Legal fees are the amounts you will be required to pay for all the work done from initial instructions to conclusion of the matter. Our fees are subject to VAT. The present rate of VAT is 20%.
| LICENCING APPLICATION TYPES | FEES ESTIMATES
(ALL SUBJECT TO VAT) |
| Premises licence | 1200 – 1500 |
| Variation to premises licence (including gaming machine permits, pavement licences and wedding licences) | 1000 – 1200 |
| Transfer of premises licence | 1200-1500 |
| Removal of restrictions from a premises licence | 1100 – 1200 |
| Change of usage | 1250 – 1500 |
Our fees will increase in cases where applications are complex or issues arise during an application or appeal for example, issues concerning noise control, restricted areas and proximities to schools.
Our Legal Team
| Grade A | Partner/ Director and Solicitors and Legal Executives with 8 + years experience | £330 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade B | Solicitors and Legal Executives with 4 + years experience | £280 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade C | Other Solicitors or Legal Executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £220 plus VAT per hour |
| Grade D | Trainee Solicitors, Paralegals and bilingual Paralegals and other fee earners | £140-180 plus VAT per hour |
Vat will be payable on all our fees and most disbursements, and we will clearly confirm which disbursement carry vat in our client care letter.
The exact cost will depend upon the individual case and the circumstances.
Our fees estimate above are for the applications and appeals where: –
- There is already a valid change of use permission in place, a change of use application has been submitted or a valid premises licence application has been submitted.
- We will work with the various assessors to prepare reports to assist in change of usage and premises licence application, like Water companies, Electricity, Police, Fire Services, Environment and Health Services, Noise assessors, Lease Planner etc
Disbursements:
These are the costs related to your matter that are payable to a third party which we will manage on your behalf. VAT will also be payable on most disbursements, and we will clarify which disbursements are subject to VAT in our client care letter. They are subject to change, but types of disbursements are:
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) search £6 plus VAT
- Noise assessor’s reports, which vary but are approximately £950- £1,500 plus VAT
- Lease planners’ fees £250 – £500 plus VAT
- Barristers’ fees – depending on whether representation is required
- Advertising costs
- Application fees for premises licences or change of use, depending on the rateable value of the premises
Time
On average the time taken by the Local Authorities is between 8-16 weeks depending upon if Environment report is required. If no response is received within 8 weeks in planning applications, then an appeal may be lodged within 6 months or even if it is refused then it may be initially lodged with the Inspectorate and then tribunal. The Premises licence application has minimum time scale of 28 days and depends upon the requirements met in the application.
Stages of the Process
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced licencing solicitor to work on your matter
- Undertaking regulatory checks
- Identifying the documents required before submitting any application and appeal
- Preparing Statement to support both change of use and premises licence to the planning department of Local Authorities.
- Filing online or paper application for change of use or premises licence or variation of use of Lawful development
- Uploading the documents for applications and appeals.
- Receiving the decision and securely sending you a copy
Additional Costs
There will be additional costs for
- Dealing with any third party
- Independent survey reports from Noise assessment, environment, Health and safety, Newspaper advert, Lease plan report
Person responsible
Rash Mahal is a director and solicitor qualified with over 20 years PQE.
