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A straightforward freehold purchase where there is no chain typically takes eight to twelve weeks from instruction to completion. A transaction involving a chain — multiple buyers and sellers linked together — is harder to predict: it depends on the slowest link in the chain. Leasehold transactions typically take longer than freehold due to the additional review of lease documents, management information, and landlord enquiries. In 2026, lender processing times have added to overall timescales in some cases. Your solicitor will give you a realistic estimate based on your specific transaction.

Property searches are third-party enquiries that reveal information about a property not contained in the title documents. The standard search pack for a residential purchase includes: a local authority search (planning history, enforcement notices, road adoption, tree preservation orders, listed buildings, conservation areas); a drainage and water search (connection to public sewer, location of drainage infrastructure); and an environmental search (flood risk, ground contamination, radon, land instability, proximity to landfill). Additional searches — chancel repair liability, mining, highways — may be recommended depending on the property's location and history. Searches are ordered by your solicitor and are typically a fixed disbursement within the conveyancing quote.

Exchange of contracts is the point at which both parties become legally committed to the transaction. The buyer pays the exchange deposit (typically 10%) and a completion date is set. Neither party can withdraw without financial penalty after exchange. Completion is the day the transaction actually closes: your solicitor transfers the balance of the purchase price to the seller's solicitor, and when receipt is confirmed you collect the keys. The gap between exchange and completion can be anywhere from the same day to several weeks — most commonly one to four weeks.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a tax on the purchase of property or land in England. For residential purchases, the rates and thresholds have changed several times in recent years. From April 2025, the temporary reduced thresholds introduced during COVID reverted: the standard nil-rate threshold returned to £125,000 for standard buyers, with rates of 2% (£125,001–£250,000), 5% (£250,001–£925,000), 10% (£925,001–£1.5m), and 12% above £1.5m. First-time buyers benefit from a higher nil-rate threshold. Buyers of additional properties (second homes, buy-to-let) pay a 3% surcharge on all bands. SDLT must be paid and the return submitted within 14 days of completion.

A mortgage valuation is not a survey — it tells your lender the property is worth approximately what you are paying, not what condition it is in. For any property other than a brand-new build, commission an independent survey. The main types are: a RICS Homebuyer Report (Level 2), suitable for most conventional properties in reasonable condition — it identifies significant defects and areas of concern; and a Full Structural Survey (Level 3), appropriate for older, unusual or significantly altered properties, giving a more comprehensive assessment of condition. Survey findings can support price renegotiation or, in serious cases, a decision not to proceed.

A freehold owner owns the property and the land it sits on outright, with no ground rent, no service charges, and no landlord. A leasehold owner has the right to occupy the property for the remaining term of a long lease — typically originally 99, 125, 150 or 999 years — paying ground rent (in older leases) and a service charge for maintenance of the building. Across the UK, most flats are leasehold, and a significant number of houses built since 2000 are also leasehold. Lease length matters enormously: a lease with fewer than 70–75 years remaining is difficult to mortgage; fewer than 60 years is very difficult to sell.

The most common issues discovered during conveyancing include: missing building regulations or planning consents for previous works; a short lease (for leasehold properties); flood risk identified in the environmental search; boundary discrepancies between the title plan and the physical position on the ground; and restrictive covenants that affect what you can do with the property. Each issue has a range of possible resolutions — indemnity insurance, price reduction, asking the seller to remedy the problem, or (in the most serious cases) deciding not to proceed. Your solicitor will advise on the risk each issue presents and the options available.

The original Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme closed to new applicants in March 2023. In 2026, the main government-backed route for first-time buyers is the Lifetime ISA (LISA) — a savings account offering a 25% government bonus on contributions of up to £4,000 per year, which can be used towards the purchase of a first home worth up to £450,000. The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which supports 95% loan-to-value mortgages, has been extended. Shared Ownership schemes remain available through registered providers. Your solicitor can advise on the legal implications of any scheme you are using.

A restrictive covenant is an obligation registered against the title to a property that restricts what the owner can do with it — for example, prohibiting use other than as a private dwelling, preventing further development, or requiring approval before making alterations. Restrictive covenants run with the land: they bind the current owner and all future owners. Your solicitor will identify any restrictive covenants during the title investigation and advise on their scope and practical effect. Where a covenant is old, the original beneficiary cannot be identified, or the risk of enforcement is low, indemnity insurance is often available to protect against the cost of a successful enforcement action.