Buying or selling a home in England and Wales involves a legal transfer of ownership known as conveyancing, the process of moving a property from one owner to another…
Buying or selling a home in England and Wales involves a legal transfer of ownership known as conveyancing, the process of moving a property from one owner to another and recording that change at HM Land Registry. Most residential transactions follow the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, a standardised framework that sets out how solicitors on both sides should handle paperwork, searches and enquiries, with the aim of keeping matters consistent and transparent. This guide covers the process in England and Wales only; Scotland and Northern Ireland operate under different rules.
The stages tend to run in a familiar order. Once an offer is accepted, the estate agent issues a memorandum of sale, both sides instruct solicitors, and the seller's solicitor prepares the contract pack. The buyer's solicitor then commissions searches, raises enquiries, reviews the title and confirms the mortgage offer. After that comes exchange and completion, exchange being the point at which the contract becomes legally binding, and completion the day ownership actually transfers and keys are released. The final step is registration of the new owner at HM Land Registry.
As Lauren Basger notes, timescales in conveyancing vary considerably from transaction to transaction and cannot be promised in advance.
Offer Accepted and Instructing a Solicitor
Once a buyer's offer is accepted, the estate agent issues a memorandum of sale, a short document confirming the agreed price, the parties, and each side's chosen solicitor, to the buyer, the seller, and both firms. This is the starting gun for the conveyancing process UK buyers and sellers follow under the Law Society's Conveyancing Protocol.
Both sides then formally instruct their conveyancing solicitors. You will receive a client care letter setting out the scope of work, the fee structure, and the terms of business, which needs to be signed and returned. Alongside this, your solicitor will carry out client ID verification and source-of-funds checks required under anti-money laundering (AML) rules, typically photo ID, proof of address, and evidence showing where your deposit or sale proceeds originate.
Lauren Basger notes that what usually separates a smooth transaction from a stressful one is early instruction and prompt return of onboarding paperwork. Delays at this stage push everything back: searches cannot be ordered, contract packs cannot be prepared, and enquiries cannot be raised.
If you are ready to move, you can instruct us on a purchase or instruct us on a sale and get the file opened without delay.
The Contract Pack: Protocol Forms and Title Documents
Once instructed, the seller's solicitor assembles the contract pack under the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol and sends it to the buyer's side. This is the working bundle that the buyer's solicitor will review, raise enquiries on, and eventually build the exchange file from.
A standard freehold pack contains:
- The draft contract, usually in duplicate
- Official copies of the title register and title plan from HM Land Registry
- The TA6 Property Information Form, completed by the seller, covering boundaries, disputes, alterations, utilities and more
- The TA10 Fittings and Contents Form, setting out what stays and what goes
- Any guarantees, planning consents, building regulation certificates and FENSA paperwork
For leasehold sales, the seller also completes the TA7 Leasehold Information Form, and the solicitor requests a management pack from the landlord or managing agent, typically supplied on the LPE1 form. The LPE1 confirms ground rent, service charge history, major works, insurance and consent requirements. These packs can take time to arrive, and that is often outside the solicitor's control.
Where the title is unregistered, the seller's solicitor produces an epitome of title with the original deeds and a Land Registry compliant plan, and voluntary first registration may be considered.
Lauren Basger's view is that a smooth transaction usually starts here: a fully completed pack, honest answers on the TA6, and prompt chasing of any leasehold management information. Gaps at this stage tend to reappear as enquiries later.
See our buying and selling service pages for more detail.
Searches, Enquiries and the Mortgage Offer
Once the contract pack has landed, the buyer's solicitor turns to searches and enquiries, the investigative stage that shapes whether you buy with confidence or walk away.
The standard searches submitted are the local authority search (covering planning history, building regulations, road adoption and nearby proposals), the water and drainage search (confirming how the property is connected to mains services), the environmental search (contaminated land, landfill, flood and ground stability data) and the chancel check (historic liability to contribute to parish church repairs). Location dictates the rest: a coal mining search in former coalfield areas, a tin or clay search in Cornwall and parts of Devon, and additional flood reporting where the environmental result flags concern.
Alongside searches, pre-contract enquiries are raised on the seller's side. These probe title issues, planning permissions and building regulation sign-off for any extensions or loft conversions, alterations to load-bearing structures, boundary responsibilities, disputes, guarantees for damp or timber work, and anything disclosed (or notably absent) in the property information forms.
While this is happening, the lender instructs its valuation. Lauren Basger notes that the difference between a smooth file and a stressful one is usually early instruction, clear client communication and chasing replies before they become bottlenecks, not last-minute heroics.
Once the valuation is satisfactory, the formal mortgage offer is issued. Offers carry an expiry date, commonly three to six months, and diarising that date matters: if exchange slips beyond it, a re-offer or extension is needed. For more on how we support each side, see our buying and selling pages.
Exchange and Completion Explained
Exchange is the moment contracts become legally binding and the deposit is paid, while completion is the later day when the balance of funds moves, keys are released and the buyer legally takes ownership.
Before exchange can happen, both sides sign their contract in advance. Your solicitor will hold the signed document ready, along with the deposit funds, usually 10% of the purchase price, though a smaller sum can sometimes be negotiated, particularly where a related sale is funding the purchase. The completion date is agreed between the parties beforehand and written into the contract at exchange. Once fixed, it cannot be moved without the other side's consent.
On exchange day, solicitors work down the chain by telephone, reading contract terms to one another and confirming each link is ready. Nothing is binding until every party has exchanged. If one transaction stalls, the whole chain waits. Lauren Basger notes that what separates a smooth transaction from a stressful one is usually preparation weeks earlier, replies to enquiries returned promptly, mortgage funds requested in good time, and realistic conversations about dates before anyone commits.
Completion morning follows a set rhythm. The buyer's solicitor sends the balance by CHAPS transfer, a same-day bank payment used for property funds. Once the seller's solicitor confirms receipt, they authorise the estate agent to release the keys. Timings vary depending on when funds arrive, so an early morning transfer helps but does not fix an hour.
Read more about our buying and selling services.
After Completion: SDLT and Land Registry Registration
Completion is not quite the end of the file. Your solicitor still has two statutory jobs to finish, and both matter for your legal title.
The first is Stamp Duty Land Tax. The buyer's solicitor prepares and submits the SDLT return to HMRC and pays any tax due within the statutory deadline that follows completion. Rates and thresholds change from time to time, so the figure payable on your purchase must be checked against the current HMRC bands rather than assumed from an earlier transaction.
The second is registration at HM Land Registry. Your solicitor applies to register you as the new proprietor (the legal owner shown on the title) and, where relevant, to register the lender's charge (the mortgage entry that secures the loan against the property). Lauren Basger notes that HMLR processing times are variable and often longer than clients expect, particularly on new-build plots or where requisitions are raised; this is normal and does not affect your ownership from the completion date.
Once registration completes, we store the title information document safely, send a copy to your lender if required, and provide you with a copy for your records.
What Separates a Smooth Transaction from a Stressful One
In Lauren Basger's experience, the gap between a smooth conveyancing process uk-side and a stressful one usually comes down to preparation, not luck.
Smooth transactions tend to share a pattern. Identification checks and source-of-funds evidence (proof of where your deposit money came from) are supplied at the outset, not chased weeks later. Sellers return a fully completed Law Society protocol pack, the standard bundle of property forms and supporting documents, before the buyer's solicitor even asks. Enquiries are answered in plain, direct replies rather than drip-fed over weeks.
Communication along the chain matters just as much. Realistic updates, even when there is little to report, prevent the frustration that builds when parties feel ignored. Mortgage offers have expiry dates, and keeping an eye on that window avoids the scramble of a last-minute extension or re-application.
Certain issues predictably slow things down: leasehold management packs from freeholders or managing agents can take time to arrive; unregistered titles (properties never recorded at HM Land Registry) need extra investigation of deeds; and a single wobble further down the chain can stall everyone.
Practical tips to reduce friction:
- Instruct your solicitor as soon as your offer is accepted or your property is listed.
- Return ID, forms and questionnaires promptly and in full.
- For leasehold sales, request the management pack early.
- Keep your mortgage broker and solicitor in contact.
- Ask for updates weekly rather than daily.
See our buying and selling service pages for more detail.
Next Steps: Speak to Our Conveyancing Team
The conveyancing process in the UK, specifically England and Wales, follows a structured path: instructing a solicitor, reviewing the memorandum of sale, working through the contract pack, ordering searches, raising enquiries, aligning the mortgage offer, then exchange (the point contracts become legally binding) and completion (the day keys change hands and funds transfer), before final registration at HM Land Registry.
As Lauren Basger often notes, what separates a smooth transaction from a stressful one is early preparation, prompt replies to enquiries, and honest communication between all parties in the chain.
If you'd like tailored guidance on your own matter, our team is happy to talk you through the steps that apply to your situation. Fees and likely timeframes vary with each transaction, so we'll set these out clearly once we understand what's involved.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice on any individual circumstances.