Land Registry Fee Calculator UK
Instantly calculate your exact HM Land Registry fee — plus solicitor registration costs, search fee estimates, and your total property registration bill.
Your Land Registry Fee Breakdown
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How to Calculate Land Registry Fees
Follow these four steps to find your exact HM Land Registry fee — or use our calculator above for an instant result.
Find Your Property Value
Use the purchase price (or the mortgage amount for remortgages). For transfers by gift where no money changes hands, use the market value of the property.
Identify Your Transaction Type
Is this a purchase (Scale 1), remortgage or gift (Scale 2), or a first registration? This is the most important step — the wrong scale is the #1 cause of overcharging by solicitors.
Choose Online or Postal
Online (portal) applications attract a significant discount — typically around 50% cheaper than postal paper applications. Most solicitors now submit electronically, so you should expect the online rate.
Find Your Fee in the Scale Table
Match your property value to the correct band in the fee scale table. The fee is fixed — it does not vary based on property type (house, flat, land) or location.
Why Is My Land Registry Fee Different to What I Expected?
Confused about your fee quote from your solicitor? You’re not alone. Here are the most common reasons fees appear higher — or lower — than expected.
🖥️ Online vs Postal Rate
Your solicitor may quote the postal rate if they are not submitting electronically, or they may not pass on the online discount. Always ask: “Is this the online portal rate or the postal rate?”
⚖️ Wrong Scale Applied
Some solicitors accidentally charge Scale 1 for remortgages (which should be Scale 2). Scale 2 is approximately half the price. This is worth querying if your remortgage fee looks very high.
🏠 First Registration Premium
If your property has never been registered before, a first registration fee applies. Voluntary first registration actually qualifies for a 50% reduction — encouraging registration of unregistered land.
💼 Solicitor’s Own Fee Added
The HMLR fee is a disbursement — a government charge passed straight through. Your solicitor’s invoice will also include their own registration fee (typically £30–£100) on top of the government fee.
📏 Part Title Transactions
If you are buying part of a larger title (e.g. a plot being split off), different rules may apply. Part title transfers may attract Scale 1 even if the value is low.
🔄 Multiple Applications
A purchase with a mortgage requires TWO registrations — the transfer (Scale 1) and the charge/mortgage (Scale 2). Both fees appear on your completion statement and both are correct.
💡 Quick check: If your solicitor’s land registry fee looks wrong, ask them to confirm whether it is Scale 1 or Scale 2, and whether it is the online or postal rate. Then verify it against our calculator above.
Online vs Postal Land Registry Fees
HM Land Registry offers a substantial discount for applications submitted electronically through its portal. Here’s exactly what you save.
| Property Value | Online Fee (Scale 1) | Postal Fee (Scale 1) | Online Saving |
|---|
When online applies
The online fee applies when your solicitor submits your application through HM Land Registry’s online portal (HMLR Business Gateway or portal). Most modern conveyancing practices submit electronically.
Always ask your solicitor
Always ask your conveyancer: “Are you submitting my application online or by post?” You should only pay the online rate if they use the portal. The online rate is typically quoted in modern conveyancing quotes.
First Registration Fees Explained
First registration occurs when unregistered land or property is submitted to HM Land Registry for the first time. Special rules and discounts apply.
Compulsory First Registration
When you buy unregistered property, you must register it at HM Land Registry. Scale 1 fees apply. This is now compulsory for all qualifying transactions including purchases, mortgages, gifts and leases over 7 years.
Voluntary First Registration
You can voluntarily register unregistered land at any time. HM Land Registry encourages this with a 50% discount on Scale 1 fees — making voluntary registration very cost-effective.
Voluntary First Registration — 50% Discount
If you own unregistered land or property, you can register it voluntarily and receive a 50% reduction on the standard Scale 1 fee. For a £300,000 property this means paying just £50 instead of £100 online.
Benefits of Voluntary Registration
Registered title is much easier to sell, mortgage and transfer. It protects against adverse possession claims, simplifies future conveyancing, and costs less to register now than after a compulsory trigger.
Complete Property Registration & Conveyancing Costs
The Land Registry fee is just one part of your total property registration cost. Here’s everything you should budget for.
| Cost Item | Who Pays | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HM Land Registry Fee | Buyer (via solicitor) | £20–£500+ | Official government disbursement |
| Solicitor’s Legal Fee | Buyer | £800–£2,500+ | Conveyancing professional fee |
| Local Authority Search | Buyer | £60–£250 | Varies by council area |
| Drainage & Water Search | Buyer | £30–£60 | Usually required by lender |
| Environmental Search | Buyer | £30–£80 | Flood risk, contamination |
| SDLT / Stamp Duty | Buyer | 0%–12% | Separate government tax on property |
| Mortgage Arrangement Fee | Buyer | £0–£2,000 | Charged by lender (optional) |
| Survey / Valuation | Buyer | £300–£1,500 | Homebuyer report or full structural |
| HMLR + Solicitor + Searches | Buyer | £1,000–£3,500 | Typical total registration cost |
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about HM Land Registry fees, based on real queries from UK property buyers.
HM Land Registry fees are calculated using a tiered scale based on the property transaction value. The fee scale has fixed price bands — for example, £0–£80,000, £80,001–£100,000, and so on up to over £1,000,000. You find which band your property value falls into, then look up the applicable fee.
The fee depends on: (1) the property value, (2) whether Scale 1 or Scale 2 applies, and (3) whether the application is submitted online or by post. Use our calculator above to get your instant result.
Scale 1 applies to registrations involving a transfer for monetary consideration — principally property purchases. It is the higher scale.
Scale 2 applies to registrations that do not involve a payment for ownership transfer — including remortgages, transfers by gift, and transfers between family members. Scale 2 fees are approximately half of Scale 1 fees.
If your solicitor charges you a Scale 1 fee for a remortgage, this is likely incorrect and worth querying.
A £300,000 house purchase falls into the £200,001–£500,000 fee band. The fees are:
- Scale 1 Online: £150
- Scale 1 Postal: £330
- Scale 2 Online (remortgage): £75
- Scale 2 Postal (remortgage): £165
Use our calculator to calculate fees for any property value instantly.
Yes. When you remortgage, your new mortgage charge must be registered at HM Land Registry. This triggers a Scale 2 fee based on the mortgage amount (not the property value). Scale 2 fees are approximately half of Scale 1 fees, so remortgage registration is relatively inexpensive.
For example, a £250,000 remortgage would incur a Scale 2 online fee of approximately £75.
Yes — HM Land Registry offers a significant discount for applications submitted electronically through its portal. Online fees are approximately 50% lower than the equivalent postal paper application fee. Most modern solicitors submit electronically, so you should typically expect the online rate. Always confirm with your conveyancer which rate they are applying.
The current Scale 1 online fees (as of April 2025) are:
- Up to £80,000: £20
- £80,001–£100,000: £40
- £100,001–£200,000: £100
- £200,001–£500,000: £150
- £500,001–£1,000,000: £295
- Over £1,000,000: £500
Postal fees are approximately double the above. Scale 2 fees (remortgages, gifts) are approximately half of Scale 1.
In most property transactions, your solicitor or conveyancer handles the Land Registry application on your behalf and pays the fee as a disbursement — meaning it is passed directly to you on your completion statement. The solicitor is simply collecting the government fee on behalf of HM Land Registry; they should not add a mark-up to the disbursement itself (though they may charge a separate fee for their own registration handling work).
A £500,000 house purchase falls into the £200,001–£500,000 fee band. The fees are:
- Scale 1 Online: £150
- Scale 1 Postal: £330
Note that £500,001 would push into the next band (£500,001–£1,000,000) with an online fee of £295. This calculator uses the bands exactly as per the official HMLR fee schedule.
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