Conveyancing Guides
The legal process, timelines, and what to expect when selling your home.
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from seller to buyer. It typically takes eight to twelve weeks and involves instructing a solicitor, exchanging contracts, and completing the sale. These guides explain each step in plain English — from choosing the right conveyancer and understanding the protocol forms, to knowing what happens on completion day and how to avoid the most common delays.
81 guides in this category · View all guides
How Long Does Conveyancing Take in 2026?
The average conveyancing timeline from offer to completion, what causes delays, and how to speed things up.
What Happens Between Exchange and Completion for Sellers?
A step-by-step guide to what sellers need to do between exchanging contracts and completion day, including timelines and key actions.
How to Speed Up Conveyancing as a Seller
Practical steps sellers can take to reduce conveyancing delays, from preparing documents early to chasing solicitors effectively.
What Are Conveyancing Enquiries and How Should Sellers Respond?
Understanding the enquiries your buyer's solicitor will raise, why they matter, and how to answer them quickly and accurately.
Simultaneous Exchange and Completion: How It Works
When exchange and completion happen on the same day, what the risks are, and whether it makes sense for your sale.
What Does My Solicitor Actually Do When I Sell a House?
A clear breakdown of every task your solicitor handles during a property sale, from drafting contracts to transferring ownership.
How to Instruct a Solicitor for Selling Your House
What you need to do to formally instruct a conveyancer, when to start, and what information they will ask for upfront.
Solicitor vs Conveyancer: What Is the Difference?
The key differences between a solicitor and a licensed conveyancer, and how to decide which is right for your property sale.
CQS Accreditation Explained: Does Your Solicitor Need It?
What the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme means, why lenders require it, and how to check if your solicitor has it.
What Is the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol?
How the Law Society's conveyancing protocol standardises the sale process and what it means for sellers dealing with solicitors.
How Long After Searches to Exchange Contracts?
The typical timeline between property searches coming back and exchanging contracts, and what can cause delays at this stage.
Pre-Contract Enquiries Explained for Sellers
What pre-contract enquiries are, the most common ones buyers raise, and how to prepare your answers to avoid delays.
What Happens on Completion Day for the Seller?
A timeline of what to expect on completion day when selling, from receiving funds to handing over keys and vacating.
Transfer of Ownership When Selling a House: How It Works
How property ownership is legally transferred from seller to buyer, including the role of the Land Registry and TR1 form.
When Should You Start Conveyancing When Selling?
Whether to instruct a solicitor before listing or after accepting an offer, and the pros and cons of each approach.
Conveyancing Checklist for Sellers: Everything You Need
A complete checklist of documents, forms, and tasks sellers need to handle during the conveyancing process.
What Is a Completion Statement When Selling a House?
How to read your completion statement, what the figures mean, and how to check that your solicitor's calculations are correct.
What Are Undertakings in Conveyancing?
How solicitors' undertakings work in property sales, why they are legally binding, and what sellers need to know about them.
Online Conveyancing: Pros and Cons for Sellers
Whether online conveyancing is right for your sale, how it compares to high street solicitors, and what to watch out for.
Conveyancing for Remortgage: What Sellers Need to Know
How remortgage conveyancing works if you are selling with an existing mortgage, including redemption and the transfer process.
Adverse Possession When Selling Property
What adverse possession (squatter’s rights) means for sellers, how it can affect a sale, what to check on your title, and how to resolve issues before selling.
Overriding Interests When Selling Property
What overriding interests are under UK land law, how they can affect a property sale, common examples like occupation rights and easements, and how sellers should disclose them.
Week-by-Week Conveyancing Timeline for Sellers
A detailed breakdown of what happens each week from accepting an offer to completion.
How Long Does Exchange of Contracts Take?
What affects the time between agreeing a sale and exchanging contracts, and how to speed it up.
Common Delays Between Exchange and Completion
What can go wrong between exchange and completion day, and how to handle last-minute problems.
Can You Start Conveyancing Before Getting an Offer?
The pros, cons, and costs of instructing a solicitor before finding a buyer.
Average Time from Offer to Exchange in the UK
Current statistics on how long it takes from accepted offer to exchange, and what causes delays.
How Long Does Conveyancing Take with No Chain?
Why chain-free sales are faster, what the typical timeline is, and what can still cause delays.
The Most Common Conveyancing Delays and How to Avoid Them
The top reasons for conveyancing delays and practical steps to prevent each one.
What Happens If Completion Is Delayed?
Your legal rights and options if the buyer or their solicitor delays completion beyond the agreed date.
How Long Does a Mortgage Offer Last?
How long your buyer's mortgage offer is valid, what happens when it expires, and how to avoid problems.
What Order Do Things Happen When Selling a House?
A step-by-step overview of the entire selling process from valuation to handing over the keys.
How Long Should It Take for Your Solicitor to Respond?
Reasonable response times from your solicitor and when you should escalate.
What Causes Gazundering and How to Prevent It
Why buyers reduce their offer at the last minute and how sellers can protect themselves.
Is Conveyancing Faster with Cash Buyers?
Why cash sales are quicker, what is still needed, and the realistic timeline.
How Long Do Local Searches Take by Council?
Local authority search times by region and what sellers can do to speed things up.
Does Conveyancing Slow Down Over Christmas?
How the Christmas period affects your sale timeline and how to plan around it.
Can You Complete on a Friday? Pros and Cons
Why Friday completions are popular, the risks involved, and when to choose a different day.
How Long Does Stamp Duty Take to Process?
When stamp duty must be paid after completion and what happens if it is late.
Can You Exchange Before Getting a Mortgage Offer?
Whether exchange without a formal mortgage offer is possible and the risks involved.
How Long Does Land Registry Registration Take?
Current Land Registry processing times and what delays registration.
Conveyancing After an Auction Sale: The 28-Day Timeline
The tight deadlines for completing a sale after auction and what sellers must prepare.
How Long Does Probate Take Before You Can Sell?
The probate timeline and when you can legally market and sell a deceased person's property.
Notice to Complete: What It Means for Sellers
When a notice to complete can be served, what it requires, and the consequences of failing to comply.
How to Prepare for Exchange Day as a Seller
A checklist of everything you need to have ready before your solicitor exchanges contracts.
Exchange of Contracts Explained for Sellers
What actually happens when contracts are exchanged, what becomes legally binding, and your obligations.
What Is a Long Stop Date in Conveyancing?
How long stop dates protect both parties in a property transaction and what happens if the deadline passes.
Conveyancing for New Build Properties: Timeline and Process
How new build conveyancing differs from resale, including reservation agreements, NHBC warranties, and developer timelines.
How Long After Valuation Does a Mortgage Offer Take?
The typical wait between your buyer’s property valuation and receiving a formal mortgage offer.
What Happens After Exchange: Seller’s Checklist
Everything you need to do between exchange of contracts and completion day as a seller.
How to Complain About Your Solicitor
The formal complaints process for conveyancing solicitors, from internal complaints to the Legal Ombudsman.
Can You Switch Solicitor During a House Sale?
How to change solicitor mid-transaction, what it costs, and how to minimise delays.
What to Expect From Your Solicitor During a Sale
Realistic expectations for communication, timelines, and what your solicitor should be doing at each stage.
Do I Need a Local Solicitor to Sell My House?
Whether a local solicitor offers advantages over an online or remote conveyancer.
What to Ask a Solicitor Before Instructing Them
Key questions to ask before choosing your conveyancing solicitor, from fees to timescales.
Solicitor Negligence in a House Sale
How to identify negligence, what compensation you may be entitled to, and how to make a claim.
Can I Do My Own Conveyancing?
Whether DIY conveyancing is realistic, the risks involved, and when it might work.
Fixed Fee vs Hourly Rate Conveyancing
The pros and cons of each fee structure and how to avoid unexpected conveyancing bills.
Conveyancing Factory Firms: Pros and Cons
How high-volume conveyancing firms compare to smaller practices, and what to watch out for.
What Is a Panel Solicitor?
How mortgage lender panels work, why it matters, and what to do if your solicitor is not on the panel.
What Happens to the Deposit Your Solicitor Holds?
How your solicitor handles the exchange deposit, where it is kept, and when it is released.
What Is a Retainer in Conveyancing?
How conveyancing retainers work, when your solicitor holds funds on retention, and your rights.
What Is a Client Care Letter in Conveyancing?
What the client care letter contains, why it matters, and what to check before signing.
Solicitor Identity Checks: Why They Are Needed
Why your solicitor needs to verify your identity, what documents they accept, and how long it takes.
Source of Funds in Conveyancing: What You Need to Provide
What evidence your solicitor needs about where your money comes from and why.
How Solicitors Handle Completion Money
How funds move between solicitors on completion day, including telegraphic transfers and timings.
How to Read Your Conveyancing Bill
Understanding the charges, disbursements, and VAT on your final conveyancing invoice.
How to Check If Your Solicitor Is Regulated
How to verify your solicitor is authorised, what protections regulation gives you, and red flags.
What Does Conveyancing Actually Include?
A detailed list of every task your solicitor performs as part of the conveyancing process.
Dual Representation in Conveyancing: When One Solicitor Acts for Both Sides
How dual representation works, when it is appropriate, and the potential conflicts.
When Do You Need Two Solicitors?
Situations where you may need separate solicitors for the same transaction and why.
Solicitor Professional Indemnity Insurance: Why It Matters
How your solicitor’s PI insurance protects you and what to do if something goes wrong.
Is Upfront Conveyancing Worth the Cost?
Whether starting conveyancing before finding a buyer saves time and money, and when it makes financial sense for sellers.
Further Enquiries: Why Buyers Keep Asking More Questions
Why buyers' solicitors raise additional rounds of enquiries, what triggers them, and how to respond without delaying your sale.
How Many Rounds of Enquiries Is Normal When Selling?
What to expect in terms of enquiry rounds during a property sale, when multiple rounds become a concern, and how to keep things moving.
Enquiries About Rights of Way and Easements
How to respond when the buyer's solicitor raises enquiries about easements, rights of way, and access across your property.
Enquiries About Boiler and Heating Systems
How to handle buyer enquiries about your boiler age, service history, and heating system, and what documentation you need.
Draft Contract Pack: What It Is and Why It Matters
What goes into the draft contract pack your solicitor prepares, why it matters for a smooth sale, and how to speed it up.
S38 Agreements: Highway Adoption and Your Sale
What a Section 38 agreement means for property sellers, how unadopted roads affect your sale, and what buyers need to know.
Conveyancing Jargon Buster: Every Term Explained
A plain-English glossary of every conveyancing term you will encounter when selling your property in England or Wales.
When to Instruct a Solicitor Before Listing
Why instructing a solicitor before listing your property saves weeks and reduces fall-through risk. Includes a practical timeline and cost breakdown.
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