What a conveyancer actually does
A conveyancer is your legal guide through the purchase or sale. Their core job is to ensure you become the legal owner of a property with good and marketable title, meaning no hidden legal problems that could cost you later or make the property difficult to resell. Every step they take is aimed at confirming that the seller can legally sell, that nothing unexpected is attached to the property, and that the transfer is recorded correctly.
Behind the scenes a conveyancer works across multiple simultaneous tasks. They verify your identity and the source of your funds under anti-money-laundering rules, review the draft contract prepared by the seller's solicitor, run a suite of searches against the property, raise formal enquiries about anything unclear in the title or contract, liaise with your mortgage lender and ensure the property meets their lending criteria, and coordinate the simultaneous exchange and completion logistics across all parties in the chain.
After completion they file your stamp duty land tax return with HMRC and pay any tax due, then register the transfer and any mortgage at HM Land Registry. The Land Registry title register is the definitive public record of who owns the property and any charges secured against it. You should receive a copy of the updated title register once registration is complete.
The conveyancing process from start to finish
1. Instruction and onboarding
You appoint a conveyancer. They open your file, send out a client care letter with their terms, carry out identity checks, and confirm the source of your deposit funds under anti-money-laundering requirements.
2. Searches and title review
They order the standard suite of searches: local authority (planning history, road adoption, enforcement notices), environmental (flood risk, contamination), and water and drainage. They also review the title documents sent by the seller's solicitor.
3. Raising enquiries
Your conveyancer sends written enquiries to the seller's solicitor about anything in the contract, title or searches that needs clarification. This can include planning permissions, building regulations sign-offs, boundary issues, or details about the lease for leasehold properties.
4. Report to you
Once searches are back and enquiries resolved, your solicitor reports to you. They explain the title, the contract terms, any issues found, and what they mean for your purchase. You confirm you are happy to proceed.
5. Exchange of contracts
Both parties sign identical contracts and your solicitor physically exchanges them with the seller's solicitor by phone. You pay your deposit, typically 10% of the purchase price. The transaction is now legally binding and completion is fixed.
6. Completion
Your conveyancer sends the balance of the purchase price by bank transfer. Once the seller's solicitor confirms receipt, you collect the keys. Ownership has legally transferred.
7. Post-completion
Your conveyancer files your stamp duty land tax return within 14 days of completion, pays any tax, and applies to register you as the new owner at HM Land Registry. Registration currently takes several weeks to several months depending on Land Registry workload.
What conveyancing costs in 2026
Your total bill is made up of the legal fee (the conveyancer's work) plus disbursements, which are third-party costs paid on your behalf.
| Item | Typical cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Legal fee (freehold purchase) | £850 to £1,500 | The conveyancer's professional work, usually fixed-price |
| Legal fee (leasehold premium) | £200 to £400 extra | Additional leasehold work: lease review, management pack |
| Local authority search | £100 to £250 | Planning, road adoption, enforcement and local issues |
| Environmental search | £40 to £80 | Flood risk, contamination, ground stability |
| Water and drainage search | £40 to £60 | Sewer proximity and drainage rights |
| Land Registry fee (purchase) | £20 to £500 | Scale fee based on purchase price, paid to Land Registry |
| Bank transfer (TT) fee | £20 to £45 | Electronic transfer of completion funds |
| ID and AML checks | £10 to £30 per person | Anti-money-laundering and identity verification |
| Stamp duty land tax | Variable | Calculated on purchase price, filed by your conveyancer |
On a £300,000 freehold purchase with no stamp duty liability (first-time buyer), expect total conveyancing costs of around £1,400 to £2,200 including all disbursements. Leasehold adds £300 to £600 more.
Choosing a conveyancer: what to look for
Both solicitors and licensed conveyancers can handle residential conveyancing. A solicitor is a qualified lawyer who can also advise on other legal matters; a licensed conveyancer specialises in property transactions only. Either can do an excellent job. The more important factor is whether the firm is proactive, communicative and on your mortgage lender's approved panel.
Most mortgage lenders require your conveyancer to be on their approved panel. If you choose a firm that is not on the panel, your lender will instruct their own solicitor, and you will pay two sets of legal fees. Always confirm panel membership with your lender before instructing.
Online conveyancing firms often quote lower fees, but the trade-off can be a lack of a named contact, slower response times, and less proactive chasing of the other side. Local high-street firms typically cost a little more but may handle your file more personally. Ask any firm how your file is managed, whether a named solicitor or a team handles it, and what their average time from instruction to exchange was over the last year.
No completion, no fee arrangements are now standard with many firms. Under these terms you do not pay the legal fee if the purchase falls through before completion. Note that you will still lose any search fees and disbursements already incurred, which can reach £300 to £500, so it is not entirely risk-free.
Solicitor or licensed conveyancer?
Both are regulated and both can do residential conveyancing well. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; licensed conveyancers by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. Whichever you choose, confirm they are on your mortgage lender's panel before instructing. That single check prevents the need to pay two firms' fees.