Conveyancing FAQs

1. Instructing your conveyancer

Once you decide to buy or sell a property, you instruct a conveyancer to act on your behalf. We will open your file, carry out identity checks, and provide details of the work involved and likely costs.

2. Preparing the contract pack

For a sale, we obtain the title documents and prepare a contract pack containing important information about the property. This is sent to the buyer’s conveyancer for review.

For a purchase, we receive and examine the contract pack from the seller’s conveyancer.

3. Searches and enquiries

The buyer’s conveyancer will carry out property searches and raise enquiries about the property. These enquiries help identify any legal, planning or environmental matters that could affect the property.

Common searches include:

• Local Authority Search
• Drainage and Water Search
• Environmental Search
• Mining or location-specific searches where required

4. Mortgage and survey

If the buyer is obtaining a mortgage, the lender will issue a mortgage offer once its requirements are satisfied.

The buyer may also arrange a survey to assess the property’s condition. Any issues identified can be discussed before proceeding further.

5. Reporting and signing documents

Once searches, enquiries and mortgage arrangements have been completed, the conveyancer will provide a detailed report explaining the legal position and any matters requiring attention.

Contracts and other documents are then signed in readiness for exchange.

6. Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts is the point at which the transaction becomes legally binding.

At exchange:

• The completion date is agreed.
• The buyer usually pays a deposit.
• Both parties are committed to completing the transaction.

Before exchange, either party can usually withdraw. After exchange, there can be financial consequences if a party fails to complete.

7. Preparing for completion

The conveyancers make final arrangements, including:

• Obtaining mortgage funds.
• Carrying out final checks.
• Preparing completion statements.
• Arranging the transfer of monies.

8. Completion day

On completion day, the purchase funds are transferred to the seller’s conveyancer. Once received:

• Ownership transfers to the buyer.
• The seller releases the keys.
• The buyer can move into the property.

This is the stage most people refer to as “moving day”.

9. Post-completion work

After completion, the buyer’s conveyancer will:

• Pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax due.
• Register the change of ownership with HM Land Registry.
• Register any mortgage against the property.

Once registration is complete, the legal process is finished.

Every transaction is different, but a straightforward purchase or sale usually takes between 8 and 12 weeks. Factors such as mortgage approval, search results, the length of the chain, and the responsiveness of other parties can affect timescales.

Property searches are enquiries made with various authorities to identify issues that could affect the property. These may include local authority searches, drainage and water searches, environmental searches, and other location-specific investigations. If any issues arise within the searches, we will explain and advise you on any steps that can be taken to protect your position before proceeding.

The cost of conveyancing depends on the type of property, whether it is freehold or leasehold, the purchase price, and whether any additional work is required. We provide a clear quotation at the outset, including our legal fees and any third-party costs (known as disbursements), so you know what to expect.

Our quote will typically include our legal fees and anticipated disbursements such as search fees, Land Registry fees and, where applicable, Stamp Duty Land Tax. We will explain any additional costs before they are incurred.

This is very common. We coordinate both transactions together to ensure funds and timing align as smoothly as possible, helping reduce stress on moving day.

A property chain exists when several linked transactions depend on each other completing. Chains can increase transaction times, as progress often depends on all parties being ready to proceed.

Call us on 01253 626793 or email enquiries@coopernimmo.co.uk (opens email application) and we’ll be happy to talk it through.