Buying a home is the part of the process where the legal detail suddenly matters a great deal. Conveyancing is the work that turns an accepted offer into you owning the property, with clear title and the money in the right place on the right day. This guide walks a buyer through the whole thing, from the moment you instruct a conveyancer to the day the keys are yours.
1 What your conveyancer actually does for you
Your conveyancer checks that the home you are buying is legally safe to buy, then arranges the transfer of ownership and money. They are either a solicitor, regulated by the SRA, or a licensed conveyancer, regulated by the CLC. Both can do the job, and you can compare both side by side.
In practical terms they review the seller's contract pack, run searches and raise enquiries on anything that looks off. They check that your mortgage offer matches the deal, report back to you in plain English, then handle exchange, completion, Stamp Duty and registration. If you want the broader picture first, see what is conveyancing? and what is a conveyancer?
2 The buyer's journey, step by step
Here is the usual order of events for a freehold purchase in England or Wales. Leasehold adds a few stages, and a chain can stretch the timing, but the shape is the same.
Once your offer is accepted, you appoint a conveyancer and usually pay an initial sum on account for searches. They send you ID checks and a few forms to fill in. Get this moving fast, because nothing else starts until you are instructed. It also helps to check the firm is on your mortgage lender's panel.
The seller's conveyancer sends the draft contract plus the seller's forms: the TA6 property information form, the TA10 fittings and contents form, and for a leasehold property the TA7. These set out what is included and disclose what the seller knows.
Your conveyancer orders the standard searches, usually a local authority search, a drainage and water search and an environmental search, plus extras where the property or area calls for it. See property searches explained for what each one tells you.
Once the searches and pack are in, your conveyancer raises enquiries: questions about boundaries, alterations, planning, guarantees, disputes, anything unclear. The seller's side answers, and there can be a few rounds of back and forth.
Your lender issues a formal mortgage offer after its own valuation. Your conveyancer checks it against the purchase, then sends you a report on title summarising everything they have found and any risks, before you commit.
When you are happy and your finance is in place, you sign the contract and pay the deposit, typically around 10% of the price. Contracts are exchanged and a completion date is fixed. From this point the deal is legally binding.
On completion day the balance of the money is sent through the chain. Once the seller's conveyancer confirms receipt, the property is yours and you collect the keys. This is often a week or two after exchange, and sometimes the same day.
Your conveyancer submits the Stamp Duty return and pays any tax due, then registers you as the new owner at HM Land Registry. They also account to your lender for the mortgage and send you the updated title once it comes back.
For a fuller version of this sequence that also covers the seller's side, read the conveyancing process, step by step.
3 The contract pack, searches and enquiries in more detail
These three stages are where most of the real protection happens, so it is worth knowing what to look for. The TA6 form is the seller telling you, in writing, what they know about the property: boundaries, disputes with neighbours, building works, guarantees, flooding history and more. The TA10 lists exactly which fittings and contents stay and which go, so there is no argument about the kitchen appliances or the curtains later. If you buy jointly, this is also the point to decide whether you hold the property as joint tenants or as tenants in common, which affects what happens to each share.
Searches fill in what the seller cannot or would not know. A local authority search flags planning history, road status and nearby development. A drainage and water search confirms how the property connects to the mains. An environmental search looks at contaminated land and flood risk. If something concerning shows up, that becomes an enquiry.
Enquiries are simply your conveyancer's questions, raised until they are satisfied. Common ones cover extensions that were never signed off, missing planning permission or building regulations completion certificates, shared driveways and any restrictions on the title. Do not rush this stage. A clear answer now is far cheaper than a dispute after you own the place.
Your mortgage valuation protects the lender, not you. A proper home survey can flag damp, structural movement or a roof on its last legs before you exchange. See home surveys explained to choose the right level.
4 Exchange, completion and the money
Exchange of contracts is the moment the deal becomes binding. Completion is the day ownership actually transfers. Before exchange, either side can usually walk away. After exchange, pulling out means losing your deposit or worse, so your conveyancer will only let you exchange once your mortgage offer is confirmed, your deposit is ready and you understand the report.
At exchange you pay the deposit, commonly around 10% of the purchase price, though a smaller deposit can sometimes be agreed. The balance, including your mortgage funds, moves on completion day. The legal transfer itself is done through a form called the TR1, which both sides sign. If you are in a chain, the money passes from buyer to seller up the line, which is why completion sometimes happens later in the day than people expect. For a closer look at the difference between the two, read exchange and completion explained.
Conveyancing fraud is real. Confirm your conveyancer's bank details in person or by phone using a number you already trust, and treat any last-minute change of account details as a red flag.
5 After completion: Stamp Duty and registration
Owning the property is not quite the last step. If Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is due, your conveyancer files the return and pays it from your funds, usually within a short window after completion. The amount depends on the price, whether it is an additional property, and whether first-time buyer relief applies, so some buyers pay nothing at all. Rates and thresholds change, so check the current rates or get a quote for a real figure rather than relying on an old guide. Our Stamp Duty explained page covers how it works. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent taxes, charged differently.
Finally, your conveyancer registers you as the legal owner at HM Land Registry and lodges your lender's charge against the property. Registration can take a while to come back, but you are the owner from completion. Once it is done, you receive your updated title showing your name.
6 What it costs and how long it takes
For a typical freehold purchase, expect the legal work to run from around 8 to 12 weeks, though leasehold, a long chain or slow search turnaround can push that out. The cost has two parts: the conveyancer's fee for their time, and disbursements, which are payments to third parties such as searches and Land Registry fees. See conveyancing disbursements explained for what those cover.
Fixed-fee quotes make budgeting much easier, because you know the legal fee up front. MoveGuide compares fixed-fee quotes from SRA-regulated solicitors and licensed conveyancers side by side, free and with no obligation, in about 60 seconds. First-time buyers may also want our first-time buyer's guide to conveyancing.