What Happens to My Legal Fees When I Sell to a Cash Buyer?

One of the questions we get asked a lot is about costs. Specifically: if a cash buyer is offering less than full market value, are there at least some savings elsewhere to soften that?

The answer is yes — and one of the biggest ones is legal fees.

What are legal fees when selling a house?

When you sell a property, you need a conveyancer (a solicitor who specialises in property law) to handle the legal side of the transaction. Their job is to check the title, prepare the contracts, handle the transfer of funds, and register the change of ownership with the Land Registry.

For a standard sale, expect to pay a solicitor somewhere between £500 and £1,500 depending on the property value, complexity, and who you use.

Do cash buyers cover your legal fees?

Most reputable cash buyers do, yes. It's a standard part of what makes the offer competitive. You'll still get your own solicitor — a genuine cash buyer will insist on this, not discourage it — but the buyer typically pays those costs directly.

This means you're not coming out of pocket for your conveyancing when you sell to us. We cover it as part of the process.

What costs might you still have?

Even with a cash buyer covering your legal fees, there are a few things worth being aware of.

An EPC if you don't have one. Energy Performance Certificates are required for any property sale. If yours has expired or you never had one, you'll need to arrange one. They typically cost £60 to £120.

Any money owed on the property. If there's an outstanding mortgage, that gets repaid from the sale proceeds. This isn't a fee as such — it's just how it works.

Your own removal costs. The sale of the property doesn't include getting your belongings out of it. That's your cost to manage.

Leasehold service charge information. If the property is leasehold, your management company may charge a fee for providing the required documentation. These vary — sometimes £100, sometimes more.

How does this compare to a traditional sale?

With an estate agent, you're paying for a solicitor yourself. That's typically £800 to £1,500. Then there are the agent's fees on top: usually 1 to 1.5% of the sale price plus VAT. On a £250,000 property, you're looking at £2,500 to £3,750 in agent fees alone.

When you run the full comparison, the headline price difference between a cash offer and an estate agent sale shrinks once you account for fees, costs, and the time the property is on the market.

The important caveat

Not every cash buyer covers legal fees. Some add conditions or deduct them from the final payment. Ask directly before you agree to anything, and make sure you understand what's included.

If you'd like to know exactly what you'd receive for your property with no surprises, we're happy to talk it through.