For most British buyers, conveyancing is the mysterious legal machinery that grinds away between having an offer accepted and getting the keys — expensive, slow, communicated in jargon, and utterly critical. Get it right and your purchase is protected against everything from boundary disputes to a seller who doesn’t actually own what they’re selling. Get it wrong and you can lose your deposit or inherit someone else’s legal nightmare. Here’s the conveyancing process step by step for UK buyers: what happens, in what order, how long each stage takes, and where buyers typically get stuck.
What conveyancing actually is
Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property ownership from seller to buyer. Your conveyancer — a solicitor or licensed conveyancer — does three jobs: verify that the seller can legally sell and the property is as described, investigate anything that might affect your ownership or the property’s value (debts secured on it, planning issues, flood risk), and execute the transfer of money and legal title. It’s not optional and it’s not DIY territory: mortgage lenders require it, and the Land Registry requires properly executed transfer documents. Expect to pay £800–£1,500 in legal fees for a standard purchase in 2026, plus £300–£500 in disbursements (searches, Land Registry fees) — and beware quotes that look dramatically cheaper, which often exclude the disbursements or pile on extras later. If the whole moving process feels daunting, our guide to making moving house less stressful covers the practical side beyond the legal work.
Step 1: instruct your conveyancer (week 0)
Do this the moment your offer is accepted — not after, not “once the mortgage is sorted”. Conveyancing is routinely the longest pole in the tent, and every week of delay at the start is a week added at the end. Choose based on responsiveness and reviews, not just price: a cheap conveyancer who doesn’t answer emails for a fortnight costs you far more in stress and potential chain collapse. Ask specifically who will handle your file day-to-day (not just the firm’s name), how they communicate, and their current average completion time. Online reviews mentioning communication quality are worth more than any fee saving.
Step 2: searches and enquiries (weeks 1–6)
This is the investigation phase and where most of the calendar time goes. Your conveyancer orders local authority searches (£200–£350, covering planning permissions, building regulations, road schemes and conservation issues — notoriously slow in some councils, taking 4–8 weeks), water and drainage searches (is the property connected to mains sewers?), and environmental searches (contaminated land, flood risk, mining activity — relevant in former coalfield areas). Simultaneously, they raise enquiries with the seller’s solicitor: fixtures and fittings lists, boundaries, disputes with neighbours, alterations made without permission, service charges for leaseholds. This is also when your survey happens — arranged separately, but its findings feed into enquiries. Slow searches are the number one cause of conveyancing delays in Britain; your conveyancer should chase the council, not just wait.
Step 3: mortgage offer and review (weeks 3–8)
Your lender issues a formal mortgage offer once valuation and underwriting complete. Your conveyancer reviews it — checking the terms match what you expect — and you’ll sign it. Critical point: don’t exchange contracts without a firm mortgage offer in hand, and tell your conveyancer immediately if anything changes in your finances (job change, new credit, large deposits from family — lenders re-check, and surprises here kill completions). If you’re buying with gifted deposits, the paperwork for those needs sorting now, not at exchange. Citizens Advice’s housing advice pages explain buyer protections if things go wrong at this stage.
Step 4: exchange of contracts (the point of no return)
Exchange is the moment the purchase becomes legally binding. Both sides sign identical contracts, the solicitors swap them (usually by phone), and you pay your deposit — typically 10% of the price, transferred to your solicitor beforehand. From this second, you’re committed: pull out and you lose the deposit (and can be sued for the seller’s losses). Before exchange, your conveyancer should walk you through the contract, the title deeds, search results and any issues found — this is your last chance to ask questions or renegotiate on survey findings. In England and Wales, exchange and completion are separate events (in Scotland, the missives system concludes matters differently — your Scottish solicitor will explain). Never let anyone rush you into exchange before you’re genuinely ready.
Step 5: completion day (usually 1–4 weeks after exchange)
Completion is money-moving day. Your solicitor receives the mortgage funds from your lender, adds your deposit and fees, and transfers the full purchase price to the seller’s solicitor. Once the seller’s solicitor confirms receipt, the property is legally yours — keys are released, usually via the estate agent, sometime between late morning and mid-afternoon. The classic completion-day anxiety (sitting in a van full of furniture waiting for “the money to land”) is normal; funds typically arrive by early afternoon. Your solicitor then pays any Stamp Duty Land Tax due and registers you as the new owner with the Land Registry — registration can take weeks or months to appear, but your ownership is effective from completion day. Keep every document: you’ll need them when you eventually sell, and HMRC may ask about the purchase — our guide to records to keep for HMRC covers what to file away.
Where it goes wrong: the five classic conveyancing disasters
Chains collapsing: your purchase depends on your seller’s purchase, which depends on theirs. One broken link — a buyer pulling out, a mortgage refused — cascades. Ask early how long the chain is. Leasehold surprises: escalating ground rents, huge service charges, short leases under 80 years (which get expensive to extend). Leasehold needs specialist scrutiny — never use a conveyancer who treats it like freehold. Search revelations: a planned road through the garden, an extension built without permission, a flood risk the seller “forgot”. This is what the searches are for — they’re not bureaucracy, they’re protection. Gazumping and gazundering: still legal in England and Wales before exchange — the seller accepting a higher offer, or the buyer dropping theirs, at the last minute. Speed to exchange is your only defence. Going quiet: the most common complaint — weeks of silence from a conveyancer. Agree communication expectations at instruction, and don’t be afraid to chase (politely, weekly).
How long does conveyancing take in 2026?
The realistic range for a standard purchase is 8–16 weeks from instruction to completion, with 12 weeks the honest average. Cash buyers with no chain can complete in 4–6 weeks; complex chains with leaseholds and slow councils can stretch past 20. Anyone promising “completion in 28 days guaranteed” for a standard mortgaged purchase is selling fantasy. Build the timeline into your life planning — notice periods, school terms, rental overlaps — and add a buffer. GOV.UK’s buying and selling your home guide sets out the official process alongside.
The bottom line
Conveyancing is slow, jargon-heavy and occasionally infuriating — but it’s the machinery that ensures the house you’re buying is actually yours to buy, free of legal horrors. Instruct early, choose for communication over cheapness, chase the searches, never exchange without a mortgage offer, and keep a paper trail of everything. Do that, and the most stressful part of buying a home becomes merely tedious rather than dangerous.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does conveyancing cost in the UK?
£800–£1,500 in legal fees for a standard purchase, plus £300–£500 in disbursements (searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer fees). Leasehold purchases cost more due to extra work. Get an itemised quote showing fees and disbursements separately.
How long does conveyancing take?
Typically 8–16 weeks from instruction to completion, averaging around 12 weeks. Cash purchases with no chain can complete in 4–6 weeks; complex chains take longer. Local authority search delays are the most common cause of overruns.
Can I do my own conveyancing?
Legally yes, but it’s strongly inadvisable — mortgage lenders require a qualified conveyancer, and the risk of missing a title defect or search issue far outweighs the fee saving. This is not a sensible DIY project.
What’s the difference between exchange and completion?
Exchange is when contracts are swapped and the deal becomes legally binding (you pay your deposit). Completion — usually 1–4 weeks later — is when the money transfers, ownership passes, and you get the keys.
Should I use the estate agent’s recommended conveyancer?
You’re under no obligation to, and referral fees can mean the recommendation serves the agent more than you. Compare independent quotes, prioritise communication reviews, and choose whoever you’ll actually be able to reach in week nine.
