The conveyancing process: from accepted offer to keys

What conveyancing is and why it matters

Conveyancing is the legal work of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. It starts once an offer has been accepted and carries on past completion, the day the money is paid and ownership passes, until the new owner is registered at HM Land Registry (the government body that records who owns land in England and Wales).

The work protects you. On a purchase, your conveyancer checks that the seller owns what they are selling, that nothing hidden affects the property's use or value and that your lender is satisfied, before you are committed. On a sale, they prove your ownership, answer the buyer's questions and pay off your mortgage.

A straightforward freehold purchase or sale (where you own the building and land outright) commonly takes 10 to 16 weeks from instruction (formally appointing your conveyancer) to completion. Leasehold transactions, where you own the property for a fixed number of years under a lease, often take 12 to 20 weeks. A chain, meaning a line of linked sales and purchases, can stretch this, as can lender conditions and slow replies from third parties.

This guide follows a typical purchase in England and Wales. Northern Ireland follows similar steps.

Step 1: Instruct a conveyancer and complete the checks

Instructing a conveyancer means formally appointing a law firm to act for you. The firm sends a client care letter (its terms of engagement) confirming the work it will do, its fees and who will handle your file. Read it, sign it and return it promptly, because little can happen until you do.

The firm must then verify your identity and check where your money comes from, as anti-money laundering rules require. Expect to provide photo identification, proof of address and bank statements showing how you built up your deposit. If a relative is giving you money, they will usually need to prove their identity and funds too, and confirm in writing that it is a gift; see gifted deposits. The guide to identity and source of funds checks lists what to have ready.

Many firms also ask for money on account at this stage, a payment in advance to cover early costs such as searches.

Step 2: The seller's paperwork arrives

Meanwhile, the seller's conveyancer prepares the contract pack. This usually includes the draft contract, official copies of the title (the register entries showing who owns the property and any rights or restrictions affecting it), a title plan and forms completed by the seller. The main forms are the property information form, often called the TA6, which covers boundaries, disputes, alterations and services, and the fittings and contents form (TA10), which lists what is included in the price.

If you are selling, this is where you can save weeks. Complete the forms carefully and honestly, and gather planning permissions, building regulations certificates, warranties for past work such as damp proofing, and certificates for replacement windows or a new boiler. A missing certificate for an extension can hold up a sale while a solution is found.

For a leasehold flat, the seller's conveyancer also asks the landlord or managing agent for a management pack, which can take several weeks. Our leasehold guide explains what it contains.

Step 3: Searches, enquiries and your survey

Your conveyancer orders property searches, which are reports from the local authority, the water company and other sources. A local authority search shows planning decisions, whether the road is maintained by the council and any enforcement notices. A drainage and water search confirms how the property connects to mains water and sewers, and an environmental search looks at risks such as flooding, contaminated land and ground stability. Depending on the area, your conveyancer may suggest others, such as a coal mining search.

At the same time, they study the title and draft contract and raise enquiries, which are written questions to the seller's conveyancer. For example, if the title mentions a shared driveway, they will ask who maintains it and whether there have been any disputes. Replies can take days or weeks.

A survey is separate from conveyancing. Your lender's valuation is for the lender's benefit, so consider your own survey from a chartered surveyor, and tell your conveyancer about anything it flags, such as an extension with no obvious approvals. Read more in property searches explained and property surveys explained.

Step 4: Mortgage offer and report on title

If you are borrowing, your lender issues a mortgage offer once its valuation is done. Your conveyancer usually acts for the lender as well as for you, so they check the offer's conditions and confirm the property meets the lender's requirements.

When the searches, enquiries and mortgage are in order, your conveyancer sends you a report on title. This explains what you are buying: the boundaries, rights of way, restrictions on use, what the searches found and anything unusual. Read it carefully and ask questions, because this is your chance to raise concerns before you are committed.

You then sign the contract and, if you have a mortgage, the mortgage deed, the document that gives your lender security over the property. Your conveyancer will ask you to send your deposit, and later the rest of your money, in good time so it has cleared when it is needed.

Step 5: Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts is the point where the deal becomes legally binding. The conveyancers agree the completion date, confirm that the signed contracts match, and the buyer's deposit is sent to the seller's conveyancer. In a chain, every sale and purchase usually exchanges on the same day.

The deposit is commonly 10% of the price, although a lower figure is sometimes agreed. After exchange, a buyer who pulls out usually loses the deposit and can face further claims, and a seller who pulls out can be sued. That is why your conveyancer will not exchange until the important issues are resolved.

Completion is often set one to four weeks after exchange, and sometimes on the same day. Book removals, and give notice on a rented home, only once contracts have been exchanged.

Step 6: Completion day

On completion day, your conveyancer sends the purchase money to the seller's conveyancer by same-day bank transfer. Once it arrives, the seller's conveyancer confirms completion, pays off the seller's mortgage and tells the estate agent to release the keys.

Timing depends on the chain, because money often has to pass from one transaction to the next. Contracts commonly set a time by which the money must arrive, often early in the afternoon, so keys are frequently released around lunchtime or later. Plan your removal van with that in mind.

If you are selling, you need to move out by the agreed time and leave behind everything included in the sale. Our guide to exchange and completion day covers the day in detail.

Step 7: After completion

Your conveyancer's work continues after you move in. In England and Northern Ireland, they usually file the Stamp Duty Land Tax return (for the tax buyers pay on property) and pay the tax on completion day, using money you provided; the legal deadline is 14 days after completion. The Welsh equivalent, Land Transaction Tax, has a 30-day deadline. Our stamp duty guide explains the rates.

They then apply to register you as the new owner, along with your lender's mortgage. Registration can take weeks or longer, and your conveyancer should tell you when it is done. On a sale, the seller's conveyancer pays the estate agent, settles the mortgage and sends you the balance with a completion statement, a summary of where every pound went.

Checklist: how you can keep things moving

You can do a lot to avoid delays:

• Instruct your conveyancer as soon as your offer is accepted, or when you put your home on the market if you are selling
• Return the client care letter, identification and forms within a day or two
• Gather evidence of your deposit, including savings statements and details of any gift
• Tell your conveyancer early about anything unusual, such as a deadline, a gifted deposit, a plan to let the property or another property you own
• Book your survey early, and reply quickly when your lender or broker asks for documents
• Never send money to bank details received by email without phoning your conveyancer on a number you already know

If you instruct a firm through Keyfolio, it deals with you directly, and your private page keeps your quote and the firm's contact details.

Next steps

Get an itemised estimate with an instant purchase quote, or a sale and purchase quote if you are selling and buying. Your quote shows the legal fee, VAT, disbursements (third-party costs such as searches) and estimated property tax, and the law firm confirms its fees in writing before you instruct it. Selling? Read selling your home: the legal steps.