Understanding Conveyancing

Conveyancing is the legal work involved in transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. It covers everything from the initial enquiries through to registering the new ownership with the Land Registry. You will need a licensed conveyancer or solicitor to handle this for you.

If you are buying, your solicitor protects your interests. If you are selling, they make sure the sale goes through correctly. If you are doing both at the same time, many people use the same firm for both sides to keep things simple.

1. Instruct a solicitor. Choose your conveyancer and provide identification documents.
2. Searches. Your solicitor orders local authority, environmental, water, and drainage searches to check for issues with the property or surrounding area.
3. Raise enquiries. They review the seller's property information forms and ask questions about boundaries, disputes, alterations, and any other concerns.
4. Review the mortgage offer. They check the terms of your mortgage and report to you on the conditions.
5. Draft the contract. The seller's solicitor draws up the contract. Your solicitor reviews it and negotiates any changes.
6. Exchange of contracts. Both sides sign. The sale becomes legally binding and the completion date is agreed.
7. Completion. Mortgage funds are transferred, the seller receives payment, and you get the keys.
8. Post completion. Your solicitor pays Stamp Duty to HMRC and registers your ownership with the Land Registry.

Many conveyancers offer a no completion, no fee guarantee. This means if the purchase falls through, you do not pay their legal fee, although you will still need to cover the cost of searches already carried out.

Conveyancing typically takes 8 to 12 weeks from the point your offer is accepted. It can take longer if the chain is complex, if there are issues with searches, or if leasehold enquiries are involved.