Legal Fee Information for

Licensing applications in relation to businesses

Introduction

The *fee scale outlined below is calculated on the average cost of applying for a new premises licence (under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003), or to vary a licence (Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003), to allow an ‘average’ business to carry out one or more licensable activities.

Similarly, any premises licence review will also depend on the complexities of the case. Therefore, in order to give you a detailed quote and to discuss your specific conveyancing requirements please contact us on 020 489 7010 or on info@novasolicitors.com. We can then give you a written quote tailored to your transaction based upon the information available at the time.

Legal Fees

Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all of the work performed by us in actioning your instructions, from the commencement of your case to its conclusion.

VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements, and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them. VAT is currently charged at 20%

Fees

Service Typical Legal Fees Excluding VAT Including VAT @ 20%
New Premises Licence Application £1,200.00 plus VAT £1,440.00
Variation of a Premises Licence Application £1,000.00 plus VAT £1,200.00
Minor Variation of a Premises Licence £650.00 plus VAT £780.00
Transfer of a Premises Licence & Specify a New DPS £350.00 plus VAT £420.00
Transfer of a Premises Licence Only £200.00 plus VAT £240.00

 

  • Below, we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.

Our average fees assume that:

  1. The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise.
  2. All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from any parties providing documentation.

 

In addition to professional fees associated with the application, you should bear in mind that there is also an application fee payable to the Council. This varies according to rateable value. An Example of the current rates are below. Final costs can be obtained by the relevant local council.

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are payable in addition to our legal fees. These are payment to third parties, such as the application fee which is payable to the licensing authority and the advertisement fee for the local press.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation.  If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

We anticipate that the following payments may need to be made:

The following costs and disbursements do not have VAT:

New Premises Licence (depending on rateable value of premises) £100.00 – £1,905.00
Application to Transfer a Premises Licence Fee £23.00
Application to vary Designated Premises Supervisor £23.00
Temporary Event Notice Application Fee £21.00
Application for minor variation: £89.00
Replacement/Duplicate Premises Licence £10.50

 

Note: The New Licence Fee above is for a “Band B” premises which is worked out on the basis of the rateable value of the business. Depending on how high your rateable value is, you would be required to pay a New Licence Application Fee.

The following costs and disbursements are subject to VAT that may also apply in your matter:

  • Newspaper Advertising fee – Advertising fees are usually between £350.00 – £750.00 plus VAT (£420.00 – £900.00 inc. VAT) which varies on the individual premises application and where it is located such as a city centre.
  • Enquiry agent fees – Enquiry agent fees are those where an agent displays notices on site. The cost varies between £150 to £250 plus VAT (£180 – £300 inc. VAT) and is dependent on the individual premises and where it is located.
  • Special delivery fee – Special delivery fee to serve the application are estimated at £10 plus VAT (£12 inc. VAT)
  • Premises Licence Floor Plan (approximately) – £350.00 plus VAT (£420.00 Inc. VAT)
  • Counsel/Barrister Fees (approximately) – £1,200.00 plus VAT (£,440.00 Inc. VAT)
  • Additional printed copies – Additional printed copies of plans if necessary, at an estimated cost of £10 plus VAT (£12 inc. VAT)

These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. The fees can on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.

Fees include:

  • taking your instructions
  • advising you how to promote the licensing objectives within your premises licence application
  • Drafting both the blue premises and the newspaper notice and assisting you with the preparation of the premises licence plan.
  • advising on the type of plans required to accompany your application
  • completing and submitting the application
  • disclosing the application to the responsible authorities
  • making arrangements for the necessary advertising of the application.
  • Dealing with any objections from responsible authorities of by negotiating between you and the responsible authorities should they require for your application

Exclusions

The fees outlined do not include:

  • obtaining suitable plans
  • attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this meeting.
  • dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties
  • advising on varying the licence
  • attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at an hourly rate.

Key Stages

The application process will depend on what license or change you are applying for, but in general:

  • You may need to successfully complete a training course before you can apply for a license
  • You may need request a criminal records check
  • Complete and send off your application
  • There may be a waiting period while the licensing authority checks your information and collects any objections
  • You may need to advertise your application so people can register any objections
  • If you meet the criteria, your information is correct, and there are no objections, you receive your application.

This just a general guide and the exact process for your application may be different. We’ll advise on how your application will progress once we’ve heard more details during a consultation.

How Long Will My Application Take?

The amount of time licence applications take depends on:

  • What you’re applying for
  • How quickly you provide the required information and documentation
  • How quickly the licensing authority processes the application
  • Whether there are any objections.

Applications for new alcohol licenses typically take 2-4 months

Other applications are concluded longer such as:-

  • Minor variation can take 4-6 weeks from receipt of full application
  • A transfer of premises licence and variation of a new DPS can take 2 – 4 weeks from receipt of application

Our solicitors can advise on an estimated resolution time for your matter once we’ve heard more details during a consultation.

Fee Earners

The following fee earners handle Licensing matters:

We have Yasmin Armagan and Hoshvan Sadiq members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Yasmin Armagan.

Questions

If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please contact us on 0203 489 7010 or email Yasmin Armagan on info@novasolicitors.com