Conveyancing When Buying a Home - A Thoughtfully Simple Guide

Buying a home is always one of life’s big milestones – whether it’s your first or your fifteenth! But it comes with a raft of paperwork and legal checks before the keys are finally yours.

The process that ties all of this together is called conveyancing, the legal transfer of a property’s ownership from seller to buyer.

It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot during the home-buying process, and for many buyers – especially first-time buyers – it can all feel like a bit of a mystery.

What actually happens once your offer is accepted? Why does it take so long? What do solicitors really do behind the scenes?

Step 1: Instructing a Conveyancer or Solicitor

Once your offer has been accepted, you’ll need to appoint a conveyancer (a licensed specialist in property transactions) or a solicitor who offers conveyancing services.

Your conveyancer or solicitor will:

Confirm your ID, carry out anti-money laundering checks and run an origin-of-funds exercise.

Request details of the property from the seller’s solicitor.

Guide you through each stage and keep you updated.

Don’t be surprised that the estate agent and your mortgage broker (if taking a mortgage out) will run similar exercises. It might seem like nonsense, but it’s just the way it is!

Tip: Don’t just pick the cheapest quote, look for a solicitor with verified good reviews – and especially look for assurance that they offer regular and clear communication.

Step 2: Draft Contracts and Property Information

The seller’s solicitor will prepare a draft contract. This includes:

• The property address and title number.
• The purchase price.
• Fixtures and fittings included in the sale.
• A target date for completion (the day you get the keys).
• Special conditions.

At the same time, the seller completes detailed forms about the property:

• Property Information Form (TA6): covering utilities, boundaries, disputes, guarantees, and planning permissions.
• Fixtures and Fittings Form (TA10): setting out precisely what stays in the house (e.g. curtains, white goods, garden sheds).

Your solicitor will review everything and raise questions, referred to as ‘enquiries’. They may do this either separately, in stages, or together with enquiries arising from searches (see below).

Step 3: Searches

Your solicitor will carry out a series of legal checks known as searches to make sure no nasty surprises are lurking behind a pretty front door:

• Local authority search – checks for planning issues, building regulations, nearby road schemes or restrictions.
• Water and drainage search – confirms whether the property is connected to mains water and sewers.
• Environmental search – checks for flood risk, contaminated land, or ground stability issues.
• Chancel repair liability search – some properties still carry a medieval obligation to contribute to church repairs (rare, but it pays to be sure!).

In practice, many solicitors now arrange relatively inexpensive chancel repair insurance rather than conducting a full search.

Searches can take days or a few weeks.

Step 4: Survey, Mortgage Valuation and Mortgage Offer

While your solicitor handles the legal legwork, there’s a reasonable chance you’ll arrange a survey and, if you require one, apply for your mortgage (which often requires a surveyor’s visit to perform a ‘valuation’, but note: this is not equivalent to a survey).

Mortgage valuation: Required by your lender to confirm that the property value aligns with the loan amount requested. It is a valuation, not a survey – but it is carried out by a qualified surveyor, and obvious faults with the property would often be picked up if it entails an actual visit.

This is worth noting, as whilst a mortgage valuation may involve a physical inspection, it may also be a desktop or even an automated valuation, depending on the lender.

• Level 1 Survey (formerly ‘Condition Report’): A very basic traffic-light system survey, focussed on general condition. Will only check what is visible.
• Level 2 Survey (formerly ‘Homebuyers Report’): A mid-level inspection that makes a detailed visual check of the condition of the property, again using a traffic-light system. It will look at key concerns such as damp, subsidence, roof-structure issues, rot, and woodwork.
• Building survey: A more detailed structural inspection, recommended for older or unusual homes.

Your mortgage lender will issue a formal mortgage offer once the valuation is complete. A copy is sent to your solicitor, who checks the details.

Step 5: Enquiries and Negotiations

After reviewing the draft contract, property forms, searches, your solicitor raises enquiries with the seller’s solicitor.

This can include:

• Clarifying rights of way or shared driveways.
• Checking planning permissions and building control for extensions or other building works.
• Asking for guarantees (e.g. damp proofing, double glazing, boiler servicing).
• Requesting repairs or renegotiating the offer if the survey reveals problems – often through the estate agent rather than the solicitor.

This stage can feel slow, but it’s vital to make sure you know exactly what you’re buying.

Step 6: Signing the Contract

Once you and your solicitor are happy, it’s time to sign the contract. You’ll also agree on a completion date with the seller – usually a week or two after exchange. However, it can take longer, or even be done on the same day, with some extra organisation to ensure funds are available.

At this point, you will transfer your deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) to your solicitor, ready for exchange. If you are selling a property in order to purchase, your deposit could be formed in part or in whole from your buyer's deposit.

In some chains, a deposit of less than 10% might be agreed to be paid, but the contract would typically still treat 10% as the default deposit for penalty purposes.

Step 7: Exchange of Contracts

This is the big moment where everything becomes legally binding.

You will arrange insurance on the property you are purchasing to be ‘put on risk’ from the date of exchange (buyers often think they should not have responsibility yet)

Both solicitors read the contracts over the phone to make sure they match.

Signed copies are exchanged.

The deposit is paid.

From this point, you are committed to buying, and the seller is committed to selling. If either party pulls out, there are financial penalties.

This is why you need buildings insurance in place. It is not a statutory duty, but if anything happens to the property – a flood, a fire, or whatever it might be – you still have an obligation to complete on the purchase or will be sued for non-completion.

Step 8: Between Exchange and Completion

Unless a simultaneous exchange and completion has been arranged, there is a gap in between. During this time:

Your solicitor requests the mortgage funds from your lender.

Final checks are carried out (known as “pre-completion searches”).

Step 9: Completion Day

On completion day, your solicitor transfers the purchase money to the seller’s solicitor. Once the money lands, the keys are released via the estate agent.

Congratulations: you have officially purchased your new home! If this is your first time, it really is a big moment – but it is always one to cherish and appreciate, no matter how many times you may have moved before.

Step 10: Post-Completion Formalities

Your solicitor still has a bit of tidying up to do:

• Paying Stamp Duty Land Tax (if due).
• Registering the property in your name with HM Land Registry.
• Sending you a copy of the title deeds.

Final Thoughts

Conveyancing can feel frustrating, especially when you want to get moving, but just remember that each step is there to protect you as the buyer. Choosing an experienced, proactive solicitor or conveyancer and staying on top of your paperwork will help keep wheels turning.

Remember: delays often happen because someone in the chain is waiting on searches, surveys, or mortgage offers. Frequent communication between your solicitor, lender, and estate agent makes a world of difference.

With the right team behind you, the conveyancing process doesn’t have to be daunting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Conveyancing

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property ownership from seller to buyer. It covers contracts, searches, checks, and registration.

How long does conveyancing take?

According to the Homeowners Alliance, conveyancing in 2025 took around 12 to 16 weeks. Chains, slow searches, or mortgage delays can make it longer, but choosing the right solicitor or conveyancer and responding quickly to queries or when asked to complete paperwork can speed up the process.

Who pays conveyancing fees?

Both buyer and seller pay their own legal fees, unless the purchase is offered under a specific incentive (e.g., some new-build purchases include the developer paying legal fees). The buyer also pays for searches and Stamp Duty.

What happens on completion day?

Your solicitor transfers funds to the seller’s solicitor, and the estate agent releases the keys once the money clears.

Can I do my own conveyancing?

It’s technically possible, but it is seen as risky. If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will almost always insist that a solicitor or licensed conveyancer who is on their panel acts. Hence, DIY conveyancing is usually only an option for cash buyers – but even then, it is incredibly rare and treated with extreme caution. Estate agents might advise their clients that the process could become far lengthier than anyone wishes, which could lead to a seller rejecting the offer.

Thanks for reading from all at Quarters 💙        

If you’re looking at placing your property onto the market this year, contact us to arrange a free valuation. E-mail Nick Harris or Teresa Ling on hello@quarters.agency – we’re here to help!