Conveyancing Fees in Sussex: What You'll Actually Pay

Conveyancing fees are the second biggest line in most Sussex moves after the removals bill, and they are the one buyers understand least. The quote you are given splits into two very different things: what the firm charges for its own work, and what it pays out on your behalf. Confuse the two and a cheap-looking quote turns expensive by completion.

This guide sets out what conveyancing costs in Sussex in 2026, breaks the disbursements down line by line with the figures that are actually fixed by law, and lists the extras that quietly get added later. It sits alongside our guide to removal costs in Sussex and the wider cost of moving house in Sussex.

What conveyancing costs in Sussex

For a standard freehold purchase in Sussex, expect legal fees of roughly £900 to £1,600 including VAT. A sale is usually a little less. Doing both at once is more than either alone but less than the two added together, because a firm handling both sides of your move charges a combined fee.

• Freehold purchase: roughly £900 to £1,600 in legal fees including VAT.
• Freehold sale: usually a little lower, often £800 to £1,400.
• Leasehold: add a few hundred pounds. There is genuinely more work: the lease, the management pack, ground rent and service charge apportionments, and notice fees to the freeholder on completion.
• New build, shared ownership, help-to-buy or an unregistered title: all carry a supplement, because each brings extra documents and deadlines.

Those are the firm's own charges. Everything below is money that leaves your account and goes to somebody else.

Disbursements: the costs that are not negotiable

Disbursements are third-party costs your conveyancer pays on your behalf. A good quote itemises them; a weak one hides them behind a single figure.

• Searches: the local authority search, a drainage and water search, and an environmental search are the standard set, and a mortgage lender will normally insist on them. Prices vary by council, and so do turnaround times, so ask which authority your property falls under. In Sussex that could be any of Brighton and Hove, Lewes, Wealden, Rother, Hastings, Eastbourne, Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex or Worthing, and they do not all work at the same speed.
• Land Registry registration fee: fixed by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, which has applied since 9 December 2024. Where the application is lodged electronically, which is the norm, Scale 1 fees are £100 for a price between £100,001 and £200,000, £150 between £200,001 and £500,000, and £295 between £500,001 and £1,000,000. Postal applications cost substantially more: £230, £330 and £655 for the same bands. The current table is published on GOV.UK.
• Official copies of the title and plan: a few pounds each, charged at cost.
• Bankruptcy and priority searches: a few pounds each, run shortly before completion.
• Telegraphic transfer fee: typically £20 to £45 for sending completion money on the day.
• Leasehold notice fees: payable to the freeholder or managing agent on completion, set by them, and occasionally surprisingly high.

Stamp duty is separate, and it changed in 2025

Stamp Duty Land Tax is not a conveyancing fee. Your conveyancer calculates it, collects it and files the return, but the money goes to HMRC. From 1 April 2025 the thresholds reverted to their earlier levels: the standard residential nil-rate band is £125,000, first-time buyers' relief starts above £300,000, and that relief is only available where the purchase price is £500,000 or less. Above those points the banded rates apply.

That reversion matters more in Sussex than in much of England, because a large share of Sussex homes sit above £300,000 and a fair number of first-time buyers in Brighton and Hove now sit above the £500,000 relief cap entirely. Run your own numbers with our stamp duty calculator and check the current rates on GOV.UK before you budget.

The extras that turn a cheap quote expensive

The gap between two quotes is often not the legal fee at all. It is what each firm treats as standard. Before you instruct, ask specifically whether the quote includes:

• Acting for your mortgage lender as well as you, which is normal but sometimes billed separately.
• Leasehold work, if the property is a flat. This is the single most common supplement.
• A gifted deposit, which triggers extra anti-money-laundering work on the person giving it.
• Identity checks and anti-money-laundering fees per person on the purchase.
• Indemnity policy arrangement, if a defect in the title turns up.
• Expedited or same-day completion handling.
• Whether VAT is included in the headline figure, which is the oldest trick in the quote.

Solicitor or licensed conveyancer?

Both can do the job. A licensed conveyancer is a property specialist regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers; a solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and can advise across a wider range of law if your transaction turns awkward, for example if there is a probate, a divorce or a boundary dispute in the background. For a straightforward purchase the difference in outcome is usually small; for a complicated one, the wider expertise earns its fee.

What matters far more than the label is whether your mortgage lender will accept the firm on its panel, and whether the firm answers the phone. A conveyancer who returns calls saves you more money in a chain than a £150 saving on the quote.

How to compare quotes properly

Get three written quotes, and insist each one is broken into legal fee, VAT and itemised disbursements. Then compare the bottom line, not the headline. Ask what happens if the transaction falls through: most firms charge nothing for their own work but cannot refund searches already ordered, and knowing that in advance takes the sting out of a collapsed chain.

Finally, line the legal timetable up with the rest of your move. Exchange and completion dates set everything else, including when you can book a van, so read our moving house checklist and timeline for Sussex and our guide to choosing a removals company once your dates firm up. For the wider picture on buying and living in the county, start at the Move Sussex homepage.

Frequently asked questions

How much are conveyancing fees in Sussex?

For a straightforward freehold purchase, budget roughly £900 to £1,600 in legal fees including VAT, plus disbursements. Leasehold, shared ownership, new build and unregistered titles all sit above that. Disbursements typically add a few hundred pounds on top, mostly searches and the Land Registry fee, and stamp duty is separate again.

What are disbursements in conveyancing?

Disbursements are costs your conveyancer pays out on your behalf and passes on at cost: local authority, drainage and environmental searches, Land Registry fees, official copies of the title, bankruptcy and priority searches, and any bank transfer fee. They are not profit for the firm, so compare them separately from the legal fee itself.

How much is the Land Registry fee?

It depends on the price and is set by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, in force since 9 December 2024. Where the application is lodged electronically, which is normal, the fee is £100 for a property between £100,001 and £200,000, £150 between £200,001 and £500,000, and £295 between £500,001 and £1,000,000. Postal applications cost more.

Do I pay conveyancing fees if the sale falls through?

Usually yes, in part. Most firms work on a no-completion-no-fee basis for their own charges, but disbursements already incurred, typically searches, are not refundable because the money has been spent. Ask before you instruct exactly what you would owe if the chain collapsed, and get the answer in writing.

Is a cheap online conveyancer a false economy?

Not automatically, but read the quote line by line. Very low headline fees are often supplemented with charges for things a fuller quote includes as standard, such as leasehold work, mortgage lender requirements, gifted deposits or same-day transfers. Compare the total figure on the quote, not the number in the advert.

How long does conveyancing take in Sussex?

A typical freehold sale and purchase runs around eight to twelve weeks from instruction to completion, and leasehold usually longer because the freeholder and managing agent have to supply information. Search turnaround varies between councils, so ask your conveyancer which authority your property sits in and how long that council is currently taking.