No Sale No Fee Conveyancing

No sale, no fee conveyancing is a contractual agreement where a solicitor won't charge you for their legal services if a sale falls through. This helps to provide peace of mind that your finances are protected should anything go wrong with your property transaction.

However, you’ll still need to cover any costs already paid out to third parties on your behalf, such as conveyancing searches and bank transfer fees. These are sometimes requested as upfront payments.

Given that buying a home is an expensive and often stressful process, lowering the financial risks associated is appealing to most people. Our guide covers everything you need to know, from who offers this service to the costs and protection involved.

Many, but not all, reputable solicitors offer no sale, no fee conveyancing, so it's important to clarify this before you instruct a solicitor. This option should be stated clearly on their website.

The no sale, no fee right was established under the 1995 Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), and conveyancers and solicitors have the option to choose whether or not they want to offer this.

A smooth conveyancing process is never guaranteed. Delays are common, particularly when leasehold paperwork or a Deed of Variation is required. Choosing a No Sale, No Fee solicitor gives you peace of mind if things don’t go to plan.

It's often common practice for online conveyancers to offer this compared to local conveyancers, to encourage you to use them. Online conveyancers tend to offer cheap conveyancing options than local conveyancers due to fewer overheads and online communication.

With over 32% of all property sales falling through in 2025, no sale no fee is becoming increasingly popular as it greatly reduces the financial risk of a failed transaction.

It's useful to carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of using no sale no fee conveyancing to ensure you're making an informed decision.

Pros:

• Less financial risk - You are not at risk of losing money on legal costs if the sale falls through.
• Conveyancer's incentive - Your conveyancer will lose their fee if the sale falls through, so it's in their best interest to do everything in their power to ensure this doesn't happen.

Cons:

• Potential hidden fees - Always ensure all fees are transparent and discussed at the time of instruction, so you are aware of all the costs you must pay.
• Higher fees - As there is a risk involved with no sale, no fee conveyancing, these companies often charge more than the standard conveyancers.

• A Break in the Property Chain - Buyers and sellers are linked as their property transactions depend on one another. If one sale falls through, this can jeopardise the rest of the chain.
• Change of Heart - Sometimes, a buyer or seller can change their mind about the purchase. This can be due to several reasons, from financial factors, a change of circumstances or a long conveyancing process.
• Financial Setbacks - Most buyers purchase a house using a mortgage, so having finances in order at the start of the process is essential. If a buyer struggles to get a mortgage offer accepted or a mortgage extension is declined, the transaction can fall through. This is why financial organisation is key.
• Gazumping - Gazumping occurs when a seller accepts an offer but later accepts a higher offer from another buyer. This can happen at any point until the transaction is legally binding with the exchange of contracts. To reduce this risk, the buyer can ask the estate agent to mark the property as sold subject to contract and remove it from the market.
• Gazundering - Gazundering occurs when a buyer lowers their offer on a property at the last minute, usually before the exchange of contracts. It puts pressure on the seller to accept the reduced price, and often, a seller is unwilling to accept.
• Surveying Issues - Most buyers will have a RICS Home Survey carried out on the property to ensure there aren't any major concerns present. If issues are flagged, the buyer may want to pull out of the sale and not renegotiate on their initial offer.
• Seller Accepted Multiple Offers - In some cases, a seller may continue speaking to more than one buyer before exchange. The sale is only legally binding once contracts are exchanged. The buyer with the slower conveyancing process will then lose the house, which can affect their own property chain.

Because solicitors take on the risk of uncompleted sales, with no sale, no fee conveyancing, many will ask for a deposit before proceeding. This deposit acts as security for their time and early legal work. It isn’t an extra charge and will usually be deducted from your final conveyancing fee upon completion.

If your property transaction fails, what happens to your deposit will depend on your chosen solicitor. Some will refund you in full when the house sale falls through, while others will use it to fund your second property transaction. A deposit can become non-refundable if you withdraw from the transaction voluntarily or decide to use a different solicitor.

On average, conveyancing solicitor fees are around £1,624 when buying a house and £1,023 when selling. Disbursements, third-party costs and this services such as Help to Buy paperwork and lease extensions would be charged in addition to this. Remember, if a buyer or seller pulls out there are fees that still need to be paid.

As you are still liable to pay for any disbursements or third-party charges that have already been paid, you can opt to take out Home Buyers Protection Insurance.

This insurance policy is designed to cover you for a failed property transaction. Costs covered typically include valuation fees, mortgage fees, and conveyancing searches.

Whether you are buying or selling a property, using a conveyancer is essential. The best way to find out if a conveyancing company offers No Sale No Fee is to speak to them directly.

Tell us about your conveyancing needs and we’ll connect you with up to 5 licensed conveyancing solicitors. Your matched solicitors will contact you to discuss what you need and provide prices, so you can choose the right fit for your move.

Every conveyancer in our network must pass our checks and verification process, which includes providing proof of regulation by either the SRA, CLC, LSS, LSNI or CILEx. It's important to read customer reviews before making your final decision to gain a better idea of the services they offer.

Need a Surveyor?

If you also need a RICS-accredited property surveyor, our integrated conveyancing and surveying form lets you connect with both conveyancers and surveyors in one go, helping you save time and money across the whole process.

Life's big decisions deserve cost information you can trust. The figures in this guide are based on real prices received by thousands of Konnect You users. We review this data regularly to keep it accurate and up to date, so it reflects what people are really paying. Read more about how we get our cost data.