If you’re buying or selling a property, the conveyancing process can sometimes feel like a bit of a mystery.
One minute your offer has been accepted, and the next you’re waiting, wondering what exactly everyone is doing behind the scenes.
Rest assured that a huge amount of work takes place between agreeing a sale and collecting the keys. Most transactions move forward without major issues, but there are plenty of moving parts involved, and sometimes unexpected complications arise along the way.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what happens behind the scenes from offer to completion, explain why certain stages can take time, and highlight some of the challenges that can crop up during the process.
- The offer is accepted
The journey begins when the seller accepts an offer from a buyer.
At this stage, the estate agent issues a Memorandum of Sale. This document confirms the agreed purchase price and provides details of the buyer, seller and their respective solicitors.
While this may seem like a simple administrative step, it officially starts the legal process and allows everyone involved to begin their work.
- The mortgage is confirmed (if applicable)
If the buyer is purchasing with a mortgage, the next step is turning their Agreement in Principle into a full mortgage application.
The lender will review a range of information, including the buyer’s:
- Income and employment details
- Bank statements
- Credit history
- Source of funds for the deposit
- Valuation of the property
Once the lender is satisfied that both the buyer and the property meet its lending requirements, they’ll issue a formal mortgage offer.
This stage can sometimes take longer than expected, particularly if additional documentation is needed or if the valuation raises concerns about the property.
- Searches are ordered
One of the conveyancer’s key responsibilities is carrying out searches to uncover information that may affect the property.
The main three searches include:
- Local Authority Search
This reveals matters such as: planning permissions, building regulation approvals, and proposed road schemes to name a few.
- Environmental Search
This identifies issues including flood risk and land contamination.
- Water and Drainage Search
This confirms whether the property is connected to mains water and sewerage and whether any public infrastructure affects the property.
Searches often reveal information that wouldn’t be obvious during a viewing, helping buyers make informed decisions before committing to the purchase.
- Solicitors review the documents and raise enquiries
The seller’s solicitor prepares and sends a contract pack to the buyer’s solicitor.
This typically includes:
- Title documents
- Property information forms
- Fittings and contents forms
- Relevant planning or building regulation documents
The buyer’s solicitor reviews these documents and raises enquiries where clarification is needed. There can be a number of emails and calls at this stage to discuss things like: rights of way, alterations and extensions, disputes with neighbours, and any missing paperwork.
This stage often involves the most back-and-forth communication and can take some time, particularly if older documents need to be tracked down.
- We finalise the contract and agree a completion date
Once searches have been reviewed, enquiries answered and the mortgage offer received, the solicitors work together to finalise the contract.
At the same time, we’ll be working hard to co-ordinate the completion date. This may sound straightforward, but it can become more complex if you’re in a chain. People go on holiday, or won’t move on a certain date, or insist on moving on only one date. The entire chain needs to be co-ordinated, which can take a lot of time and effort.
- Contracts are exchanged
Exchange is one of the most significant milestones in the transaction and it’s when deal becomes legally binding.
Before exchange, both parties (buyer and seller) will sign the contract and the buyer will transfer their deposit to their solicitor.
The solicitors then formally exchange contracts.
- Completion
Completion is the day ownership officially changes hands.
On the day itself:
- The buyer’s solicitor receives mortgage funds from the lender.
- The buyer’s solicitor transfers the purchase money to the seller’s solicitor.
- The seller’s solicitor repays any existing mortgage.
- The estate agent is authorised to release the keys.
- The buyer can move into their new home
For most buyers and sellers, completion is the moment they have been waiting for throughout the transaction.
- Post-completion work
Once completion has taken place, it’s time for you to unpack, celebrate and settle into your new home.
For your conveyancer, however, there are still a few important jobs to finish.
The buyer’s solicitor will pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax due, and update the Land Registry with details of the new ownership. We also register the lender’s legal charge (the mortgage) where applicable.
Only once these steps have been completed is the legal process fully finished.
What happens behind the scenes?
While there may be periods where it feels like little progress is being made, solicitors, estate agents and lenders are often working hard behind the scenes to keep everything moving forward.
Identity verification and compliance checks
Before a transaction can proceed, solicitors are required to verify your identity and check the source of your funds.
These checks help prevent fraud, money laundering and financial crime, and are a legal requirement for all firms.
Managing communication
A typical conveyancing transaction can involve communication with the other side’s solicitors, the estate agent, the mortgage lender and of course our own clients. Keeping everyone informed is a major part of the job.
That means that much of a typical day is spent reviewing documents, responding to emails, making telephone calls and chasing outstanding information.
Estate agents also play a key role in maintaining communication and helping resolve issues before they become bigger problems.
Managing client funds
Conveyancers are responsible for managing large sums of money throughout the transaction.
That means ensuring funds are held securely, transferred safely and sent to the right place at exactly the right time.
It’s a responsibility that sits largely out of sight but is crucial to a successful completion.
The final handover
One of the most rewarding moments in the process comes when funds arrive safely and completion can be confirmed.
Once funds have arrived safely, the solicitors notify the estate agent, who can then release the keys to the buyer.
To those involved, it can seem like it all happens in a matter of minutes.
In reality, that moment is usually the result of weeks, or sometimes months, of careful planning, communication and coordination.
Experienced solicitors can keep you on track
From the outside, conveyancing can sometimes feel slow or frustrating.
Behind the scenes, however, there is a huge amount of work taking place to protect buyers, sellers and lenders, and to ensure ownership changes hands safely and legally.
The smoothest transactions are usually those where communication remains open, expectations are realistic and everyone works together to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
While no solicitor or estate agent can guarantee a completely problem-free move, having experienced professionals guiding the process can make a significant difference.
We can help to turn what can feel like a stressful experience into a successful and well-managed move.