Conveyancing, Step by Step

What happens between offer and completion, realistic timelines, and how to avoid the common delays.

In this guide

The conveyancing process, stage by stage
Realistic timelines and the biggest causes of delay
A fictional, illustrative case study

What conveyancing involves

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership. It runs alongside your mortgage application from the moment your offer is accepted until completion. Knowing the stages and realistic timescales helps you plan and keeps stress down.

12–20 wksTypical time from offer accepted to completion

2–6 wksTypical wait for a leasehold management information pack

6 monthsTypical validity of a mortgage offer, so timing matters

The process, stage by stage

Instruct a solicitor or conveyancer as soon as your offer is accepted, and complete their ID and source-of-funds checks quickly.
Searches and checks. Local authority, environmental and drainage searches, plus title checks at HM Land Registry.
Contract review and enquiries. Your lawyer reviews the draft contract and property information and raises questions with the seller's side.
Mortgage valuation and offer. Run in parallel; your offer must be in place before exchange.
Exchange of contracts. The point at which both sides are legally committed and your deposit is paid.
Completion. Funds and ownership transfer, and you get the keys. Your lawyer then pays any stamp duty and registers you as owner.

The Biggest Causes Of Delay

Slow local authority searches; mortgage issues such as income evidence or a low valuation; leasehold packs that take weeks to arrive; title problems such as boundaries or covenants; source-of-funds questions, especially for gifted deposits; and slow communication along a chain. Most of these can be reduced by preparing early.

Keeping things moving

Respond quickly to your lawyer, have your deposit evidence and paperwork ready, and choose a firm experienced with your type of property, such as leasehold, new-build or shared ownership. Ask the estate agent for the upfront property information they now provide on listings.

Illustrative example · not a real client

A chain-free purchase in ten weeks: a fictional case study

Buying a chain-free leasehold flat in Cardiff, Nadia's solicitor requested the management pack on the day her offer was accepted. With searches and her mortgage valuation running in parallel and her gifted-deposit evidence ready, she exchanged and completed in ten weeks.

Names, figures and circumstances are fictional and illustrative only. They do not represent an actual client of Our Mortgage Broker Limited.

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Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Most buy-to-let and commercial mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our Mortgage Broker Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 944663). Registered in England and Wales, company no. 11358646. Registered office: 23 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6HE. There may be a fee for mortgage advice: we may charge up to 1% of the loan amount, and our typical fee is £500. Your fee agreement sets out the exact fee and when it is payable (at decision in principle, application or mortgage offer); fees are not refundable once due. We usually also receive commission from the lender. This guide is general information only and is not personal advice. Case studies are fictional, illustrative examples and do not represent real clients. Rates, tax and regulatory information are correct as at October 2026 and may change, including at the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026.