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Conveyancing
Compare conveyancing solicitors in Cardiff and see what a Cardiff purchase costs, from the council search to the Land Registry fee. Cardiff is in Wales, where buyers pay Land Transaction Tax (LTT) to the Welsh Revenue Authority and Stamp Duty Land Tax does not apply.
Money Saving Advisors is a comparison service. We are not a law firm and have no Cardiff office, and the firm you choose confirms its own fee.
Cardiff house prices and sales
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average price, all homes (July 2026, provisional) | £272,252, up 2.7% on July 2025 |
| First-time buyers | £234,155 |
| Home movers (former owner occupiers) | £333,253 |
| Detached | £519,113 |
| Semi-detached | £324,859 |
| Terraced | £262,241 |
| Flat or maisonette | £160,574 |
| Wales, all homes | £215,037 |
| 2025 sales by type | Terraced 37.1%, semi-detached 25.5%, flat or maisonette 21.2%, detached 16.1% |
| 2025 sales that were leasehold | 22.4% |
| 2025 sales that were new builds | 4.0% |
Sources: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, Cardiff and Wales, July 2026 (provisional); HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, 4,554 standard sales in Cardiff with 2025 deed dates, as registered on 25 September 2026 (Money Saving Advisors analysis). Checked 25 September 2026.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Two in three Cardiff sales in 2025 (65.9%) were above £225,000, the point where LTT starts at main rates, and the median sale price was £270,000. In July 2026 Cardiff had the third-highest average house price in Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics. For most buyers, LTT is part of the budget for conveyancing in Cardiff.
One sale in five was a flat, and 956 of the 967 flats sold in 2025 were leasehold. A leasehold purchase needs extra checks on the lease, ground rent and service charges, so ask each firm how it prices leasehold work. See our guide to leasehold conveyancing.
You pay the legal fee plus disbursements, such as searches and the Land Registry fee, with Land Transaction Tax on top. At Cardiff's average price of £272,252 (July 2026), the HM Land Registry fee is £150 online and LTT at main rates is £2,835. Legal fees and search costs vary, so compare itemised quotes.
Sources: HM Land Registry, Welsh Revenue Authority, Office for National Statistics (checked 25 September 2026)
Our guide to conveyancing fees explains each item in the table in more detail.
Typical costs on a Cardiff purchase (checked 25 September 2026)
| Cost | City average home (£272,252) | Average flat (£160,574) | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal fee, including VAT | From your quotes | From your quotes | The firm |
| Local authority search (LLC1 and CON29) | £153.60 (LLC1 £6, CON29 £147.60 including VAT) | Same | Cardiff Council |
| Optional CON29O enquiries | £18 each including VAT, only if your conveyancer asks them | Same | Cardiff Council |
| Drainage and water search | Shown on your quote | Shown on your quote | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water |
| Environmental search | Shown on your quote | Shown on your quote | Search provider |
| Coal mining report, only if the free check says one is needed | From £27 plus VAT | From £27 plus VAT | Mining Remediation Authority |
| HM Land Registry registration, online | £150 | £100 | HM Land Registry |
| LTT at main rates | £2,835 | £0 | Welsh Revenue Authority |
Indicative only. Cardiff Council's search fees apply from 1 April 2026. The registration fees are HM Land Registry's online fees for a transfer of a whole registered title. Registering a new lease, such as on a new-build flat, costs £230 at £100,001 to £200,000 and £330 at £200,001 to £500,000. The LTT figures are for a buyer who owns no other residential property.
Sellers do not pay for searches or LTT. GOV.UK lists legal fees and land registry fees among the costs a seller may pay. If you are selling a leasehold flat, the freeholder or managing agent is likely to charge you for providing the leasehold information. See solicitor fees for selling.
A low headline fee does not always mean a low bill. When you compare conveyancing quotes in Cardiff, check that each one lists the legal fee, VAT and every disbursement, and that it includes filing the LTT return and any leasehold supplement. Some firms offer no sale no fee conveyancing if a purchase falls through. If you are remortgaging, see remortgage conveyancing.
LTT is charged in bands, so each rate applies only to the part of the price within that band. These figures are for residential purchases. Your conveyancer confirms the final amount, and the Welsh Revenue Authority's LTT calculator gives an exact figure.
Main rates apply if you do not own any other residential property, or if you are replacing your main home and have sold the old one by the day you buy.
| Part of the price | Main rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £225,000 | 0% |
| £225,001 to £400,000 | 6% |
| £400,001 to £750,000 | 7.5% |
| £750,001 to £1,500,000 | 10% |
| Over £1,500,000 | 12% |
These rates have applied since 10 October 2022. Source: Welsh Revenue Authority, checked 25 September 2026.
Wales has no first-time buyer relief, so first-time buyers pay the same main rates as other buyers who own no other property. At Cardiff's average first-time buyer price of £234,155 (July 2026), that comes to £549: 6% of the £9,155 above £225,000. In England, a first-time buyer pays no Stamp Duty Land Tax up to £300,000 on a home costing £500,000 or less.
| Average price, July 2026 | LTT at main rates | LTT at higher rates |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette, £160,574 | £0 | £8,029 |
| First-time buyer average, £234,155 | £549 | £13,603 |
| Terraced, £262,241 | £2,234 | £16,174 |
| All homes, £272,252 | £2,835 | £17,175 |
| Semi-detached, £324,859 | £5,992 | £22,436 |
| Home mover average, £333,253 | £6,495 | £23,275 |
| Detached, £519,113 | £19,433 | £44,839 |
Calculated by Money Saving Advisors from UK House Price Index averages for July 2026 (provisional) and the Welsh Revenue Authority's rates, checked 25 September 2026. Rounded to the nearest pound. Illustrative only.
| Part of the price | Higher rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £180,000 | 5% |
| £180,001 to £250,000 | 8.5% |
| £250,001 to £400,000 | 10% |
| £400,001 to £750,000 | 12.5% |
| £750,001 to £1,500,000 | 15% |
| Over £1,500,000 | 17% |
These rates have applied since 11 December 2024. Source: Welsh Revenue Authority, checked 25 September 2026.
The higher rates are a separate table, charged from the first pound. They usually apply if any buyer, or their spouse or civil partner, already owns a residential property, and then the whole purchase is charged at higher rates.
The Welsh Revenue Authority's own example is a first-time buyer in Cardiff buying jointly with her mother, who owns her home: that purchase will likely be at higher rates. In its example of a joint borrower, sole proprietor mortgage, where the parent is not a legal owner, higher rates do not apply. Ask your conveyancer and lender first. If you sell your previous main home within 3 years of buying the new one, you can usually claim back the difference.
The return and payment are due within 30 days of the day after completion, and since 3 July 2023 solicitors and conveyancers can only file online. A return is needed even when no tax is due, apart from exceptions such as a freehold bought for less than £40,000. Your conveyancer can file it and pay the tax for you, usually adding the tax to the amount you pay them. The WRA's postcode checker confirms whether an address is in Wales.
Conveyancers in Cardiff order the local authority search for the council area that covers the address. See conveyancing searches for what each search covers.
A local authority search has two parts: the LLC1, which checks the local land charges register for entries such as planning conditions, conservation areas and tree preservation orders, and the CON29 enquiries, which cover planning history, road schemes and notices affecting the property.
Cardiff Council is not on HM Land Registry's list of councils that have moved their register to its national service (list updated 18 September 2026), so both parts still come from the council. From 1 April 2026 the council charges £6 for the LLC1 and £147.60 including VAT for the CON29, £153.60 in total, and it aims to reply within 5 working days. See the council's local land charges page.
These areas are in the Vale of Glamorgan. HM Land Registry took over the Vale's local land charges register on 26 August 2025, so the LLC1 part of a search there comes from HM Land Registry's online service, where an official search costs £15. The Vale council still answers CON29 enquiries. Canton, Whitchurch, Llandaff, Roath, Radyr, Rhiwbina, Lisvane and Pontprennau are in Cardiff Council's area. Your conveyancer checks which council covers the exact address.
Your conveyancer can check the address on the Mining Remediation Authority's free online search, which shows whether a coal mining report is needed. Reports start at £27 plus VAT and usually arrive within 24 to 48 hours.
Conveyancing in Cardiff usually takes 8 to 12 weeks for a freehold purchase with no chain, according to our guide to how long conveyancing takes. A chain, a leasehold flat or a slow search can add time.
| Stage or type of purchase | Typical time | Cardiff note |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority search | Cardiff Council aims to reply within 5 working days | Ask your conveyancer what turnaround it is seeing now |
| Freehold purchase, no chain | 8 to 12 weeks | Allow longer for a leasehold flat while the management pack arrives |
| Purchase with a chain | 12 to 16 weeks | The slowest link sets the pace |
| Cash purchase, no chain | 6 to 8 weeks | Still depends on the searches and enquiries |
| LTT return and payment | Within 30 days of the day after completion | Your conveyancer usually files it |
Week ranges from our guide to how long conveyancing takes, checked 25 September 2026. LTT deadline from the Welsh Revenue Authority.
If you have a mortgage, the formal offer typically takes 2 to 4 weeks from application. Our conveyancing process guide sets out each stage through exchange and completion, and conveyancing explained covers the basics.
Run every firm that quotes through these seven checks. We do not rank or recommend firms. Our guide on how to choose a conveyancing solicitor covers each check in more depth.
The same checks apply whether you choose conveyancing solicitors in Cardiff or a firm based elsewhere.
Solicitors, licensed conveyancers and chartered legal executives are all qualified and regulated to do conveyancing, so a "property lawyer" can be any of them. The Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates solicitors, and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers regulates licensed conveyancers. You need only one. See licensed conveyancer vs solicitor.
A firm does not need a Cardiff office to act for you, but it does need to know LTT. Online conveyancing firms can suit a straightforward purchase, and a local firm suits buyers who want to meet in person.
You pay the legal fee on your quote plus disbursements, with LTT on top. At Cardiff's July 2026 average price of £272,252, the Land Registry fee is £150 online and LTT at main rates is £2,835. Cardiff Council's local search costs £153.60. Our conveyancing fees guide explains each item.
Yes, on any part of the price above £225,000, because Wales has no first-time buyer relief. At Cardiff's average first-time buyer price of £234,155 (July 2026), LTT at main rates is £549. If a parent who already owns a home buys with you and goes on the title, higher rates are likely to apply.
Not necessarily. A regulated firm based anywhere in England and Wales can act on a Cardiff purchase. Experience with LTT returns, a place on your lender's panel and clear communication matter more. Some buyers prefer a conveyancer in Cardiff they can meet in person. See our guide to online conveyancing.
You need only one. Solicitors and licensed conveyancers are both regulated to handle residential conveyancing. Fees depend on the firm, the property and the work involved, so a licensed conveyancer is not always cheaper. Compare the total on each quote, including VAT and disbursements. See licensed conveyancer vs solicitor.
Check the firm on the SRA or CLC register, confirm it is on your lender's panel and ask for an itemised quote that includes filing the LTT return. Money Saving Advisors does not rank firms. Our guide on how to choose a conveyancing solicitor has the full checklist.
Rarely. Even with no chain, you wait for the council search, the replies to enquiries and, with a mortgage, the formal offer. Our guide to how long conveyancing takes puts a cash purchase with no chain at 6 to 8 weeks and a freehold purchase with no chain at 8 to 12 weeks.
If you are also buying in England, that purchase pays Stamp Duty Land Tax to HMRC, so check which tax applies to each property when a move crosses the border. Buyers in Bristol pay Stamp Duty Land Tax. See conveyancing in Bristol. For the capital, see our guide to London conveyancing. For how the process works, see conveyancing explained.
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