At Greenchurch, we believe that the charges we make for our services should be transparent and fair, and agreed with you at the outset.
We will confirm those charges in our client engagement letter so that you have a written record.
For some transactions we have fixed fees. These are set out below:
Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs):
For a single lasting power of attorney (property and finance or health and care) our fees are:
£400 plus VAT
If you wish to make both property and finance and health and care LPAs, our fees are:
£550 plus VAT
If a couple both wish to make either property and finance LPAs (or health and care LPAs) our fees are:
£650 plus VAT
If a couple wish to make both property and finance and health and care LPAs, our fees are:
£800 plus VAT.
Our fees include the work involved in registering the LPAs for you at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
Please note that in addition to our fees, a registration fee of £82 is charged by the OPG for each LPA registered, unless you qualify for an exemption or remission of the fee.
Wills:
For a single person requiring a will (without any complex trusts) our fee is £250 plus VAT
For a couple requiring mirror wills, or wills that largely reflect each other (without any complex trusts) our fee is £350 plus VAT
Wills including trusts for a disabled relative:
For a single will, with a letter of wishes, our fee is £425 plus VAT
For a couple, with letters of wishes, our fee is £600 plus VAT
Court of Protection:
Application for a property and finance deputyship our fee is £1204 plus VAT
This is the fixed fee set by the Court in accordance with Practice Direction 19B, which can be found here:
Please note that if the application then becomes complicated or drawn out, because for example objections are made to the proposed appointment, then we will charge an hourly rate for the additional work undertaken. The hourly rate is set by the Court (please see the table below).
Application for a welfare deputyship, our standard fee for making the application and serving all parties is £1500 plus VAT.
Thereafter, for additional work for example in complying with any further directions of the Court, we will charge an hourly rate for the work undertaken. The hourly rate is set by the Court (please see the table below).
Please note that in addition to our fees, there is a fee payable to the Court of Protection for each application. That fee is currently £408, unless you qualify for an exemption or remission of the fee. We will check this for you.
Acting as a professional property and affairs deputy or attorney.
Our work is carried out at an hourly rate set by the Court which as from 1 January 2025 is:
| Grade fee earner | London 1 | London 2 | London 3 | National 1 | National 2 |
| A. Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience | £566 | £413 | £312 | £288 | £282 |
| B.Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience | £385 | £319 | £256 | £242 | £242 |
| C.Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £299 | £269 | £204 | £197 | £196 |
| D.Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners | £205 | £153 | £143 | £139 | £139 |
We are a National Band 2 firm. We ensure that work is allocated and carried out at rates A, B, C or D by the most appropriate fee earner, to ensure you have the most cost-effective service.
If the work we carry out in any deputyship year falls within the fixed fee set in Practice Direction 19B, that will be our charge for the year.
If the work in any deputyship year exceeds the fixed fee, and the deputyship order provides for our costs to be assessed, we will arrange an assessment by the Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO). The SCCO office will issue a certificate which will determine how much we will be paid for the work we have undertaken in that year.
Obtaining a grant of probate or letters of administration and/or administering an estate on behalf of the personal representatives
Completing the Inheritance tax (IHT) forms and obtaining the grant of probate:
If there is a valid will, with executors who are available and willing to act, and there is no IHT to pay or other complex tax issues, then our legal fees will be between £800 plus VAT (£960) and £1100 plus VAT (£1320)
This work will involve:
- Receiving detailed information from the personal representatives
- Confirming the appropriate form of probate application
- Completing the application and associated paperwork, including the IHT forms
- Arranging payment of the probate fee and making the application
If you would also like us to handle the administration of the estate, then our fees will be between £2,800 plus VAT (£3360) and £3500 plus VAT (£4200.00).
The additional work we will then undertake will be as follows:
- Collect in the assets
- Settle all known liabilities
- Carry out necessary bankruptcy searches as
- Place the statutory notices if required
- Prepare estate accounts for approval
- Distribute the estate to the beneficiaries.
Probate work requires disbursements to be paid, which may include some or all of the following depending on the circumstances:
- Probate court fee of £300
- £1.50 for each extra Court sealed copy of the Grant of Probate
- Bankruptcy only Land Charges Department searches (per beneficiary).
- A fee for a statutory notice in The London Gazette – This protects the executor against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
- A fee for a statutory notice in a Local Newspaper – Again, this helps to protect against unexpected claims.
- Land Registry fees – depending upon the value of any property to be transferred to a beneficiary
If the estate is more complex, for example with the risk of a claim being brought against the estate, outstanding tax affairs, or if there are more than 10 different financial organisations holding assets, the costs are likely to be higher.
Greenchurch Legal does not undertake conveyancing work. However, we can refer clients to a number of excellent cost-effective conveyancers who will be able to deal with the sale of any property which forms part of an estate. The costs referred to above do not include the cost of any conveyancing work.
