Land registry charges explained: fees, calculator & examples

• Land Registry charges are statutory fees set by law and payable to HM Land Registry for property dealings in England and Wales. Electronic submissions generally attract lower fees than postal applications, with the exact amount easily verified using the official Fees Calculator. Using a regulated conveyancer and submitting applications electronically can significantly reduce costs and delays in property transactions.

Land Registry charges are statutory fees set by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024 and payable to HM Land Registry whenever you register a change of ownership or secure a loan against a property in England and Wales. The HM Land Registry Fees Calculator gives you the exact charge for your specific transaction in seconds.

A quick example to anchor the numbers: submitting a purchase electronically through the HM Land Registry portal generally attracts a Scale 1 fee significantly lower than the equivalent postal fee. This gap alone shows why submission method matters as much as the transaction value itself.

The sections below walk through how Scale 1 and Scale 2 work, how to use the official Fees Calculator step by step, and three worked numeric examples you can replicate for your own transaction.

• Land Registry charges apply in England and Wales only
• Fees are set by statute and are not negotiable
• Electronic portal submissions attract significantly lower fees than postal applications
• The HM Land Registry Fees Calculator returns the precise charge for any transaction type and value

Table of Contents

What are Land Registry charges and who sets them?

Land Registry charges are the fees payable to HM Land Registry for registering dealings with land and property in England and Wales. They cover two broad categories: registration fees (paid when ownership changes or a charge is secured) and information-service fees (paid for official copies, searches, and similar requests).

The legal basis for every charge is the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, which replaced the 2021 Fee Order and introduced a flat £4 increase to certain information-service fees. HM Land Registry publishes the full fee schedules on its Registration Services fees page, and the explanatory memorandum sets out the policy reasons behind the changes.

Geographic scope matters. The Fee Order applies only in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate land registration systems with their own fee structures; nothing in this guide applies to those jurisdictions.

The following events always attract a registration fee:

• Transfers of ownership for value (purchases, sales)
• Transfers without monetary consideration (gifts, equity transfers, probate transfers)
• Registering a mortgage or charge against a property
• First registration of a title not yet on the register
• Leasehold registrations (grant of a new lease or assignment of an existing one)

Some applications carry no fee at all. Registering a restriction in certain circumstances, updating an address for service, and applications by qualifying charitable organisations may be exempt or attract reduced fees. Your conveyancer can confirm whether an exemption applies before submission.

How do Scale 1 and Scale 2 fees work?

HM Land Registry uses two fee scales. Understanding which one applies to your transaction is the first step to calculating the correct charge.

Scale 1: value-based fees for transfers for value

Scale 1 applies to transfers for value, most purchases, and grants of new leases at a premium. The fee is calculated on the VAT-inclusive consideration (the total price paid, including any VAT). HM Land Registry places the transaction value into a band, and the fee for that band applies in full regardless of where within the band the value falls.

Portal (electronic) fees are substantially lower than postal fees across every Scale 1 band. For many mid-range property values, the portal fee is roughly half the postal equivalent, making electronic submission one of the most straightforward ways to reduce your registration cost.

Voluntary first registration attracts a reduced Scale 1 fee, commonly presented as half the standard rate. This applies when a property title has never been registered and the owner chooses to register it voluntarily rather than being compelled to do so on a sale. Old rural properties and titles that passed by will are the most common cases where this saving is overlooked.

Scale 2: fixed fees for non-monetary transactions

Scale 2 covers transactions that do not involve monetary consideration, as well as the registration of charges (mortgages). Common Scale 2 events include:

• Transfers of equity where no money changes hands (adding or removing a name from the title)
• Registering a mortgage or charge against a registered title
• Transfers following probate where no sale price is involved
• Administrative updates such as changing a proprietor's name after marriage

One important rule: separate charge documents attract separate Scale 2 fees. If a lender secures two advances under two separate charge documents, two fees become payable. Consolidating related obligations into a single document, where legally permissible, avoids this duplication. Ask your solicitor whether consolidation is possible early in the transaction.

For Scale 2 charges that secure variable or contingent obligations, the fee is assessed on the maximum amount secured, or on the value of the property charged if the maximum cannot be determined at the time of application. Getting this assessment wrong is a frequent cause of requisitions.

Scale 2 fees are set according to the value bands as for Scale 1. A fixed fee of £40 by post (or £20 via the portal) applies when no other fee is prescribed under the Registration service fees schedule.

What do the current fee bands look like?

The table below shows representative Scale 1 bands using the electronic portal fee, drawn from the HM Land Registry fee schedule. Postal fees are included for comparison.

Scale 2 fees are banded according to the value of the property or charge secured, typically at the same rates as Scale 1. The fixed minimum of £20 (portal) or £40 (post) applies when no other fee is prescribed.

Three worked examples

Example 1: Purchase at £300,000 with a mortgage

The purchase price of £300,000 falls in the £200,001 to £500,000 band. The Scale 1 electronic portal fee is £150. The mortgage charge registration attracts a separate Scale 2 fee based on the loan amount. For a £200,000 mortgage (falling in the £100,001 to £200,000 band), the Scale 2 portal fee is £100. Total Land Registry fees for this transaction submitted electronically: £250.

Example 2: Registering a mortgage charge for a £200,000 loan

Scale 2 applies. The loan amount of £200,000 falls in the £100,001 to £200,000 band. Electronic portal fee: £100. Postal fee: £230. The saving from electronic submission on this single charge alone is £130.

Example 3: Transfer of equity with no monetary consideration

No money changes hands, so Scale 2 applies. The fee is assessed on the value of the property being transferred. For a property worth £300,000 (£200,001 to £500,000 band), the portal fee is £150. If the transfer is accompanied by a new mortgage charge, that charge attracts its own separate Scale 2 fee.

Pro Tip: Always round your transaction value down to the nearest pound before entering it into the Fees Calculator. The calculator accepts only whole numbers and will reject decimal inputs, which can cause confusion if you copy a figure directly from a completion statement that includes pence.

How do you use the HM Land Registry Fees Calculator?

The HM Land Registry Fees Calculator is the fastest and most reliable way to confirm the exact charge for your transaction. Follow these steps:

1. Go to fee-calculator.landregistry.gov.uk — in your browser. No account or login is required.

Worked calculator example

Using Example 1 from above: select "Transfer of whole of registered title", enter `300000`, select "Electronic". The calculator returns Scale 1, band £200,001 to £500,000, fee: £150. Then run a second calculation for "Charge of registered estate", enter `200000`, select "Electronic". Result: Scale 2, band £100,001 to £200,000, fee: £100.

Pro Tip: Do not enter the VAT element separately. The calculator expects the total VAT-inclusive consideration as a single figure. Entering the net price and then adding VAT in a separate field is a common input error that produces an incorrect band result.

Worked examples for common transactions

1. Purchase completing with a mortgage

Your conveyancer submits two applications simultaneously: the transfer of ownership (Scale 1) and the registration of the mortgage charge (Scale 2). Both fees are payable at the point of application. For a purchase around £300,000 with a mortgage submitted electronically, the combined fee is lower than the equivalent posted submission fee.

The registration fee appears on your completion statement as a disbursement, listed separately from your conveyancer's professional fee. Your conveyancer pays HM Land Registry directly and recoups the amount from you at completion. For a clear breakdown of how disbursements appear on completion statements, see the guide to solicitor costs when buying a house.

2. Registering a mortgage charge only

This arises on a remortgage where the title is already registered. Only Scale 2 applies; there is no Scale 1 fee because no transfer of ownership takes place. The fee is based on the new loan amount. A £200,000 remortgage submitted electronically costs £100 to register. The same application by post costs £230.

3. Transfer of equity with no monetary consideration

Common on divorce settlements, relationship breakdowns, or when a family member is added to or removed from a title. Scale 2 applies, assessed on the property value rather than any sale price. If the property has a mid-range value like £300,000, the portal fee is notably lower than the postal fee. If a new mortgage is also being registered at the same time, that charge attracts its own Scale 2 fee. For practical steps on changing a title, the guide on how to change a property title in England covers the documentation required.

A note on first registrations

If a property has never been registered with HM Land Registry, the first registration fee applies. Voluntary first registration attracts a reduced rate, typically half the standard Scale 1 fee for the relevant band. Compulsory first registration (triggered by a sale or mortgage of an unregistered title) is charged at the standard Scale 1 rate. Always ask your conveyancer which category applies before budgeting.

How do you submit applications and pay?

HM Land Registry accepts applications through three routes, each with different cost implications.

• HM Land Registry portal (electronic submission): The primary route for regulated conveyancers. Portal fees are substantially lower than postal fees across all Scale 1 bands and most Scale 2 transactions. Payment is made electronically at the point of submission.
• Business Gateway: An integrated electronic submission route used by larger conveyancing firms and lenders. Fees are the same as portal fees.
• Postal or in-person submission: Available but attracts the higher postal fee schedule. Postal applications also take longer to process, which can delay registration and affect mortgage offers or onward transactions.

To avoid delays, every application should include:

• The completed application form (AP1 for most dealings)
• The transfer deed or charge document, correctly executed and witnessed
• Evidence of identity verification where required
• The correct fee payment (or a direct debit authority if the firm uses that arrangement)
• Any supporting documents specified in the form (e.g. grant of probate, power of attorney)

Pro Tip: Before instructing a conveyancer, ask explicitly whether they submit applications electronically. Some smaller firms still use postal submission as a default, which means you pay the higher postal fee without realising it. Confirming electronic submission at the outset is one of the simplest ways to reduce your property registration fees.

How can application errors cause delays and extra cost?

A requisition is a formal request from HM Land Registry for additional information or correction of an error in an application. Requisitions pause the registration process and, in practice, extend the time before your title is formally updated on the register.

Common errors that trigger requisitions include:

• Incorrect fee band: Submitting the wrong fee amount, often because the transaction value was entered incorrectly or the wrong scale was applied
• Missing or inconsistent signatures: A transfer deed signed by the wrong party, or a witness who has also signed as a party
• Name discrepancies: The name on the application not matching the registered proprietor exactly
• Missing supporting documents: Absent grant of probate, power of attorney, or identity evidence
• Incorrect assessment of a variable charge: Applying the wrong value basis for a contingent or revolving credit facility

A straightforward application with no errors typically completes registration within the standard HM Land Registry processing window. A requisition can add weeks to that timeline, which matters when a mortgage offer has an expiry date or a chain is waiting on title confirmation. For a fuller picture of how delays affect overall timelines, the guide on how long conveyancing takes sets out the typical stages.

The indirect cost of a requisition is real. Your conveyancer spends additional time responding, which may attract an additional charge depending on your fee agreement. The registration itself costs no more, but the professional time to resolve the error does.

Pro Tip: Ask your conveyancer to run through a pre-submission checklist before lodging any application. Verifying the fee band, confirming all signatures, and cross-checking names against the existing register entry takes minutes and can prevent a delay of several weeks.

Where do Land Registry fees sit among your total conveyancing costs?

Land Registry charges are one of several cost components in a property transaction. Understanding where they sit helps you budget accurately and ask the right questions when comparing conveyancer quotes.

Typical conveyancing cost components for a purchase include:

• Land Registry charges: — Statutory disbursements paid directly to HM Land Registry. Not negotiable.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT): A separate statutory tax on property purchases above the relevant threshold. See the Stamp Duty explained guide for current thresholds and worked examples.

Land Registry fees are statutory disbursements, meaning your conveyancer pays them on your behalf and recovers the exact amount from you. There is no mark-up permitted. When you receive a conveyancing quote, the Land Registry fee should appear as a fixed line item, not an estimate, once the transaction type and value are known. If a quote shows a wide range or an unexplained figure, ask the firm to confirm the exact fee using the official calculator.

For a full breakdown of how solicitor fees and disbursements compare, the average solicitor fees for buying a house guide provides current figures and explains what to look for in an itemised quote.

Practitioner tips to reduce fees and avoid delays

Regulated conveyancers who handle high volumes of Land Registry applications develop habits that reduce cost and prevent errors. These are the most consistently useful ones.

Pro Tip: Conveyancers who regularly submit applications electronically and consolidate charges correctly tend to produce cleaner applications with fewer requisitions. When comparing quotes through a service like Conveyancing-solicitor, ask each firm about their electronic submission rate and their approach to charge consolidation.

Key takeaways

Land Registry charges are statutory, set by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, and the single fastest way to confirm the exact fee for your transaction is to run it through the official Fees Calculator before instructing a conveyancer.

Why the calculator is only half the answer

The official Fees Calculator is genuinely useful, and using it before you instruct anyone is sensible. But the figure it returns tells you only what HM Land Registry will charge, not whether your application will be submitted correctly, on time, or through the cheapest route.

The gap between knowing the fee and paying the right fee is where most problems occur. A conveyancer who defaults to postal submission, fails to consolidate charges, or submits an application with a name discrepancy will cost you more than the difference between a cheap quote and a thorough one. The fee schedule is public and fixed; the quality of the application is not.

Readers who are buying with a mortgage, dealing with a transfer of equity, or handling a first registration should treat the calculator result as a budgeting input, not a guarantee. The application still needs to be prepared correctly, submitted electronically, and followed up if a requisition arrives. That is the part a regulated conveyancer earns their fee on, and it is the part that protects your title.

Get a fixed-fee conveyancing quote that includes your Land Registry fees

Knowing the statutory fee is straightforward once you have used the calculator. Finding a regulated conveyancer who will submit electronically, handle your application correctly, and give you a clear, itemised quote is the part that takes more effort.

Conveyancing-solicitor connects you with SRA- and CLC-regulated conveyancing firms across England and Wales, all offering fixed-fee quotes with Land Registry charges listed as a separate, transparent disbursement. There are no hidden mark-ups on statutory fees, and every firm in the network submits applications electronically as standard, so you automatically receive the lower portal fee rate.

Requisitions caused by poor applications are one of the most avoidable costs in a property transaction. Working with a vetted, regulated conveyancer reduces that risk significantly. Get an instant conveyancing quote and see the full breakdown of your costs, including Land Registry fees, before you commit.

Useful sources and further reading

The figures and rules in this guide are drawn from primary HM Land Registry sources. Use the links below to verify current fees and read the statutory instrument in full.

• The Land Registration Fee Order 2024: the statutory instrument that sets all current Land Registry charges in England and Wales.
• HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees: the official fee schedule, including Scale 1 and Scale 2 tables with portal and postal rates.
• HM Land Registry Fees Calculator: use this for the exact fee for your specific transaction type and value. This is the most reliable source for transaction-specific figures.
• Registration service fees (HM Land Registry PDF): the full published fee table, including fixed-fee items, large-scale application rules, and detailed band breakdowns.
• Land Registration Fee Order 2024: explanatory memorandum: explains the policy reasons for the 2024 changes, including the flat £4 increase to information-service fees.

For transaction-specific figures, always use the Fees Calculator rather than a published table. Fee schedules are updated periodically, and the calculator reflects the current order automatically. For legal detail on how fees are assessed in complex cases (variable charges, large-scale applications, charitable exemptions), the Fee Order itself and its explanatory memorandum are the authoritative references.

This article provides general information about Land Registry charges in England and Wales. It is not legal or financial advice. Always confirm current fees and eligibility for exemptions with a qualified, regulated conveyancer before completing any property transaction.

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