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A conveyancing solicitor handles the legal work that transfers a property from seller to buyer. They check title and property information, arrange searches, prepare or review the contract, answer legal enquiries, manage exchange and completion, and submit the ownership change to HM Land Registry. Buyers and sellers normally appoint a regulated legal professional before the post-offer work starts. In England and Wales, that professional can be a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, chartered legal executive or CILEX practitioner; “conveyancer” is the wider term.
The process below applies to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different home-buying rules, so this guide should not be applied there.
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What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of land or a home. It is more than filling in a form: the legal professional must establish what is being sold, whether the seller can transfer it, what rights and restrictions affect it, and what each party must do before money and keys change hands.
GOV.UK says buying a home takes about five months on average, while selling takes about five months on average. A chain can make either process longer. Those figures are broad averages, not a promise for an individual transaction. See the official overviews at GOV.UK’s buying-a-home guide and GOV.UK’s selling-a-home guide.
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What does a conveyancing solicitor do for a buyer?
Set up the legal file and obtain searches
Once your offer is accepted, your solicitor or conveyancer opens the purchase file, checks your identity and instructions, and orders the searches needed for the property. The usual package includes:
- Local authority search: information held by the council, such as planning decisions, building-control matters, road schemes and other entries affecting the property.
- Water and drainage search: whether the property is connected to public water and sewerage systems and whether public pipes or drains affect it.
- Environmental search: risks such as contaminated land, flooding or ground conditions identified by the search provider.
Searches are commonly paid for up front. Your conveyancer should tell you which searches are included in the quote, which are optional or property-dependent, and what additional disbursements you will need to fund.
Check title and property information
The conveyancer examines the seller’s title and the information supplied about the home. They check that the seller has the right to sell and identify matters that could affect your use, value or ability to mortgage the property. The legal review can cover:
- the sale price and the land included in the transaction;
- the registered boundaries and access arrangements;
- fixtures and fittings that stay or are removed;
- rights of way, parking rights, shared access or other easements;
- restrictive covenants and other restrictions;
- planning or building-control issues disclosed in the papers; and
- services and the proposed completion date.
Your conveyancer compares the contract with the title and property forms, then raises written enquiries with the seller’s representative when information is missing, inconsistent or needs evidence. They explain the legal significance of replies; they do not replace a surveyor’s inspection of the building.
Review the contract and prepare for exchange
The contract records the agreed price, the property, the parties, the completion date and other terms. Your conveyancer reports the material legal points to you, checks that your lender’s requirements (if you are borrowing) can be met, and confirms that outstanding searches and enquiries are dealt with to your instructions.
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An accepted offer is not the legal finish line in England and Wales. Until contracts are exchanged, either side can usually withdraw without the contractual compensation that follows exchange. At exchange, both parties sign final copies and the agreement becomes legally binding. Your conveyancer coordinates the exchange only after you have authorised it and the practical conditions for completion are in place.
Complete the purchase and register ownership
On the agreed completion date, the buyer’s conveyancer sends the purchase money to the seller’s conveyancer. Once the seller’s side confirms receipt, the transaction completes and the buyer can collect the keys at the agreed time. The seller must leave the property in the condition and with the items specified in the contract.
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After completion, the new owner must apply to HM Land Registry to change the registered proprietor. A buyer’s conveyancer commonly submits that application, deals with any requisitions from the Land Registry and records the lender’s charge where relevant. HM Land Registry describes registration as complex and warns that mistakes can have significant consequences; its guidance is at Transfer ownership of your property.
What does a conveyancer do for a seller?
Prepare the sale contract
After accepting an offer, the seller is responsible for putting the legal contract in place. The seller’s solicitor or conveyancer obtains the title information, prepares the draft contract and sends the property forms and supporting documents to the buyer’s representative. You will need to provide accurate information about boundaries, alterations, disputes, guarantees, services, rights and items included in the sale. An incomplete or inaccurate answer can create delay or a claim after completion.
Answer enquiries and negotiate terms
The buyer’s conveyancer reviews the contract and raises enquiries. Your representative sends those questions to you, obtains documents or explanations, and replies on your behalf. If the parties disagree about a contract term, completion date, fixtures or another legal point, the representatives negotiate the wording and report the result to their clients.
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Keep your conveyancer informed about changes while the sale is pending—for example, a new dispute, alteration, notice from a council or change to the mortgage secured on the property. They need current facts before exchange.
Deal with completion money, mortgages and transfer documents
At completion, the buyer’s conveyancer transfers the money. The seller’s representative deals with the seller’s mortgage or other secured debts, pays agreed fees and charges from the completion funds, and sends the signed legal transfer documents to the buyer’s side. The representative also confirms when the estate agent may release the keys under the agreed arrangements.
For the seller’s detailed sequence, see GOV.UK’s transferring-ownership guidance.
When do you need a solicitor when buying a house?
For an ordinary home purchase in England and Wales, arrange a regulated legal professional before or as soon as you begin making offers. GOV.UK directs buyers to find a legal professional to handle the legal work, and instructing one early means searches and the legal file can start promptly after acceptance.
- Before offering, shortlist providers. Check regulation, experience with your property type, communication arrangements and the full scope of the quote.
- When your offer is accepted, formally instruct the provider. Return the client-care documents, provide identification and pay any requested money for searches.
- During the investigation, answer questions quickly. Delays in supplying documents or decisions can hold up enquiries and exchange.
- Before exchange, approve the report and contract. Exchange is the point at which the commitment becomes binding.
- After completion, confirm registration and retain the file. Your conveyancer should explain any remaining Land Registry or lender steps.
The exact representation requirement can differ for unusual transactions. The official guidance reviewed here does not establish one universal rule for every transfer, lease, gift, commercial property or other special case. Ask a regulated provider about your transaction rather than assuming that a step can be completed personally.
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Do you need a conveyancer to sell your house?
A seller should select a solicitor or conveyancer to prepare the contract, supply title and property information, answer the buyer’s enquiries, negotiate legal terms and complete the transfer. Selling without professional help would leave you responsible for drafting legally effective documents, interpreting title restrictions, replying accurately to enquiries and accounting for secured debts and completion funds.
Some people can make particular Land Registry applications themselves, but that limited possibility is not the same as conducting an entire sale without legal assistance. HM Land Registry’s guidance explains that forms, identity checks, fees and legal steps can be complicated and recommends considering legal representation. Read Owning land and property with someone else alongside the specific application guidance if you are considering a direct application.
Exchange and completion: the difference
| Stage | What happens | Legal effect |
|---|---|---|
| Offer accepted | The parties agree a price in principle and the conveyancers begin searches, title checks, enquiries and contract work. | Usually not legally binding in England and Wales; either party can generally withdraw before exchange. |
| Exchange of contracts | Both sides sign final contracts and the conveyancers exchange the signed copies, fixing the agreed completion date. | The purchase and sale become legally binding. Withdrawal normally exposes the defaulting party to contractual consequences and compensation. |
| Completion | The buyer’s money and the legal transfer are exchanged through the conveyancers; the seller’s debts and charges are dealt with and keys are released. | Ownership passes under the contract and the buyer takes possession, subject to the registration of the new owner at HM Land Registry. |
Do not treat exchange as a ceremonial confirmation of an accepted offer. It is a separate legal milestone, and completion follows only when the parties and conveyancers have arranged the money, documents and agreed date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose and compare a conveyancing provider
Price is only one part of the decision. Compare providers against the same written questions so that a low headline quote does not conceal work you will have to pay for later.
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|---|---|
| Qualification and regulation | Is the person a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, chartered legal executive or CILEX practitioner, and which regulator supervises the work? |
| Scope of the quote | Does it cover the legal work for your property and transaction, or are leasehold, title defects, gifted deposits, a mortgage or a chain charged separately? |
| Searches and disbursements | Which local-authority, water-and-drainage and environmental searches are included, and which costs must be paid up front or added later? |
| Case handling | Who is your named contact, how are urgent questions handled, and will a qualified person review the file before exchange? |
| Communication | How will updates be sent, what response time should you expect, and can you reach the case handler by phone as well as online? |
| Referral arrangements | If an estate agent or mortgage intermediary recommends the firm, will it receive a referral fee? The recommendation must be disclosed, and you do not have to use that firm. |
| Total expected cost | Request a written estimate showing the professional fee, VAT where applicable, searches, registration fee and other likely disbursements. The GOV.UK pages cited here do not establish a current typical conveyancing total, so do not rely on an unsupported “average” figure. |
GOV.UK’s guidance on finding a solicitor or conveyancer is available at Finding a solicitor or conveyancer. Verify the provider’s regulator and read the engagement letter before paying or authorising work.
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Common delays and practical ways to prevent them
Missing information about the property
Old building work, unclear boundaries, absent guarantees or incomplete forms can generate repeated enquiries. Gather planning permissions, building-regulation certificates, warranties, guarantees, title documents and details of disputes before marketing or making an offer.
Searches or lender requirements are outstanding
Searches are ordered after instruction and are commonly paid for up front. Ask when each search was ordered, what result is awaited and whether a further specialist search is needed. If you are borrowing, send the conveyancer every lender document promptly and ask whether any lender condition remains before exchange.
Chain coordination
A transaction can be ready legally but unable to complete because another linked purchase is not ready. Keep your conveyancer and estate agent informed of your availability, moving arrangements and preferred dates; do not commit to a date until the chain and both conveyancers confirm it.
Unclear fixtures, fittings or completion terms
Record what stays with the property and what is removed in the contract paperwork. Resolve parking, access, possession and completion-date questions before exchange, because changing a binding contract later can require the other party’s agreement.
What a conveyancer does not replace
- Surveyor: searches and title checks do not report on the building’s physical condition. Commission an appropriate survey if you need an assessment of defects or repair costs.
- Mortgage adviser or lender: a conveyancer handles legal requirements and documents, but borrowing decisions and affordability are matters for the lender and any adviser you use.
- Tax adviser: the conveyancer may collect or submit transaction-related information within the agreed service, but personal tax planning is outside a general conveyancing explanation.
- Estate agent: the agent markets the property and negotiates the offer; the conveyancer handles the legal contract and transfer.
Jurisdiction and limits of this guide
This explanation is for residential transactions in England and Wales, reflecting the scope of the GOV.UK buying and selling guidance cited above. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different procedures and terminology. The guidance also does not settle every exception in which an individual might complete a legal or registration step without representation. For a real transaction, tell the provider about the property type, ownership structure, mortgage, chain and any unusual circumstances and obtain advice on that specific file.
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