Our Knowledge Hub gives you step-by-step guidance through every stage of moving home. From first enquiries to completion, you’ll find clear advice, practical tips and expert insight to help you feel confident and in control.
The process begins with us writing to you to confirm their terms of business and our fees. They will also ask you to complete client and property information forms, which provide essential details about you and your property sale. This can all be completed and signed online. At that stage we will then allocate and introduce a lawyer to you who will be responsible for ensuring the legal aspects of your sale progress as smoothly as possible.
Please note that we cannot begin work on your sale until these completed forms have been returned.
How can you prepare?
Make sure your estate agent has your property lawyer’s full contact details so they can confirm the terms of the sale, the buyers’ details, and the buyers’ lawyer.
Provide us with copies of any valid guarantees relating to the property which can be uploaded via the instruction forms, such as NHBC, damp and timber, or window replacement guarantees.
Supply copies of any relevant installation certificates, including those for boiler installations, electrical work, or window replacements, where applicable.
If you have carried out any building works, such as extensions, you will need to provide copies of planning permission and building regulation approvals.
All documents needed can be uploaded when you complete the online instruction forms
The buyer’s lawyer will review the Contract, Transfer, and supporting documents and may raise additional enquiries. This is a normal part of the conveyancing process.
Your property lawyer will respond to enquiries where possible. Some enquiries may need to be referred to you, as they relate to matters only you will have personal knowledge of. Your property lawyer will clearly explain what is required from you and will be available to assist if needed.
Before contracts can be exchanged, the buyer’s lawyer must complete several steps, including:
Raising additional enquiries
Reviewing replies to those enquiries
Ordering searches, such as local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches
Reviewing search results
Receiving and reviewing the buyer’s mortgage offer (if applicable) and complying with the lender’s requirements
Reporting to the buyer on the property and arranging for the contract and mortgage documents to be signed
If you are selling as part of a chain, it is important to note that all parties in the chain must exchange contracts simultaneously and complete on the same agreed date. This means every lawyer in the chain must finish their part of the legal process before exchange can take place. Your property lawyer will work proactively to help achieve exchange as quickly as possible.
Exchanging contracts is the point at which the sale becomes legally binding for both the buyer and the seller. Once contracts have been exchanged, neither party can withdraw without facing serious financial consequences. Both parties are committed to completing the sale on the agreed completion date and at the agreed price. If the buyer fails to proceed after exchange, they may forfeit their deposit and could also be liable for additional costs or damages.
When your property lawyer is ready to exchange contracts, they will contact you by telephone on the day to obtain your express authority to proceed before legally committing you to the contract.
After contracts have been exchanged, your property lawyer will call you to confirm the completion date, notify your estate agent, request their invoice, and obtain a final redemption figure from your mortgage lender, where applicable.
Once contracts have been exchanged, you can confidently make arrangements to vacate the property on the completion date. This includes booking removals, notifying utility providers, and taking final meter readings on the day of completion.
The completion date is the day you must vacate the property and your buyer can move in.
Legal completion takes place once we receive the sale money from the buyer’s lawyer. Your property lawyer will then authorise the estate agent (if applicable) to release the keys to your buyer.
Your property lawyers will pay all sums due to your mortgage lender where applicable and send you the balance. They can send monies by bank transfer to reach your account the same day.
Remember to leave all keys with the estate agents (unless you have made other arrangements direct with your buyer) and take final meter readings.
The process begins with us writing to you to confirm our terms of business. We will also ask you to complete a client information form, which provides important details about you and your purchase.
Please note that we cannot begin work on your purchase until the completed forms have been returned, this can all be done online.
We will then introduce you to your property lawyer and provide their direct dial and email address.
How can you prepare?
This stage is where most of the legal work takes place. Your property lawyer will investigate the legal title to the property, order and review searches, and receive your mortgage offer, where applicable.
The seller’s lawyer will send the contract papers to your property lawyer. These will include details of the legal title, property information forms completed by the seller, and any other relevant documents, such as guarantees or planning consents.
Your property lawyer will carefully review the contract papers and raise any necessary enquiries with the seller’s lawyer regarding the legal title and other matters that may affect your purchase.
At this stage, your property lawyer will also send you a detailed contract report explaining the key information about the property, together with the contract papers that require your signature.
Once the seller’s lawyer responds to the enquiries raised, your property lawyer will report back to you again, explaining the replies and any implications for you.
Your property lawyer will arrange a number of searches in relation to the property you are buying, including:
Local Authority search – provides information on matters such as local land charges, planning permissions, building regulation history, and whether the road is adopted and maintained by the local authority.
Water and drainage search – confirms whether the property is connected to mains water and foul drainage, and whether any public sewers or water mains run within the property boundaries.
Environmental and land contamination search – identifies whether the property may be at risk of contamination. In some cases, a clean-up notice can be served on the homeowner, which could result in significant costs.
It is strongly recommended that you instruct a surveyor to assess the structural condition of the property. You purchase the property as seen, including any structural issues that may exist, and your property lawyer is unable to advise on the physical condition of the property.
Once available, please provide your property lawyer with a copy of the survey so they can review any legal recommendations made by the surveyor.
Please note that a mortgage lender’s valuation is not a survey. The valuation is carried out solely for the lender’s benefit to confirm that the purchase price is acceptable to them.
If you require a mortgage, your property lawyer must receive a copy of the mortgage offer directly from your lender. When a mortgage is involved, the lender also becomes a client of the firm, and your property lawyer must comply with the lender’s requirements in order to proceed.
Upon receipt of the mortgage offer, your property lawyer will review any conditions or requirements and advise you as necessary.
They will report to you on the mortgage offer, provide any documentation that needs to be completed, and issue a draft completion statement showing any funds required from you.
They will request details of your buildings insurance and a copy of the lender’s valuation.
Please note that if your property lawyer requires funds from you to complete the purchase, they may ask for evidence to verify the source of those funds, such as copies of bank statements.
Exchanging contracts is when the sale becomes legally binding for both buyer and seller – there is no turning back after contracts exchange! Both buyer and seller must complete on the agreed completion date at the agreed price. If you decide not to proceed at this stage you risk forfeiting the deposit and possibly incurring other costs for damages.
• When your property lawyers are ready to exchange contracts they will telephone you on the day to expressly obtain your permission to proceed before committing you to the contract.
• Once we have exchanged contracts we will telephone you to confirm completion.
• If applicable, we will submit our final report to your mortgage lender and request funds be released to us for the completion date.
You can now safely make arrangements for the completion date, arrange removals and ensure your buildings insurance is ‘on risk’.
The completion date is the day the seller must vacate the property and you are able to move in.
Legal completion occurs when the seller’s lawyer receives the purchase funds from your property lawyer. Once this has taken place, the seller’s lawyer will authorise the estate agent (where applicable) to release the keys to you.
After completion, your property lawyer will apply to the Land Registry to register your ownership of the property. This process can take several weeks. Once registration is complete, they will provide you with a final report confirming that you are the registered owner.
Please remember to take meter readings at the property on the day of completion.
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