Residential Conveyancing solicitors in England & Wales

No profiles here yet

Be the first to list in this area.

Plain-language guide

What a conveyancing solicitor does.

A conveyancing solicitor moves the ownership of a home from seller to buyer and protects the buyer, and the lender, along the way: investigating the title at HM Land Registry, raising searches and enquiries, reporting on the contract and the lease, exchanging contracts, completing, paying Stamp Duty Land Tax and registering the new owner. Client money passes through the solicitor's client account under the SRA Accounts Rules, which is why the deposit and the purchase price are sent to a regulated firm rather than to the seller.

When you need one

You are buying or selling a house or flat.
You are remortgaging, adding or removing someone from the title, or buying a share of a property.
You are buying a leasehold flat and need the lease, the service charge and the ground rent explained.
You are a first-time buyer using a Lifetime ISA, a Help to Buy loan or a shared ownership scheme.

How fees usually work

Residential conveyancing is almost always a fixed fee, published under the SRA Transparency Rules, with disbursements listed separately: searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax. Leasehold and new-build purchases cost more because there is more to check. Ask whether the fee is no-completion no-fee, and what would take the transaction outside the quote.

Questions to ask before you instruct

Is your quote fixed, and what is included and excluded?
How do you protect me from payment diversion fraud when I send the deposit?
Who will handle my transaction day to day, and how will you keep me updated?
How long is the lease, and will its length or ground rent affect my mortgage?

See the listed practitioners

General information about England & Wales law and practice, not advice on your matter. The practitioners listed on this page give that advice.

Conveyancing solicitor questions

How long does conveyancing take?

Eight to twelve weeks from an accepted offer to completion is typical for a freehold with no chain; leasehold purchases and long chains take longer. The searches, the mortgage offer and the other side's responsiveness set the pace more than the solicitor's own work.

When am I legally committed?

On exchange of contracts. Until then either side can withdraw without penalty. On exchange the deposit, usually ten per cent, becomes payable, the completion date is fixed, and a buyer who fails to complete can forfeit the deposit. Buildings insurance should be in place from exchange.

What is Stamp Duty Land Tax?

A tax on the purchase price payable within fourteen days of completion, with rates in bands and reliefs for first-time buyers and surcharges for additional properties and non-residents. Your solicitor calculates it, files the return and pays it from the funds you send for completion.

For the practitioners listed here

Software built for conveyancers.

Client money on every completion under the SRA Accounts Rules, the CDD checklist, completion statements from the ledger and automatic client updates.

SolicitorOS for conveyancers List your firm free