Property Fundamentals
What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from seller to buyer. It runs from the moment an offer is accepted through to the day the title is registered at HM Land Registry in the new owner's name. MoneyHelper sets out the standard sequence: instruction, draft contract, searches, enquiries, mortgage offer, exchange, completion, registration.
The work is carried out by a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or a licensed conveyancer regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. Both are insured and held to client-money rules. Lenders publish a panel of approved firms, and the buyer's lawyer must be on it.
The GOV.UK guide How to buy a home gives the official end-to-end view. Average legal fees in 2026 sit around £1,000–£2,000 plus disbursements.
What this means in practice
A first-time buyer purchases a £285,000 flat in Leeds LS6 in March 2026. The conveyancer charges £1,150 plus VAT for legal work, with disbursements of £350 (searches), £20 (Land Registry priority search), £8 (bankruptcy search) and £273 (Land Registry registration fee for a £200k–£500k transfer of a registered title). Total bill: £1,381 + £1,150 + VAT, around £1,930. The whole process from offer to keys took 11 weeks: 3 weeks for searches, 4 weeks for enquiries and the mortgage offer, 4 weeks between exchange and completion. The buyer never met the conveyancer in person — every signed document was witnessed remotely.
Related questions
Solicitor or licensed conveyancer — does it matter?
For a straightforward residential purchase the practical difference is small: both can handle the transaction end to end, both carry indemnity insurance, both are on lender panels. Solicitors are qualified to handle wider legal work (probate, family, litigation), so they tend to be the better choice if your purchase is tangled — buying with inheritance funds, a divorce-driven sale, a complex leasehold variation. Licensed conveyancers specialise in property and are often a touch cheaper. Always check the firm is on your lender's panel before you instruct.
Can I do my own conveyancing?
Legally yes, if you are a cash buyer of a registered freehold and the seller agrees. In practice no: lenders will not lend to an unrepresented buyer, leasehold and unregistered titles are full of traps, and any error becomes your liability with no professional indemnity behind you. The HM Land Registry guidance is explicit that DIY conveyancing is high-risk and the time saved rarely justifies the exposure. Stick with a regulated firm.
Sources
Related reading
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