Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Fee definition

What does Fee mean? In property law, fee describes an inheritable estate in land and, in Scots law, the full ownership of heritable property held by the fiar (the person entitled to the capital), often subject to a liferent. It is a common‑law, feudal‑rooted term used across conveyancing and succession rather than a standalone statutory definition, though it appears in expressions defined or recognised by legislation and case law. England & Wales and Northern Ireland: fee is usually encountered in “fee simple (absolute in possession)”, the ordinary freehold estate, capable of sale, mortgage and passing to heirs. The term appears throughout land law and...

Fee Remission (Help with Court Fees, EX160) in Civil Proceedings: Scope, Eligibility, Applications, Refunds, Appeals, Exceptional Hardship and Costs—England and Wales

Published by a LexisNexis Dispute Resolution expert

Practice notes

Help with court Fees

This Practice Note outlines the ‘Help with court fees’ scheme (also called Fee remission) for court fees due in civil proceedings. Details on court fees and remission in civil cases appear in the Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, SI 2008/1053 (as amended). For guidance on the fees for issuing and advancing civil claims, and the Sanctions for non-payment, see Practice Note: Court fees in civil proceedings.

Court and tribunal charges are, for many, prohibitively expensive. Those in the most straitened circumstances may qualify for assistance. Eligibility depends on meeting strict financial tests for both savings and income. Depending on the criteria, help may cover the entire fee or only part of it.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has produced a privacy notice setting out the standards to expect from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HMCTS when processing personal information (‘personal data’) for Help with Fees applications made using Form EX160. It explains how applicants can obtain a copy of their personal data and the complaints that are available if they...

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

Popular documents

Using the Judicial College Guidelines to assess general damages in personal injury claims

When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...

Tomlin orders in England and Wales: CPR guidance on drafting, confidentiality, approval, variation, enforcement, limitation, CCA issues, court-specific requirements, sample wording and precedents

This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...

Precedent: Deed of Surrender of Lease with Optional Premium, Settlement and Release, Landlord, Mortgagee and Guarantor Consents, Reimbursement and HM Land Registry Provisions (England and Wales)

Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...

Precedent Statutory Declaration: Standard Wording under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835

I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...