Legal Costs

[hboy]

As for conveyancing costs I bet the bill included the Goivernment fee for Deed registartion at £3.50 per 1,000 of purchase price, so on a £200k house that would be £700. What would stamp duty be in England.

 

1% so £2,000

 

No that was just the sale and purchase fees, ignoring deed registration.

.

[Cholmondley-Warner]

This comes as no surprise to me.

 

I had to ask a Notary Public (who happens to be an Athol Street lawyer) to witness my signature on a document two weeks ago, all he had to do was watch me sign and then countersign to say that he had witnessed me signing, took all of two minutes, the cost?..............£100 +vat, I asked an English lawyer what their charges would be for the same thing, he said "no more than £25".

 

A 7 day LBA (letter before action - to recover debt) here costs a minimum of £15.00 in England I can get it done for £1.50.

 

The advocate who countersigned my document simply witnessed my signature, he did not have to even read the document, like I say, he was witnessing that I had signed it, he took no photocopies or made any notes or records, I had my passport with me, he checked it, that was it, it took all of two minutes.

 

Please note that I did not say that an LBA was a legal requirement, it is a last attempt tp persuade the debtor to pay me what he owes me before I have to go law to recover it. I am not saying that £15 is an unreasonable charge nor am I saying that £1.50 is a reasonable one, I am telling you the facts as I know them, please draw your own conclusions as to whether one or the other is value for money.

[John Wright]

There is a difference between witnessing a document as an advocate, no record need be kept, or as a commissioner for oaths, again no record need be kept, and as a Notary.

 

Any document which is notarised, ie witnessed or signed in front of a Notary Pubic becomes a public document of which the notary must keep a copy and must properly record. If he charges then he has to do KYC.

He must satisfy himself as to the contebts and that you understand them and intend them.

 

if your Notary does not do that then he/she is not doing the job properly!

 

NB I represent the IOM Notaries on the British Isles Notarial Forum Forum and co presented the last Notaries training day

[John Wright]

As for conveyancing costs I bet the bill included the Goivernment fee for Deed registartion at £3.50 per 1,000 of purchase price, so on a £200k house that would be £700. What would stamp duty be in England.

 

1% so £2,000

 

No that was just the sale and purchase fees, ignoring deed registration.

.

 

So it wasn't one transaction, it was two. £1,000 each.

 

Still steep, you should have rung around.