Conveyancing Solicitor UK: Role & Duties Explained

At a glance

• Who can do the work: a solicitor, a licensed conveyancer, or a CILEX-qualified legal executive can act for you on a residential purchase or sale in England and Wales.
• It is a reserved legal activity: preparing the transfer document and applying to register it at HM Land Registry are "reserved instrument activities" under the Legal Services Act 2007 — only an authorised person can carry them out for someone else, for reward.
• The contract becomes binding at exchange: once both sides sign and exchange contracts, neither party can normally withdraw without paying compensation.
• SDLT must be reported within 14 days: your conveyancer must send a Stamp Duty Land Tax return to HMRC and pay any tax due within 14 days of completion, even where no tax is owed.
• The transfer must be completed by registration: a transfer of a registered property does not take legal effect until it is registered at HM Land Registry.
• You are not legally required to use one: there is no general legal requirement to use a solicitor or conveyancer if you are handling your own straightforward transaction, though a mortgage lender will normally insist on one.

What a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer does

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of property from one person to another. A conveyancing solicitor, or a licensed conveyancer, is the professional who manages that process on your behalf. They act for you specifically, which means their duty is to protect your interests rather than the other side's.

On a purchase, they check that the seller genuinely has the right to sell, that no one else has a competing claim over the property, and that nothing hidden in the title or local area would make the property less valuable or less usable than you expect. On a sale, they respond to the buyer's enquiries, prepare the contract pack, and handle the discharge of any mortgage secured on the property.

This page describes the role of a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer for general information. It does not offer, and should not be read as offering, conveyancing services, and nothing here is legal advice on a specific transaction.

Who is allowed to carry out conveyancing

Two of the core tasks in any conveyance — preparing the document that transfers the property, and making the application to register that transfer at HM Land Registry — are defined in law as "reserved instrument activities" under Schedule 2 to the Legal Services Act 2007. Reserved instrument activities are one of six categories of "reserved legal activity" set out in section 12 of the Act, and only a person authorised by an approved regulator can carry them out for someone else in the course of a business.

Solicitors are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Licensed conveyancers are authorised and regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, a specialist regulator dealing only with property law. Chartered legal executives who hold CILEX practitioner status can also carry out conveyancing. GOV.UK's guidance on finding a solicitor or conveyancer lists all three routes and recommends checking that whoever you instruct is regulated by the appropriate body.

Doing your own conveyancing

The restriction on reserved instrument activities applies to a person carrying out that work for another party, for a fee. It does not stop you handling your own purchase or sale — there is no general legal requirement to use a solicitor or licensed conveyancer at all. Most buyers and sellers still choose to instruct one, partly because a mortgage lender will normally insist on a regulated professional handling the transaction, and partly because of how much money and legal risk is involved in a single mistake.

Searches, enquiries and the seller's disclosures

Before contracts are exchanged, your conveyancer works through several strands of due diligence in parallel.

Checking the title and tenure. Your conveyancer obtains the official title from HM Land Registry and confirms whether the property is freehold or leasehold. Freehold means you own the building and the ground it sits on indefinitely. Leasehold means you own the right to occupy for a fixed period, with a landlord retaining the freehold, and your conveyancer needs to establish the years left on the lease, the ground rent, and the service charge arrangements.

Running property searches. A standard purchase usually involves a local authority search, a drainage and water search, and an environmental search. These look at planning history, road adoption, nearby developments, flood risk factors, contamination, and similar issues. Depending on where the property sits, your conveyancer may recommend further searches, and older properties can also raise unusual historic issues such as chancel repair liability.

Reviewing seller disclosures. The seller typically completes standard information forms about the property and its fittings and contents. Your conveyancer reads these carefully, raises written enquiries about anything unclear or concerning, and chases the seller's side until the answers are satisfactory. This is often where boundary disputes, unauthorised extensions, and unresolved planning issues come to light.

The contract and exchange of contracts

Once the searches and enquiries are complete and, where relevant, your mortgage offer is in place, your conveyancer prepares you for exchange of contracts. GOV.UK's guidance on transferring ownership when buying a home sets out what the contract normally covers: the price, the property boundaries, which fixtures and fittings are included, any legal restrictions or rights over the property, and the agreed completion date.

When both sides are happy with the contract, buyer and seller each sign a final copy and the two conveyancers exchange them. At that point the agreement becomes legally binding, and neither party can normally pull out without paying compensation. This is also usually when your deposit is committed. If your purchase is part of a chain of other transactions, exchange has to be coordinated across every link in the chain before it can happen; buying without a chain removes a lot of that coordination risk.

Completion day: money, Stamp Duty Land Tax and the keys

On completion day, your conveyancer sends the purchase money to the seller's solicitor or conveyancer. Once the seller's side confirms receipt, you are released to collect the keys and the property becomes yours.

Completion also triggers a tax deadline. Stamp Duty Land Tax is payable on property purchases over a threshold that GOV.UK updates from time to time — check the current thresholds and rates directly on GOV.UK rather than relying on a fixed figure. Whatever the amount due, including where nothing is owed, GOV.UK's guidance on sending an SDLT return confirms that the return and any tax must reach HMRC within 14 days of completion. If you have a solicitor, agent or conveyancer, they will usually file the return and pay the tax on your behalf on the day of completion, then add it to their bill. Late filing carries automatic penalties and interest, so this is one of the strictest deadlines in the whole process.

Registering the transfer at HM Land Registry

Paying money and getting the keys is not, on its own, what makes you the legal owner. Under section 27 of the Land Registration Act 2002, a transfer of a registered property is a "disposition" that has to be completed by registration — until the registration requirements are met, the transfer does not operate at law. GOV.UK confirms that you must register property with HM Land Registry once you have bought it.

In practice, this means your conveyancer applies to HM Land Registry after completion, using the SDLT certificate obtained from HMRC as part of that application. Once registration is complete, you receive updated title information showing you as the registered owner, and — on a leasehold purchase — your conveyancer will typically also notify the landlord or managing agent of the change of ownership.

If you are selling rather than buying

The role runs in both directions. On a sale, GOV.UK's guidance for sellers explains that your solicitor or conveyancer drafts the initial contract, answers the buyer's enquiries with your help, and negotiates contract terms where needed. After completion, they pay off your existing mortgage and any other secured debts from the sale proceeds, settle their own fee, and send you what remains. You will still need a solicitor or conveyancer for this even though you are not the one facing an SDLT deadline or a Land Registry application on this particular sale.

Leasehold, listed buildings and buy-to-let: added complexity

Some property types add extra layers to the standard process above. A leasehold purchase brings lease-length, ground rent and service-charge checks on top of the usual searches. A listed building purchase adds planning and consent considerations that do not apply to an unlisted property. A buy-to-let purchase sits on top of a different set of mortgage and tenancy considerations than buying a home you plan to live in yourself. A conveyancer experienced in the relevant property type will know which of the standard steps need to be expanded, and which additional checks to add.

Choosing a conveyancer

A few practical checks are worth making before you instruct anyone:

1. Confirm they are regulated. Ask which body regulates them — the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, or CILEX — and check the register if you are unsure.
2. Get a written quote. Ask for the legal fee and the expected disbursements (search fees, Land Registry fees, and any Stamp Duty Land Tax) set out separately, so you know what is fixed and what depends on the transaction.
3. Ask about capacity and communication. Conveyancing has firm deadlines once contracts are exchanged; ask how quickly they typically respond and who covers for them when they are out of the office.
4. Check relevant experience. If your purchase involves a lease, a chain, a listed building or another complication, ask whether they handle that type of transaction regularly.

This guide provides general information about the role of a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific transaction. The law described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: August 2026. Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative change.