When you’re buying or selling a property in the UK, you’ll need to use the services of a solicitor or conveyancer to help transfer ownership. Part of their fee will be for conducting the conveyancing process, and the other part will be for disbursements. Disbursements are the costs that your solicitor incurs on your behalf during the transaction, such as Land Registry fees and search fees. The total cost of conveyancing can vary depending on the value and complexity of your property transaction, but you can expect to pay between £500 and £1,500 + VAT. In most cases, you won’t need to pay any conveyancing fees upfront. Instead, your solicitor will ask you to sign a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement, which means you only pay if the transaction goes ahead successfully. If you’re selling a property, your solicitor will deduct their fee from the proceeds of the sale before sending the balance to you. If you’re buying a property, your solicitor will request that you pay their fee once the transaction has completed. In some cases, it may be possible to negotiate fixed-fee conveyancing, which means that you’ll know exactly how much your solicitor’s fees will be from the outset. This can be helpful if you’re working to a tight budget. So when it comes to understanding conveyancing fees in the UK, remember that there are two parts to the bill – the solicitors’ professional fees for carrying out the work, and disbursements for any costs incurred on your behalf during the transaction. You won’t usually need to pay anything upfront, but in some cases it may be possible to negotiate a fixed-fee arrangement. Either way, make sure you get an estimate of all likely costs before instructing a solicitor so that there are no nasty surprises further down the line.