What is conveyancing?

• Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from seller to buyer
• It involves tasks like drafting contracts, conducting searches, handling payments and registering the property with the Land Registry
• This process ensures all legal and financial obligations are met for a secure transaction
• It's typically handled by licensed conveyancers or solicitors

We explain everything you need to know about conveyancing, from the different steps of the process to timings and associated costs.

The following video will help you understand the conveyancing process and timings better.

Conveyancing protects both buyer and seller by ensuring the legal transfer of ownership is conducted properly. It confirms the buyer has funds to complete the purchase and verifies the title deeds are transferred correctly, providing legal and financial security for the transaction.

It also protects by identifying potential issues such as outstanding debts, disputes or ownership ambiguities that could complicate the transaction. Proper conveyancing ensures compliance with regulations, verifies property details and facilitates tasks like contract drafting, property searches and registration with the Land Registry.

The conveyancing process safeguards your investment and provides peace of mind that you're getting what you pay for - or if you're selling, that you're released from all legal obligations regarding the property.

Conveyancing must be handled by qualified professionals - either licensed conveyancers or solicitors specialising in property law. Licensed conveyancers are trained specifically in conveyancing and focus exclusively on property transactions. Solicitors offer broader legal expertise but many specialise in property work.

Both are fully qualified, regulated and carry professional indemnity insurance to protect you. For standard residential transactions, either is perfectly capable. The key is finding someone with clear pricing, good communication and relevant experience for your transaction type.

Can you do it yourself? Technically yes, but mortgage lenders won't allow it and the risks are enormous. Small mistakes in conveyancing can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Professional indemnity insurance protects you if your conveyancer makes an error - without it, you bear the full cost yourself.

The conveyancing process typically follows six key stages, taking 8-12 weeks from offer acceptance to completion:

1. Instruction and initial checks - Identity verification and anti-money laundering checks
2. Property searches - Investigations with local authorities and specialist organisations
3. Draft contracts and enquiries - Reviewing terms and raising questions
4. Exchange of contracts - The legally binding agreement to proceed
5. Pre-completion preparations - Final checks and arranging funds
6. Completion - Money transfers and you collect your keys

The buyer's conveyancer orders searches, reviews contracts, raises enquiries and ensures everything is legally sound before exchange. The seller's conveyancer prepares the contract pack, responds to enquiries and ensures their client can legally sell the property.

Both sides work towards the same completion date where ownership actually transfers. Between exchange and completion (usually 1-2 weeks), final preparations are made and funds are arranged.

Conveyancing requires extensive documentation from both parties. Buyers need proof of identity (passport or driving licence), proof of address (recent utility bill), proof of funds showing deposit savings and source, and mortgage details if borrowing.

Sellers must provide title deeds or Land Registry official copies, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), building regulations certificates for any work done, planning permission documents for extensions or alterations, and for leasehold properties, a copy of the lease plus service charge details.

Missing documentation can delay your transaction significantly. Your conveyancer will provide a full list of requirements when you instruct them, and it's worth gathering these documents as soon as your offer is accepted to avoid delays.

Property searches are investigations your conveyancer conducts to uncover issues that aren't visible during viewings. The main searches include local authority searches (planning permissions, building regulations, road schemes), environmental searches (flood risk, contamination, subsidence), and water and drainage searches (mains connections, public sewers).

These searches typically cost £250-400 in total and take 2-4 weeks to return. They've uncovered properties built on contaminated land, homes with no mains drainage, extensions without planning permission and buildings in high flood risk areas.

Discovering these issues before you're legally committed allows you to renegotiate the price, withdraw from the purchase or proceed with full knowledge of what you're taking on. Without searches, you discover problems only after buying - often too late for any recourse.

The conveyancing process differs significantly depending on whether you're buying freehold or leasehold property. With freehold, you own both the building and land outright and indefinitely. Freehold conveyancing is straightforward, taking 8-10 weeks with fewer parties involved.

Leasehold means you own the property for a fixed term but not the land. Most flats are leasehold. This adds complexity: your conveyancer must check remaining lease length (under 80 years affects value and mortgageability), ground rent amounts and escalation clauses, service charge history and planned increases, restrictions on pets or alterations, and obtain a leasehold information pack from the management company.

Leasehold conveyancing typically takes 10-14 weeks due to these additional steps and the involvement of extra parties (freeholder, managing agent). Always ask about service charges and ground rent before making an offer - some properties have shocking escalation clauses.

Conveyancing costs vary based on property value, location and transaction complexity. Typical fees for buyers range from £800-£1,200 for standard purchases, £1,000-£1,500 for leasehold purchases and £1,200-£1,800 for new builds. Sellers typically pay £600-£1,000 for standard sales and £800-£1,200 for leasehold sales.

These legal fees don't include disbursements - third-party costs like searches (£180-340), Land Registry fees (£20-500 based on property value) and leasehold information packs (£200-400 if applicable). Total disbursements typically add £300-£800 to buyer conveyancing costs.

The cheapest conveyancer isn't always the best value. Look for transparent fixed-fee pricing with itemised disbursements, no completion no fee protection (if the sale falls through, you don't pay legal fees), and clear communication. Paying £1,000 for excellent service beats paying £600 for poor communication that causes delays and stress.

The average conveyancing transaction takes 8-12 weeks from instruction to completion. However, this timeline varies significantly based on several factors.

Faster transactions (6-8 weeks) are possible with chain-free sales, cash buyers (no mortgage delays), straightforward properties with clear titles and proactive conveyancers. Slower transactions (12-16+ weeks) occur with long property chains, leasehold properties requiring management company information, complex title issues, delayed search results or survey issues requiring negotiation.

The process takes time because thoroughness matters more than speed. Your conveyancer is conducting essential checks to protect your investment. Rushing increases the risk of missing critical issues that could cost you thousands later.

Two critical dates mark your conveyancing journey: exchange of contracts and completion.

Exchange of contracts is when the sale becomes legally binding. Both parties sign contracts, your conveyancer transfers your deposit (typically 10%) to the seller's conveyancer and a completion date is fixed. From this point, withdrawing means losing your deposit and facing potential legal action. You must arrange buildings insurance from exchange, not completion - your lender requires proof before releasing funds.

Completion is when ownership actually transfers. The remaining money is transferred from your conveyancer to the seller's conveyancer. Once received (usually around midday), the estate agent releases your keys and you become the legal owner. Your conveyancer then handles post-completion work including paying stamp duty to HMRC and registering the property at Land Registry in your name.

Selecting the right conveyancer significantly affects your experience. Look for professionals who are properly regulated (SRA for solicitors, CLC for licensed conveyancers) and on your mortgage lender's approved panel.

Key factors to consider: transparent fixed-fee pricing with itemised disbursements upfront, no completion no fee protection (you don't pay if the transaction falls through), experience with your specific transaction type, quality of communication and case tracking technology, and positive reviews from previous clients.

Questions to ask before instructing: Are you on my lender's panel? What's included in your fixed fee? Who will handle my case day-to-day? How do you communicate and how quickly do you respond? What's your average timeline for my transaction type?

Avoid conveyancers who can't provide clear pricing, pressure you to instruct immediately, have poor reviews or won't explain their process clearly. Estate agent recommendations should be treated cautiously as agents often receive referral fees, creating a potential conflict of interest.

First-time buyers

As a first-time buyer, you benefit from stamp duty relief (pay nothing on properties up to £300,000) and a simpler chain position (no property to sell). However, everything is new and unfamiliar. Choose a conveyancer experienced with first-time buyers who explains the process clearly.

Buying with a partner or friend

If you're buying with someone else, you'll need to decide between joint tenants (equal 50/50 ownership with right of survivorship) or tenants in common (unequal shares possible, each person can leave their share to anyone in their will). A Deed of Trust outlines ownership proportions and protects individual investments.

New build properties

New builds add complexity with additional checks required: NHBC warranty review, building regulations compliance, adoption of roads and sewers. You'll often exchange contracts months before the property is built. Construction delays are common, so don't book removals until completion is confirmed.

Shared ownership

Shared ownership involves buying a 25-75% share while paying rent on the remainder to a housing association. More complex legal checks extend the conveyancing timeline. You can "staircase" to gradually buy greater shares over time.

Whether you're buying your first home, selling a property or remortgaging, you need a conveyancer who combines legal expertise with excellent communication and transparent pricing.

At Homeward Legal, we provide fixed-fee conveyancing with no hidden charges. Our experienced conveyancers handle your transaction efficiently while keeping you informed every step of the way. We also offer no completion, no fee protection.

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