If you’ve accepted an offer on your home, great news! You’re one step closer to getting your sale over the line.
Now it’s time to choose a solicitor or conveyancer to do the legal and administrative legwork required to transfer ownership of the property to the buyer. This is known as ‘conveyancing’.
Strictly-speaking, you don’t need to find a solicitor or conveyancer to do this. But conveyancing is a very important part of the selling process and you want to get it right. A conveyancing mistake can be a costly one.
A solicitor or conveyancer acts in your best interests. They can speed up the process of selling a home and offer legal advice throughout the process.
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What’s the difference between a solicitor and a conveyancer?
Both solicitors and conveyancers are legal professionals who deal with all the legal and administrative aspects of your sale. But it’s worth getting to grips with how they differ.
A conveyancer specialises in property matters. They can be a good port of call for dealing with straightforward residential transactions. They are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
A solicitor handles legal issues across a wide range of areas, such as family and criminal matters. They can be a good choice if you have a more complex case which draws on other areas of law. They are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
What do solicitors and conveyancers do?
Solicitors and conveyancers cover similar ground when conveyancing. When you’re selling a property, their role usually includes:
explaining how the selling process works. After all, it’s not every day you sell a property
ensuring all the necessary paperwork is in good order, from EPCs and safety certificates, to title deeds and questionnaires
drawing up and checking the contract
leading negotiations on your behalf and answering any questions from the buyer
resolving any areas of concern, such as issues highlighted in a property survey
agreeing key dates
exchanging contracts, at which point, the sale is legally-binding
handling the transfer of funds
completing the sale.
But no two transactions are the same. Your solicitor or conveyancer may carry out more extensive conveyancing services. It depends on your circumstances.
How to find a conveyancer or a solicitor
There’s no set rule on how to find a conveyancer or solicitor but these can be good places to start:
ask friends, family and colleagues for suggestions
ask estate agents, mortgage brokers, accountants and financial advisors for recommendations
search online for tips on who to use. Zoopla Move offers access to top-tier conveyancers that have been carefully vetted. You can get a conveyancer quote in just 60 seconds.
use the search facilities of professional bodies, such as CLC, SRA, and the law societies of England and Wales and Scotland.
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How to choose a conveyancer or a solicitor
The key to choosing a good conveyancer or solicitor is to shop around. Here are some of the steps you can take:
Check that they are members of reputable bodies. Look out for the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, CLC, and SRA. If you’re considering a solicitor, ask whether they’re signed up to the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.
Suss out their ratings and reviews on customer review websites, such as Trustpilot.
Dig into their knowledge and experience. How many years have they been operating for? What services do they offer? What experience do they have? If you’re considering using a solicitor, do they have recent property experience? Have they dealt with a home like yours before? Do they know the local area well?
Find out exactly who will be dealing with your transaction. Will it be the solicitor or conveyancer you’re in touch with, or one of their colleagues? Who will deal with your case if your solicitor or conveyancer goes on holiday?
Find out how they will deal with the conveyancing. There can be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with conveyancing. It’s worth asking how they communicate and what system they use to track progress.
Make sure they are quick to respond. The conveyancing timeline varies enormously, from a matter of weeks, to several months. Pick a responsive conveyancer or solicitor who has good availability to put you in good stead.
Ask for quotes with a full breakdown of the costs involved. You want to know exactly what you are paying for. Find out what, if any, costs you would need to pay if the sale falls through.
Get a range of conveyancing quotes for a comparison. Bear in mind that it may be worth paying a bit more for a good service.
Finally, choose a conveyancer or solicitor that you get on well with. Conveyancing can be complicated and stressful at times. Hire someone you have a good rapport with.
How much are conveyancer and solicitor fees?
Some conveyancers and solicitors may charge an hourly rate or a fixed fee. Others might take a slice of the final sale price. Whatever their fee structure, always ask for a breakdown of what the quote covers and check whether it includes VAT.
You may find that quotes are broken down into legal fees and disbursements. Legal fees are essentially what your conveyancer or solicitor charges for the work that they do. Disbursements are the costs that they will incur on your behalf for things such as title deeds (or local searches, if you’re a buyer).
Some firms offer a no sale, no fee arrangement. This means that if your transaction falls through, you won’t be on the hook for legal costs. As always, check if there are any conditions linked with this. The price of this arrangement may sometimes be higher than normal to compensate for collapsed sales.
FAQs
Is it better to use a solicitor or conveyancer?
Both solicitors and conveyancers are able to carry out conveyancing. But their experience may vary. If your transaction is more complex than normal, it could be worth seeking advice from a solicitor with wider legal knowledge.
Are conveyancers cheaper than solicitors?
Solicitors tend to charge more than conveyancers. This often reflects the fact that they offer a wider range of legal services and expertise.
When should I appoint a conveyancer?
It can take a bit of time to find the right solicitor or conveyancer to handle the legal aspects of your sale. There’s also a fair bit of paperwork to prepare for the conveyancing process too. This can particularly be the case if you’re selling a leasehold, for example. In this instance, your conveyancer or solicitor will need to get information from the freeholder.
So it’s a good idea to line up a solicitor or conveyancer before you go under offer. That way, you can save time further down the line. You could get one onboard around the time you hire an estate agent to sell your home.
Is it better to go with a local conveyancing solicitor?
It’s not necessary to hire a local conveyancer or solicitor. The entire conveyancing process can be done remotely. If that’s the route you want to go down, you may be tempted to hire an online conveyancing firm.
But it could be argued that conveyancer or solicitors in the area offer local knowledge and contacts that might come in handy. Some sellers may also prefer to hire someone they can meet face-to-face and drop off documents with.
Can conveyancing be done without a solicitor?
Yes, conveyancing can be done without a solicitor or a conveyancer. But unless you have a good grasp of property law and lots of time on your hands, it’s risky. As we highlighted earlier, a conveyancing mistake can be a costly one. It’s why the vast majority of transactions are dealt with by conveyancers and solicitors.