Deed of covenant fees, and the certificate of compliance

A deed of covenant is a short deed in which the buyer promises the landlord, or the management company that runs the building or the estate, that they will keep the obligations in the lease: pay the service charge, pay the ground rent, keep to the rules. The deed makes that promise direct, between you and them, from the day you take over. The party that receives it charges for dealing with it, and across the landlords we read that fee runs £82 to £250.

Same document, same purpose, and the landlords we read charge three times as much at the top as at the bottom for dealing with it. Your lease decides who you pay, so you cannot shop around for a cheaper one.

Here is the promise in the words of one freeholder's own template, from the Estates and Management buyer's guide linked below with its fees: the Assignee/Transferee HEREBY COVENANTS with the Current Lessor [and the Current Manager] that as from the date when the Lease shall be transferred, assigned to or otherwise become vested in the Assignee/Transferee the Assignee/Transferee will pay all rents reserved by and observe all the covenants obligations and conditions on the part of the Lessee contained in the said Lease

Who sets the fee

Source: legislation.gov.uk, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, Schedule 11, read 28 September 2026.

A law passed in 2024 will make landlords publish their administration charges in advance before they can demand them, but that part is not in force yet, and even then it makes them publish a fee, it does not set one. For now the figure is whatever your lease says.

The 2024 Act: legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, section 61, read 25 September 2026.

What landlords publish for a deed of covenant

Two councils, a housing association and a managing agent, each quoting its own fee on its own page. One is before VAT, one includes it and two do not say, so read the VAT column in the words below before comparing.

If your landlord is not here, the figure you pay is the one the lease or the landlord's own schedule sets, and your conveyancer will find it when they read the lease. The table shows how far apart landlords are, not what yours will ask.

Freehold houses and retirement homes have them too

A deed of covenant is not only a leasehold document. On a freehold estate with a management company, or a former council house sold freehold under the right to buy with a freehold service charge, the transfer can require every new owner to sign one. Two published examples, kept out of the range above because they are different documents:

The certificate of compliance that often comes with it

Where the landlord or management company has put a restriction on the title, the Land Registry will not register you as owner until that party confirms its conditions have been met, often that the deed of covenant has been signed and the fees paid. That confirmation is the certificate of compliance, and it is charged for separately. Three of the landlords above publish it on the same page as the deed:

So on a leasehold purchase with a mortgage, the landlord's side of the bill can be a notice of transfer, a notice of charge, a deed of covenant and a certificate of compliance: four separate fees. What landlords charge for the two notices is on the notice of transfer fee page, and ten landlords' certificate fees, with the Land Registry rule behind them, are on the certificate of compliance fee page.

Estates and Management does it the other way round: one buyer's pack covers the notice, the deed of covenant and the certificate, and its price is £310 for the whole buyer's pack, VAT included.

The e&m pack: Estates & Management, read 25 September 2026.

What conveyancers warn you to expect

Law firms have to publish what their service costs, and several name a range for the landlord's deed of covenant fee as a disbursement they will pass on. These are the firms' own estimates, not charges. Some firms also charge their own legal fee for the extra work a deed of covenant makes, which is a separate line again.

In their own words

Every figure above, as the landlord or firm printed it.

• Ealing Council. Ealing's 2026 to 2027 charges. Its notices are priced separately on the same table. Home ownership services administration charges 2026 to 2027 / deed of covenant £250 VAT: not stated.
• Latimer by Clarion Housing Group. A housing association's own 2026/2027 fee, and it prints the reasonableness rule next to it. Deed of covenant / £82 / Purchaser - upon request VAT: Costs are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated.
• Newham Council. The same figure as each of Newham's notices, and a separate fee from them. Leaseholder's Fees / Deed of Covenant: £91.49 VAT: not stated.
• Pier Management. A managing agent's standard schedule, and the one figure here that is before VAT. Conveyancing / Dispositions / Legal fees (£) / Deed of Covenant – preparation of the engrossment 230.00 + VAT VAT: plus VAT; the schedule says all fees are exclusive of VAT at 20%.
• Estates & Management (e&m). For most of e&m's properties the deed is acknowledged inside its buyer's pack. On a retirement property that needs a management rentcharge deed, e&m drafts it, and this is the fee. in cases where a management rentcharge deed is required for retirement properties please ensure that you complied with any age restrictions outlined in the property deeds and that our fee of £550.00 is paid. VAT: inclusive of VAT, if applicable.
• Sheffield City Council. Deeds of covenant are not only a leasehold thing. On a former council house sold freehold under the right to buy, Sheffield requires one from every new owner, and charges this for the certificate. the fee for a Deed of Covenant certificate is £50 VAT: not stated.
• Ealing Council. Ealing's certificate, on the same 2026 to 2027 table as its deed of covenant fee. Legal fees certificate of compliance £150 VAT: not stated.
• Latimer by Clarion Housing Group. Latimer's certificate, charged on completion. Certificate of compliance / £63 / Purchaser - on completion VAT: Costs are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated.
• Pier Management. Pier's certificate, before VAT, on the same schedule as its deed of covenant fee. Conveyancing / Dispositions / Legal fees (£) / Certificate of Compliance 160.00 + VAT VAT: plus VAT; the schedule says all fees are exclusive of VAT at 20%.
• Banner Jones. A law firm's estimate of the landlord's fee, not a charge. Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £50 - £250 (exc VAT). VAT: exc VAT.
• SA Law. A law firm's estimate of the landlord's fee, not a charge. Deed of Covenant Fee* Generally, these are not applicable; however, they can apply in some cases. This fee is set by the management company or landlord for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £250 – £350 (plus VAT at 20%) VAT: plus VAT at 20%.
• TLT. A law firm's estimate of the landlord's fee, not a charge. Deed of Covenant fee – this is a fee charged by a landlord/management company for dealing with a deed of covenant where required under a lease. Often it is between £100 to £200 plus VAT. VAT: plus VAT.

Who pays, and when

The buyer pays. Your conveyancer prepares the deed or obtains the landlord's own form, you sign it, and it goes to the landlord or their agent with the fee, usually alongside the notices once the purchase has completed. The fee reaches you as a disbursement on your conveyancer's bill. A good quote on a leasehold purchase either names the amount from the lease or says plainly that it cannot know it until the lease has been read.

Where this sits on the whole bill

These are small lines on a leasehold purchase next to the legal fee, the searches, the Land Registry fee and any stamp duty. Why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey in the first place is on the leasehold conveyancing costs page, and the full breakdown, every figure sourced, is on the conveyancing fees page.

See the full conveyancing bill

Questions people ask

Where to go next

• Conveyancing fees: the whole bill in one place, the legal fee, the disbursements and the tax.
• Notice of transfer fee: what landlords charge to register a new owner and a mortgage, quoted from their own pages.
• Certificate of compliance fee: what landlords charge for the certificate the Land Registry waits for, quoted from their own pages.
• Leasehold conveyancing costs: why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey, and which of the extra fees anyone can price.
• Compare firms: what named firms publish as their own legal fee, quoted and dated.
• Every page Deedsum keeps: the hub, with the whole set on it.