Expert Property Solicitors for efficient Property Conveyancing that simplifies your experience.

For a purchase, the process generally includes investigating the legal title, reviewing the contract, ordering searches, raising enquiries, reporting to the buyer and mortgage lender, exchanging contracts, completing the purchase and registering the buyer’s ownership.

For a sale, it normally includes preparing the contract papers, obtaining information about the title, responding to the buyer’s enquiries, arranging repayment of any existing mortgage and transferring the property on completion.

Conveyancing can also cover remortgages, transfers of equity, lease extensions and other property transactions.

If you are selling, instructing a solicitor when the property is placed on the market allows identification checks and preparation of the contract papers to begin before a buyer is found. This can reduce avoidable delays after an offer is accepted.

If you are buying, you should normally appoint a solicitor by the time you make or have an offer accepted. You should also check that the solicitor can act for your proposed mortgage lender.

Early instruction does not make the transaction legally binding. In a standard private sale, the buyer or seller can normally withdraw until contracts are exchanged.

The work commonly includes:

• Reviewing the draft contract
• Checking the title and title plan
• Ordering property searches
• Raising legal enquiries with the seller
• Reviewing leasehold information where applicable
• Reporting on the mortgage offer
• Explaining legal rights, restrictions and obligations
• Preparing the transfer document
• Exchanging contracts
• Transferring the purchase money
• Completing the tax return
• Registering the buyer at HM Land Registry

The solicitor investigates legal matters. The property’s physical condition should be considered through an appropriate survey.

This generally includes:

• Checking the seller’s identity and ownership
• Obtaining the title documents
• Preparing the contract package
• Reviewing property information forms
• Obtaining leasehold information where required
• Responding to the buyer’s legal enquiries
• Agreeing the contract and transfer
• Obtaining a mortgage redemption statement
• Exchanging contracts
• Receiving the completion money
• Repaying the existing mortgage and secured debts
• Paying agreed estate-agent charges
• Sending the net sale proceeds to the seller

Sellers should provide complete and accurate information. An incorrect or misleading answer may result in a claim by the buyer.

A quotation may include:

• The solicitor’s professional fee
• VAT
• Search fees
• HM Land Registry fees
• Electronic transfer charges
• Identity and anti-money-laundering checks
• Leasehold or management-company fees
• Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax

A low headline quotation may not include every necessary charge. Clients should check what is included, what may be charged separately and whether additional fees could arise for leasehold, new-build, shared-ownership or other complex work.

The Legal Practice Solicitors provides a written estimate before work begins. Please see our Residential Conveyancing Fees page for further information.

Timescales may be affected by:

• The length of the property chain
• Mortgage arrangements
• Search turnaround times
• Survey findings
• Defects in the legal title
• Unanswered enquiries
• Leasehold management information
• Probate or matrimonial issues
• New-build requirements
• The availability of buyers, sellers and other solicitors

A solicitor cannot guarantee an exchange or completion date until the necessary legal, financial and practical arrangements are in place.

A standard residential purchase commonly includes:

• A local authority search
• A drainage and water search
• An environmental search

Additional searches may be recommended for matters such as flooding, mining, ground stability, contaminated land, planning infrastructure or other location-specific risks.

Searches provide information that may not appear from viewing the property or checking the registered title. For example, a local authority search may reveal planning, building-control, road or enforcement matters affecting the property.

Cash buyers are not always legally required to obtain the searches a lender would require, but proceeding without appropriate searches can create significant risks.

A lender’s valuation is primarily carried out for the mortgage provider. It helps the lender decide whether the property provides sufficient security for the proposed loan. It may be brief and should not be treated as a detailed assessment of the building’s condition.

A survey is commissioned for the buyer and can identify defects, repairs, structural concerns and other physical issues. Different levels of survey are available depending on the property’s age, type and condition.

A conveyancing solicitor investigates the legal title but does not inspect the physical condition of the property. Buyers should consider obtaining an independent survey before exchanging contracts.

The solicitor must review the offer, comply with the lender’s instructions and check whether any conditions must be satisfied before funds can be released.

An agreement in principle is not a binding mortgage offer and does not guarantee that the lender will provide the funds. The lender may reconsider the application following its valuation, underwriting checks or a change in the buyer’s circumstances.

Exchanging contracts without confirmed finance can be extremely risky because the buyer becomes legally committed to complete, even if the expected mortgage funds are unavailable.

Before exchange, the buyer and seller can normally withdraw or renegotiate without liability under the proposed contract, although they will usually remain responsible for their own costs.

At exchange:

• The agreed contract becomes binding
• The completion date is fixed
• The buyer normally pays or commits a deposit
• Both parties become legally obliged to complete
• The buyer may need to put buildings insurance in place, depending on the contract and lender requirements

Withdrawing after exchange is a breach of contract and can have serious financial consequences. A solicitor will not recommend exchange until the legal and financial arrangements are sufficiently in order.

The buyer’s solicitor sends the completion funds to the seller’s solicitor. Once the money is received:

• The seller must leave the property as required by the contract
• The estate agent is authorised to release the keys
• The buyer can take possession
• The seller’s mortgage and relevant charges are repaid
• The net proceeds are sent to the seller

After completion, the buyer’s solicitor deals with the applicable property tax return and applies to HM Land Registry to register the buyer and any mortgage.

HM Land Registry processing may continue after the buyer has moved in. This does not normally prevent the buyer from occupying the property.

It avoids the period between exchange and completion, but also creates uncertainty because the parties are not legally committed until exchange actually takes place. Buyers should therefore avoid making irreversible moving arrangements before receiving confirmation.

Same-day exchange and completion can be more difficult where:

• There is a lengthy property chain
• Mortgage funds are required
• Removal arrangements are complex
• The property is occupied
• Completion funds must move between several transactions

The advantages and practical risks should be discussed with the conveyancing solicitor before agreeing to this arrangement.

A reduced deposit is common where a buyer is also selling and is relying on the deposit received from their buyer. The amount available may then pass up the chain.

A buyer should not assume that paying a reduced deposit limits their liability to that amount. Depending on the contract, a buyer who fails to complete may still be liable for the balance of the contractual deposit, interest, compensation and other losses.

The exchange deposit is different from the amount of personal funding required by a mortgage lender. The solicitor will explain how much money is required before exchange and completion.

For example, a buyer may need to sell their existing home to fund a purchase, while that seller may also be buying another property. The transactions must often exchange and complete together.

A delay affecting one transaction can affect everyone in the chain. Common causes include:

• Mortgage delays
• Survey problems
• Missing documents
• Leasehold enquiries
• Search results
• Changes in a buyer’s or seller’s circumstances

No individual solicitor controls the whole chain. Good communication between clients, estate agents, mortgage advisers and conveyancers can help identify and address delays.

In England and Wales, acceptance of an offer does not normally create a legally binding residential sale contract. The seller may therefore accept another offer before exchange, and the original buyer may also withdraw.

A buyer can ask for the property to be removed from the market, but this does not necessarily prevent the seller from considering another offer. Reservation agreements or other early contractual arrangements may sometimes provide additional protection, but their terms require careful consideration.

Government reforms have proposed earlier binding arrangements, but buyers and sellers should not assume these apply unless an actual binding agreement has been entered into.

The withdrawing party will usually remain responsible for costs already incurred, including legal fees, searches, surveys, valuations and mortgage expenses.

After exchange, withdrawal is a breach of contract. The consequences may include:

• Loss of the buyer’s deposit
• Liability for interest
• Compensation for resulting losses
• A claim requiring the transaction to complete
• Consequences for connected transactions in the chain

If difficulties arise, legal advice should be obtained before withdrawing or communicating a final decision to the other party.

As beneficial joint tenants:

• The owners have equal rights to the whole property
• The deceased owner’s interest passes automatically to the surviving owner
• That interest cannot be left to someone else by Will

As tenants in common:

• The owners may hold equal or unequal shares
• A deceased owner’s share does not pass automatically to the other owner
• The share can pass under a Will or the intestacy rules

Tenants in common may also enter into a declaration of trust recording their contributions and entitlements. The appropriate arrangement depends on the buyers’ finances, relationship, Wills and intentions.

The solicitor will normally consider:

• The remaining lease term
• Ground rent provisions
• Current and anticipated service charges
• Buildings insurance
• Repair and maintenance obligations
• Restrictions on alterations, letting or pets
• Planned major works
• Disputes or arrears
• Management-company requirements
• Building-safety and cladding information where relevant
• The mortgage lender’s leasehold requirements

A short lease, escalating ground rent, major works or defective lease provisions can affect value, mortgageability and future saleability.

Leasehold transactions often take longer because information must be obtained from the landlord, managing agent or management company.

It commonly includes:

• Service-charge accounts and statements
• Ground-rent information
• Buildings-insurance details
• Planned major works
• Details of breaches or disputes
• Management-company information
• Requirements following completion
• Charges for notices, certificates or membership transfers

The seller usually requests and pays for the pack. The cost and delivery time are set by the organisation providing it.

Sellers should request the pack promptly because it is a common source of delay. The buyer’s solicitor will review the information and may raise additional enquiries before recommending exchange.

The legal work may include reviewing:

• Planning and building-regulation documentation
• The new-home warranty
• Roads, drains and utility arrangements
• Estate or service charges
• Rights over shared areas
• The developer’s contract
• Completion-on-notice provisions
• Incentives disclosed to the lender
• Management-company arrangements

The developer may require exchange within a short period. Completion may then occur on notice when construction is sufficiently complete.

A legal review does not assess construction quality. Buyers should consider an appropriate snagging inspection or survey and should not rely solely on the developer’s inspection or warranty.

The person providing the gift may be asked to:

• Provide proof of identity and address
• Explain and evidence the source of the money
• Sign a gifted-deposit declaration
• Confirm whether the money is repayable
• Confirm whether they will have an interest in the property
• Obtain independent legal advice where appropriate

A genuine gift is different from a private loan. Undisclosed loans or beneficial interests may breach mortgage conditions and create legal problems.

Funds should not be transferred to the solicitor until the firm has completed its checks and provided payment instructions.

Source-of-funds checks establish where the transaction money came from. Depending on the circumstances, evidence may include:

• Bank statements
• Payslips
• Savings records
• Sale-completion statements
• Probate or inheritance documents
• Investment records
• Gift declarations
• Loan agreements

In some matters, the solicitor must also consider the wider source of wealth.

Receiving money through a UK bank account does not remove the need for checks. Buyers should provide information early because unexplained transfers, cash deposits or third-party payments can delay the transaction.

The amount depends on factors including:

• The purchase price
• Whether the property is residential
• Whether the buyer owns another property
• Whether the purchase replaces a main residence
• First-time-buyer eligibility
• Residence status
• Whether the buyer is an individual, company or trustee

The solicitor will normally prepare and submit the SDLT return and arrange payment from money provided by the buyer. A notifiable return and any tax are generally due within 14 days of the effective transaction date, which is usually completion.

Property purchased in Wales is subject to Land Transaction Tax rather than SDLT.

As at August 2026, qualifying buyers pay:

• No SDLT on the first £300,000
• 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000

No First-Time Buyers’ Relief is available where the purchase price exceeds £500,000.

Every person buying the property must satisfy the first-time-buyer conditions. Previous ownership of a residential property or share in a property anywhere in the world can affect eligibility.

Different rules apply in Wales, where Land Transaction Tax replaces SDLT and there is no equivalent SDLT First-Time Buyers’ Relief.

Tax rates can change, so the position must be checked for the particular transaction and completion date.

To reduce the risk:

• Verify the solicitor’s bank details using a trusted telephone number
• Do not rely on an unexpected email announcing changed bank details
• Do not send money until the solicitor has requested it
• Check the account name and payment reference carefully
• Be cautious about urgent or threatening payment requests
• Keep email accounts secure and use strong passwords
• Do not post details of the transaction or moving date publicly
• Report any suspicious message to the solicitor immediately

The Legal Practice Solicitors will not notify clients of a change to its client-account details solely by email. If anything appears unusual, clients should stop and telephone the firm before making payment.