No Completion No Fee Conveyancing
When a property transaction falls through, most clients expect a legal bill on top of everything else. At PDA Law, that does not happen. Our no completion no fee guarantee means that if your purchase, sale or remortgage does not complete — for any reason — your legal costs are capped at the £150 + VAT onboarding fee you paid at the start. Nothing more.
We act for clients buying, selling and remortgaging across England and Wales. Whatever the reason your transaction does not proceed — a collapsed chain, a withdrawn mortgage offer, a buyer who changes their mind — you will not receive a further bill from us for our professional time.
What the Guarantee Covers
The no completion no fee guarantee works as follows. When you instruct PDA Law, you pay an onboarding fee of £150 + VAT. This covers the initial legal work on your matter — opening your file, completing your ID and anti-money laundering checks, issuing your client care letter and beginning the conveyancing process.
If your transaction does not complete, that £150 + VAT is the only legal fee you owe us. We do not invoice for the work done on your matter after the onboarding stage. Whether your solicitor has spent two hours or twenty on your file, the additional professional charge is zero.
What you will not be charged
- Our legal fee for work carried out up to the point of abortive transaction
- Time spent reviewing title and raising enquiries
- Time spent reporting to you on the transaction
- Time spent liaising with the other side
What is not covered — disbursements
Disbursements are third-party costs paid on your behalf — search fees ordered from local authorities, Land Registry copy title fees, and similar expenses. These are not our charges; they are costs we pay to third parties in connection with your transaction.
If disbursements have already been incurred when your transaction falls through, you remain responsible for those costs. We will always inform you before ordering searches or incurring any third-party expense, so you know exactly what costs are at risk at each stage.
Why No Completion No Fee Matters
Roughly one in four property transactions in England and Wales does not complete. Chains collapse, surveys reveal problems, buyers get cold feet and mortgage lenders withdraw offers. In most cases the parties involved have no control over the outcome.
Without a no completion no fee guarantee, a failed transaction typically produces a legal bill for work done — often several hundred pounds — on top of the emotional and practical disruption of the deal falling apart. Many clients are unaware of this exposure until they receive an invoice.
Our guarantee removes that uncertainty. From the moment you instruct PDA Law, you know your maximum legal fee liability if the worst happens: £150 + VAT. That is the figure that does not change, regardless of what happens to your transaction.
How PDA Law's Guarantee Compares
Some firms charge for abortive work
Many solicitors and conveyancers bill at an hourly rate or charge a percentage of the work done if a transaction does not complete. The client receives a bill for the time spent — often without warning that this would happen. Our guarantee means this cannot happen at PDA Law.
Some “no completion no fee” guarantees have exclusions
Not all no completion no fee guarantees are equal. Some are limited to specific circumstances — for example, applying only if the other party withdraws, but not if your mortgage offer lapses or your own circumstances change. At PDA Law, the guarantee applies if the transaction does not complete for any reason. There are no exclusion clauses relating to why the transaction fell through.
Qualified solicitors — not a call centre
Our no completion no fee guarantee is backed by a team of qualified solicitors, not junior staff or paralegals. If a legal complication arises — a title defect, a boundary issue, a lease problem — the person handling your matter has the expertise to address it, rather than escalating to a supervisor and adding delay.
That combination of genuine legal expertise and financial protection is what distinguishes our service from volume conveyancing firms.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does no completion no fee mean?
If your property transaction does not complete for any reason, your legal costs are capped at the £150 + VAT onboarding fee paid at the start of your instruction. You will not receive a further invoice for our professional time, however much work has been done on your matter.
What does the £150 + VAT onboarding fee cover?
The onboarding fee covers the initial legal work on your matter — opening your file, completing your identity and anti-money laundering verification, issuing your client care letter, and beginning the conveyancing process. It is the only legal fee charged if your transaction does not complete.
Do I still pay for searches if my transaction falls through?
Yes. Search fees and other disbursements are third-party costs paid on your behalf and remain payable if already incurred. We will tell you before ordering searches so you know the cost at risk. These are separate from our legal fees and are not covered by the guarantee.
What is the difference between no completion no fee and no sale no fee?
The terms are interchangeable. "No sale no fee" tends to be used for sale transactions; "no completion no fee" covers both purchases and sales. At PDA Law the guarantee applies to all residential conveyancing — buying, selling and remortgaging.
Does the guarantee apply to all types of conveyancing matter?
The guarantee applies to our residential conveyancing services. If you have a specific question about how it applies to your matter, please ask us at the outset and we will confirm in writing.
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