Can I Do My Own Conveyancing?

The idea of handling your own conveyancing is tempting. Solicitor fees for selling a house typically run to \u00a3800 to \u00a31,500 plus VAT, and when the process seems to involve little more than filling in forms and sending documents back and forth, it is natural to wonder whether you really need to pay a professional to do it.

The short answer is: you can, but you almost certainly should not. This guide explains the legal position, what DIY conveyancing actually involves, when it might work, and why the risks usually outweigh the savings.

The legal position: you can do it yourself

There is no legal requirement in England and Wales to use a solicitor or licensed conveyancer when buying or selling property. Unlike some other jurisdictions, the UK does not mandate professional legal representation for property transactions.

The Law Society strongly recommends using a qualified professional, but it is a recommendation, not a legal requirement. You are free to draft your own contract of sale, complete the transfer deed, and submit the registration application to HM Land Registry yourself.

That said, "legally permitted" and "practically sensible" are very different things. The fact that you can perform your own surgery does not mean you should.

What DIY conveyancing actually involves

When people consider doing their own conveyancing, they often underestimate the scope of the work involved. A solicitor handling your sale does far more than shuffle paperwork. Here is what you would need to manage yourself, as outlined in our guide to what your solicitor actually does:

• Obtain official title documents from HM Land Registry, including title register and title plan copies
• Draft the contract of sale incorporating the correct Standard Conditions of Sale (currently the 5th edition) and any special conditions
• Complete the property information forms (TA6, TA7 for leasehold, and TA10 for fittings and contents)
• Respond to pre-contract enquiries raised by the buyer's solicitor, which can run to dozens of detailed questions about boundaries, planning, services, and disputes
• Negotiate contract terms including the completion date, what is included in the sale, and any conditions
• Obtain a mortgage redemption statement from your lender and manage the redemption on completion
• Prepare the transfer deed (Form TR1) accurately, including any covenants, easements, and rights being reserved or granted
• Manage the exchange of contracts, which creates a legally binding agreement and requires precise coordination
• Handle completion day, including receiving the purchase money, redeeming your mortgage, paying estate agent fees, and transferring the balance to your bank account
• Submit the transfer application to HM Land Registry using Form AP1

Each of these steps has legal implications. Getting any one of them wrong can delay or collapse the transaction, or create problems that only emerge months or years later.

The mortgage lender problem

This is the single biggest practical barrier to DIY conveyancing. Almost all UK mortgage lenders require a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act on their behalf during a property transaction. This requirement exists because the lender needs someone qualified to protect their security interest in the property.

This affects you in two ways:

• If you have a mortgage: Your lender will almost certainly require a qualified professional to handle the redemption of your mortgage and ensure the legal charge is removed from the title correctly. Without this, you cannot sell.
• If your buyer has a mortgage: Their lender will require a solicitor on the buyer's side. That solicitor will expect to deal with a fellow professional on your side. While they are not obligated to refuse to deal with you, many will be reluctant or will charge their client extra for the additional work.

In practice, this means DIY conveyancing is only viable when both sides of the transaction are mortgage-free. Given that the Office for National Statistics reports that approximately 63% of UK homeowners have a mortgage, this immediately rules out the majority of transactions.

Risks and pitfalls of DIY conveyancing

Even if your transaction qualifies for DIY conveyancing on paper, the risks are substantial. Here are the most common problems:

Errors on the transfer deed

The transfer deed (Form TR1) is the document that legally transfers ownership of the property. If you describe the property incorrectly, omit an easement that should be reserved, or make an error in the consideration (purchase price), HM Land Registry may reject the application. Correcting a rejected application can be straightforward, but if the error is not caught until after completion, it can require a deed of rectification or even a court application, costing £1,000 to £5,000 or more.

Missing or defective contract terms

A professionally drafted contract of sale incorporates the Standard Conditions of Sale, which cover dozens of scenarios including what happens if one party defaults, how completion day works, and what happens to the deposit. If you draft your own contract without these conditions, you may find yourself without legal recourse if something goes wrong.

Failing to identify title defects

A qualified conveyancer reviews the title to identify potential problems: restrictive covenants that could affect the buyer's use of the property, missing easements, defective entries, or historical charges that have not been removed. If you miss something and the buyer discovers it after completion, you could face a claim for misrepresentation or breach of contract.

No professional indemnity insurance

When a solicitor or licensed conveyancer handles your sale, they carry professional indemnity insurance. If they make an error that causes you a financial loss, you can claim against their insurance. The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires all regulated firms to carry minimum cover of £2 million for conveyancing. If you do your own conveyancing and make an error, you bear the full financial consequences yourself.

Anti-money laundering complications

Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, solicitors and conveyancers are required to conduct identity verification and source-of-funds checks on their clients. If you are unrepresented, the buyer's solicitor may have additional due diligence requirements that make the process slower and more complicated.

When DIY conveyancing might work

Despite the risks, there are a small number of scenarios where handling your own conveyancing is genuinely feasible:

Cash sales with no mortgage on either side

If neither you nor the buyer has a mortgage, the lender representation requirement falls away. A cash sale between willing parties, where the property has a clean registered freehold title and no complications, is the simplest scenario for DIY conveyancing. Even so, you still need to draft a contract, complete a transfer deed, and manage the exchange of funds safely.

Transfers between family members

Transferring a property to a spouse, child, or other family member — whether as a gift or at an agreed price — is one of the most common uses of DIY conveyancing. The forms required (TR1 and AP1) are available from GOV.UK with guidance notes. However, you should still seek professional advice on stamp duty land tax (SDLT) and capital gains tax (CGT) implications, as these can be substantial even in family transfers.

Adding or removing a name from the title

If you want to add a partner to the title or remove a name following a relationship breakdown (with consent), this can be done using a transfer of equity. The HM Land Registry forms are designed to be completed by members of the public, and the process is relatively straightforward provided there is no mortgage on the property. If there is a mortgage, the lender must consent to the change and will almost certainly require a solicitor to handle it.

DIY conveyancing vs professional: comparison

Here is a side-by-side comparison of handling your own conveyancing versus instructing a professional:

For a full breakdown of what professional conveyancing costs, see our guide to solicitor fees for selling a house.

HM Land Registry direct applications

If you do decide to handle your own conveyancing, the final step is submitting the transfer to HM Land Registry for registration. The key forms you will need are:

• Form TR1 — The transfer deed itself, which must be signed by the seller (and the buyer if they are entering into covenants) and witnessed
• Form AP1 — The application to change the register, submitted by the buyer to register their ownership
• Form ID1 — Identity verification form for private individuals acting without a conveyancer (this is required when you are not represented by a solicitor)

HM Land Registry charges a registration fee based on the property value. For a property worth £200,001 to £500,000, the fee is £45 if submitted electronically or £100 by post. Note that private individuals cannot use the electronic submission service — this is only available to legal professionals who have a Land Registry Business Gateway account. As a DIY conveyancer, you will need to submit by post, which costs more and takes longer to process.

Source: GOV.UK — HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees, effective from 9 December 2024.

Title insurance: a partial safety net

Title insurance is a one-off policy that protects against defects in the property title that may not be apparent from the title documents. In a professionally managed transaction, your solicitor would identify potential title issues and either resolve them or arrange indemnity insurance to cover the risk.

If you are doing your own conveyancing, you may not spot these issues. A buyer purchasing from a DIY conveyancer may want to obtain a title insurance policy for additional protection. Policies are available from specialist providers and typically cost £20 to £300, depending on the level of risk and the value of the property.

However, title insurance is not a substitute for proper legal due diligence. It covers unknown defects, not problems that could have been identified with professional investigation. If a defect was discoverable through standard searches or enquiries, the insurer may not pay out.

Real-world examples of DIY conveyancing going wrong

To illustrate why professional conveyancing is worth the cost, here are some examples of how DIY conveyancing can go wrong:

• Missing restrictive covenant: A seller completed a DIY transfer without noticing a restrictive covenant prohibiting commercial use. The buyer, who planned to run a business from the property, discovered the covenant after completion and brought a claim for misrepresentation. The seller faced legal costs exceeding £8,000 to defend the claim.
• Incorrect boundary description: A DIY conveyancer described the property boundary using an outdated plan rather than the current Land Registry title plan. The discrepancy was not noticed until the buyer tried to build an extension and discovered part of their garden was not included in the title. Rectifying this required a statutory declaration, supporting evidence, and a Land Registry application costing over £2,000 in professional fees.
• Failure to redeem mortgage correctly: A seller with an existing mortgage attempted to handle completion themselves and did not account for the daily interest accruing on their mortgage after the redemption statement date. The shortfall meant the lender's charge was not fully discharged, and the buyer's solicitor refused to complete until the issue was resolved. The sale was delayed by three weeks and the seller had to pay penalty interest.

Better ways to save on conveyancing costs

If your main motivation for considering DIY conveyancing is saving money, there are safer ways to reduce your conveyancing costs without taking on the risks:

• Use an online conveyancer: Online firms charge £500 to £900 plus VAT, compared to £800 to £1,500 plus VAT for high street solicitors. The saving of £300 to £600 comes with full regulatory protection.
• Compare at least three quotes: Prices for identical work vary enormously between firms. Getting three quotes on a total-cost basis (including VAT and all disbursements) ensures you are not overpaying.
• Avoid estate agent referral solicitors: Agents typically receive a referral fee of £150 to £300, which is passed on to you through higher charges. Choose your own firm independently.
• Prepare your paperwork before listing: Completing your property information forms thoroughly and gathering documents in advance reduces the work your solicitor needs to do, which can lower the risk of additional charges.
• Instruct early: Firms often offer better rates to clients who instruct before finding a buyer, because the matter is less urgent and easier to manage alongside their existing caseload.

These strategies can realistically save you £300 to £800 on your conveyancing bill without any of the risks associated with going it alone.

The bottom line

DIY conveyancing is legal, and in a handful of very specific situations — primarily cash sales between parties who know each other, or transfers between family members — it can work. But for the vast majority of house sales, the risks far outweigh the savings.

A professional conveyancer costs £800 to £1,500 plus VAT. That fee buys you expert title review, contract drafting, enquiry management, mortgage redemption handling, regulated protection, and professional indemnity insurance covering errors up to £2 million. The potential saving from doing it yourself is £700 to £1,200 — but a single mistake could cost you many times that amount.

If cost is the primary concern, focus on finding a good-value conveyancer rather than trying to go it alone. The money you save by doing it yourself is simply not worth the risk for most sellers.

Sources and further reading

• Using a Solicitor — Do I Need One? (Law Society)
• HM Land Registry (GOV.UK)
• Land Registration Forms (TR1, AP1, ID1) (GOV.UK)
• HM Land Registry — Registration Services Fees (GOV.UK, updated 2024)
• Professional Indemnity Insurance Requirements (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
• The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Housing Statistics (Office for National Statistics)

Frequently asked questions