Between the moment your offer is accepted and the day you collect the keys, your property purchase is in the hands of conveyancers. For most buyers, conveyancing is a frustrating black box — weeks pass with little apparent progress, emails go unanswered, and completion feels perpetually out of reach. Understanding what is actually happening at each stage demystifies the process, helps you ask the right questions, and can genuinely speed things up.
What Is Conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from seller to buyer. It covers title investigation (checking the seller legally owns what they are selling), property searches, the exchange of contracts, and completion. In England and Wales, conveyancing is typically handled by a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer — both are legally qualified to conduct property transactions, though solicitors can handle a broader range of legal work if complications arise.
Scotland has a different legal system (missives rather than contracts; no separate exchange and completion) and Northern Ireland also differs in some procedural respects. This guide focuses on England and Wales.
Solicitor vs Licensed Conveyancer: Which Should You Choose?
Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and can handle all legal matters. For straightforward purchases, they are not necessarily better than a licensed conveyancer — but if your transaction becomes complicated (a boundary dispute, a defective title, a lease extension running alongside the purchase), having a full solicitor is an advantage.
Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) and specialise exclusively in property law. They are often marginally cheaper than solicitors and can be entirely competent for standard transactions.
In both cases, use a regulated professional. Unregulated "conveyancing services" exist and should be avoided.
How Much Does Conveyancing Cost?
Typical costs in 2025:
| Item | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Solicitor/conveyancer legal fees | £800–£2,000 |
| Local authority search | £150–£300 |
| Water and drainage search | £30–£50 |
| Environmental search | £40–£60 |
| Chancel repair search | £20–£30 |
| Land Registry registration fee | £20–£500 (scales with property value) |
| Telegraphic transfer fee | £25–£50 |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) | Variable |
Total disbursements (searches plus registration) typically add £250–£450 to the headline legal fee. Always ask for a full itemised quote before instructing.
Step-by-Step: From Offer Accepted to Completion
Step 1: Instruct Your Solicitor
Once your offer is accepted, instruct your solicitor immediately. Do not wait for the seller to do anything first. Your solicitor will send you an initial questionnaire and terms of business. Complete these promptly — delays at this stage ripple through the entire transaction.
Step 2: Seller's Solicitor Sends the Draft Contract
The seller's solicitor prepares a draft contract pack containing: the draft contract itself, the property information forms (TA6 and TA10, which detail the property's history and what is included in the sale), office copy entries (the Land Registry title register), and any other title documents. Your solicitor reviews these and raises enquiries — written questions to the seller's solicitor about anything that needs clarification.
Step 3: Property Searches
Your solicitor applies for a standard suite of searches:
- Local authority search: reveals planning history, whether the property is in a conservation area, road adoption status, notices and enforcement orders
- Water and drainage search: confirms public sewer positions and whether the property is connected to the public water supply
- Environmental search: covers flooding risk, contamination, and in some areas, mining legacy
- Chancel repair liability search: checks whether the property owes historical repair obligations to a local church (rare but worth checking)
Searches typically take 2–6 weeks depending on the local authority. Some councils are faster than others; this is one of the most common sources of delay and is largely outside anyone's control.
Step 4: Mortgage Offer
If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will carry out their own valuation and issue a formal mortgage offer. This typically takes 2–4 weeks from mortgage application. Your solicitor reviews the offer and reports to you on its terms.
Step 5: Enquiries Resolved
Your solicitor will raise enquiries with the seller's solicitor based on the contract pack, the search results, and the survey. Some enquiries are straightforward (confirm the boiler was serviced last year); others take longer (obtain indemnity insurance for a missing building regulations certificate). Delays in resolving enquiries are another major source of transaction lag.
Access enquiries are among the most important. If the title register shows a right of way or easement, your solicitor should trace it to an express grant in the deeds and confirm it is properly registered. Informal access arrangements that cannot be traced to a deed are a common source of disputes. The guide to rights of way and easements in England and Wales explains how public and private rights of way differ, the three ways easements are created, and what to check on the title before you exchange.
Step 6: Exchange of Contracts
Exchange is the moment the transaction becomes legally binding. Both solicitors hold signed copies of the contract; when they verbally exchange on the phone, the sale is confirmed. Neither party can withdraw after exchange without incurring significant financial penalties.
At exchange, the buyer pays a deposit — typically 10% of the purchase price — to the seller's solicitor. If you withdraw after exchange, you lose this deposit. If the seller withdraws, they must return the deposit and may be liable for your costs.
A completion date is agreed at exchange — usually 1–4 weeks later, though it can be the same day.
Step 7: Completion Day
On completion day, your solicitor transfers the balance of the purchase price to the seller's solicitor. Once received, the estate agent is notified and you can collect the keys. The property is yours.
Your solicitor then registers the transfer with HM Land Registry (which can take several weeks but does not affect your ownership) and pays any Stamp Duty Land Tax on your behalf from funds you have already provided.
What Can Go Wrong?
Chain collapse: Most UK purchases are part of a chain — your seller is buying elsewhere, and their seller is buying elsewhere. If any link in the chain falls through, the whole chain can collapse. Chains are the UK property market's great structural weakness.
Gazumping: Between offer acceptance and exchange, either party can walk away without penalty. A seller accepting a higher offer from another buyer (gazumping) is unpleasant but legal. It happens most often in rising markets.
Delayed searches: A slow local authority can add weeks to a transaction. Some buyers use "personal searches" (carried out by a private company rather than the council) to speed this up; check with your solicitor whether your lender accepts these.
Mortgage complications: Changes in circumstances between mortgage application and offer (job change, additional credit taken out) can cause a lender to withdraw or amend their offer.
Typical Timeline
| Stage | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Offer accepted to exchange | 8–16 weeks |
| Exchange to completion | 1–4 weeks |
| Total (offer to completion) | 8–20 weeks |
Straightforward chains with cooperative parties and fast local authorities can complete in 8–10 weeks. Complex chains, leasehold properties, or slow councils routinely take 16–20 weeks.
Leasehold vs Freehold: Key Differences
Leasehold properties (common for flats, and some houses in England and Wales) add a layer of complexity to conveyancing. Your solicitor must also review:
- The lease itself (length, ground rent, service charge provisions, restrictions on alterations)
- Management company accounts and service charge history
- Any pending major works that could result in large bills
- Lease extension negotiations, if the remaining term is below 80 years
Leasehold conveyancing typically takes longer and costs more than freehold. Budget for additional legal fees of £200–£500 and factor in the time required for the freeholder or management company to respond to enquiries — they are under no strict deadline to do so. For a flat purchase, there are 16 specific checks your solicitor should run — from EWS1 certificates to s.20 pending notices and ground rent doubling clauses. The complete pre-purchase checklist for buying a leasehold flat sets these out in full, along with the three questions every solicitor should ask the freeholder.
Further Reading
- What Is a Sinking Fund in a Leasehold Property? — what to ask your solicitor to check on any leasehold purchase, and how to interpret the management information pack
- Understanding Restrictive Covenants on Property UK — how covenants show up in the title register and what your solicitor should be flagging before exchange
- Building Regulations Completion Certificate UK — why your solicitor will ask for one, how to trace a missing certificate from a previous owner, and the three routes to regularise undocumented work before it blocks your purchase
- Buying a Property at Auction UK — Step-by-Step Guide — how conveyancing works differently for auction purchases, what to check in the legal pack, and why you must instruct a solicitor before you bid
- Moving house checklist UK: conveyancing timeline, SDLT and what to expect — the full offer-to-completion timeline, solicitor fee breakdown, SDLT worked examples, survey level guide, and moving day checklist
- Section 106 Agreements: What Property Buyers Need to Know — if you are buying on a new-build development site, your conveyancer's local authority searches will reveal s.106 obligations; this guide explains what they mean and what to check before exchange
- Conveyancing: From Offer Accepted to Exchange of Contracts — a deeper dive into every stage between offer and exchange: all four searches with costs, the TA6 and TA10 forms explained, chain management, and deposit mechanics
- Conveyancing Disbursements Explained — the full itemised list of every third-party fee your solicitor pays on your behalf, from Land Registry registration to the chancel repair search
- Conveyancing Timeline: How Long Does It Take and Why? — a stage-by-stage breakdown of the full conveyancing timeline with typical durations, what causes delays, and practical tips to keep your transaction moving
- Conveyancing Explained: What Solicitors Do and How Long It Takes — a comprehensive guide to every conveyancing stage from offer to completion, including SDLT rates, Land Registry fees, the TA6 and TA10 forms, and the 5 most common delays
- Conveyancing for New Builds vs Resale Properties: Key Differences — if you are buying a new build, this guide covers exchanging off plan, developer contract red flags (longstop date, variations clause), NHBC Buildmark warranty, and leasehold new build traps