Offer Accepted, Now What? A Buyer's Inside Look at the Conveyancing Process
The moment a seller accepts your offer feels like the finish line. In reality, it is the starting gun. Between that phone call from the estate agent and the day you pick up the keys sits conveyancing: the legal work that transfers ownership of a property from one person to another. For many buyers, this stage is a black box. Weeks pass, emails go unanswered, and nobody seems sure when you will move. This article opens the box. It walks through what a conveyancing solicitor actually does for a buyer in England and Wales, why transactions stall, and what you can do to keep yours moving. Before Any Legal Work Starts: Choosing Your Conveyancer You can instruct either a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. Both are regulated, by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers respectively. Price matters, but it should not be the only factor. Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Check that the firm is on your mortgage lender's panel, otherwise the lender may require separate representation and you could pay twice. Ask who will handle your file day to day, how they prefer to communicate, and whether the quote includes searches, Land Registry fees and VAT. A cheap headline fee padded with extras is common. If you are buying a leasehold flat, choose a firm with genuine leasehold experience. Leases can contain clauses on ground rent, service charges and lease length that significantly affect value and mortgageability. Stage One: Onboarding and the Draft Contract Once instructed, your solicitor will verify your identity and the source of your deposit. Antimoney laundering rules mean you will need to show where the money came from, which may mean months of bank statements or a gifted deposit letter. Having this ready early saves days. Meanwhile, the seller's solicitor sends a contract pack. This typically includes the draft contract, official copies of the title from HM Land Registry, a title plan and the seller's property information forms describing boundaries, disputes, alterations and more. Stage Two: Searches and Enquiries This is where your solicitor investigates what you cannot see from a viewing. The usual searches Local authority search: planning history, building regulations, road schemes and certain restrictions.
Drainage and water search: whether the property is connected to mains water and sewers, and whether public sewers run nearby. Environmental search: risks such as flooding, contaminated land and ground stability. Location-specific searches: for example, a mining search in former coalfield areas. Raising enquiries Your solicitor reviews everything and raises written questions with the seller's side. Why was the extension built without building regulations sign-off? Is there a right of way across the garden? Who maintains the shared driveway? Each answer may lead to another question, and this back-and-forth is one of the main reasons conveyancing takes time. It is worth knowing what conveyancing does not cover. Your solicitor checks the legal title, not the physical condition. A separate survey from a RICS surveyor tells you about damp, subsidence or a failing roof. Stage Three: The Mortgage Offer and Your Report When your lender issues a mortgage offer, your solicitor also acts for the lender and must satisfy their requirements. Once the searches and enquiries are resolved, you should receive a report on title. Read it carefully. It is your chance to raise concerns before you are legally bound. Stage Four: Exchange of Contracts Exchange is the point of no return. Signed contracts are swapped, the completion date is fixed and you pay your deposit. If you pull out after exchange, you risk losing that deposit and facing further claims. Because most purchases are part of a chain, exchange only happens when every buyer and seller in the chain is ready. One delayed search or slow mortgage offer can hold up several households. Stage Five: Completion and After On completion day, your solicitor sends the purchase money to the seller's solicitor. Once received, the seller's agent releases the keys. The work does not end there. Your solicitor submits a Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pays any tax due to HMRC, which must be done within 14 days of completion. They then register you as the new owner at HM Land Registry. Rates and reliefs for SDLT change periodically, so ask your solicitor to confirm the figure that applies to your purchase. Why Transactions Get Delayed (and How to Help)
Common causes include slow search results from some councils, missing documents for past works, leasehold management packs that take weeks to arrive, and problems further up or down the chain. You can help by: 1. Returning ID, forms and funds evidence promptly. 2. Booking your survey early. 3. Replying to your solicitor's questions the same day where possible 4. Keeping your estate agent informed, since they track the chain. Frequently Asked Questions How long does conveyancing usually take? There is no standard timeframe. Simple freehold purchases without a chain tend to move faster than leasehold purchases or long chains. Your solicitor can give a realistic estimate once they see the contract pack. Can I use the same solicitor as the seller? Generally no. Professional conduct rules restrict acting for both sides because of the conflict of interest, except in narrow circumstances. What is the difference between exchange and completion? Exchange makes the contract legally binding and sets the completion date. Completion is when the money transfers and you become the owner. Do I need searches if I'm a cash buyer? Lenders require them, but cash buyers can technically skip them. It is rarely wise, as searches can reveal issues that affect value and resale. Why does leasehold conveyancing cost more? It involves extra work: reviewing the lease, obtaining management information and checking service charges, ground rent and lease length. Conclusion Conveyancing is less mysterious once you know its stages. Your solicitor's job is to make sure you know exactly what you are buying, that the title is sound and that the transfer is properly recorded. Choose a responsive, appropriately experienced firm, stay organised, and treat your solicitor as a partner rather than a postbox. The road from offer to keys becomes far smoother.