Law by Sajj
Law by Sajj · Property

Buying your first home?
Here’s what actually happens.

A plain-English walkthrough of residential conveyancing in England and Wales — from the day you instruct a solicitor to the day the keys are yours — written by a CQS-accredited solicitor, not a lender’s marketing team.

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Reading time
8 minutes
For
First-time buyers, England & Wales
Last reviewed
April 2026
Author
Sajjad Hussain, Solicitor
01What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring the ownership of a property from the seller to you. Your solicitor drafts and checks the contracts, runs searches against the property and the title register, raises enquiries with the other side, handles the money on the day of completion, and registers you as the new legal owner at HM Land Registry.

We work to the CQS Protocol— the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme — which is the recognised kitemark for residential conveyancers in England and Wales. Most lenders require it. It sets the service standard your file is run against.

Most purchases complete in 8 to 16 weeksfrom instruction. Chains, leaseholds and lender delays can push that further — we’ll tell you early if they do.

02The process

Seven stages, roughly sixteen weeks.

Every purchase is different — but nearly every purchase passes through these seven moments. Scroll through to see what happens, when.

  1. Instruction & ID checks

    Week 1

    You appoint us; we open your file, run identity and source-of-funds checks (AML), and send you our client-care letter and fee quote. This is when the clock starts.

  2. Draft contract & searches

    Weeks 2 – 4

    The seller's solicitor sends us the draft contract pack and title. We order local authority, water & drainage, environmental and (where relevant) chancel searches — typically a 10-20 working-day turnaround.

  3. Enquiries & mortgage offer

    Weeks 4 – 8

    We raise enquiries on anything unclear — planning history, boundaries, alterations, warranties, lease terms. Your lender's valuation comes back and the formal mortgage offer is issued. Nothing completes without it.

  4. Exchange of contracts

    Weeks 8 – 10

    Contracts are signed, dated, and swapped. Your deposit (usually 5-10%) is paid. The transaction is now legally binding on both sides — a completion date is fixed.

  5. Completion

    Weeks 10 – 12

    The purchase money flows to the seller's solicitor. The keys are released. You're the owner. We receive the signed TR1 (transfer deed) from the seller.

  6. SDLT & Land Registry

    2 – 4 weeks post-completion

    We file your Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pay any SDLT due within 14 days. We then lodge your application at HM Land Registry to register you as the new proprietor.

  7. Post-completion & title received

    Week 16 onwards

    HM Land Registry issues the updated title. We send you the official copy, the SDLT certificate and your file bundle. Keep these with your mortgage paperwork.

03Tenure

Freehold, or leasehold?

The single question that determines half of what your solicitor has to check. Most houses are freehold; most flats are leasehold.

F

Freehold

You own the property and the land it sits on, indefinitely.

Typical property
Houses
Ground rent
None
Service charge
None
Lease term
N/A — perpetual

Simpler to buy, simpler to sell. You are responsible for all repairs and insurance.

L

Leasehold

You own the right to live in the property for a fixed term; a separate freeholder owns the building.

Typical property
Flats, some new-build houses
Ground rent
Variable — check the lease
Service charge
Annual, via managing agent
Lease term
99, 125, 250 or 999 years
Extra checks we run
  • Remaining lease length. Anything under 80 years starts to affect value and mortgageability.
  • Ground rent. Escalating or doubling clauses are a red flag; many lenders now refuse them.
  • Service charge history.Last three years’ accounts, budget, and reserve fund.
  • LPE1 management pack.The freeholder’s formal disclosure on the building.
  • Section 20 works. Any major works planned or recently served — you may inherit the bill.
04Costs, clearly

Three columns, one total.

Every quote I issue breaks down into three parts — my fees, the third-party disbursements, and Stamp Duty. No surprises at completion.

Column A

Solicitor fees

From £900 + VAT

  • Conveyancing work£900
  • Acting for your lender£200
  • Leasehold supplement£250
  • Help to Buy / ISA supplement£100

Fixed, not hourly. Quoted in writing before you instruct.

Column B

Disbursements

Approx £450 total

  • Local authority search£180
  • Water & drainage search£60
  • Environmental search£55
  • Bank transfer (CHAPS)£30
  • Land Registry fee*£100
  • ID / AML check£20

*Scale fee — varies with purchase price.

Column C

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Depends on price & buyer

  • Up to £250,0000%
  • £250,001 – £925,0005%
  • £925,001 – £1.5m10%
  • Over £1.5m12%

First-time buyer relief:no SDLT on the first £425,000, then 5% up to £625,000. Additional property surcharge: +3% across every band if you already own.

A worked example

First-time buyer,
£350,000 leasehold flat.

London, two-bed leasehold, 95-year lease remaining, 10% deposit, Santander mortgage. Here’s the all-in picture at completion.

Purchase price
£350,000
Deposit at exchange (10%)
£35,000
Solicitor fees (incl. leasehold supp.)
£1,350 + VAT
VAT @ 20%
£270
Disbursements
£445
Stamp Duty (FTB relief applies)
£0
Legal spend on completion day
£2,065

Figures illustrative, rounded. Rates as at April 2026. Full personalised quote on request — no charge, no obligation.

05Delays, honestly

What can slow things down.

Not scaremongering — these are the six causes behind nearly every transaction that misses its target date. Knowing them early is most of the battle.

  1. 01

    Missing ID documents

    We can't start the clock until AML is cleared. A passport and a utility bill dated within the last three months keep things moving.

  2. 02

    Chain delays

    If your seller is also buying, and their seller is also buying, you are now on a chain. The slowest party sets the pace. Ask how long the chain is on day one.

  3. 03

    Lender down-valuation

    The lender's valuer decides the property is worth less than the agreed price. The lender lends against their figure — you find the shortfall, or renegotiate.

  4. 04

    Short lease issues

    Leases under 80 years may need a statutory extension before a lender will offer. The freeholder's premium is negotiable, but it takes time and a surveyor.

  5. 05

    Unresolved enquiries

    Boundary disputes, un-permitted alterations, missing building regs sign-off — we can't certify a clean title until the seller satisfies every point we raise.

  6. 06

    Gift deposits & source of funds

    Money from family is fine and common; we need a gift letter from the donor and evidence of their source of funds. Gathering bank statements at the last minute is the single most common cause of avoidable delay.

06A note on gifted deposits

In the British-Pakistani community — and plenty of others — the first-home deposit often comes from parents or extended family. That’s completely fine, and completely normal. Lenders and solicitors simply need to see two things, early:

  1. A gift letter.One page, from each donor, stating the amount, that it’s a gift not a loan, and that they will retain no interest in the property. I provide the template.
  2. Source of funds evidence.Typically six months’ bank statements from the donor, plus proof of where the funds originated — a house sale, ISA maturity, salary over time, inheritance. Cash is harder; plan for it early.

I handle this sensitively. The sooner I see the paperwork, the less it slows completion.

07Frequently asked

Five questions I hear most.

01Do I have to use a solicitor?

You can use a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer — both are qualified to act. You don't have to; DIY conveyancing is legal. In practice no mortgage lender will lend to a buyer without a regulated firm acting, and doing it yourself removes the professional indemnity cover that protects you if something is missed. It's the one corner I'd firmly suggest not cutting.

02What's the difference between exchange and completion?

Exchange is when contracts are signed and swapped and the deal becomes legally binding — your deposit is paid to the seller's solicitor. Completion is usually a week or two later: the balance of the purchase money is sent, the keys are released, and you move in. Between the two, the price, the property and the completion date are all locked in.

03Can I pull out after exchange?

Only at significant cost. Once contracts are exchanged you're under a binding obligation to complete. Pulling out means forfeiting your deposit (usually 10% of the price) and potentially being sued for any shortfall if the seller has to re-sell for less. Before exchange, either side can walk away for any reason — or none — at no legal cost.

04What is a TR1?

The TR1 is the standard HM Land Registry form that transfers ownership from seller to buyer. The seller signs it, we send it to the buyer's solicitor, and after completion we lodge it with the Land Registry along with your SDLT certificate. It's the legal document that makes you the registered proprietor.

05When do I pay Stamp Duty and how?

Your SDLT return must be filed within 14 days of completion. We file it for you and collect the tax from you as part of your completion statement — it's sent together with the purchase money to HMRC. You don't write HMRC a separate cheque; it all runs through your solicitor's client account.

Conveyancing Quality Scheme

Accredited by The Law Society — the recognised kitemark for residential conveyancers.

SRA regulated

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Firm no. 560013.

Part of the firm

Conveyancing handled by Sajjad Hussain at Farani Taylor Solicitors, London.

08Get in touch

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