The Conveyancing Process in England & Wales, Step by Step
From offer accepted to keys in hand, here is every stage of a purchase under the law of England and Wales, and where the time actually goes.
The Short Version
- Nine stages: instruction, ID, searches, enquiries, mortgage, reporting, exchange, completion, registration
- Nothing is binding until exchange of contracts
- Searches and enquiries are the most common causes of delay
- The lender's valuation is not a survey: commission your own
- Typical timescale: 8–14 weeks freehold, 12–20 weeks leasehold
- SDLT is filed within 14 days of completion; title is then registered
Before you start
Get a mortgage agreement in principle and decide who will act for you. Having a solicitor or licensed conveyancer lined up before your offer is accepted saves a week or more at the front of the process. Budget for fees, disbursements, Stamp Duty Land Tax and moving costs on top of your deposit.
Step 1: Offer accepted and solicitors instructed
You make an offer through the estate agent. Once accepted, the agent issues a memorandum of sale to both solicitors. Your solicitor sends you a client-care letter, their terms, and requests ID and source-of-funds documents. Nothing is binding at this stage.
Step 2: ID checks and the draft contract
Anti-money-laundering checks must clear before substantive work begins, so return your ID and proof of funds promptly. The seller's solicitor sends the draft contract, the title documents and the completed property forms (TA6 and TA10, plus leasehold forms and a management pack if relevant).
Step 3: Searches
Your solicitor orders the searches: local authority, drainage and water, and environmental, plus any location-specific searches such as coal mining or flood. Turnaround varies from days to several weeks depending on the council, and this is a common source of delay.
Step 4: Enquiries
Once searches and forms are in, your solicitor raises enquiries with the seller's side about anything unclear or concerning: boundaries, alterations, consents, disputes. The seller's solicitor answers, sometimes prompting further questions. This back-and-forth is often where time is lost.
Step 5: Mortgage offer and survey
Your lender carries out its valuation (for its own purposes, not yours) and issues a formal mortgage offer. Separately, you should commission your own survey, a Level 2 Homebuyer Report or Level 3 Building Survey, particularly for older or altered properties.
Step 6: Reporting and signing
Your solicitor sends you a report on title summarising everything found, along with the contract and transfer to sign. You confirm your deposit funds are ready and agree a proposed completion date with the chain.
Step 7: Exchange of contracts
When everyone in the chain is ready, solicitors exchange contracts. You pay your deposit, the completion date is fixed, and the transaction becomes legally binding. Arrange buildings insurance from this moment.
Step 8: Completion
On the agreed date, your solicitor sends the balance to the seller's solicitor. Once received, the seller's mortgage is redeemed and keys are released. You are now the owner.
Step 9: After completion
Your solicitor files the SDLT return within 14 days, registers your ownership at HM Land Registry, and serves any notices on a freeholder or managing agent for leasehold. Ask them to confirm in writing once registration is complete.
How long does it all take?
Typically eight to fourteen weeks for a freehold house, and twelve to twenty for a leasehold flat. Chains, slow search turnaround and unresponsive parties are the main things that stretch it.
A Note on Jurisdiction
This guide describes the process under the law of England and Wales. Scotland follows a different sequence built around missives, the Home Report and settlement: see our separate Scottish process guide.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the conveyancing process take in England?
For a freehold house, typically eight to fourteen weeks from offer accepted to completion. Leasehold flats usually take longer, around twelve to twenty weeks, because of the additional management pack and freeholder enquiries. Chains extend everything, since the slowest transaction sets the pace for all.
What can I do to speed things up?
Return your ID and source-of-funds documents on day one, respond to every request from your solicitor quickly, get your mortgage application in early, and chase your own paperwork such as a gifted-deposit letter. The delays you can control are usually about responsiveness; the ones you cannot are search turnaround and the pace of others in the chain.
When am I committed and unable to pull out?
At exchange of contracts. Before exchange, either party can withdraw without legal penalty, though you will have spent money on searches and surveys. After exchange, you are bound: pulling out generally means losing your deposit and possibly facing further liability.
Is the lender's valuation the same as a survey?
No. The lender's valuation exists to confirm the property is adequate security for the loan and is carried out for the lender, not you. It is not a survey and you cannot rely on it to tell you about the property's condition. A Homebuyer Report or Building Survey is a separate commission worth making, especially for older homes.
Keep Reading
Related Guides and Pages
The Scottish Process
How the same journey works north of the border.
Exchange of Contracts
The binding moment, explained in full.
Document Checklist
Everything your solicitor will need, and when.