When to Instruct a Conveyancer for Your Move

Summary

The best time to instruct a conveyancer is before you need one. If you are buying, choose one when you start viewing homes. If you are selling, instruct one before your property goes on the market. If you have done neither, instruct on the day your offer is accepted, not the week after.

• Buying: instruct when you begin your search, so ID checks and onboarding are done before you make an offer.
• Selling: instruct before you list, so your property information forms and title documents are ready when a buyer appears.
• Both buying and selling: instruct at the start, and ask your conveyancer to act on both your sale and your purchase where possible.

The reason is simple. In England, neither buyer nor seller is legally bound until contracts are exchanged. Every week between offer and exchange is a week in which a deal can stall, be renegotiated or collapse. Early instruction shortens that gap. Reforms announced by the government on 19 June 2026, including binding conditional contracts and sales packs, are proposals, not law. As of October 2026, nothing changes for your current transaction and you are still not bound until exchange.

What property conveyancing involves

Property conveyancing is the legal work of moving ownership of a home from one person to another. It is the legal property transfer behind every sale and purchase, and it runs in parallel with your mortgage, survey and removals.

When you are buying or selling property in England, a conveyancer will typically:

• Verify your identity and, where required, the source of your funds
• Check the title to the property and the legal documents that go with it
• Raise and answer enquiries between buyer and seller
• Order and review searches, such as local authority, water and drainage, and environmental checks
• Meet your mortgage lender’s legal requirements
• Prepare, explain and exchange the contract
• Move the money on completion day and pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Register the change of ownership with HM Land Registry

This guide covers England. Wales has its own land transaction tax, and Scotland and Northern Ireland use different legal processes.

Timing matters because a large share of this work does not depend on an accepted offer. ID checks, document gathering and form completion can all happen first. Doing them early turns the weeks after an offer from a scramble into a run.

When to instruct a conveyancer if you are buying

You do not need a conveyancer to make an offer, but the buyers who move fastest usually have one lined up before they view a property. There are three realistic moments to instruct, and the earlier the better.

1. Before you start searching (best). Request a quote, complete the firm’s onboarding and pass its ID and anti-money laundering checks. Sellers and agents tend to take a prepared buyer more seriously, and your legal team can start the moment you need them.
2. When you make an offer. Give your conveyancer’s details to the estate agent. Once your offer is accepted, the agent issues a Memorandum of Sale to both sides’ conveyancers, and the work starts immediately.
3. Within one or two days of acceptance (the latest sensible point). Do not wait for your survey or your mortgage offer. Your conveyancer can request the contract pack and order searches while those are in progress.

If you are buying with a mortgage, check that your chosen firm is on your lender’s panel. If it is not, the lender may require a second firm to act for it, which adds cost and time.

Some purchases need earlier legal input:

• Auction: you are usually bound when the hammer falls, so have the legal pack reviewed before you bid.
• Leasehold: lease length, ground rent, service charges and management arrangements all need checking before you commit.
• New build: the contract is usually the developer’s, and reservation deadlines can be tight.
• Cash purchase: you will still be asked to evidence the source of your funds, so gather statements early.

When to instruct a conveyancer if you are selling

Sellers should instruct before the property is marketed. That lets your conveyancer prepare the paperwork while you are still arranging photos and viewings, so a contract pack can go to the buyer’s conveyancer as soon as an offer is accepted.

Before you have a buyer, your conveyancer can:

• Obtain official copies of the title from HM Land Registry and check them for restrictions, boundary issues or errors
• Send you the Property Information Form (often called the TA6) and the Fittings and Contents Form (the TA10), plus a leasehold information form if your home is leasehold
• Identify missing paperwork early, such as guarantees, building regulations sign-offs or planning permissions for extensions
• Request a leasehold management pack from your landlord or managing agent, which can take weeks
• Complete your ID and anti-money laundering checks

It also helps with the information your estate agent must share at the listing stage, such as tenure and other key facts about the property. A conveyancer on standby can advise on leasehold terms or title points before they surprise a buyer.

If you are selling at auction, instruct your conveyancer first and have the legal pack prepared before you instruct the auctioneer.

The conveyancing process step by step

The government puts the average home purchase in England at around 120 days, about 17 weeks, from offer acceptance to completion (GOV.UK, June 2026). Straightforward, chain-free purchases can move faster, while chains, leasehold properties and slow searches or mortgage offers add time. Any timescale is an estimate, not a guarantee. Here is the sequence for a typical purchase and sale.

1. Instruction and onboarding. You receive a quote and client care letter, sign it, and complete ID and anti-money laundering checks.
2. Memorandum of Sale. After an offer is accepted, the estate agent sends both conveyancers the agreed price, parties and chain details.
3. Contract pack. The seller’s conveyancer sends the draft contract, title documents and completed forms (TA6, TA10 and any leasehold paperwork) to the buyer’s conveyancer.
4. Searches. The buyer’s conveyancer orders local authority, water and drainage, environmental and any other relevant searches. Results can take days or weeks to return.
5. Mortgage offer and lender requirements. A buyer’s conveyancer needs the formal mortgage offer before it can report fully and move towards exchange.
6. Enquiries. The buyer’s conveyancer raises questions on the contract pack. The seller’s conveyancer relays them to the seller for answers.
7. Report on title. Once searches, mortgage offer and replies are in, your conveyancer reports to you. Read it carefully and ask about anything unclear.
8. Signing and deposit. The buyer signs the contract and mortgage documents and sends the deposit and any balance of funds to their conveyancer.
9. Exchange of contracts. The contracts are exchanged and the completion date is fixed. From this point the transaction is legally binding.
10. Completion. The buyer’s conveyancer sends the purchase money to the seller’s conveyancer, who confirms receipt so the keys can be released. The seller’s conveyancer repays any mortgage and pays the estate agent.
11. After completion. The buyer’s conveyancer submits the Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pays any tax due within 14 days, then registers the new owner with HM Land Registry.

Most of the delay in this process is not legal complexity. It is waiting for documents, forms, funds and replies, which is exactly what early preparation removes.

Buyer checklist: documents and details to prepare

Have these ready on the day you instruct. Your conveyancer will confirm exactly what it needs, but this covers most purchases.

• Photo ID for every buyer, such as a passport or photocard driving licence
• Proof of address dated within the last three months, such as a utility bill or bank statement
• Full names, dates of birth and current address for all buyers, and your National Insurance numbers
• Details of the property: address, agreed price, estate agent and seller’s conveyancer once known
• Mortgage in principle, then the formal mortgage offer when issued, and your lender’s name
• Proof of deposit: recent bank statements showing the funds and how they built up
• Evidence of source of funds for savings, inheritance, property sale proceeds or investments
• A signed gifted deposit letter from any donor, plus the donor’s ID and evidence of their funds
• Details of the property you are selling, if any, and your own conveyancer’s progress on it
• Survey report and any questions it raises
• Your preferred completion date and any fixed constraints, such as a rental notice period or school term

Bank details deserve special care. A genuine conveyancer will not change its payment details by email. Always confirm account details by phone, using a number you already trust, before sending money.

Seller checklist: property transaction documents to prepare

The more of these property transaction documents you have before you list, the faster the contract pack can go out.

• Photo ID and proof of address for every owner
• Property Information Form (TA6), completed fully and accurately
• Fittings and Contents Form (TA10), stating what stays and what goes
• Title deeds or Land Registry title number, if you have them
• Mortgage details, including lender and account number, so the balance can be redeemed on completion
• Building regulations completion certificates and planning permissions for extensions, loft conversions and conservatories
• Gas Safe certificates, electrical safety certificates (such as an EICR) and any FENSA or similar window and door certificates
• Guarantees and warranties, such as damp proofing, roofing, boiler and timber treatment
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• Any boundary, shared access, drainage or neighbour dispute information
• For leasehold: a copy of the lease, ground rent and service charge details, and contact details for the landlord or managing agent
• For new builds or recent works: NHBC or similar structural warranty documents
• Details of anyone else living at the property, such as tenants or adult occupiers

If something is missing, tell your conveyancer straight away. Missing paperwork is often fixable with an indemnity policy or a retrospective certificate, but only if it is raised early.

Costs and stamp duty to budget for

Ask for a written quote when you instruct, and check what it includes. Costs usually fall into two groups.

Stamp Duty Land Tax rates in England for a main home, from 1 April 2025:

Buyers of an additional residential property pay a 5% surcharge on each band.

Stamp Duty rules change, and Wales uses Land Transaction Tax instead, so confirm the current figures on GOV.UK or with a qualified tax adviser before you budget. If you are selling a second home, you may also need to report and pay Capital Gains Tax, normally within 60 days of completion. Speak to an accountant or qualified tax adviser about your own position.

Common causes of delay and how to avoid them

Most delays in property conveyancing are predictable. Each one has a simple fix if you act early.

The pattern is consistent. Delays are rarely caused by the law. They are caused by information that arrives late.

How to choose a conveyancer

Choosing the right firm matters as much as choosing the right time. Before you instruct, check the following.

• Regulation: the firm should be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Ask which, and check the regulator’s register.
• Lender panel: if you are taking a mortgage, confirm the firm acts for your lender.
• Clear pricing: ask for a written quote showing the legal fee, VAT and likely disbursements, and what happens to costs if the transaction does not proceed.
• Relevant experience: leasehold, new build, shared ownership, auction and gifted-deposit purchases each have extra steps.
• Communication: ask who your case handler is, how you will be updated and how quickly queries are answered.
• Online tracking and digital ID: these can remove days from onboarding and signing.
• Fraud safeguards: the firm should explain how it protects your money and how it confirms bank details.
• Reviews and accreditation: read recent client reviews, and look for recognised quality marks such as the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

The cheapest quote is not always the lowest cost. Slow communication or a failed transaction can cost far more than a modest difference in fees.

Ready to start your move?

The right time to instruct a conveyancer is as early as you can. Buyers should line one up before they start viewing, and sellers before they list. Either way, gather your documents now, complete your ID checks and respond quickly when questions arrive. That is what keeps property conveyancing moving and gives your move the best chance of completing on time.

Next steps:

1. Request a written, fixed-fee conveyancing quote.
2. Complete ID and anti-money laundering checks.
3. Gather the documents on the buyer or seller checklist above.
4. Give your conveyancer’s details to your estate agent.

This guide is general information for England and not legal advice. Rules, rates and thresholds can change, so check current figures with your conveyancer.