Conveyancing

Choosing a conveyancer before you make an offer

Compare the full quotation, not the headline legal fee. Check what searches, bank transfers, leasehold work, acting for the lender, identity checks and tax-return work cost, and which charges would still be due if the purchase failed.

Confirm that the firm can act for your likely mortgage lender, who your day-to-day contact will be, how updates are provided and whether it has relevant leasehold, new-build or unusual- title experience. A referral from an agent or broker can be convenient, but ask what fee is being paid and compare it like any other quote.

Why identity and source-of-funds checks happen early

The conveyancer must understand who is buying and where the purchase money came from. Expect requests for identity, address, bank statements and the history behind savings, gifts, inheritance, investments or overseas transfers. The lender may ask similar questions for a different purpose.

Repeated questions do not necessarily mean anybody suspects wrongdoing; they often mean there is a gap in the paper trail. Unedited documents and a clear explanation of the transfers will usually be more helpful than trying to simplify the history.

What is in the seller's contract pack

The seller's conveyancer sends a draft contract, evidence of title, property information and fixtures and contents forms. Leasehold purchases need the lease and management information as well. Until a usable pack arrives, your conveyancer cannot complete many of the next checks.

The title shows who owns the land, its registered extent, rights that benefit it and rights or restrictions that burden it. The title plan shows general boundaries, not a guaranteed millimetre-accurate line. Compare it with the home, garden, parking and access you viewed.

If the plan and the property appear not to match, mark the area in question and tell the conveyancer what you expected to own or use. The explanation may involve a general boundary, land held under another title or a right over somebody else's land; neither the plan nor the fence should be treated as the answer on its own.

What searches can and cannot tell you

The usual search set covers local-authority records, water and drainage, and environmental information. Location and lender requirements can add mining, flood or other reports. Searches reveal recorded information; they do not physically inspect the property or confirm every future event.

Ask which searches are being obtained, when they were ordered and whether any result needs a more detailed report. Deciding to delay searches until mortgage or chain progress can reduce early cost at risk, but it can also add the same time later.

If a search flags flood, mining, contamination or proposed development, ask where the result comes from, how close it is to the property and what consequence it may have. The next step may be a detailed search, information from the relevant authority, an insurance check or advice about the particular property rather than a decision based on the screening label alone.

How enquiries deal with missing or unclear information

Your conveyancer compares the title, forms, searches, mortgage requirements and your stated plans, then asks the seller's side for missing evidence or clarification. Replies may expose another question, so enquiries are not a single letter with a predictable return date.

Tell the conveyancer about anything the survey found involving alterations, boundaries, access, drains, rights, guarantees or intended use. Planning permission, building-regulations approval and proof that work is sound are different questions. Indemnity insurance may cover a defined financial risk; it does not certify the work.

How the chain can affect your purchase

A chain links several sales that need compatible funds and dates. Your legal work can be ready while the seller's purchase is not, or the whole chain can wait for one mortgage, search or document elsewhere.

There is no single normal duration for every purchase. Current government guidance describes about five months as an average for buying a home, with chains able to take longer. Leasehold, new-build, title issues and slow third-party information can all change that.

What to ask when you need an update

Use the contact method your firm actually monitors. Ask: what is outstanding, who controls it, when was it requested, can anything else progress now, and what will happen when it arrives? That gives you a dependency rather than a generic “waiting for searches” message.

If service is genuinely poor, ask for the supervising lawyer, then use the firm's formal complaints process. A missed informal target is frustrating; a missed legal or mortgage deadline, unexplained inaction or repeated failure to respond needs clearer escalation.

Why moving dates remain provisional before exchange

Do not give notice on a tenancy, book non-refundable removals or commit to work because the chain is “aiming” for a date. A completion date becomes contractually fixed at exchange. Before then it depends on every linked party being ready and agreeing.

What to check at this stage

• When comparing conveyancers, check what each quote includes and which additional fees may apply.
• Keep the bank statements and explanations that show where every part of the purchase money came from.
• Ask when the seller's complete contract pack arrived, because much of the legal work cannot begin without it.
• Check that the title plan and legal documents match the property you viewed, including the garden, parking and access.
• Send the conveyancer any survey findings with legal implications and explain plans such as an extension, letting or business use.
• When asking for an update, ask what is missing, who needs to provide it and when it was requested.
• Keep moving dates provisional until exchange.