We aim to charge fair and competitive fees for all our work. We have just updated our fees from 1st April 2021 for the first time for over 5 years.
Base Fees
We have a number of base fees for standard kinds of work for which we can quote a fee assuming that the work can proceed in a straightforward way without complications or changes. Here are some of our base fees:
Buying, selling and refinancing residential properties
Sale with no mortgage $900.00 + GST $135 = $1,035.00
Sale with one mortgage $980.00 + GST $147 = $1,127.00
Purchase with no mortgage $1,100.00 + GST $165 = $1,265.00
Purchase with one mortgage $1,250.00 + GST $187.50 = $1,437.50
Sale and Purchase on the same or consecutive days as above, less 5% discount
House and land package (house to be built) – as above plus $400.00 + GST
Extras:- KiwiSaver withdrawal (each) $120.00 + GST
HomeStart grant (each) $120.00 + GST
Mortgage only $480.00 + GST $72 = $552.00
Mortgage discharge only: $180.00 + GST $27.00 – $207.00
Refinancing – one mortgage off & on $580.00 plus GST $87 = $667.00
ADLS Commercial Deed of Lease with standard additional clauses $600.00 + GST $90 + time-based fee for negotiation of lease.
Landlord’s consent to assignment $400.00 + GST
Standard Wills (couple with children) $100+GST $15 = $115 for 1 person, $150+GST $22.50 = $172.50 for couple, free with house purchase or within 6 months after.
Enduring Powers of Attorney (property and personal care & welfare) $400+GST for 1 person, $600+GST for couple
Standard property relationship agreements $640 plus GST $96 = $736.00
The above fees are all base fees, assuming no complications or alterations requiring additional work, for which we reserve the right to make an additional charge on the basis of time. For conveyancing we assume when giving estimates that it is a single freehold residential property in one title, not leased or tenanted, with no significant defects, that the contract has already been signed with a real estate agent, with one or two individuals as joint owners and that no guarantor is required for the mortgage.
Disbursements (fees for LIM reports, title searches, registration fees, bank fees etc) are passed on at actual cost.
Non-standard fees
For other types of work we may be able to quote a fee or estimate a likely fee largely on the basis of the time we expect the job to take, calculated at a rate which reflects the experience of the lawyer, the complexity of the task, the urgency and circumstances in which the work is undertaken and any time limitations imposed, including those imposed by our client and other relevant factors specified in legislation including:
• the skill, specialised knowledge, and responsibility required to perform the services properly and the difficulty or novelty of the questions involved,
• the importance of the matter to the client and the amount or value of the property involved or in dispute,
• the results achieved,
• the degree of risk assumed by the lawyer in undertaking the services,
• the reasonable costs of providing the service,
• fees charged by other local lawyers for similar services.
And our final fee will reflect these factors as well as the amount of any quote or estimate of fees given.
Whenever practical we will record the basis of charging fees in writing to you at the commencement of the task in a formal letter of engagement and will endeavour to notify you if and whenever it becomes apparent that our fees will exceed our quote or estimate.