We are required by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) to publish information on the services we provide and the prices that we charge. We want our clients to have the information they need to make it easier for them to choose the best help they can and at a price that they can afford.
Our fees are based on the hourly charge-out rates of the fee earning staff appointed to your case and the amount of time they spend working on your case. All of our fee earners – Solicitors, Trainees and Paralegals have standard hourly charge-out rates which are reviewed each year. The more senior and/or experienced the individual, the higher the hourly rate. The more junior and/or inexperienced the individual, the lower the hourly rate.
Our Hourly Rate
When we do offer a fixed fee we will be very clear about the amount or type of work that the fee will cover. This will be set out in our initial letter to you and can be as simple as a list of work that is included in the fee and a list of work that is not included in the fixed fee. In almost all cases where we work to a fixed fee, we reserve the right to charge additional amounts if the circumstances of the case materially change. This would be an unusual outcome but there are circumstances where to progress your case or to bring it to a conclusion, we need to undertake work that was not envisaged when we first quoted the fixed fee. In these circumstances, we would always discuss and agree with you on any additional charges before undertaking the additional work.
In all cases, we will do our utmost to provide the best possible information on our fees at the beginning of the case, at regular intervals throughout your matter and its conclusion. Bloomingdale Solicitors, we understand that every person’s case is unique. To give you the best possible information on our costs and the different options available to you, we would invite you to get in touch so that we can discuss your particular case and give you the best possible information.
There are particular types of case where the Solicitors Regulation Authority require us to publish more detailed information on price and service. We have outlined some of our prices below and more certainty around the key stages of these matters.
We base our charges on the amount of time we spend on your case. Time spent on a case can include:
Our current rates from time to time may not be appropriate in case of exceptional complexity or urgency or where specialist knowledge is required. Where it becomes apparent that such circumstances exist we will notify you of this.
Our hourly rates are as follows:-
Immigration & Asylum
Our team is friendly, hard-working, collaborative and ultimately motivated to achieve great results for clients. As a collective, the team possesses many years of experience and that brings with it an invaluable insight into the practical aspects of the work we do. If you require any of the following services, our team of experts will do everything to help.
Services & Fees
Conveyance
We have a very experienced and dedicated team with years of experience in UK-based residential and commercial conveyancing. Our experienced solicitors can advise on most commercial matters, including commercial property. A large percentage of our conveyancing work is from returning satisfied clients and from recommendations or referrals from estate agents.
We also know what a stressful time moving can be so as a firm we take on fewer cases to enable us to look after your individual needs so that we can provide you with a bespoke service. We only employ the best Conveyancing staff who have experienced and knowledgeable assistants supporting them. The Conveyancer will handle your case from beginning to end so your point of contact will not change and you will receive consistent communication and not be passed from one person to another.
If you receive any other quotes from other solicitors, we offer a free service whereby we can check these for you to ensure that all anticipated costs are accounted for.
For example, if you are purchasing with a mortgage, you might not have been charged for all the searches that your lender requires. Sometimes a fee for dealing with your mortgage will be applicable (we do not charge this) but you may not be informed of this until you receive your invoice for completion of the transaction. Similarly, if selling a leasehold property, a leasehold supplement may be hidden in the small print.
We set out below some of the reasons why we consider ourselves to be the leading conveyancing firm:-
We provide fixed fee quotations for our clients and a full breakdown of costs upfront so that our clients will have knowledge of the exact costs involved in the transaction.
We charge a fixed fee for residential properties for the purchase price of less than £500,000.00. A large percentage of our conveyancing work is from returning satisfied clients and from recommendations or referrals from estate agents. We have an excellent customer feedback on our service. We believe we are the best in the industry and have the best staff, systems, clients and reputation to prove it.
Fees
The following additional charges will also be payable, if applicable:-
For all properties above £500,000, we charge a fixed fee of £025% of the value of the property.
Disbursements
All disbursements including stamp duty, land registry fee, searches costs, AML checks etc will be paid by the client.
What our fees do not include:-Our prices are put forward on the basis that the title to the property is already registered at HM land registry and further that there are no defects with it. Additional charges will be incurred where we have to deal with problems arising out of such transactions. In the majority of our cases, the fixed fee provided at the start of the transaction will be the final fee payable. Depending on the complexity of the case these fees can vary. Rather than confuse you with a list of these charges, the majority of which will not apply, we will inform you of any additional costs during the transaction if any are relevant. No additional fees are ever charged to our clients unless they are fully discussed and agreed upon with the client beforehand.
Wills & Probate
We deal with all aspects of wills (including Sharia-compliant Islamic Wills), trusts and estates. Our team is friendly, hardworking, collaborative and ultimately motivated to achieve great results for clients. As a collective, the team possesses many years of experience and that brings with it an invaluable insight into the practical aspects of the work we do. There are not many situations involving wills, trusts and estates that someone in our team has not encountered before.
We help a diverse range of clients and aim to provide a bespoke service to each and every person who instructs us.
We offer a range of fixed fees for work which is routine and if that is not possible we will provide you with a basis for calculating our fees, with estimates provided where possible, and we will always seek your agreement to our fee proposals before undertaking chargeable work.
Will writing fees
Probate Fees
Applying for a grant of probate in a non-taxable estate (which includes property and various other assets including bank accounts, some investments and other tangible assets), dealing with payment of any debts and estate administration expenses and then dealing with the distribution of the estate to less than 10 beneficiaries. We anticipate that a case like this will generally take between 10 and 20 hours of our time to complete spread over a period of months. The fees to deal with the administration of a non-taxable estate like this will generally be somewhere in the region of £2,000 – £4,500, the exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the case. In addition to our fees, a range of disbursements would also be payable.
In a case like the one described above, we can handle the full process for you. The general estimate provided above is for estates where:
Disbursements that are typically incurred are:
Potential additional costs
Taxable Estates
It is difficult to provide a one size fits all estimate of fees and timescales for a taxable estate. By their nature estates that will be subject to inheritance tax tend to have a diverse range of assets and are more complex to deal with. The fact tax is payable does not in itself lead to higher costs, though the requirement to file a detailed Inheritance Tax Return does create work over and above that required in a non-taxable estate. The main issue is that there is just more time spent dealing with the case because there are a greater number of assets and they are more complicated to deal with than that in lower value cases. In light of this, we provide a bespoke fee estimate for taxable estates before we commence work if at all possible. That said, in many taxable estates we administer our fees are in the region of £7,500 – £12,500. If, however, the estate is simple despite its high value, the costs will likely be similar to those for untaxable estates as outlined above. In particularly difficult or demanding cases the costs can be much more than £12,500.
How long will this take?
On average, estates, as described in the example, are dealt with within 6 – 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 3 – 6 months, but much depends on how easy it is to collate details of the assets and liabilities in the estate as at the date of death. Collecting assets then follows, and the time this takes varies depending on how easy it is to liquidate the assets. For example, if the main asset is a property not much progress can often be made until it has been sold. Once all the estate assets have been collected and any debts and the estate expenses paid, steps can be taken to distribute and finalise the estate. In some cases, the estate will have received untaxed income during the administration period or the property will have been sold for more than the death value. In either case, it may be necessary for the estate to file income or capital gains tax returns before finalisation.
It is difficult to provide a one size fits all quote for estate administrations. If you would like to get a better idea of how much our services will cost you please contact us and let us know more about your case. We will then provide you with a personalised quote or free estimate. If we cannot provide that based on what you tell us we will let you know what further information we need to be able to do so. Ultimately we want to provide accurate information about our charges to ensure that we start relationships with new clients on a transparent and positive note.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING OUR FIXED FEE:
*These are approximated guide fixed fees only and may vary significantly depending on the complexities of your case, unforeseen or exceptional circumstances which may arise in your matter or any other factors which may require us to do additional work. At all times we will keep you updated and inform you in advance of any changes to your fixed fee price. Clients should be aware that these prices do not include any disbursements such as court fee, home office fee, British Embassy, interpreting and/or translation of documents, costs for psychiatrists, doctors or other professional reports that may be needed as evidence.
We will normally require payment on the account upon instruction where we can offer a fixed fee. We charge on an hourly basis for an Initial Consultation, where we will assess your case and provide you with legal advice. This hourly rate is calculated based on the Guidance on Solicitors Hourly rate issued by The Supreme Court Costs Office (SCCO). At Bloomingdale Solicitors, we are committed to offering our clients services based on their specific and special circumstances.
For special cases, it is our policy to offer discounted rates on our Fixed Fee Price List or work on a Pro Bono basis.