Hire a Conveyancer

Here you’ll find everything you need to know about hiring a conveyancer.

When choosing a conveyancer, check that they are regulated by the relevant organisation. Licensed conveyancers in England and Wales can be regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), while solicitors can be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

You can search for a conveyancer near you using MyJobQuote, receive free quotes and compare local conveyancers. Once you’ve chosen a conveyancer and agreed to their quote and terms, they can begin handling the legal work involved in your property transaction.

What Is Conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. For buyers, the process generally starts after an offer has been accepted and continues through exchange of contracts, completion and registration of the change of ownership.

What Is a Conveyancer?

A conveyancer handles the legal work involved in buying or selling a property. This can include preparing and reviewing documents, carrying out property searches, communicating with the other party’s conveyancer, handling funds and arranging for changes in property ownership to be registered with HM Land Registry.

What Does Conveyancing a Property Involve?

Once you appoint a conveyancer, they will provide details of their fees, terms of engagement and any money required in advance for searches or other costs.

When buying a property, your conveyancer will review the contract documentation provided by the seller’s conveyancer and raise any necessary enquiries. They can also arrange relevant property searches and review information relating to the property’s title.

If you are buying with a mortgage, your conveyancer will also need to meet the requirements of your mortgage lender. You may separately decide to hire a surveyor to assess the condition of the property.

Before contracts are exchanged, outstanding enquiries should be addressed and the buyer and seller will agree a completion date. Once contracts are exchanged, the transaction becomes legally binding and withdrawing can have significant financial consequences.

On completion, the remaining purchase money is transferred and the buyer can usually collect the keys. The conveyancer will then deal with the remaining legal and administrative work, including registering the change of ownership where applicable.

What Are Conveyancing Searches?

Conveyancing searches provide additional information about a property and its surrounding area. The searches required will depend on the property, its location and the requirements of your mortgage lender, where applicable.

Common checks and searches can include:

• Title checks - Your conveyancer will check the property's registered title and related documents to establish information about its ownership and any rights or restrictions affecting it.
• Local authority search - This can provide information about matters such as planning decisions, building regulations, road schemes and other local authority records affecting the property.
• Environmental search - This can provide information about environmental risks affecting the property or surrounding area, which may include contaminated land, flooding and ground stability.
• Water and drainage search - This provides information about the property's connection to mains water and sewerage and the location of relevant pipes and drains.
• Flood risk search - Additional flood searches may be considered depending on the property and information available from other searches.
• Location-specific searches - Depending on where the property is located, additional searches relating to matters such as mining, brine extraction or other local risks may be required.

Search costs are normally charged in addition to the conveyancer’s legal fee, so check what searches are included in your quote.

What if I Have a Mortgage?

If you are buying with a mortgage, your conveyancer will need to meet your lender’s requirements and must usually be accepted by the lender to act on its behalf. Your conveyancer will review the mortgage offer and deal with the legal requirements relating to the mortgage.

If you already have a mortgage and are moving home, speak to your lender about your options. Some mortgages may be portable, but this does not necessarily mean the existing mortgage can automatically be transferred to another property. Eligibility and affordability checks may still apply.

Cost of a Conveyancer

Conveyancing costs vary depending on the value and type of property, whether you are buying or selling, whether the property is freehold or leasehold and the complexity of the transaction.

Your overall bill may include:

• The conveyancer’s legal fee.
• Property search fees.
• HM Land Registry fees.
• Bank transfer fees.
• Identity and anti-money laundering checks.
• Additional leasehold or management-related fees where applicable.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax where applicable in England and Northern Ireland.
• Land Transaction Tax where applicable in Wales.

Always request a detailed quote so you can see which costs are included and which expenses may be charged separately. Costs can vary considerably between transactions, so comparing quotes on a like-for-like basis can help you understand what you are paying for.

Who Can Do My Conveyancing?

Property conveyancing is commonly carried out by a licensed conveyancer or solicitor who handles property transactions.

DIY conveyancing may be possible in limited circumstances, but property transactions involve detailed legal and financial work. It may also not be practical when purchasing with a mortgage, as lenders generally require an appropriate conveyancer or solicitor to act for them.

Your estate agent or mortgage provider may suggest a conveyancing firm, but you do not necessarily have to use the firm they suggest. Compare the fees, services and terms before making your choice.

Do I Need a Conveyancer?

A conveyancer or solicitor can handle the legal work involved in buying or selling a property, from reviewing contracts and carrying out searches to transferring funds and dealing with registration.

Although DIY conveyancing may be possible in some circumstances, many buyers and sellers choose to hire a conveyancer because of the legal and financial work involved.

Benefits of Hiring a Conveyancer

Hiring a conveyancer can make it easier to manage the legal and administrative parts of buying or selling a property.

• Handling legal work - Your conveyancer can prepare, review and explain the legal documents involved in the transaction.
• Arranging searches - They can arrange appropriate property searches and review the results for issues that may require further investigation.
• Handling funds - Your conveyancer can deal with deposits, purchase funds and other payments involved in the transaction.
• Raising enquiries - They can raise questions with the other party’s conveyancer about the property and transaction.
• Reviewing contracts - Your conveyancer can explain the contract and raise relevant issues before you agree to exchange.
• Explaining costs - They can provide information about the legal fees, searches and other costs associated with the transaction.
• Explaining ownership - If more than one person is buying a property, your conveyancer can explain the available forms of joint ownership and their legal implications.

What Happens After Completion?

After completion, your conveyancer will deal with the remaining legal and administrative work associated with the transaction.

For a purchase, this can include paying any applicable property transaction tax from funds provided, submitting the application to register the change of ownership with HM Land Registry and dealing with requirements relating to your mortgage lender.

The amount of time registration takes can vary depending on the application, so you should not expect all post-completion paperwork to be finalised within a fixed number of weeks.

Once you're ready to move, you can also hire a removal company and compare quotes for your move.