From reservation to completion: the legal steps that protect your purchase, what your solicitor checks and how long each stage takes.
Before you receive the keys, a series of legal steps protect your money and make sure the property is exactly what you are paying for. In England this work is called conveyancing and it is carried out by your solicitor. Here is what happens, step by step.
1. Reservation
Once you choose a home, you pay a reservation fee to the developer or seller, typically £2,000 to £10,000 for new builds. The home is taken off the market while the lawyers prepare contracts. The fee is usually deducted from the price at completion. Ask what happens to it if the purchase does not go ahead.
2. Instructing your solicitor and identity checks
You appoint a solicitor to act for you. UK law requires solicitors to confirm your identity and the source of the funds you will use, so expect to provide your passport, proof of address and bank statements showing where the deposit comes from. Having these ready early is the single best way to avoid delays.
3. Contract pack and title
The seller's solicitor sends the draft contract, the title from HM Land Registry and, for a leasehold flat, the lease. For new builds the pack also includes the building warranty, planning documents and the specification. Your solicitor checks who owns the property, the length and terms of the lease, the service charge and ground rent, and any rights or restrictions affecting it.
4. Searches
Your solicitor orders searches to uncover issues that are not visible on a viewing:
- Local authority search: planning history, road schemes, building control and other local matters
- Water and drainage search: connections to public water and sewers
- Environmental search: flood risk, contamination and ground stability
- Other searches depending on the area, such as mining or transport projects
5. Enquiries and report
Your solicitor raises questions with the seller's solicitor about anything unclear, then sends you a report on the property and the contract in plain language. If you are using a mortgage, the lender's requirements are dealt with at the same time.
6. Exchange of contracts
Exchange is the point at which the purchase becomes legally binding on both sides. You pay a deposit, usually 10% of the price, less the reservation fee. For new builds, developers usually expect exchange within 21 to 28 days of reservation. If you withdraw after exchange, you can lose your deposit, so everything must be settled before this step.
7. Completion
On completion day the balance of the price is sent through your solicitor to the seller's solicitor, ownership passes to you and the keys are released. For a home that is already built, completion is often one to four weeks after exchange. For an off plan home, completion follows when the building is finished, and the developer gives notice, commonly 10 working days.
8. After completion
Your solicitor pays Stamp Duty Land Tax to HMRC and registers you as the owner at HM Land Registry. Read more in The final step.
How long does it take?
For a completed home, the legal process usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from offer to completion. Off plan purchases move quickly to exchange and then wait for the building to be completed.
Buying from abroad
You do not need to be in the UK at any stage. Documents can be signed remotely or through a power of attorney, and identity checks can be done by certified copies or secure digital verification. We explain every step in plain language.
This guide is general information about buying in England and Wales and is not legal advice for your particular purchase.
