Conveyancing Quote Comparison Sheet

Who this is for

Conveyancing quotes laid out the same way. Each firm gets a row with its legal fee and each disbursement entered separately, so a low headline fee cannot hide a long list of extras. The sheet totals every quote and shows the cheapest, the dearest and the gap between them.

Buyers, sellers and people doing both at once who have asked several solicitors or licensed conveyancers to quote and want to compare like with like.

What this helps you track

• The transaction and property price every firm quoted on
• Each firm's legal fee kept apart from the disbursements
• Searches, ID and transfer charges and registration fees as quoted
• Whether a firm offers no-move-no-fee terms and how long it expects to take
• The total of each quote, the cheapest and the gap to the dearest

How to use it

1. Write the property, the transaction type and the price at the top, and give every firm the same details when you ask for a quote.
2. Enter each firm on its own row, copying the legal fee and each disbursement from the written quote, with any tax included as the firm shows it.
3. Put anything that does not fit a column, such as a leasehold supplement or an admin charge, in the other column.
4. Tick the no-move-no-fee column only where the quote says so in writing, and note the timescale the firm gave you.
5. The quote totals and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add each row across.
6. Work through the questions list with your top choices before you instruct anyone.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why split the legal fee from the disbursements?

Disbursements are costs the firm pays out on your behalf, such as searches and registration fees. Quotes present them differently, so entering each one in its own column shows whether a cheap-looking fee has left something out.

Should the figures include VAT or other tax?

Enter them the way the firm quotes them, but do the same for every firm. If one quote shows fees before tax and another after, ask the first firm for the full figure so the totals compare fairly.

Does the sheet tell me what fees are reasonable?

No. It supplies no prices or typical ranges. It adds up the figures you have been quoted and shows the cheapest and dearest, so the comparison rests on your own quotes.

What does no-move-no-fee cover?

It varies from firm to firm, and disbursements already paid are often still charged. Ask each firm what it means in their terms and note the answer before relying on it.