Conveyancing fees in Scotland are made up of three things: your solicitor's legal fee for the work, the outlays your solicitor pays to third parties on your behalf, and any tax due on the purchase. A good quote shows all three separately, with VAT added to the legal fee only.
This guide explains what the legal fee normally covers when you buy or sell, which outlays sit on top, how Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) fits in, what is usually not included, and how to check a quote before you instruct a solicitor.
What are conveyancing fees in Scotland?
Conveyancing is the legal work involved in transferring ownership of a property. In Scotland it follows its own process, with offers, missives and registration of the new owner in the Land Register of Scotland, which is run by Registers of Scotland.
When people talk about conveyancing fees, they usually mean the total cost of that legal work. In practice, your bill has three parts:
- The legal fee. What the solicitor charges for their own professional work. VAT at 20% is added to this part.
- Outlays. Payments made to third parties, such as Registers of Scotland registration dues and property searches. These are passed on at cost and do not carry VAT.
- Tax. On a purchase, LBTT and any Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS), which your solicitor pays to Revenue Scotland for you.
Every Scottish solicitor must tell you, in writing and at the outset, either an estimate of the total fee including VAT and outlays, or the basis on which the fee will be charged. This is a requirement of the Law Society of Scotland's rules on client communication, so you should always be able to see what is included before work starts.
What does the legal fee cover when you buy?
On a purchase, the legal fee covers the work from your offer through to registration of your title. At Complete Conveyancing, our fixed fee includes:
- submitting your offer and negotiating the missives with the seller's solicitor
- examining the title deeds, searches and Home Report, and reporting anything that affects you
- acting for your mortgage lender and requesting the mortgage funds
- preparing your LBTT return and settling the transaction on the date of entry
- registering your title, and your lender's standard security, in the Land Register of Scotland
If you are buying with a mortgage, your solicitor normally acts for your lender as well as for you. The standard security is the Scottish equivalent of a mortgage deed, and registering it is part of the work your legal fee covers. Our residential purchase service explains each step in more detail.
What does the legal fee cover when you sell?
On a sale, the legal fee usually covers preparing your title, dealing with the buyer's solicitor, concluding missives, obtaining a redemption figure and repaying your mortgage, and accounting to you for the sale proceeds after settlement.
The Home Report is not part of the legal fee. It is arranged with a chartered surveyor, usually through your estate agent, and paid for separately. Estate agency fees are also separate unless your solicitor is acting as your selling agent.
Which outlays are added on top?
Outlays are the costs your solicitor pays to other organisations for you. They are the same whichever firm you use, because they are set by those organisations rather than by the solicitor. Our current outlays are:
| Outlay | Buying | Selling |
|---|---|---|
| Registration of title (Registers of Scotland) | £80 to £930 up to £1 million, set by price | None |
| Registration of standard security | £80 if you have a mortgage | None |
| Discharge of your existing mortgage | None | £80 |
| Advance notice | £20 if you have a mortgage | £20 |
| Property searches | None | About £200 |
| Electronic transfer fee | £30 | £30 if you have a mortgage |
Registration dues for your title rise with the price of the property. You can see the full scale, along with our fee table, on our conveyancing fees page. The searches are ordered on behalf of the seller and give the buyer's solicitor a legal report and a property enquiry certificate. Our guide on what searches a solicitor carries out in Scotland explains what they show.
Is LBTT part of conveyancing fees?
LBTT is not a fee, but it is usually the largest cost you pay through your solicitor. It is the Scottish tax on buying property, and it replaced Stamp Duty Land Tax in Scotland in 2015. Your solicitor prepares the LBTT return and pays the tax to Revenue Scotland on your behalf at settlement.
The residential rates for 2026 to 2027, confirmed in the Scottish Budget, are charged in bands:
| Part of the price | LBTT rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £145,000 | 0% |
| £145,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £325,000 | 5% |
| £325,001 to £750,000 | 10% |
| Over £750,000 | 12% |
First-time buyers can claim relief that raises the zero rate band to £175,000, which saves up to £600. If you will own more than one home after the purchase, the Additional Dwelling Supplement adds 8% of the whole price. Our guides to LBTT for first-time buyers and the Additional Dwelling Supplement include worked examples.
Does VAT apply to conveyancing fees?
Yes, but only to the solicitor's own legal fee. VAT is charged at the standard rate of 20%, so a fee of £930 + VAT costs £1,116 in total. Registration dues, other outlays and LBTT are not subject to VAT.
When you compare quotes, check whether the headline figure includes VAT. A fee shown without VAT can look lower than a competitor's when it is not.
What is usually not included?
Some costs of buying or selling a home are not part of conveyancing fees at all, because they are paid to other people. These include:
- the Home Report, which the seller pays for
- any independent survey a buyer chooses to commission
- mortgage arrangement, product and valuation fees charged by your lender, and any broker fee
- estate agency and marketing fees
- buildings insurance, removals and moving costs
Some transactions also involve extra legal work, which some firms charge for separately. Examples include buying a new-build property, a purchase involving a shared equity scheme, a gifted deposit, a title that is still held in the old Sasine Register, or a transfer of title between owners. Ask whether any of these apply to you, and whether they change the fee. Our guide to the additional costs of buying a house in Scotland covers the wider budget.
How much are conveyancing fees in Scotland?
There is no set scale. Each firm sets its own fees, so it is worth comparing quotes. Our residential fee is fixed by the price of the property, starts at £880 + VAT, and is the same whether you are buying or selling.
As an example, here is what a buyer would pay through us on a £200,000 purchase with a mortgage, if they are not a first-time buyer and will own only one home:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Legal fee (£930 + VAT) | £1,116 |
| Registration of title | £400 |
| Registration of standard security | £80 |
| Advance notice | £20 |
| Electronic transfer fee | £30 |
| LBTT (2% on £55,000) | £1,100 |
| Total | £2,746 |
A first-time buyer at the same price would pay £500 in LBTT instead of £1,100, so the total would be £2,146. For your own figures, our quote calculator works out the fee, outlays, LBTT and any ADS in a couple of minutes.
What to check in a conveyancing quote
- Is the legal fee fixed? A fixed fee does not change if the transaction takes longer than expected.
- Is VAT shown? Look for the fee including VAT, not just the fee plus VAT.
- Are all outlays listed? Registration dues, searches and transfer fees should be shown separately.
- Are there extra charges? Ask about charges for things like identity checks, gifted deposits or new-build purchases.
- What happens if the deal falls through? Our guide on paying solicitor fees when a sale falls through explains what is normally charged.
If anything in a quote is unclear, ask before you instruct. You can call our team on 0141 471 9166 for a free 30-minute consultation, or read our guide on whether conveyancing fees are negotiable in Scotland.
Kirsty Docherty, Head of Residential Conveyancing
Kirsty leads our residential conveyancing team and has over a decade of experience in residential property law in Scotland. Last updated 2 November 2026. This guide is general information about Scots law, not legal advice for your situation.
