Introduction
Cavers & Co Solicitors and Estate Agents is a law firm and member of the Law Society of Scotland. Among many legal practice requirements, the Law Society has issued Guidance on what is called Transparent Pricing. This is information to be made available to clients and potential clients about fees, outlays and costs that may be incurred when instructing solicitors. The Guidance is in place for all firms in Scotland that offer legal services to clients.
Here on our website we provide some examples of pricing for the range of services in which we practise. These are, as required, only illustrations, not definitive costs. This is because no two legal matters or transactions are exactly the same and charges vary by the amount of work involved. Some kinds of work carry a fixed fee, others are calculated by a scale or unit cost varying with the amount of time or other effort that is appropriate for the completion of the matter or transaction. Over and above fees, outlays are charges and costs paid out by the firm on behalf of the client to other companies, offices, organisations – e.g. the sheriff court, Registers of Scotland, search companies, local authorities and others. These charges are incurred by the client as a necessary part of the work being done. The Firm makes no margin or profit on outlays, they are simply passed on to the client at whatever cost is charged to us. We always seek the best deal and economy for the client.
So while we have outlined these examples, and hope they are helpful in describing the kind of charges for work you may instruct us to carry out, they are not definitive except in a few limited cases. However, the Law Society requires that all work to be carried out by solicitors in any firm must be preceded by a written estimate or quotation of fees, vat and outlays. This costing is part of an obligation to issue clients with a letter of engagement and Terms of Business: a set of relevant information made up of a formal letter and other related documentation.
Clients and potential clients reading this Price Transparency material should contact one of our solicitors for the specific and detailed estimate/quotation of fees, as well as discussing the work to be done and any other preliminary matters.
Areas of work
Will
A will is an important document to get right; in content, expression and execution. It is a mistake to assume that a will is either not necessary or that it is necessarily straightforward. In Scotland the law of inheritance can be complex and very often not what the ordinary client expects in terms of the rights (or absence of rights) of family members to receive a share of the estate. So this Firm’s work will involve discussing and advising on options and risks to achieve even the most basic will. If there are more complex family circumstances, dispositions of assets or potential or actual exposure to Inheritance Tax, then the work required may be extensive and thus carry additional fee charge.
For a basic job of consultation, advice, preparation of the single will, completion execution and storage, our standard charge is £150 plus VAT at £30. For mirror wills, for example by two spouses or partners, our standard charge is £200 plus VAT at £40. For more complex wills, there may be a higher charge.
There are usually no outlays associated with completing wills.
Power of Attorney (Adults with Incapacity)
There are various kinds of Power of Attorney (POA). The most-used is a document that supports a person who is incapacitated mentally and/or physically so cannot carry out normal business and/or personal care – known as the Combined Power of Attorney. It allows a trusted friend, family member (or may be more than one of these) to do what is needed, armed with full legal rights conferred by “the Adult” as the granter of the POA is known under the Adults With Incapacity (Scotland) Act. The document must be tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the Adult. A basic POA may require meeting and consultation with the solicitor, the drafting of the POA document, its completion and execution (i.e. signing and witnessing) – it must also be certified by the solicitor, and is then registered with the Office of the Public Guardian Scotland (OPG) to take effect.
For a basic single POA, our standard charge is £300 plus VAT £60. For mirror POAs, for example for spouses or partners, our standard charge is £350 plus VAT at £70. The outlay is a registration fee which is currently £96 per POA (increasing to £99 from 1 April 2026), charged by and paid to the OPG.
Guardianship (Adults with Incapacity)
Where creation of a Power of Attorney is not possible (usually because the Adult has left it too late to be able to grant a POA) or is inappropriate, the alternative is for a suitable person – who may be a family member or another – to apply to the Sheriff Court to be appointed Guardian. This is a complex and very detailed court process involving much documentation and formal reporting by various parties to satisfy the court that the court order is necessary and appropriate. It also involves personal appearance at court by the solicitor to conduct at least one formal hearing in front of the sheriff before the order is permitted and awarded.
Guardianships are almost always capable of being covered by Legal Aid in which case there is no cost to the client. If for any reason we agree to take on a case on a private basis an estimate of fees and outlays would be supplied at the outset depending on the specific circumstances of the case.
Purchase of Residential Property (Conveyancing)
The Firm deals with transactions for clients buying a home, whether it be a flat, house, new-build property land to build upon. The work may involve: communications and advice by the solicitor with the client, correspondence with estate agents and the seller’s solicitor, drawing up a range of documents including a formal legal offer and further formal contractual letters (“missives”), examination of title, inspection of searches and reports, drawing of a new title (disposition) and mortgage security where necessary, certifying title to a mortgage lender in compliance with the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook, arranging settlement (completion) of the transaction, obtaining and managing the funds from both client and mortgage lender, completion of Anti Money Laundering procedures, submission of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT: Scottish Stamp Duty) return and making payment of tax where due to Revenue Scotland, registration of new title (and mortgage security where funding comes from a lender), reporting to client and lender after registration.
An example of a fixed fee for a purchase of a Land Registered property at a price of £150,000 with a mortgage may be £500 plus VAT at £100 for missives, £750 plus VAT at £150 for conveyancing, £400 plus VAT at £80 for dealing with mortgage documentation and acting for a lender (if necessary) and £50 plus VAT at £10 for dealing with the completion of an LBTT return and payment of any tax due.
Outlays for the above example are: £260 to Registers of Scotland for registration of the title, £80 for registration of the mortgage, (in some cases) £20 for Advance Notice for mortgage, £100 for LBTT (though may be less if first purchase, or more – by payment of Additional Dwelling Supplement – if buying a second property). LBTT and title registration dues change on sliding scales according to the price of the property, so in the foregoing illustration some of the outlays are not applicable if the property is a different price.
Sale of Residential Property (Conveyancing) and Estate Agency
The Firm deals with transactions for clients selling a home, whether it be a flat, house, or land to build upon. The work may involve communication and advice by the solicitor with the client, correspondence with estate agents and the purchaser’s solicitor, drawing up a range of documents including a formal legal acceptance of the buyer’s offer and further missives, provision of title, ordering of searches and reports, revising of a new title (disposition) and discharging mortgage security where necessary, arranging completion/settlement of the transaction, receiving the funds from buyer’s lawyer and redeeming outstanding mortgage to the lender, registration of discharge where necessary, reporting to and settling with the client.
An example of a fixed fee for a sale of a Land Registered property at a price of £150,000 with a mortgage requiring to be discharged may be £500 plus VAT at £100 for missives, £750 plus VAT at £150 for conveyancing and £150 or £200 plus VAT at £30 or £40 respectively for the discharge of the mortgage depending on whether the relevant mortgage lender allows digital discharges or not.
Outlays are £60 or £80 for registration of the mortgage discharge (difference as explained in the preceding paragraph), £20 for Advance Notice for title and approximately £150 for searches. Other outlays may be necessary depending on the circumstances.
Estate Agency
In Scotland many firms of solicitors also provide property estate agency services. The Firm’s work for a client who instructs us to market property may include our staff consulting with the client, advising on value and marketing strategy/process, visiting and valuing the property, preparing a sale schedule, registering it on online property portals, arranging a Home Report, dealing with enquiries, arranging/conducting viewings, negotiating with prospective buyers and processing offers received. Commission may be based on a percentage of the sale price of the property or a fixed fee agreed beforehand.
For the sale of a property at a final sale price of £150,000, the commission may be 1% i.e. £1,500 plus VAT at £300. Additional charges may be applicable if we carry out viewings for you.
Outlays may be a marketing fee of £350 plus VAT at £70, Home Report charge of £550 plus VAT at £110 payable to the surveyor and a registration fee for advertising in the ESPC of £151 paid to the ESPC.
Remortgage of residential property (Conveyancing)
The Firm deals with transactions for clients who are remortgaging a home. The work may involve communication and advice by the solicitor with the client, examination of title, drawing up a range of documents, including a new mortgage security and a discharge of the old mortgage, ordering and inspection of searches and reports, obtaining and receiving funds from the new mortgage lender, redeeming outstanding mortgage to the old lender, registration of discharge arranging completion/settlement of the transaction, registration of new mortgage security, reporting to client and lender after registration.
A fixed fee for this work may be £750 plus VAT at £150.
Outlays are £60 or £80 for registration of the mortgage discharge (depending on whether the lender allows digital discharges or not), £80 for registration of the new mortgage security, £20 for Advance Notice for the security (in some cases) and approximately £150 for searches.
Discharge of security
For those lucky enough to have paid off their mortgage, there is a legal /conveyancing process to update title deeds known as discharge of security. Security is the correct Scottish legal word for mortgage. The mortgage lender has a security over the client’s title while the loan remains under repayment, and this can be removed once full redemption has been made and the bank or lender no longer has a claim over the property.
For a discharge of mortgage security our standard charge is £200 plus VAT at £40. If the lender allows digital discharges, our standard charge is £150 plus VAT at £30
The outlay is a charge of £60 or £80 payable to the Registers of Scotland. The former charge is for digital discharges, the latter for paper discharges.
Executry (deceased person)
Executry is the name used by lawyers for the work required in winding up the estate of someone who has died. It is another area where it is difficult, and often impossible, to give accurate levels of fee in advance. The Terms of Engagement often require a time-and-line/hourly/unit rate charge. It also makes a difference to the amount of work whether or not there is available a valid will signed by the deceased – more work and other costs are likely if there is no will. The work may involve meetings and consultations between the family/executor and the solicitor, collating and valuing the assets and liabilities of the estate, corresponding with financial and other institutions (e.g. banks, building societies, share registrars, employers/pension administrators, DWP, HMRC, council tax departments, factors, mortgage lenders and more), drawing court documents and forms for Confirmation (Scottish equivalent of Probate), dealing with the Sheriff Court processing the forms, ingathering the financial estate (i.e. collecting in all the money), accounting to the executor and distributing the bequests and shares of estate among beneficiaries.
There may also be a home/heritable property to sell on the open market or transfer to a beneficiary. That work is not included in this example as it is a conveyancing process (see Sale of Residential Property (Conveyancing) above), nor is calculating and dealing with Inheritance Tax, which affects only a limited number of estates and generates considerable work.
The fee for executry work in winding up a small estate where Confirmation is necessary may be £2,400 plus VAT at £480. Fees for larger and more complex estates will be higher.
Outlays may include Court Confirmation dues of £341 (£684 for estates exceeding £250,000) plus £9 for each individual asset certificate if needed.
Separation (settlement out of court)
When a marriage or domestic partnership breaks down there may be a range of legal matters to consider and settle. These may include property sale/transfer, sharing of financial assets and pensions, residence of and contact with children, financial maintenance – even negotiating who gets the dog. This kind of work more than most others cannot be costed exactly in advance as each case is as different is as each family is from another. These matters, if the negotiation between ex-partners via solicitors is successful is captured in a legally binding Minute of Agreement (contract) signed by both parties and registered. The Terms of Engagement letter often requires a time and line/hourly/unit rate charge.
A possible outcome is a fee, based on the time and line rate, of £1,750 plus VAT at £350.
Outlays may include a share of the registration dues of the Minute of Agreement: £44 if paying for both extracts (copies); £22 if for one only. Where a pension share is required, a pension share implementation fee payment to the Pension Administrators/Trustees of £750
Divorce
Following separation, parties usually wish to formalise the position via Divorce. The particular legal work necessary will depend upon the individual circumstances but in all circumstances will require an application to the court.
For a divorce using Simplified Procedure, where there are no children under the age of 16, our standard charge is £75 plus VAT at £15. The outlays would be court fees which are currently £151, plus service fees (if necessary).
For an uncontested divorce where there are children under the age of 16, a fee may be £950 plus VAT at £170. The outlays would be court fees which are currently £185.
General advice and business
As general practice solicitors this Firm takes on a range of clients and cases/transactions. Sometimes the work is preliminary advice, or assistance with a minor or brief legal issue requiring correspondence with other parties or solicitors, and/or creating of legal documentation. There really is no limit to the range of needs of clients when it comes to legal services and processes.
We often offer preliminary consultation without charge for a discussion or meeting, though we reserve the right to charge for all services and advice. Some examples of miscellaneous charges:
For notarising/certifying documents a fee may be £50 plus VAT at £10. No outlays.
For advising on and corresponding with a neighbour who is encroaching on a boundary the fee may be based on an hourly rate of £265 plus VAT at £53 per hour. No outlays.
AML and Identity checks
We are required by law to carry out Anti-Money Laundering and Identity checks on all clients prior to carrying out any work for them. Presently we use an online verification service for this which attracts a fee of £5.50 plus VAT at £1.10 per individual. For companies, the charge is £22 plus VAT at £4.40.
Last reviewed January 2026
