The Conveyancing Process Explained: A Step-by-Step Guide
Buying or selling a home in England and Wales is a legal process as much as a financial one. At Ally Randall Solicitors, we guide clients across Northwood Hills and the surrounding area through that process. This step-by-step guide explains the conveyancing process from the moment your offer is accepted to the day you get the keys, so you know what to expect and what you need to do at each stage.
Quick overview: Most purchases follow ten steps: instruct a solicitor, complete ID checks, review the contract pack, order searches, raise enquiries, sort your mortgage and report on title, arrange a survey, exchange contracts, complete and then register the change of ownership. Timings and percentages in this guide that are not confirmed facts are marked as estimates.
What Is Conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal work involved in transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. Your conveyancing solicitor checks that the seller has the right to sell, identifies any legal risks, deals with the money and makes sure the new owner is properly registered with HM Land Registry. The same process applies to sales, purchases, remortgages and transfers of equity, with some variations.
The Conveyancing Process for Buyers: 10 Steps
Step 1: Instruct a Conveyancing Solicitor
As soon as your offer is accepted, choose a solicitor and give them the details of the property, the agreed price and the estate agent. Early instruction helps keep the timeline short. You can contact our residential conveyancing solicitors with those details to get started.
Step 2: ID Checks, Source of Funds and Client Care
Your solicitor must verify your identity and check where your deposit comes from. You will also receive a client care letter setting out the fee, who will handle your case and how to complain. Provide documents quickly, because this step can hold up everything that follows.
Step 3: Review the Draft Contract Pack
The seller’s solicitor sends a draft contract, proof of title and forms completed by the seller. These include the property information form and the fittings and contents form. For leasehold properties the pack also includes the lease and details of service charges and ground rent. Your solicitor reviews every document and explains anything that affects you.
Step 4: Order Property Searches
Searches reveal facts about the property and its surroundings. They usually include:
- Local authority search: planning history, roads, building regulations and local charges
- Drainage and water search: whether the property connects to public sewers and water
- Environmental search: flood risk, contamination and ground stability
Depending on the location, your solicitor may recommend more, such as a mining search or a chancel repair search.
Step 5: Raise Enquiries
If anything in the contract pack or search results is unclear or concerning, your solicitor raises enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. Typical topics include boundaries, building work, planning permission, disputes and what is included in the sale. This stage can involve several rounds of questions.
Step 6: Mortgage Offer and Report on Title
If you are using a mortgage, the lender instructs your solicitor to check the title as well. Once the mortgage offer arrives and your solicitor is satisfied, they send you a report on title. This summarises the legal position, the terms of the contract and any risks in plain language. Read it carefully and ask questions before you sign.
Step 7: Survey and Final Checks
Although the survey is arranged by you rather than your solicitor, its findings often feed into the legal process. Defects can lead to a renegotiated price or further enquiries. Your solicitor also confirms your deposit is ready and that your buildings insurance can start from exchange.
Step 8: Exchange of Contracts
At exchange of contracts, both sides sign identical contracts and the deal becomes legally binding. You pay a deposit, typically around 10% of the price (an estimate, because the amount is agreed in the contract and can vary), and a completion date is fixed. Before exchange either party can withdraw, and afterwards doing so can lead to loss of the deposit or legal action. Your solicitor will check that you are ready and agree the date with your chain.
Step 9: Completion Day
On completion day, your solicitor sends the balance of the purchase price to the seller’s solicitor. Once the funds are received, the seller’s side authorises the release of the keys and you can move in. Completion is estimated to take place 1 to 4 weeks after exchange, and often within 1 to 2 weeks.
Step 10: After Completion
Your solicitor files the Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pays HMRC. The return must reach HMRC within 14 days of completion, and solicitors usually file it and pay the tax on completion day. They then apply to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner and, if you have a mortgage, register the lender’s charge. You will receive confirmation once registration is complete.
The Conveyancing Process for Sellers
If you are selling, the process is similar but the order of tasks differs:
- Instruct a solicitor and complete ID and ownership checks
- Complete the property information form and the fittings and contents form
- Your solicitor obtains the title documents and, if you are in a leasehold property, the management pack
- Your solicitor drafts the contract and sends the contract pack to the buyer’s solicitor
- Answer the buyer’s enquiries promptly
- Agree a completion date and exchange contracts
- Move out, hand over the keys and repay your mortgage from the sale proceeds
- Your solicitor sends you the balance after fees and the mortgage redemption
Sellers should get their paperwork together before listing. Guarantees, planning documents and building regulation certificates all help avoid delays.
Documents You Will Need
Have these ready when you instruct a solicitor:
- Photo ID and proof of address
- Proof of deposit and source of funds
- Mortgage in principle or offer
- Details of the property, price and estate agent
- For sellers, title deeds, guarantees and any building work paperwork
Conveyancing for Different Types of Transaction
The core stages stay the same, but some transactions need extra work. Our residential conveyancing page explains how we help with each of them:
- Freehold and leasehold sales and purchases: contract review, title checks, enquiries, completion and post-completion work
- New build purchases: reservation, developer contracts, planning documents, warranties and exchange deadlines
- Remortgages: lender requirements, title checks, security documents and completion
- Transfers of equity: changing ownership while at least one existing owner stays on the title
- Auction purchases: legal pack review before bidding and completion work after exchange
- Right to Buy and Islamic mortgage purchases
If you are buying business premises, the process is different again. Our commercial conveyancing team can explain the steps for commercial sales, purchases and leases.
Common Conveyancing Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting to instruct a solicitor until after you have booked removals
- Delaying ID and proof of funds
- Skipping the survey to save money
- Not reading the report on title before exchange
- Changing the completion date late in the process
- Assuming a verbal agreement is binding when no contracts have been exchanged
Start Your Conveyancing With Ally Randall Solicitors
Our team handles each stage with a dedicated fee earner and clear communication. You can meet them on our team page and see our full range of legal services. We act for clients in Northwood Hills, Northwood, Pinner, Ruislip, Eastcote, Harrow and Watford.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every transaction is different, so speak to a solicitor about your own circumstances. Figures marked as estimates are approximate.
Call us on 020 8152 8737 or contact Ally Randall Solicitors to talk through your purchase or sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the steps in the conveyancing process?
The main steps are instructing a solicitor, ID and source of funds checks, reviewing the contract pack, ordering searches, raising enquiries, receiving the mortgage offer and report on title, exchange of contracts, completion and registration with HM Land Registry.
What happens at exchange of contracts?
Both parties sign identical contracts, a deposit is paid, typically around 10% of the price, and a completion date is fixed. From this point the transaction is legally binding.
What happens on completion day?
Your solicitor sends the remaining purchase money to the seller’s solicitor. Once it is received, the keys are released and the property is legally yours.
Do I need a solicitor to buy or sell a house?
You should use a solicitor or licensed conveyancer. They check the title, review contracts, handle searches and enquiries, manage the transfer of funds and protect your interests. If you have a mortgage, your lender will also require one.
What happens after completion?
Your solicitor submits the Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pays HMRC, usually on completion day, and applies to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner and register any mortgage. The return must reach HMRC within 14 days of completion.
What is the difference between exchange and completion?
Exchange makes the contract legally binding and fixes the completion date. Completion is when the balance is paid and ownership transfers. They may take place on the same day, but are often estimated to be 1 to 2 weeks apart.