Conveyancing is the legal work that transfers a property from the seller to you. As a buyer, your solicitor’s job is to make sure you get exactly what you think you are paying for — a good title, no hidden liabilities, and a property your lender is happy to lend on — and then to move the money and register you as the owner. This guide walks through the whole process from accepted offer to keys, in the order it happens. If you are also selling, read our Seller’s Guide alongside this.
Before you make an offer
- Get a mortgage agreement in principle. Sellers and agents take offers more seriously, and it removes a common early delay.
- Work out your full budget. Beyond the deposit, allow for stamp duty land tax, solicitor’s fees and disbursements, survey fees, lender fees, removals and buildings insurance.
- Choose your solicitor now. You can instruct before you offer so that identity checks are done and the file is open the moment your offer is accepted.
What does a solicitor do when buying a house?
In summary, your solicitor will: verify your identity and source of funds; receive and examine the contract pack from the seller’s solicitor; order and review searches; raise enquiries and check the answers; review your mortgage offer and act for your lender; report to you on the title and everything they have found; exchange contracts and complete the purchase; pay the stamp duty land tax; and register you at HM Land Registry. Each of these is explained below.
Step 1 — Instruction and identity checks
Your solicitor sends a client care letter setting out the work, the fee and the estimated disbursements. Solicitors must verify identity and the source of your deposit under anti-money-laundering rules before substantive work begins, so have photo ID, proof of address and bank statements ready. If part of your deposit is a gift, the person giving it will need to confirm it in writing and may need to provide ID too.
Step 2 — The contract pack
The seller’s solicitor sends: the draft contract; official copies of the register and title plan from HM Land Registry; the Property Information Form (TA6), in which the seller answers questions about boundaries, disputes, alterations, guarantees and services; and the Fittings and Contents Form (TA10), listing what stays and what goes. For leasehold you also receive the Leasehold Information Form (TA7), a copy of the lease, and a management pack from the freeholder or managing agent covering ground rent, service charges, accounts and planned works.
Step 3 — Searches
What are searches when buying a house?
Searches are enquiries of public bodies about the property and the surrounding land. The standard set is:
- Local authority search — planning permissions and building regulation approvals for the property, whether the road is adopted, any enforcement notices, tree preservation orders, and proposals affecting the property.
- Drainage and water search — whether the property is connected to mains water and sewers, and whether any public sewer runs through the land (which can restrict extensions).
- Environmental search — contaminated land, flood risk, ground stability and, where relevant, historic landfill.
Depending on location your solicitor may also recommend a mining search, a chancel repair liability check, or a flood report. If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender requires searches; cash buyers can choose but are strongly advised to have them.
Step 4 — Survey and mortgage valuation
Who organises the survey when buying a house?
You do. Your lender’s valuation is carried out for the lender, to confirm the property is adequate security for the loan — it is not a check of the property’s condition and you may not even see it. A survey is separate, commissioned and paid for by you. RICS surveys come in levels: a Level 2 (HomeBuyer) survey suits conventional properties in reasonable condition; a Level 3 (Building) survey is the most detailed and is advisable for older, unusual or altered properties. If the survey raises defects, tell your solicitor: you may want to renegotiate, ask for repairs, or obtain a specialist report before you commit.
Step 5 — Enquiries
Having read the contract pack and search results, your solicitor raises written enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. Typical topics: unclear boundaries; building work without evidence of planning or building regulation approval; missing guarantees or certificates (windows, boiler, electrics); rights of way or shared access; restrictive covenants on the title; and for leasehold, the ground rent terms, service charge history and any major works planned. Several rounds of enquiries are normal. Your solicitor will tell you which answers matter and whether anything needs an indemnity insurance policy or a price adjustment.
Step 6 — Mortgage offer
Your lender issues a formal mortgage offer to you and a copy to your solicitor, who usually acts for the lender as well as for you. Your solicitor checks the offer’s conditions — for example a requirement that specified repairs are carried out or that a lease has a minimum number of years left — and confirms to the lender that the title is acceptable. You cannot exchange contracts until the offer is in place and its conditions are satisfied.
Step 7 — Report on title and signing
Your solicitor sends you a written report summarising the title, the search results, the replies to enquiries, the contract terms and the mortgage conditions, and flags anything you need to decide on. You then sign the contract, the transfer deed (TR1) and the mortgage deed, and transfer your deposit — usually 10% of the purchase price, though this can be negotiated — to your solicitor’s client account ready for exchange.
Step 8 — Exchange of contracts
Exchange happens by telephone between the two solicitors. From that moment both parties are legally bound: you must buy and the seller must sell, on the agreed completion date, and your deposit is at risk if you withdraw. Arrange buildings insurance to start from exchange — under the standard conditions the risk in the property passes to the buyer at this point.
Step 9 — Completion
On the completion date your solicitor requests the mortgage advance from the lender, adds your balance, and sends the full purchase price to the seller’s solicitor. When the money is received the seller’s solicitor confirms completion and the estate agent releases the keys. Completion is usually by early afternoon.
Step 10 — After completion
Your solicitor submits the stamp duty land tax return and pays the tax on your behalf (it is due within 14 days of completion), then applies to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner and to register your lender’s mortgage. Registration can take some weeks; once it is done you receive an updated copy of the register. Keep the completion statement, the TA forms and all guarantees safe — you will need them when you sell.
How much are solicitors’ fees for buying a house?
A conveyancing quote has two parts: the solicitor’s fee for the legal work, and disbursements — money the solicitor pays out on your behalf, such as search fees, the HM Land Registry registration fee, bankruptcy and priority searches, the bank transfer fee and, for leasehold, the freeholder’s notice fees. Stamp duty land tax is separate again. Ask for a full written quote so that the fee and every expected disbursement are itemised before you instruct.
Buying a leasehold flat: what’s different?
You are buying the right to occupy for the remaining term of the lease, subject to its conditions. Your solicitor will check the length of the term (lenders typically require a minimum number of years remaining — check with yours), the ground rent and whether it increases, the service charge and reserve fund, who insures the building, what consents you need for alterations or pets, and whether any major works are planned. If the term is short you may want to discuss a lease extension before or after purchase.
Buying a new build: what’s different?
Developers usually require exchange within a set period of reservation, often before the home is finished, so the legal work is front-loaded. Your solicitor checks the new title being created, the estate roads and services, any estate management charges, the new-home warranty, and the mortgage offer’s expiry date against the expected build completion.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a solicitor to buy a house?
If you have a mortgage, yes — your lender will require a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act. Cash buyers can in theory do it themselves, but the checks on title, searches and the registration process are not straightforward and mistakes are expensive.
When do I pay the deposit?
The deposit is paid to your solicitor before exchange and is sent to the seller’s solicitor on exchange, when it becomes non-refundable. The balance is paid on completion.
Can I pull out after exchange?
Not without serious consequences. After exchange you are contractually bound; withdrawing means losing your deposit and potentially being liable for the seller’s losses. Any doubts must be resolved before exchange.
What is a chain?
A chain is a line of linked transactions where each seller is also buying. Everyone must be ready to exchange at the same time, so the slowest transaction sets the pace for all of them.
Gregory Abrams Davidson’s residential conveyancing team acts for buyers across Liverpool, Wirral and North West London. For a fixed-fee conveyancing quote, contact the team.
Important: This guide is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the law and practice in England and Wales at the date shown. Every transaction is different, and the process, timescales, costs and requirements can vary depending on your circumstances and the property involved. For advice on your own situation, please contact Gregory Abrams Davidson.
Last reviewed: September 2026
