Switching to a better mortgage deal, borrowing more against your home, or taking a name on or off the deeds? Our remortgage conveyancing solicitors do the legal work for a fixed fee agreed before you instruct us, and the whole transaction is handled online - you never need to visit an office.
Bird & Co is accredited by the Law Society under the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) and Lexcel, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 1,120 reviews. We act for homeowners and landlords across England and Wales, and we are on the approved panel for all major mortgage lenders.
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Remortgage conveyancing at a glance
| What it is | The legal work needed to replace your existing mortgage with a new one - discharging the old lender's charge over your home and registering the new one at HM Land Registry |
| Our fee | A fixed legal fee, quoted in full before you instruct us. It does not change if the transaction takes longer than expected |
| What's on top | Third-party costs only (disbursements), itemised in your quote - searches or search indemnity, HM Land Registry fee, bank transfer fee, and lease-related fees if your property is leasehold |
| Lender panels | We are on the approved panel for all major mortgage lenders. Tell us your lender and we will confirm before you instruct us |
| How it's handled | Entirely online. Instruction, ID checks, documents, signing and completion are all handled by email, phone, video call and secure document exchange. No office visit is required at any point |
| Case tracking | Online case tracking, plus a named conveyancer with a direct phone number and email address - not a call centre |
| Typical timescale | 4-8 weeks from instruction to completion for a straightforward remortgage. A product transfer with your existing lender can take days |
| Searches | Often not needed. Many lenders accept a search indemnity policy on a remortgage, which is faster and cheaper than full searches. It depends on your lender |
| Stamp Duty | None on a straight remortgage. SDLT can apply if you are also changing who owns the property |
| Where we act | England and Wales. Scottish property is a different legal system and needs a Scottish solicitor |
| Accreditations | CQS, Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, SRA-regulated, fully insured |
| Reviews | Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot, from over 1,120 reviews |
What is a remortgage, and what does the solicitor actually do?
A remortgage means replacing the mortgage secured on your home with a new one - usually with a different lender, and usually to get a better rate, release equity, or change who is named on the mortgage. You are not buying or selling anything, so it is far simpler than a purchase. But it is still a legal transaction: one lender's charge over your property has to come off the register, and another has to go on.
Your solicitor acts for you and for your new lender at the same time. That dual role is why lenders will only accept firms on their approved panel. In practice we:
- Take your instructions and verify your identity - online, with anti-fraud checks built in.
- Obtain official copies of the title from HM Land Registry and check the property, its boundaries and its ownership are exactly as your lender has been told.
- Review the legal title for anything affecting the lender's security - restrictive covenants, rights of way, missing planning or building regulations consents, and for flats, the terms of the lease.
- Deal with searches - either ordering them or, where your lender permits it, arranging a search indemnity policy instead.
- Obtain a redemption statement from your existing lender, showing exactly what is needed to pay off the current mortgage, including any early repayment charge and daily interest.
- Review your new mortgage offer and report on its conditions in plain English, so you know what you are signing.
- Complete - we draw down the new funds, pay off the old lender in full, and send any surplus straight to you.
- Register the new charge at HM Land Registry and confirm to your lender that everything is in order.
We are not mortgage advisers and we do not recommend mortgage products. Your broker or lender handles the finance; we handle the law, and we act for your lender too, so their conditions are satisfied and the money is there on the day.
Do you need a solicitor to remortgage?
It depends on whether you are staying with your current lender.
| Your situation | Solicitor needed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Product transfer - new rate or deal with your existing lender, same amount, same owners | Usually no | No new charge is created, so there is nothing to register. Your lender simply moves you to a new product |
| Further advance - borrowing more from your existing lender | Sometimes | Depends on the amount and whether a new or amended charge is required. Your lender will tell you |
| New lender | Yes, always | Your old mortgage is redeemed in full and a new lender's charge is registered at HM Land Registry. That is legal work and it must be done by a conveyancer |
| Changing who owns the property - adding or removing a name | Yes, always | This is a transfer of equity as well as a remortgage, and it needs a deed of transfer |
| Releasing equity to fund something else | Yes | The new borrowing is secured on your home, so a new charge is registered |
Some lenders instruct their own solicitor on a straightforward remortgage and cover the cost. Where they do, you may still want your own conveyancer looking at the title and the offer conditions on your behalf rather than solely on the lender's.
For a fuller answer, including what happens if you try to remortgage without a solicitor, read our guide: Do I need a solicitor to remortgage my property?
How long does remortgage conveyancing take?
A straightforward remortgage typically completes in 4 to 8 weeks from instruction. That is considerably quicker than a purchase, because there is no chain, no seller, no survey to negotiate and no exchange of contracts.
| Type of remortgage | Typical timescale | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Product transfer with your existing lender | Days | Usually no legal work at all |
| Straightforward freehold remortgage, same owners | 4–8 weeks | Speed of the mortgage offer and the redemption statement |
| Leasehold remortgage | 6-10 weeks | The freeholder or managing agent has to supply information and be served notice of the new charge |
| Remortgage plus transfer of equity | 6-10 weeks | An extra deed, and possibly an SDLT return |
| Remortgage with full local authority searches | Add 1-4 weeks | Search turnaround varies significantly between local authorities |
The two things that most often slow a remortgage down are waiting for the formal mortgage offer to be issued, and waiting on a leasehold management pack. You can start the legal work before your offer arrives - the earlier you instruct, the earlier we can order the title and the redemption figure.
If your existing deal is ending, start roughly three months before the fixed or discounted rate expires. That leaves room for the mortgage application and the legal work without dropping onto your lender's standard variable rate.
What does remortgage conveyancing cost?
We quote a fixed legal fee upfront, before you instruct us, and it does not change if the transaction takes longer than expected. You will see the fee and every third-party cost itemised in the same quote, so the figure you are given is the figure you pay.
| Cost | What it is | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| Our legal fee | Fixed, agreed before you instruct us | Quoted upfront |
| Search indemnity policy | A one-off insurance policy accepted by many lenders in place of full searches on a remortgage | Modest one-off premium |
| Local authority and other searches | Only where your lender requires them instead of indemnity | Varies by local authority |
| HM Land Registry fee | Registering the new lender's charge. Scale 2, reduced rate for electronic applications | £20 up to £100k · £30 to £200k · £45 to £500k · £65 to £1m · £140 above £1m |
| Official copies of the title | The register and title plan from HM Land Registry | A few pounds per document |
| Bank transfer fee | Sending completion monies | Per transfer |
| Leasehold fees | Notice of charge to the freeholder or managing agent, where the property is a flat | Set by the lease |
Two costs are your lender's rather than ours, and are worth checking before you commit: the early repayment charge on your existing mortgage (shown on your redemption statement) and any arrangement or product fee on the new one. If the cost of switching is more than the interest you save, remortgaging may not be worth doing - your broker can run that calculation.
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Can you do the whole remortgage online?
Yes - start to finish, with no office visit at any stage. Remortgaging is the most straightforward conveyancing transaction there is to run remotely, because nobody needs to inspect a property, meet a seller or hand over keys.
- Instruct online. Get your quote and instruct through the website. No appointment, no forms in the post.
- Identity checked digitally. ID and anti-money-laundering checks are handled electronically, with anti-fraud protections built in.
- A named conveyancer, not a call centre. You get a dedicated conveyancer with a direct phone number and email address, so you speak to the person doing the work.
- Track your case online. Our online case tracking lets you check progress whenever you want, without ringing to ask.
- Documents exchanged securely. Title documents, your mortgage offer and the mortgage deed are sent and returned through secure systems.
- Talk to us however you prefer - phone, email or video call.
- Completion happens electronically. Funds are drawn down, your old mortgage is redeemed and the new charge is registered without you needing to be anywhere in particular.
We hold Cyber Essentials Plus certification, are Lexcel-accredited for practice management and client care, and are fully insured. If you would rather come in, our offices in Newark, Grantham and Lincoln are open - but it is an option, not a requirement, and it makes no difference to the fee.
Remortgaging is one part of our wider online conveyancing service.
Will your lender let us act for you?
We are on the approved panel for all major mortgage lenders. Tell us who you are borrowing from and we will confirm panel membership before you instruct us, so there are no surprises.
This matters more than most people expect. Your lender needs a solicitor to protect its security, and it will only accept firms on its approved panel. If the firm you have chosen is not on the panel, one of two things happens: the lender appoints its own solicitor to act for it separately - and you pay both sets of fees - or you have to change conveyancer partway through and start again.
Every lender also publishes its own detailed requirements in Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook - including whether it will accept a search indemnity policy instead of full local searches on a remortgage. Checking that document at the outset is what tells us whether your transaction needs searches at all, and it is one of the biggest single influences on both the cost and the timescale.
Do you pay Stamp Duty on a remortgage?
No. A straight remortgage does not attract Stamp Duty Land Tax, because no interest in land changes hands - you are replacing one loan with another and the owners stay the same. There is no SDLT return to file.
SDLT can apply if the remortgage also changes who owns the property. Where someone is added to the deeds and takes on a share of the outstanding mortgage, HM Revenue & Customs treats that debt as chargeable consideration. Add any cash they pay for their share, and if the total exceeds the SDLT threshold, SDLT is due on it.
| Portion of the chargeable consideration | Standard rate | Additional property |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 5% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% | 15% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% | 17% |
Worked example. A property worth £400,000 with a £300,000 mortgage is transferred into joint names, with no cash changing hands. The incoming partner takes on 50% of the mortgage - £150,000 of chargeable consideration. That is above the £125,000 threshold, so SDLT is due on the £25,000 above it: £500.
Three points decide most cases:
- If nothing is given in return - no cash and no share of the mortgage taken on - there is no chargeable consideration and no SDLT, even if the share transferred is worth more than the threshold.
- Transfers on divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership are exempt, whether by agreement or under a court order, and HMRC does not need to be told.
- The additional-property surcharge is 5 percentage points, and applies where the person taking the share will end up owning more than one residential property.
If your remortgage involves a change of ownership, tell us at the outset - it changes the documents and may create a tax return. See our page on transfer of equity.
Rates correct as at August 2026. Confirm the current figures on GOV.UK; we will calculate the exact amount due and file any return for you.
Remortgaging a buy-to-let
Buy-to-let remortgages work the same way legally, on the same fixed-fee basis, with three differences worth knowing about.
- Your lender's checks are stricter. Buy-to-let lending is assessed on rental income, so the offer may be conditional on the tenancy paperwork, and we will need to see it.
- The lease may restrict letting. If the property is a flat, we check whether the lease permits subletting at all and whether the freeholder's consent is required - a point that can stop a buy-to-let remortgage in its tracks.
- Tenancy status is now a live issue. Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026, assured shorthold tenancies have been replaced by assured periodic tenancies and Section 21 no-fault eviction has gone. If your plans involve selling or moving in after remortgaging, the timing needs thought before you commit.
Moving a property into a limited company is a sale at market value and can trigger SDLT, so tell us at the outset. Our buy to let conveyancing solicitors page covers landlord transactions in full.
Other remortgage situations we handle
| Situation | What is involved | More detail |
|---|---|---|
| Adding or removing a name | A deed of transfer alongside the remortgage, and possibly an SDLT return on the mortgage share taken on | Transfer of equity |
| Paying off a Help to Buy equity loan | The equity loan is redeemed out of the new borrowing, which requires a valuation and the administrator's redemption authority alongside the remortgage | Help to Buy |
| Releasing equity if you are over 55 | A lifetime mortgage or home reversion plan is not a standard remortgage and carries its own advice requirements | Equity release |
| Further advance from your existing lender | Often no new charge, so frequently no legal work - check with your lender first | — |
| Remortgaging from abroad | Handled entirely remotely, with identity verification arranged to suit your location | Online conveyancing |
| Property in Scotland | Scotland has a separate legal system and a different security regime - you will need a Scottish solicitor | — |
| Remortgaging in London | Same service, handled remotely | Remortgage solicitors in London |
Why choose Bird & Co for your remortgage
- A fixed fee, quoted before you instruct us - not an estimate, and not a figure that moves when the file takes longer.
- On the approved panel for all major mortgage lenders, so you are not paying two firms.
- The whole transaction handled online, with nothing that requires you to take a day off.
- A named conveyancer with a direct line and email, plus online case tracking so you can check progress yourself.
- CQS and Lexcel accredited by the Law Society, Cyber Essentials Plus certified, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and fully insured.
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 1,120 reviews.
- Acting across England and Wales, from offices in Newark, Grantham and Lincoln.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a remortgage solicitor cost?
We charge a fixed legal fee, agreed and quoted in full before you instruct us, plus itemised third-party costs - typically a search indemnity policy or searches, the HM Land Registry fee for registering the new charge (from £20 for electronic applications), official copies of the title, and a bank transfer fee. Our instant online quote gives you the exact figure in minutes.
Do I need a solicitor to remortgage with the same lender?
Usually not. A product transfer - moving to a new rate with your existing lender, for the same amount and the same owners - does not create a new charge, so there is nothing to register and no legal work to do. A further advance may be different, and any change to who owns the property always requires a solicitor.
How long does remortgage conveyancing take?
A straightforward remortgage typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from instruction to completion. Leasehold properties usually take 6 to 10 weeks because the freeholder or managing agent has to supply information. If your current deal is ending, start about three months beforehand.
Do I need searches for a remortgage?
Often not. Many lenders accept a search indemnity policy on a remortgage instead of full local authority searches, which is faster and cheaper. Each lender sets its own requirement in Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, and we check yours before ordering anything.
Do I pay Stamp Duty when I remortgage?
No, not on a straight remortgage - no interest in land changes hands, so there is nothing to tax and no return to file. SDLT can apply if you are also adding someone to the deeds and they take on a share of the mortgage, because the debt they take on counts as chargeable consideration.
Can I do the whole remortgage online?
Yes. Instruction, identity checks, document exchange, signing and completion are all handled remotely by email, phone, video call and secure systems, with online case tracking so you can follow progress. You never need to visit an office, though you are welcome to.
Do I need a local solicitor to remortgage?
No. Remortgage conveyancing does not require anyone to visit the property, so your solicitor can be anywhere in England or Wales. What matters is that the firm is on your lender's approved panel. Scotland is the exception - it has a different legal system and needs a Scottish solicitor.
Get started with your remortgage
Get a fixed-fee quote in minutes, or talk it through with someone who does this every day.
- Get an instant remortgage quote →
- Call our conveyancing quote line on 01636 600656
- Email enquiries@birdandco.co.uk, or send us an enquiry and we will come back to you
- Or call your nearest office: Newark 01636 650880 Grantham 01476 591711 · Lincoln 01522 803050
Remortgaging is part of our full conveyancing service, covering buying, selling, transfers of equity and buy-to-let across England and Wales.