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    First-Time Buyer Conveyancing Guide: What Your Solicitor Actually Does

    Conveyancing — the legal work that transfers a property from seller to buyer — is the least understood and most delay-prone part of buying your first home. Your conveyancer runs searches on the property, reviews the title, negotiates the contract, holds your deposit and coordinates the actual completion. Get a good one and completion runs smoothly in 8 weeks. Get a bad one and you'll spend 16 weeks chasing them for updates. This guide explains what actually happens, what to look for when choosing, and how to keep the process moving.

    First Rung Now Editorial Updated 15 June 2026 7 min read

    Solicitor vs licensed conveyancer — which do you need?

    Both are regulated professionals qualified to handle property transactions. The differences that matter for a first-time buyer:

    • Solicitors: Full legal training. Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Handle a wide range of legal work; conveyancing is just one specialism. Best for complex cases — shared ownership, help-to-buy, unregistered land, disputes.
    • Licensed conveyancers: Specialists — trained in property law only. Regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Typically cheaper than solicitors. Great for standard freehold and leasehold FTB purchases.

    For 80% of FTBs, either works fine. Choose on service and fixed fees, not on title.

    How to choose your conveyancer

    1. Get 3 fixed-fee quotes. All-in quotes should include legal fee, VAT, and standard disbursements (searches, Land Registry, bank transfer fee). Anything called "estimate" isn't fixed.
    2. Check they're on your lender's panel. Not every conveyancer is approved by every mortgage lender. If they're off-panel, the lender will instruct their own separately at your cost (typically £400–£600 extra). Ask before instructing.
    3. Read recent Google and Trustpilot reviews. Look for consistency of communication rather than just the star rating. "Never responds to emails" or "took 3 weeks to acknowledge" are red flags.
    4. Ask how many cases per fee earner. A conveyancer handling 100+ cases at once will forget yours. 30–50 is healthy.
    5. Confirm named contact. You want a named person, not a generic "your case handler". Ideally a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer, not an unqualified assistant.
    6. Ask about the online portal. Any 2026 firm should offer a client portal where you can track progress, upload documents and message your handler. If they email PDFs of forms to fill in by hand, keep looking.

    What conveyancing actually involves — step by step

    Week 1: Instruction and preliminaries

    • You sign the conveyancer's client care letter and pay initial search fees.
    • They ID-check you (passport, proof of address, source of funds).
    • They contact the seller's solicitor to open a formal file.
    • They order Local Authority, Drainage & Water, and Environmental searches.

    Weeks 2–4: Draft contract and title review

    • Seller's solicitor sends the draft contract, title register and title plan, TA6 (property information form) and TA10 (fittings and contents).
    • Your conveyancer reviews the title for defects, restrictive covenants, easements.
    • They compare seller's TA6 answers against searches and title to identify enquiries.
    • For leasehold: they receive the LPE1/LPE2 management information pack.

    Weeks 3–6: Search results and enquiries

    • Search results arrive over 2–6 weeks. Local Authority Search is typically the slowest.
    • Your conveyancer raises enquiries with the seller's side on any issues (planning permissions, building regs, disputes, work done).
    • You receive the mortgage offer from the lender.
    • You arrange buildings insurance (in place from exchange, not completion).

    Weeks 6–8: Report on Title and pre-exchange

    • Your conveyancer sends you the Report on Title — a plain-English summary of everything they've found, plus the contract and TR1 to sign.
    • You sign the contract and return.
    • You transfer the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price on exchange) to your conveyancer.
    • Completion date is agreed with the seller's side.

    Exchange of contracts

    • Your conveyancer and the seller's conveyancer exchange contracts by phone (recorded call, using the Law Society's standard formula).
    • The completion date becomes legally binding.
    • Your deposit is now non-refundable if you pull out.
    • You must have buildings insurance in place from this moment.

    Between exchange and completion (1–28 days)

    • Your conveyancer requests the mortgage funds from your lender for the completion date.
    • Final searches (bankruptcy check on you, Land Registry priority search) are run 5–7 days before completion.
    • You receive a completion statement showing every amount due — legal fees, stamp duty, purchase balance.

    Completion day

    • Your conveyancer sends the balance to the seller's solicitor by CHAPS (usually before 1pm).
    • The seller's side confirms receipt.
    • The estate agent releases the keys — you collect them.

    After completion (2 weeks)

    • Your conveyancer files the SDLT/LBTT/LTT return and pays HMRC within 14 days.
    • They register the change of ownership at HM Land Registry (takes 6–12 months to process in 2026, but is legally effective from completion).
    • They notify your lender of registration.

    Standard searches explained

    • Local Authority Search: £100–£300. Planning history, road adoption, contaminated land, tree preservation orders, building regulations. The most common delay-causer — some councils take 6+ weeks in 2026.
    • Drainage & Water Search: £40–£80. Water supply, sewerage, distance from main drains.
    • Environmental Search: £45–£75. Contamination risk, landfill history, flood risk overview.
    • Chancel Repair Search: £20 + optional £15–£30 indemnity policy. Whether the property has historical liability to contribute to church chancel repairs.
    • Mining Search: £60–£120 in coal, tin or clay mining areas.
    • Flood Search: £30–£75 in flood zones 2 or 3.

    Common conveyancing delays and how to avoid them

    1. Slow Local Authority Searches: Order on day 1 of instruction. Some councils turn in 5 days, others 6 weeks — nothing you can do beyond pushing.
    2. Missing seller documents: If seller lost the FENSA certificate for windows or Gas Safety certificate for boiler, indemnity insurance solves it (£50–£150).
    3. Leasehold management packs (LPE1/LPE2): Can take 4–8 weeks from managing agents. Push seller to order early.
    4. Mortgage offer delays: Usually because the valuer hasn't been able to access the property. Chase your broker.
    5. Enquiries ping-pong: Set a policy with your conveyancer that all enquiries go in one batch, not drip-fed.
    6. Chain problems: Chain-free FTB purchases avoid this entirely.

    Frequently asked questions