How to Read Your Conveyancing Bill

After your property sale completes, your solicitor sends a final bill setting out everything you owe -- or, more commonly, everything they have already deducted from the sale proceeds. For most sellers, this is the first time they see the full breakdown of charges, and it can be hard to know whether the figures are fair.

Understanding your conveyancing bill matters. According to the Legal Ombudsman, billing disputes remain one of the most common complaints against solicitors. Many of these could be avoided if clients knew how to read and check their invoices properly.

This guide walks through every section of a typical conveyancing bill, explains which charges attract VAT, shows you how to verify the figures, and sets out your legal rights if something does not add up. It covers residential property sales in England and Wales.

Anatomy of a conveyancing bill

A conveyancing bill (sometimes called a "final invoice" or "completion invoice") is the itemised account your solicitor produces at the end of your transaction. It is separate from the completion statement, which is the broader financial summary of the entire sale showing where the purchase price goes. The bill covers only what you owe your solicitor.

A well-structured conveyancing bill typically contains the following sections:

1. Professional fees -- your solicitor's charge for their legal work
2. Supplements and additional charges -- extras such as a leasehold supplement or expedited completion fee
3. Disbursements -- third-party costs paid on your behalf
4. VAT -- applied to professional fees and certain other items
5. Total due -- the overall amount owed
6. Payments received or deducted -- any amounts already paid on account, or deducted from the sale proceeds on completion day
7. Balance -- any remaining amount owed or to be refunded

The SRA Transparency Rules require all regulated firms to provide clear, itemised billing. If your bill is a single lump sum with no breakdown, you have the right to request an itemised version.

Legal fees vs disbursements

The most important distinction on any conveyancing bill is between your solicitor's own legal fees and the disbursements they pay on your behalf. Understanding the difference is essential for checking whether you have been charged correctly.

Legal fees (professional charges)

Legal fees are what your solicitor charges for their professional work. For a standard seller-side conveyancing transaction, this includes:

• Reviewing and drafting the contract of sale
• Responding to pre-contract enquiries from the buyer's solicitor
• Liaising with your mortgage lender for redemption figures
• Managing exchange of contracts
• Handling completion and post-completion formalities
• Transferring the net proceeds to your bank account

Most conveyancers charge a fixed fee for this work, agreed at the outset. The typical range for selling a freehold property in 2026 is £800 to £1,500 plus VAT. For a detailed look at how these fees break down by property value, see our guide to solicitor fees for selling a house.

Legal fees are always subject to VAT at 20%. A quoted fee of £1,000 will appear on your bill as £1,000 plus £200 VAT, totalling £1,200.

Disbursements (third-party costs)

Disbursements are costs your solicitor pays to third parties on your behalf during the transaction. They should be passed on at cost with no markup. Common seller-side disbursements include:

For a full explanation of all the costs involved in selling, see our conveyancing costs breakdown guide.

VAT on conveyancing: which items attract it?

VAT is one of the most misunderstood elements of a conveyancing bill. The key rule is straightforward: VAT at 20% is charged on your solicitor's professional services. Whether it applies to disbursements depends on the nature of each item.

Items that always attract VAT

• Solicitor's professional fees (the core legal charge)
• Any supplements such as a leasehold supplement or expedited completion charge
• CHAPS bank transfer fees (these are a service provided by the firm's bank)

Items usually exempt from VAT

• Land Registry fees (government charges, outside the scope of VAT)
• Indemnity insurance premiums (insurance is VAT-exempt under UK law)
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (a government tax, not subject to further VAT)

Items where VAT varies

• Anti-money laundering checks: If the check is carried out by a VAT-registered third-party provider, VAT may be charged. If it is done in-house, it may be included in the professional fee (which already has VAT).
• Search fees: If your solicitor orders property searches through a VAT-registered search provider, those fees may include VAT. Local authority searches ordered directly from the council are outside the scope of VAT.

When checking your bill, ensure that VAT has been applied only where it should be. A common error is applying VAT to the total of professional fees and disbursements combined, rather than just the professional fees. This overcharges you on items that should be VAT-free.

Common unexpected charges

Even with a clear quote at the outset, certain charges can appear on your final bill that you were not expecting. Here are the most common ones and whether they are reasonable.

• Leasehold supplement (£200 to £400 + VAT): If you are selling a leasehold property, your solicitor will charge extra for the additional work involved in reviewing the lease and liaising with the managing agent. This should be quoted at the outset and should not come as a surprise.
• Additional enquiries charge: Some solicitors charge extra if the buyer's solicitor raises an unusually large number of pre-contract enquiries. Check your engagement letter to see whether the fixed fee includes a cap on enquiries.
• Abortive transaction fee (£100 to £300): If a previous sale fell through and you are now completing with a different buyer, some firms charge for the aborted work even under a "no sale no fee" arrangement. Read the terms carefully.
• File storage and retrieval fee (£20 to £50): Some firms charge to retrieve title deeds or documents held in storage. This is increasingly uncommon with electronic records but still appears occasionally.
• Urgent completion supplement (£100 to £250): If you requested an accelerated timeline, for example completing within two weeks of exchange rather than the standard four, your solicitor may charge a premium.
• Post-completion administration fee: Some solicitors charge for dealing with matters that arise after completion, such as confirming mortgage redemption or handling apportionment adjustments.

The SRA requires solicitors to inform you about likely costs at the outset and to notify you if costs are likely to change. If a charge appears on your bill that was not mentioned in the original quote or engagement letter, you have strong grounds to dispute it.

Sample conveyancing bill breakdown

Here is a realistic example of a final conveyancing bill for a freehold house sale at £325,000 with one outstanding mortgage. This is the solicitor's bill only -- it does not include the estate agent's commission or the mortgage redemption, which appear on the completion statement instead.

In this example, the solicitor's professional fee of £950 accounts for nearly 75% of the total bill. The disbursements add £89, and VAT adds £204, bringing the total to £1,271. Note how VAT is applied only to the professional fee and the CHAPS transfers, not to the Land Registry copies, the ID check, or the Lawyer Checker fee.

For tips on keeping these costs as low as possible, see our guide on how to reduce conveyancing costs.

How to check your bill against the original quote

Checking your conveyancing bill should take no more than 20 minutes if you approach it systematically. Here is a step-by-step process:

1. Find your original quote or engagement letter. This is the document your solicitor sent when you first instructed them. It should set out the professional fee, anticipated disbursements, and an estimate of the total cost including VAT.
2. Compare the professional fee. If you agreed a fixed fee, the amount on the bill should match exactly. If it has increased, your solicitor should have notified you in writing before the additional costs were incurred.
3. Check each disbursement. Go through the disbursement schedule in the original quote and tick off each item against the final bill. Look for any new items that were not quoted and ask your solicitor to explain them.
4. Verify the VAT. Calculate 20% of the professional fee (and any other VAT-able items) yourself. The VAT figure on the bill should match your calculation. Watch for VAT being applied to items that should be exempt.
5. Check the arithmetic. Add up the individual line items yourself. Errors in simple addition are more common than you might expect.
6. Cross-reference with the completion statement. The solicitor's total on the completion statement should match the total on the bill. If there is a discrepancy, one of the documents contains an error.

If everything matches, you can be confident the bill is correct. If something does not match, follow the steps in the next section.

SRA billing rules and your rights

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sets clear rules about how solicitors must handle billing. These rules exist to protect clients, and understanding them gives you a strong position if you need to challenge a bill.

Key SRA requirements

• Transparency: Solicitors must provide clear information about their charges before you instruct them, including the basis of the fee (fixed or hourly), likely disbursements, and whether VAT is included.
• Best possible information about costs: Under Paragraph 8.7 of the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, your solicitor must give you the best possible information about the likely overall cost, including any conditions or circumstances that might affect it.
• Notification of changes: If the costs are likely to exceed the estimate, your solicitor must inform you as soon as they become aware of this.
• Right to an itemised bill: You can request a detailed, itemised bill at any time. A single-figure invoice without a breakdown is not acceptable.

Your right to a detailed bill under the Solicitors Act 1974

The Solicitors Act 1974 (sections 64 to 75) gives you specific rights regarding your solicitor's bill:

• Section 64: You can request a detailed breakdown (a "statute bill") of any lump-sum bill your solicitor delivers.
• Sections 70 to 72: You can apply to the High Court for a "detailed assessment" of your bill. Within one month of delivery, you can apply as of right. Between one and twelve months, you need the court's permission. After twelve months, permission is only granted in special circumstances.
• One-fifth rule: If the court assessment reduces your bill by one-fifth (20%) or more, your solicitor must generally pay the costs of the assessment proceedings.

The Solicitors Act assessment is a powerful tool, but it is a formal court process and should be a last resort. For most disputes, the solicitor's own complaints procedure or the Legal Ombudsman will resolve the issue more quickly and at no cost to you.

What to do if your bill is wrong

If you believe your conveyancing bill contains errors or unreasonable charges, follow these steps in order:

1. Raise it with your solicitor directly. Write to them (email is fine) setting out which charges you are querying and why. Attach a copy of the original quote and highlight the discrepancies. Many billing errors are genuine mistakes that firms correct quickly once flagged.
2. Use the firm's complaints procedure. All SRA- and CLC-regulated firms are required to have a formal complaints procedure and must respond within eight weeks. Ask for details if they have not been provided.
3. Complain to the Legal Ombudsman. If the firm does not resolve your complaint satisfactorily, you can escalate to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the firm's final response (or within a year of the act you are complaining about). The Ombudsman can order the firm to reduce the bill, provide a refund, or pay compensation. This service is free.
4. Apply for a Solicitors Act assessment. For bills where a significant amount is at stake, you can apply to the High Court for a detailed assessment under the Solicitors Act 1974. Ideally, apply within one month of receiving the bill to avoid needing the court's permission. This route involves court fees but can result in a substantial reduction of the bill.

For more detail on how to raise concerns about your solicitor's work or charges, see our guide on how to complain about your solicitor.

Tips for avoiding billing surprises

Prevention is better than cure. Here are practical steps to avoid disputes over your conveyancing bill:

• Get a fixed-fee quote in writing. A fixed fee agreed upfront gives you certainty. Make sure the quote specifies what is and is not included.
• Ask for a full disbursement schedule. At the outset, ask your solicitor to list every anticipated disbursement with an estimated cost. This makes it easy to spot additions later.
• Clarify what triggers extra charges. Ask specifically about leasehold supplements, additional enquiries charges, and abortive transaction fees. If these are not in the quote, ask whether they could apply to your sale.
• Keep all correspondence. Save the original quote, engagement letter, and any emails about costs. These are your evidence if you need to dispute the bill.
• Review the completion statement before completion day. Your solicitor should send the completion statement a few days before completion. This is your chance to check the solicitor's charges before the money is deducted from the sale proceeds.
• Use a regulated firm. Always instruct a firm regulated by the SRA or the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). This ensures you have access to formal complaints procedures, the Legal Ombudsman, and professional indemnity insurance if something goes wrong.

Sources and further reading

• SRA Transparency Rules -- Price and Service Information (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
• SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors -- Paragraph 8.7 on costs information (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
• Solicitors Act 1974 -- Sections 64 to 75 (remuneration and assessment of costs) (legislation.gov.uk)
• Legal Ombudsman -- How to complain about your solicitor (legalombudsman.org.uk)
• The Law Society -- Costs of using a solicitor (lawsociety.org.uk)
• HM Land Registry -- Registration Services Fees (GOV.UK, updated 2024)
• The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Conveyancing Fees: What to Expect (HomeOwners Alliance, 2026)

Frequently asked questions