From Offer to Completion: How Residential Conveyancing Works

TL;DR: Residential conveyancing runs in a fairly predictable sequence — instruction, searches, mortgage offer, enquiries, exchange of contracts, and finally completion — and understanding each stage in advance makes the whole process feel far less mysterious. Most straightforward purchases move through these steps over roughly two to three months, though timings vary a lot from one transaction to the next.

You've had an offer accepted. Congratulations — and now the waiting begins. For a lot of buyers, the period between "offer accepted" and "keys in hand" feels like a black box: your solicitor mentions searches, enquiries, and exchange, and it's not always obvious what any of that actually means or why it takes so long.

This article walks through how residential conveyancing works from offer to completion, stage by stage, so you know roughly what's happening behind the scenes at each point and what's expected of you along the way.

Before we go further: I'm a blogger, not a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. Nothing here is legal advice about your specific purchase or sale — it's a general explanation of how the process typically works in England and Wales, written to help you understand what your own legal professional is doing on your behalf.

We'll cover instructing a conveyancer, what happens during searches and enquiries, how the mortgage side fits in, and what exchange and completion actually involve. By the end, the overall shape of a conveyancing transaction should make a lot more sense.

Table of contents

• The conveyancing journey at a glance
• Getting ready before your offer is accepted
• Instructing a solicitor or licensed conveyancer
• Searches, surveys and enquiries
• Mortgage offer and report on title
• Exchange of contracts
• Completion day and beyond
• FAQs about the conveyancing journey
• Summary and what to do next

The conveyancing journey at a glance

Residential conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from seller to buyer. It covers everything from checking the seller actually has the right to sell, to registering you as the new owner at the Land Registry once the money has changed hands. Although every transaction has its own quirks, the overall shape is fairly consistent.

Step-by-step overview

1. Offer accepted and both sides instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer
2. Draft contract, title documents and property information forms are exchanged between the two legal teams
3. Buyer's conveyancer carries out searches and reviews the results
4. Buyer arranges a survey and, if needed, a mortgage valuation
5. Enquiries are raised and answered, sometimes back and forth several times
6. Mortgage offer is issued and the report on title is prepared and sent to the buyer
7. Deposit is transferred and contracts are exchanged, fixing a legal completion date
8. On completion day, funds move, the transaction completes, and keys are released

It's worth remembering that nothing is legally binding until contracts are exchanged. Either side can generally pull out beforehand without formal penalty, although costs already spent (survey fees, for example) usually aren't recoverable.

It also helps to know that several of these stages happen at the same time rather than strictly one after another. While searches are out with the local authority, for example, your mortgage application might already be moving through underwriting, and your survey might be getting booked in. This overlap is one of the reasons the process can feel confusing from the outside — different things are happening on different timelines, all feeding into the same eventual exchange date.

Getting ready before your offer is accepted

Some of the most useful groundwork happens before your offer is even accepted. Buyers who prepare early tend to move through the early stages of conveyancing more smoothly, simply because there's less scrambling to get basic things in order once the clock starts running.

• Getting a mortgage agreement in principle sorted, so lenders and estate agents know you're a serious buyer
• Researching solicitors or licensed conveyancers in advance, so you can instruct one quickly once an offer is accepted
• Having proof of identity, address and the source of your deposit ready, since these are needed for anti-money-laundering checks
• Thinking ahead about survey type, particularly for older or unusual properties

None of this guarantees a smooth transaction — there are always factors outside your control — but it does mean your side of the process is ready to move as soon as the seller's side is.

Instructing a solicitor or licensed conveyancer

Once your offer is accepted, the first formal step is instructing a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act for you. They'll ask for identification documents, details of how the purchase is being funded, and a signed engagement letter setting out their fees and what's included.

From here, your conveyancer writes to the seller's solicitor to confirm they're acting, and the seller's side sends across the draft contract, official copies of the title, and various forms covering things like fixtures, fittings, boundaries and any disputes. This early paperwork exchange sets the stage for everything that follows.

What your conveyancer typically checks first

• That the seller has the legal right to sell the property
• Whether the title is freehold or leasehold, and what that means for your purchase
• Any restrictions, covenants or rights of way noted on the title register
• Whether the property has adequate access and any shared responsibilities, such as a shared driveway

It's also around this point that your conveyancer will send you a property information form and fittings and contents form completed by the seller, setting out things like what's included in the sale, whether there have been any boundary disputes, and details of any alterations or extensions. Reading through these yourself, rather than simply waiting for your conveyancer to flag anything unusual, is generally a good habit — you may spot something worth asking about that isn't obvious from the paperwork alone.

Searches, surveys and enquiries

Once the initial paperwork is in, your conveyancer orders a set of searches. These are checks made with local authorities and other bodies to uncover things that wouldn't be obvious from simply looking at the property or the title register.

Common searches include

• Local authority search: planning history, road adoption status, and any enforcement notices
• Water and drainage search: confirms how the property connects to the public water and sewerage network
• Environmental search: flood risk, contaminated land, and other environmental factors
• Additional searches: depending on location, this might include mining, chancel repair liability, or others

Separately, it's usually wise to arrange your own survey, distinct from any valuation your mortgage lender carries out purely for their own lending purposes. A proper survey can flag structural issues that would otherwise go unnoticed until after you've bought the property. Once search results and the survey are back, your conveyancer raises enquiries with the seller's side — questions arising from anything unclear or concerning in the paperwork so far. This back-and-forth can take some time, particularly if the answers raise further questions.

How enquiries typically flow

• Your conveyancer drafts a list of enquiries based on the title, contract, searches and survey
• These are sent to the seller's solicitor, who passes relevant questions on to the seller
• Answers come back, sometimes with supporting documents attached
• Where an answer raises a further question, another round of enquiries may follow
• Once your conveyancer is satisfied, or has explained any outstanding points to you, the file moves toward the report on title

Mortgage offer and report on title

Alongside the legal work, your mortgage application runs on its own track. The lender arranges its valuation, underwrites the application, and eventually issues a formal mortgage offer. Your conveyancer usually needs sight of this offer before matters can progress much further, since it sets out any conditions the lender requires to be satisfied before releasing funds.

Once your conveyancer is satisfied with the searches, enquiries and mortgage offer, they typically prepare a report on title (sometimes called a report on the property) — a summary of everything relevant to your purchase, including any issues, so you can make an informed decision before committing to exchange.

It's worth actually reading this report rather than skimming it, even if it feels like a formality by this stage. It's your opportunity to ask any final questions before the transaction becomes binding, and a good conveyancer would rather field an extra question now than have you feel uncertain after exchange, when it's much harder to change course.

Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts is the point at which the transaction becomes legally binding. Before this happens, your conveyancer will usually go through the report on title with you, confirm you're happy to proceed, and agree a completion date with the seller's side.

What typically happens at exchange

1. You transfer your deposit (commonly 10%, though this can vary) to your conveyancer
2. Both conveyancers confirm they hold identical signed contracts
3. Contracts are formally exchanged, usually over the phone with a written confirmation to follow
4. The agreed completion date becomes fixed and binding on both sides

Once exchange has happened, pulling out becomes far more serious — there can be financial consequences, including potentially losing your deposit, so this is generally the point where both buyer and seller are genuinely committed.

The gap between exchange and completion varies a great deal. Sometimes the two happen on the same day, particularly in short, simple chains where everyone wants to move quickly. More often, there's a gap of anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, which gives everyone time to organise removals, final mortgage arrangements and practical moving logistics with a confirmed date in hand.

Completion day and beyond

Completion is the day ownership actually transfers. Your conveyancer sends the remaining balance of the purchase price to the seller's solicitor, and once the funds have been received and confirmed, the seller's side authorises the release of keys, usually via the estate agent.

Red flags to watch for around completion

• Being asked to send funds anywhere other than your conveyancer's verified account details — always double-check details by phone using a known number, as email interception fraud targeting house deposits is a genuine risk
• Removals or time off work booked before you've had confirmation that funds have actually arrived
• Uncertainty about what time keys will be released on the day
• Outstanding enquiries or conditions still unresolved close to the completion date

After completion, there's still work going on behind the scenes. Your conveyancer arranges payment of any Stamp Duty Land Tax due, and registers your ownership at the Land Registry. This registration can take weeks or, in some cases, considerably longer, though it doesn't affect your ability to move in or use the property.

It's a good idea to keep hold of the paperwork your conveyancer sends you after completion, including confirmation of Stamp Duty payment and, eventually, updated title information from the Land Registry. These documents can matter later, whether you're remortgaging, extending the property, or eventually selling it on.

FAQs about the conveyancing journey

What's the difference between exchange and completion?
Exchange is when the contract becomes legally binding and a completion date is fixed; completion is the day the money actually moves and you get the keys. They can happen on the same day, but there's often a gap of days or weeks between the two.

Can I pull out of a purchase before exchange?
Generally yes — before exchange, either side can usually withdraw without formal penalty, though costs already incurred, like survey fees, typically aren't refundable.

What happens if my mortgage offer arrives late?
Exchange is usually delayed until the mortgage offer is in place, since your conveyancer needs to review its conditions first, so a late offer can push back the whole timeline.

Do I need to be present for completion?
No, completion is normally handled entirely by the solicitors or conveyancers on both sides, with funds transferred electronically and keys released once everything is confirmed.

How much notice do I get of the completion date?
The completion date is agreed at exchange, so you'll typically know the exact date from that point onward, though in some cases exchange and completion happen on the same day with very little notice.

What's a report on title and why does it matter?
It's a summary your conveyancer prepares of everything relevant to your purchase, including any issues found along the way, and it matters because it's usually your last real opportunity to ask questions before the transaction becomes legally binding at exchange.

Summary and what to do next

• Conveyancing runs through a fairly consistent sequence: instruction, searches, enquiries, mortgage offer, exchange, and completion
• Preparing documents and finances early can help your side move quickly once things get going
• Exchange of contracts is the point of no return — before that, either side can generally withdraw
• Completion day involves fund transfers and key release, followed by Stamp Duty payment and Land Registry updates behind the scenes
• Always verify bank details independently before sending any money, given the risk of interception fraud

This article is general information only, written from a blogger's perspective rather than a legal professional's. For guidance on your own purchase or sale, it's usually wise to discuss the details with a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer.

Need help or have questions?

We can't give legal advice, since we're bloggers rather than solicitors or licensed conveyancers, but we're happy to point you toward more guides if you're trying to get your head around a particular stage of the process.

You can reach us through our contact form on the website using the button below. For advice specific to your own transaction, please speak to a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer directly.

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Reminder: this site is a blog, not a law firm, and nothing in this article is a substitute for professional legal advice. Always get personalised guidance from a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer before making decisions about buying or selling a home.