Conveyancing: what your solicitor actually does

Your solicitor: opens your file, sends you a client care letter and a quote, and runs identity and anti-money-laundering checks on you and on where your deposit came from. You: return the signed forms, show ID and proof of address, and send evidence of your deposit (statements, a gift letter if family are helping). Typical timing: a few days. Delays here are almost always missing paperwork, so send everything at once.

Your solicitor: receives the draft contract pack from the seller's solicitor, checks the title at HM Land Registry and reads the property information and fittings forms the seller filled in. You: nothing yet, but read the fittings and contents form when it arrives so you know what stays. Typical timing: one to two weeks after the seller's solicitor is instructed.

Your solicitor: orders the local authority search (planning, roads, notices), a drainage and water search, an environmental search (flooding, contamination, mining where relevant) and any extras the lender requires. You: pay for the searches up front, usually £250 to £450. Typical timing: two to four weeks, longer with some councils.

Your solicitor: raises written questions with the seller's side about anything the contract pack, title or searches throw up: boundaries, building work and its certificates, guarantees, disputes, service charges on a flat. You: tell your solicitor anything you noticed at viewings that worries you, so it goes on the list. Typical timing: two to six weeks of back and forth. This is where most chains slow down.

Your solicitor: reads the survey if you send it and raises anything legal it flags, such as a missing certificate for an extension. You: book the survey (Level 2 for most homes, Level 3 for older or altered ones) and use its findings to renegotiate if needed. Typical timing: the survey itself takes one to two weeks to book and report.

Your solicitor: receives the formal mortgage offer from your lender and checks its conditions, because they act for the lender too. You: check the offer matches what your broker told you: rate, term, fees and any conditions. Typical timing: the lender issues it two to six weeks after your full application.

Your solicitor: sends you a written report explaining the title, the searches, the enquiries and anything you need to know before you commit, and asks you to sign the contract and the mortgage deed. You: read it properly and ask about anything you do not understand. This is the moment to raise doubts. Typical timing: a few days once everything above is in.

Your solicitor: agrees a completion date with the other side, sends your deposit (usually 10% of the price, less if agreed) and exchanges contracts by phone. The purchase is now legally binding. You: transfer the deposit a few days early so it clears, and have buildings insurance in place from the moment of exchange. Typical timing: exchange to completion is often one to two weeks, and can be the same day.

Your solicitor: requests the mortgage money from your lender, sends the full purchase price to the seller's solicitor and confirms when it lands. You: wait for the call, then collect the keys from the agent. Typical timing: money usually completes between late morning and 2pm.

Your solicitor: pays your stamp duty to HMRC (if any), registers you as the owner at HM Land Registry and sends you the final statement and, later, the updated title. You: keep every document from the purchase together. Registration can take weeks or months; that is normal. Typical timing: the stamp duty return goes in within 14 days; registration follows.

Overall, eight to twelve weeks from instruction to keys is typical, longer for leasehold or a chain.