. Their job is also to ensure you fully understand the new terms, as your home could be repossessed if you break them.

Andrew Boast FMAAT

CEO of SAM Conveyancing

What is the remortgage conveyancing process?

The remortgage conveyancing process is generally faster than when you first purchased the property because the solicitor does not need to raise extensive legal enquiries with the seller. Instead, the primary objective is to satisfy the legal requirements of your new mortgage lender.

1 Instruct a panel-approved solicitor: Once you have your mortgage in principle, you must instruct a solicitor who is officially approved on your new lender's panel.
2 ID and title checks: Your solicitor will verify your identity (via digital biometric checks) and download your title deeds from HM Land Registry. They will check for any existing restrictions, confirm you are the legal owner, and verify leasehold terms (if applicable) against the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook.
3 Download and review the mortgage offer: Your solicitor downloads the formal mortgage offer via the lender's secure online portal. They will review any specific instructions in the offer and check the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook for lender-specific requirements, such as whether you are permitted to use local search indemnity insurance or whether the lender strictly requires a full council-provided local authority search.
4 Request the redemption statement: Your solicitor requests an official redemption statement from your current lender to confirm the exact amount required to clear your existing debt.
5 Sign the mortgage deed: Your solicitor will send you the new mortgage deed to sign in wet ink in the presence of an independent witness.
6 Completion (Drawdown): Your solicitor carries out final pre-completion priority searches (OS1) and bankruptcy checks (K16). They then request the funds from your new lender, use them to pay off your old mortgage in full, deduct their legal fees, and send any remaining surplus cash directly to you.
7 Update HM Land Registry: Post-completion, the solicitor applies to the Land Registry to formally remove the old lender's charge and register the new lender's charge.

Expert Tip: Remortgaging a leasehold flat has extra complexities

Remortgaging a leasehold flat, particularly in a multi-occupancy block, involves strict lender requirements regarding fire safety and compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022. Your conveyancing solicitor will often need to obtain an EWS1 form to verify the safety of the building's external cladding.

Furthermore, for buildings over 11 metres or five storeys tall, lenders now routinely require a Landlord's Certificate and a Leaseholder's Deed of Certificate. These legal documents prove whether you are financially protected from historical building safety remediation costs. If your freeholder is slow to provide these certificates, or if the building is non-compliant, most lenders will refuse to issue the mortgage advance.

Read our complete guide: Building Safety Act 2022 and Leasehold Conveyancing.

Andrew Boast FMAAT

CEO of SAM Conveyancing

What is the difference between a remortgage and a purchase?

The remortgage conveyancing process is significantly faster and less complex than buying a property. Because you already own the home, several time-consuming stages required during a purchase are not necessary:

Conveyancing Searches: Most mortgage lenders allow you to use local search indemnity insurance rather than ordering a fresh set of local authority, environmental, and water searches. This saves weeks of waiting on council delays and reduces your overall conveyancing costs.
Legal Enquiries: Your solicitor does not need to raise lengthy legal enquiries with a seller's solicitor regarding boundaries, neighbour disputes, or fixtures and fittings, as you already live in the property and accept its current condition.
Exchange of Contracts: Because there is no seller, no onward property chain, and no deposit to transfer, there is no formal 'exchange of contracts' stage. Once your new mortgage offer is issued and the title is cleared, you simply sign the new mortgage deed and proceed directly to completion (drawdown).

Restrictions and charges

While your solicitor bypasses buyer enquiries, they must still rigorously inspect your HM Land Registry title deeds. Their primary responsibility is to protect the new mortgage lender by identifying any existing restrictions,

Remortgage solicitor legal fees

Because the remortgage conveyancing process is streamlined, your legal fees will be substantially lower than when you originally purchased the property. However, you will pay slightly more for a leasehold remortgage than a freehold one. This accounts for the complex additional work required to liaise with freeholders or managing agents, process notice fees, and ensure strict compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022.

Freehold Remortgage: £399 INC VAT
Leasehold Remortgage: £499 INC VAT

Common additional legal fees

Many remortgages are triggered by a life event or a change in ownership structure. If your remortgage is tied to a secondary transaction, an additional fixed solicitor fee will apply. The most common examples include:

Transfer of Equity: Where you are buying out an ex-partner, or formally adding/removing someone from the legal title deeds concurrently with the remortgage.
Help to Buy Repayment: Where you are using the new mortgage advance to partially or fully redeem your government Help to Buy equity loan via Lenvi.
Shared Ownership Staircasing: Where you are borrowing additional funds to buy a larger percentage share of your property from your housing association.

Remortgage disbursements

Disbursements are mandatory third-party costs that your solicitor pays on your behalf during the legal process. These are charged in addition to your core legal fee:

HM Land Registry Fee: Typically ranging from £20 to £300, this government fee is scaled according to the value of your new mortgage advance, not the property's purchase price.
Online ID Fee: Ranging from £15 to £48 per person, this secure digital biometric check prevents you from having to post sensitive physical identity documents or visit our office.
Mortgage Portal Fee: Most high street lenders mandate the use of secure digital portals to issue offers and communicate with solicitors. You will incur a fee depending on the specific portal your lender uses (e.g., £12 for Lender Exchange, or £45 INC VAT for LMS).
Land Registry Documents: Typically £7 per document. Your solicitor must download an official copy of your title register and title plan to verify your legal ownership and check for existing restrictions.
Bankruptcy & Priority Searches: Typically £3 to £10. Before completion, your solicitor must perform a bankruptcy check on all borrowers and lodge an OS1 priority search. This 'freezes' the title to prevent anyone from registering a surprise financial interest against your home before the new mortgage is securely registered.

High Risk: Early Repayment Charges (ERCs)

If you are not yet at the end of your current fixed-rate period and are looking to remortgage early, beware of incurring an Early Repayment Charge. This is a penalty fee charged by your current lender for breaking the fixed term, and it can often run into thousands of pounds, completely wiping out any savings from the new interest rate.

How long does conveyancing take on a remortgage?

A standard remortgage typically takes 3 to 4 weeks to finalise once your solicitor receives the formal mortgage offer. However, delays can occur. For leasehold properties, the process can take longer if the freeholder or managing agent is slow to respond, or if you are in arrears with your service charges and ground rent (which must be settled before completion).

Post-completion, updating the Land Registry can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months due to national backlogs, though this does not affect your new mortgage rate or payments.

When should I start looking to remortgage?

Generally, it is best to wait until your current fixed-rate period ends to avoid early repayment charges. When your fixed rate ends, you will revert to your lender's Standard Variable Rate (SVR), which is usually significantly higher.

You can (and should) apply for your new mortgage up to six months before your current deal expires. This allows you to lock in a favourable rate early. Once the offer is issued, your conveyancing solicitor will hold it and purposefully schedule your completion date to coincide exactly with the expiration of your old fixed rate, ensuring a seamless transition with no penalty fees.