Conveyancing FAQs

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from one person(s) to another. This process is usually carried out by a conveyancing solicitor.

The average length of time is 12-16 weeks, though it is common for transactions involved in longer chains to take 6 months or more.

A conveyancing solicitor will:

    • Advise their clients: provide insights on the conveyancing process, and keep them informed about any progress. 
    • Arrange searches: uncover any potential issues with the property itself or local area. 
    • Draft contracts: ensure both sides are happy with the arrangement before exchanging.
    • Liaise with other professionals: these might include estate agents, mortgage advisors, and the solicitors advising other parties in the ‘chain’. Deal with the finances: review financial records and facilitate the eventual transfer of funds when the sale is complete.

 

A property survey is not compulsory, but strongly encouraged when purchasing a property. It is a check carried out by a licensed professional which identifies any issues with the building’s condition prior to the new owners finally committing to purchase it. This is so that any risks or future expenses don’t come as a surprise.

The conveyancing solicitor for the seller creates a draft contract which outlines the terms of the sale of the property. It is called a draft contract as it is not legally binding until the contracts are exchanged.

Completion day is the final stage in conveyancing and is when the buyer takes possession of the property. It is when the funds are transferred across, and usually takes place anywhere between a week and a month from contracts being exchanged. This length of time can be affected by many things:

  • Delays in the money being transferred 
  • How proactive the solicitors and estate agents are in pushing through each stage of the proces
  • Other transactions in the chain
  • The mortgage lender
  • Building delays with newbuild properties

For an update regarding your completion date, ask your conveyancing solicitor.

An exchange of contracts is when the contracts become legally binding and both parties are from that point on, legally obligated to proceed with the property purchase and sale. Completion, meaning the transfer of funds in exchange for ownership of the property, usually happens less than a month later.

The exchange of contracts takes place once each party is happy with the terms set out and all legal checks, property searches and building surveys have taken place.  

A ‘chain’ means that there are several properties that need to change ownership on the same day. A chain will have one person(s) who are only buying at one end of the chain (first-time buyers and investors, for example) and one person(s) at the other end of the chain who are only selling (a company selling newbuild homes, or someone moving into long-term care). Between these two parties will be person(s) who need to both buy and sell a property.

When there is a long chain, conveyancing can take much longer because it can take a while for the ‘chain’ to be ‘complete’. There is also a higher potential for one ‘link’ in the chain to pull out of the purchase, thus, everyone has to wait while the parties involved have to find new buyers/sellers.

Property searches are legal enquiries that a solicitor will make with the relevant authorities in order to gather information about a property that their client is in the process of purchasing. Property searches are required for buyers with a mortgage, but it is still recommended for cash buyers too. 

Property searches will uncover any potential issues like risk of flooding, future developments in the local area, and planning permission restrictions.

Whether you will have to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when you buy a property depends on its value. From 1st April 2025 in England and Northern Ireland, if you buy a freehold, leasehold, or shared ownership property above £125,000 in value, you will pay SDLT. If you are a first time buyer, you will only pay SDLT if buying a property worth £300,000 or more.

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Excellent

Based on 565 reviews
22 Mar 2026

I used Eric Robinson for my sale and…

I used Eric Robinson for my sale and purchase and they have been, without doubt, the best solicitors I have ever used. I have always had bad experiences in the past so felt apprehensive about the whole process. Hazzra Huxford was professional, methodical and responsive. She moved things along as swiftly as she was able to, and provided updates in a timely way throughout. I really felt I was in good hands. Towards the end of the process, Hazzra left for maternity leave and my file was handed over to Sylvia just before exchange – again, the service provided by Sylvia was excellent – putting my mind at ease, responding to queries and getting what was a long and messy exchange over the line. Very grateful to them both and will not hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks both!


Jade Dear
13 Mar 2026

Amazing service

Amazing service , polite helpful and reassuring on our house sale and purchase Our solicitor Chantelle Bennett I would recommend to anyone 10/10


Laurence
12 Mar 2026

Highly Recommend!

I’ve used Eric Robinson twice now for conveyancing – Chantelle in particular – and I cannot fault the attention to detail, efficiency and level of communication provided. I will continue to recommend Chantelle and the service offered by Eric Robinson!


Amy Mellor
11 Mar 2026

Transfer of equity

Emma and Megan were kind, informative and communicated well with updates regarding my transfer of equity. I appreciated that the majority of actions were achieved through phone and email, apart from when I chose to collect documents by hand. Thank you for your support.


Nik
09 Mar 2026

Would highly recommend

Miya was great to deal with at Eric Robinson Solicitors. Everything was explained to me clearly and she always came back to me quickly. We had a situation with our buyers solicitors where they were being very slow. Miya worked really well with our agent to push this through in the timeframe that we needed. Would highly recommend.


Sarah Moody
08 Mar 2026

Highly recommended

Miya at Eric Robinson recently supported us through both our property sale and purchase. She was consistently professional, courteous, and exceptionally helpful. Her guidance was clear, her communication timely, and she kept us fully informed throughout what became a particularly challenging exchange. Thanks to Miya’s diligence and proactive approach, our chain was able to exchange and complete within a very tight timeframe. We would highly recommend Eric Robinson Solicitors.


customer
22 Mar 2026

I used Eric Robinson for my sale and…

I used Eric Robinson for my sale and purchase and they have been, without doubt, the best solicitors I have ever used. I have always had bad experiences in the past so felt apprehensive about the whole process. Hazzra Huxford was professional, methodical and responsive. She moved things along as swiftly as she was able to, and provided updates in a timely way throughout. I really felt I was in good hands. Towards the end of the process, Hazzra left for maternity leave and my file was handed over to Sylvia just before exchange – again, the service provided by Sylvia was excellent – putting my mind at ease, responding to queries and getting what was a long and messy exchange over the line. Very grateful to them both and will not hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks both!


Jade Dear
13 Mar 2026

Amazing service

Amazing service , polite helpful and reassuring on our house sale and purchase Our solicitor Chantelle Bennett I would recommend to anyone 10/10


Laurence
12 Mar 2026

Highly Recommend!

I’ve used Eric Robinson twice now for conveyancing – Chantelle in particular – and I cannot fault the attention to detail, efficiency and level of communication provided. I will continue to recommend Chantelle and the service offered by Eric Robinson!


Amy Mellor
11 Mar 2026

Transfer of equity

Emma and Megan were kind, informative and communicated well with updates regarding my transfer of equity. I appreciated that the majority of actions were achieved through phone and email, apart from when I chose to collect documents by hand. Thank you for your support.


Nik
09 Mar 2026

Would highly recommend

Miya was great to deal with at Eric Robinson Solicitors. Everything was explained to me clearly and she always came back to me quickly. We had a situation with our buyers solicitors where they were being very slow. Miya worked really well with our agent to push this through in the timeframe that we needed. Would highly recommend.


Sarah Moody
08 Mar 2026

Highly recommended

Miya at Eric Robinson recently supported us through both our property sale and purchase. She was consistently professional, courteous, and exceptionally helpful. Her guidance was clear, her communication timely, and she kept us fully informed throughout what became a particularly challenging exchange. Thanks to Miya’s diligence and proactive approach, our chain was able to exchange and complete within a very tight timeframe. We would highly recommend Eric Robinson Solicitors.


customer
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