What a conveyancer does when buying a house

When you buy a property in the UK, a conveyancer handles the entire legal transfer of ownership on your behalf — from reviewing the contract and ordering searches through to transferring funds and registering your name at HM Land Registry. Without one, you cannot legally complete a purchase.

Here are the core tasks your conveyancer will carry out:

• Verify your identity and carry out Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks
• Obtain and review the contract pack from the seller's solicitor
• Order local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches
• Raise pre-contract enquiries to clarify anything unclear about the property
• Advise you on title, restrictive covenants, and easements
• Liaise with your mortgage lender and ensure their conditions are met
• Arrange the deposit transfer at exchange and the balance on completion day
• Submit your Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return and register your title with HM Land Registry

The sections below explain each of these tasks in detail, covering searches, fees, timescales, and how to choose a regulated conveyancer who will serve you well.

Key takeaways

A conveyancer manages the entire legal transfer of property ownership for a buyer, from AML checks and searches through to SDLT submission and Land Registry registration.

Table of Contents

What is conveyancing and who can carry it out in the UK?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. Every residential purchase in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland requires it, and the process covers far more than signing a few forms — it involves legal due diligence, financial safeguards, and official registration.

GOV.UK confirms that the professionals authorised to carry out conveyancing include solicitors, licensed conveyancers, chartered legal executives, and CILEx practitioners. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA); licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Both regulators require firms to hold professional indemnity insurance and to follow strict client money rules, which is why checking registration with one of them is the single most important step before you instruct anyone.

A client care letter is the practical expression of that regulation. It must set out the firm's fees, disbursements, complaints procedure, and the name of the person handling your file. If a firm cannot produce one promptly, that is a warning sign worth taking seriously. AML and identity checks are also a legal requirement at the point of instruction — your conveyancer will ask for photo ID and proof of address, and usually evidence of where your deposit funds are coming from.

What does a conveyancer do when buying a house?

The conveyancer's role for a buyer covers legal, financial, and administrative work that runs in parallel across several weeks. Each task below is discrete, but many overlap in practice.

• Initial instruction and AML checks. Your conveyancer opens a file, verifies your identity, and requests source of funds evidence. Delays in providing these documents can slow the process.
• Obtaining and reviewing the contract pack. The seller's solicitor sends a draft contract, title deeds, property information forms (TA6), and fittings and contents forms (TA10). Your conveyancer reads all of it and flags anything that needs clarification.
• Ordering searches. Local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches are ordered — usually through a search reseller — and reviewed when results arrive.
• Raising pre-contract enquiries. Your conveyancer sends written questions to the seller's solicitor about boundaries, planning permissions, disputes, building works, and anything the searches or title documents raise.
• Advising on title, covenants, and easements. If the title reveals a restrictive covenant (for example, a restriction on extending the property) or an easement (such as a right of way), your conveyancer explains what it means for your use of the property and whether it creates a risk.
• Liaising with your mortgage lender. Where a mortgage is involved, conveyancers frequently act for both buyer and lender. They must ensure the title meets the lender's conditions, which can create extra steps if there are restrictive covenants or title anomalies.
• Arranging exchange and completion funds. Your conveyancer calculates the deposit due at exchange and the balance due on completion, requests funds from you in advance, and transfers them on the correct days.
• Post-completion registration. After completion, your conveyancer submits the SDLT return, pays any tax due, and applies to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner and record the lender's charge.

The dual role — acting for you and for your lender simultaneously — is worth understanding. Your lender has its own requirements about title quality, and if a title defect arises, your conveyancer may need to obtain indemnity insurance or negotiate remedial steps before exchange can proceed. This is one reason why title issues are a leading cause of transaction delays.

Step-by-step conveyancing process for buyers

The conveyancing process follows a broadly consistent sequence, though the pace depends on the chain, the lender, and how quickly all parties respond.

1. Instruct your conveyancer. Do this as soon as your offer is accepted. Your conveyancer sends a client care letter, opens a file, and begins AML and ID checks. Source of funds evidence is requested at this stage. 2. Contract pack received. The seller's solicitor sends the draft contract, title documents, and property information forms. Your conveyancer reviews everything and prepares a list of enquiries. 3. Searches ordered. Local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches are submitted. Results typically take one to three weeks, depending on the local authority. 4. Survey and mortgage valuation. You arrange an independent RICS survey; your lender commissions its own valuation. Both can run in parallel with searches. 5. Enquiries raised and answered. Your conveyancer sends pre-contract enquiries to the seller's solicitor. Replies can take days or weeks, particularly if the seller needs to obtain documents from third parties. 6. Mortgage offer received. Once your lender is satisfied with the valuation and your financial position, a formal mortgage offer is issued. Your conveyancer checks the conditions and reports to you. 7. Exchange of contracts. Both solicitors confirm all enquiries are resolved, searches are satisfactory, and funds are in place. The deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price) is transferred to the seller's solicitor. The contract becomes legally binding at this point, and a completion date is fixed. 8. Completion day. Your conveyancer transfers the remaining balance to the seller's solicitor. Once received, the seller's solicitor confirms, and the estate agent releases the keys. 9. Post-completion. Within 14 days of completion, your conveyancer submits the SDLT return and pays any tax due to HMRC. The application to register your ownership at HM Land Registry follows shortly after.

Steps 3, 4, and 5 typically run in parallel, which is where most of the waiting time sits. Exchange and completion can happen on the same day in straightforward transactions, though a gap of one to four weeks between them is more common. For a detailed look at how long conveyancing takes, including chain and leasehold scenarios, the full guide covers each variable in depth.

What do the searches reveal and who pays for them?

Searches are a critical part of conveyancing and are normally paid for by the buyer at the start of the process, before results are received. Solicitors commonly order searches through resellers who package results from multiple suppliers, covering CON29, CON29DW, and environmental searches for contaminated land, flood risk, and ground stability.

The local authority search is the most detailed and likely to reveal material issues such as nearby developments or restrictions that could affect your plans for the property. Environmental searches are particularly important for older properties, rural land, or homes near industrial sites. Early ordering of searches is advisable to avoid delays, as local authority results can take several weeks in busy areas.

How surveys and your mortgage lender fit into the process

A lender valuation and an independent survey are not the same thing, and confusing them is a costly mistake. Your mortgage lender commissions a valuation to confirm the property is worth what you are borrowing against it. That valuation is for the lender's benefit, not yours, and it rarely identifies structural defects or condition issues.

RICS sets the standards for independent surveys and offers three levels:

• Level 1 (condition report): A basic overview of visible condition, suitable for newer properties in good order.
• Level 2 (homebuyer report): A more detailed inspection identifying defects, damp, and maintenance concerns — the most commonly used option for standard residential properties.
• Level 3 (full structural survey): A comprehensive assessment of structure and fabric, recommended for older, extended, or unusual properties.

Your conveyancer's role in this is to receive the survey report if you share it, flag any findings that affect the title or the lender's conditions, and advise on whether a price renegotiation or further specialist report is warranted. Where a mortgage is involved, your conveyancer must also ensure the title meets the lender's requirements. Title anomalies — an unregistered extension, a missing planning consent, or a restrictive covenant — can require indemnity insurance or remediation before the lender will proceed, adding both time and cost.

• Commission your survey as soon as your offer is accepted, not after searches are back.
• Share the results with your conveyancer so they can cross-reference with the title documents.
• Ask your conveyancer whether they are on your lender's approved panel before you instruct them — if they are not, your lender will appoint a separate solicitor at your expense.

Conveyancing fees and disbursements: what you will pay

Conveyancing costs fall into two categories: the conveyancer's professional fee and disbursements, which are third-party costs your conveyancer pays on your behalf and recharges to you.

Stamp Duty Land Tax itself is a separate payment to HMRC, calculated on the purchase price. Your conveyancer calculates the amount due, prepares the SDLT return, and submits it within 14 days of completion. For a clear breakdown of how SDLT is calculated, including first-time buyer relief and the higher rates for additional dwellings, the full guide covers every threshold.

"No sale, no fee" arrangements mean the conveyancer waives their professional fee if the transaction does not complete. However, disbursements already paid — searches in particular — are rarely refundable. Always check the client care letter for the exact terms before you instruct. For a full picture of what solicitor costs look like when buying, including what is and is not refundable, that guide is worth reading before you commit.

How long does conveyancing take and what causes delays?

A straightforward freehold purchase with a mortgage typically takes 8–12 weeks from instruction to completion. Add a chain, a leasehold title, or a complex mortgage application, and 12–16 weeks is more realistic. Some transactions complete faster; others drag on for months.

The most common causes of delay are:

• Slow replies from the seller or their solicitor on pre-contract enquiries, particularly where building works, disputes, or missing documents are involved
• Search delays from local authorities with backlogs, which can add two to three weeks in some areas
• Mortgage offer conditions that require additional valuations, specialist reports, or further underwriting
• Title defects such as restrictive covenants, missing consents, or unregistered land that need resolving before exchange
• Leasehold queries including requests for management pack information, service charge accounts, and ground rent details from freeholders or managing agents
• AML and source of funds delays when buyers are slow to provide the required documentation at the outset

Buyers can do more than they often realise to keep things moving. Have your photo ID, proof of address, and source of funds evidence ready before you instruct. Commission your survey early. Reply to your conveyancer's queries the same day where possible. And check how long the process typically takes for your specific scenario — leasehold and chain transactions have their own rhythms.

How to choose a conveyancer: the checks that matter

Choosing a conveyancer on price alone is a false economy. The cheapest quote often reflects a high-volume, low-communication model that costs you more in stress and delays than the saving is worth. Practical guidance from MHCLG recommends getting multiple quotes, checking lender panel status, and ensuring you receive a client care letter that explains fees and the complaints procedure.

MoneyHelper identifies regulatory status as the single most important check: confirm the firm is registered with either the SRA or the CLC before you instruct.

Questions to ask before you instruct:

1. Are you registered with the SRA or CLC? (Verify independently on the regulator's website.) 2. Will you send a client care letter setting out all fees and disbursements before I commit? 3. Are you on my mortgage lender's approved panel? 4. Who will handle my file day to day, and how do I contact them? 5. What is your expected timescale for this type of transaction? 6. What happens to my disbursements if the sale falls through? 7. Do you offer a fixed fee, and what circumstances would change it?

For a broader list of questions to ask a conveyancing solicitor, that guide covers the full checklist in detail.

Red flags to watch for:

• Vague or verbal fee estimates with no written breakdown
• No client care letter offered at instruction
• Inability to confirm SRA or CLC registration
• No named person responsible for your file
• Poor or slow communication from the first contact

What happens at exchange and completion?

Exchange and completion are the two most significant legal events in any property purchase. Understanding what your conveyancer does on each day removes a great deal of uncertainty.

Exchange of contracts

1. Your conveyancer confirms all enquiries are resolved, searches are satisfactory, and your mortgage offer is in place. 2. You transfer the deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price) to your conveyancer, who holds it in a client account. 3. Both solicitors read out the contracts simultaneously by telephone and confirm exchange. The contract is now legally binding on both parties. 4. A completion date is agreed and fixed. Neither party can normally withdraw without forfeiting the deposit or facing a damages claim.

Completion day

1. Your conveyancer sends the balance of the purchase price to the seller's solicitor by CHAPS transfer, usually by 1pm. 2. The seller's solicitor confirms receipt and notifies the estate agent to release the keys. 3. You collect the keys. The property is legally yours from this moment. 4. Your conveyancer begins the post-completion process immediately.

Post-completion

1. The SDLT return is prepared and submitted to HMRC within 14 days of completion; any tax due is paid at the same time. 2. An application is submitted to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner and to register the lender's mortgage charge against the title. 3. Once registration is complete, your conveyancer sends you the official title register and any relevant documents. For guidance on how title deeds are updated after completion, that article explains the registration process in full.

If the property is leasehold, post-completion also involves notifying the freeholder or managing agent of the change of ownership, which your conveyancer handles.

An editorial perspective on choosing a conveyancer

The most persistent mistake buyers make is treating conveyancing as a commodity. It is not. The legal work is broadly similar across firms, but the quality of communication, the speed of response, and the experience of the person handling your file vary enormously. A conveyancer who takes three days to reply to a simple query can cost you a completion date; one who spots a restrictive covenant early can save you from a property you cannot use as intended.

At Conveyancing-solicitor, every firm in the network is checked for SRA or CLC registration before being listed. The fixed-fee model means you see the full cost — professional fee and disbursements — before you commit, not after. That transparency is not a marketing claim; it is the minimum standard a buyer should expect from any regulated firm they instruct.

The advice here is simple: verify the regulator, read the client care letter in full, and ask about lender panel status on day one. Those three checks will filter out the majority of firms that are likely to cause problems.

Fixed-fee, vetted conveyancing: get an instant quote today

Conveyancing-solicitor connects buyers across the UK with SRA- and CLC-regulated conveyancing firms that offer transparent, fixed-fee pricing. Every firm in the network has been vetted for regulatory compliance, lender panel coverage, and service standards — so you are not comparing unknown quantities when you request a quote.

Getting a quote takes minutes. Visit the instant conveyancing quote page to see fixed fees and disbursements for your specific transaction, with no obligation to proceed. For buyers who want to understand the full cost picture first, the conveyancing costs calculator guide breaks down every line item before you commit.

Sources

The following official and authoritative sources are the most reliable references for buyers navigating the conveyancing process in England and Wales.

This article provides general information about the conveyancing process in England and Wales. It is not legal advice. Confirm current fees, tax thresholds, and regulatory requirements with a qualified conveyancer or solicitor before proceeding with a property transaction.

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