Conveyancing FAQs

Legal fees for a freehold purchase usually run from £900 to £1,500 + VAT, plus searches and disbursements. See our guide to Kent conveyancing fees.

Costs your solicitor pays to others for you, such as search fees, Land Registry fees and bank transfer charges. See what’s included in a conveyancing quote.

It depends on the firm’s terms, so ask before you instruct. Costs already paid out, such as searches, are usually still due.

Yes. Our service is free and there’s no obligation to instruct the firm.

The legal work of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another, from the contract to registering the new owner.

They vary by district council, typically £120 to £350. Your quote shows the exact fee for your council.

A tax paid to HMRC when you buy a property above a set price. Your solicitor calculates it, files the return and pays it for you. Check current rates on GOV.UK.

Usually a payment on account for searches and ID checks. The legal fee is normally paid just before completion.

As soon as your offer is accepted, or when you put your home on the market if you’re selling. Early instruction saves weeks.

Photo ID, proof of address, proof of funds and, if selling, the property information and fittings forms.

Usually not. Most conveyancing is done by phone, email and secure online portals.

A freehold purchase in Kent usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. Leasehold and long chains can take 12 to 16 weeks or more.

Your solicitor checks the property is legally sound: ownership, boundaries, restrictions, planning and any debts secured on it. Without these checks you could take on problems that only show after completion.

Both are regulated and can handle your move. Solicitors are regulated by the SRA and can deal with wider legal issues. Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the CLC and specialise in property.

Yes. Each side needs separate legal representation to protect their interests.

You can. A firm that knows Kent understands local searches, flood and coastal risks and local agents, which can help things move faster.

Yes, though it may cause some delay. Your new solicitor asks the old one for the file and carries on.

You can renegotiate the price, ask for repairs or a retention, or pull out. Your solicitor advises you on the legal side.

Late instruction, slow searches, leasehold management packs, mortgage offers and chains. Most are avoidable with early action.

Usually 2 to 4 weeks once instructed.

A local authority search, a drainage and water search and an environmental search as standard. Others depend on the area, such as flood or coal mining.

Instruct early, return forms and ID quickly, answer enquiries promptly and have your mortgage paperwork ready.

A group of linked sales and purchases that usually complete on the same day. A delay anywhere in the chain affects everyone in it.

It varies by district council, from a few days to a few weeks. Ordering on day one helps.

They’re not compulsory without a mortgage, but they’re strongly recommended to protect you.

With freehold you own the building and land outright. With leasehold you own the home for a set number of years under a lease.

Most lenders want at least 80 years remaining. Below that, extending the lease gets more expensive.

Information from the freeholder or managing agent about service charges, ground rent, insurance and planned works.

The point where the sale becomes legally binding. The buyer pays a deposit and a completion date is fixed.

The buyer’s money is sent to the seller’s solicitor, the keys are released and the buyer becomes the owner.

Yes, but it’s riskier and less common. Most people leave a week or two between them.

No. We’re a free introduction service. The firms we introduce are regulated by the SRA or CLC.

Usually between about 1pm and 4pm, once the money has reached the seller’s solicitor.

It records who owns property in England and Wales. After completion your solicitor registers you as the owner, which protects your title.

One. We match you with a single regulated local firm.

Our service is free to you. When a transaction we introduced completes, the solicitor firm may pay us a referral fee. It never changes the price in your quote, and the firm must tell you about it in writing.