How to Choose a Conveyancer
Choosing the Right Conveyancer for Your Property Transaction
Choosing a conveyancer is an important part of buying, selling or remortgaging a property. While price matters, the service you receive, how well your conveyancer communicates and their experience with your type of transaction can make a significant difference.
A good conveyancer should help you understand the legal process, keep you informed and deal proactively with the other parties involved in your transaction.
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Why Does Choosing the Right Conveyancer Matter?
Conveyancing involves much more than completing paperwork.
Your conveyancer may need to investigate the legal title, review contracts, arrange property searches, raise or answer enquiries, deal with mortgage lenders and coordinate with other parties before your transaction can complete.
Property transactions can also involve estate agents, mortgage brokers, surveyors, managing agents, freeholders and other conveyancers.
Good communication and proactive case management can therefore be particularly valuable when several parties need to work together.
Choosing solely on the cheapest headline quote may mean overlooking factors that can have a much greater impact on your experience.
This guide explains how to choose a conveyancer, what to compare and what to check before you instruct. You can also explore our Choosing a Conveyancer guides for more help comparing your options.
What Should You Look for When Choosing a Conveyancer?
There isn’t one conveyancer who will be right for every property transaction. Your decision should take account of the service being offered as well as the price.
What to compare |
What to look for |
|---|---|
|
Experience |
Experience relevant to your type of property and transaction |
|
Communication |
How you’ll receive updates and how easy it is to contact the firm |
|
Fees |
A clear quotation showing legal fees and anticipated additional costs |
|
Who handles your case |
Whether you know who will be responsible for your transaction |
|
Mortgage lender requirements |
Whether the firm can act for your lender where applicable |
|
Service standards |
How the firm manages cases and keeps clients informed |
|
Regulation |
Whether the firm is appropriately authorised and regulated |
|
Reviews & reputation |
Evidence of previous clients’ experiences, considered in context |
Let’s look at these in more detail.
1. Look for Relevant Conveyancing Experience
Not every property transaction involves the same legal work.
A straightforward freehold house purchase can be very different from buying a leasehold flat, new-build property or shared ownership home.
Similarly, specialist circumstances can require relevant experience, including:
- auction property
- probate property
- unregistered property
- transfers of equity
- buy-to-let property
- leasehold transactions
- new-build purchases
- shared ownership
If your transaction has an unusual feature, ask whether the conveyancer regularly deals with similar cases.
For more complex transactions, you can also explore our Specialist Conveyancing services.
Relevant experience doesn’t mean that a firm needs to be located near the property. What matters more is whether the person handling the transaction understands the legal work involved.
2. Consider How Well the Firm Communicates
Communication can have a significant impact on your experience of a property transaction.
Before instructing a conveyancer, find out how the firm communicates with clients.
You might want to know:
- whether you’ll have a named contact
- whether updates are provided proactively
- whether you can communicate by telephone and email
- whether the firm uses an online case-tracking system
- how queries are handled when your usual contact is unavailable
- how frequently you can expect updates
An online portal can be useful, but it shouldn’t necessarily replace access to someone who can explain an issue when you need help.
The important question is not simply “Does the firm have an app or portal?” but “Will I be able to get a clear answer when I need one?”
3. Compare Conveyancing Quotes Carefully
The cheapest quotation is not automatically the best value.
When comparing conveyancing quotes, look at what is actually included rather than comparing only the headline figure.
A quotation may contain:
- the conveyancer’s legal fee
- VAT
- property search costs where applicable
- Land Registry fees where applicable
- other third-party costs or disbursements
- additional charges that may apply in particular circumstances
Your transaction may require additional work depending on the property and circumstances.
A clear quotation should make it easier to understand what you are being charged for and when additional fees could arise.
4. Understand Fixed Fees and Possible Additional Charges
Many conveyancing firms offer fixed-fee quotations for the standard legal work involved in a transaction.
That can give you greater certainty than being charged purely according to the amount of time spent on the case.
However, fixed fee doesn’t necessarily mean that every possible piece of legal work is included.
For example, additional work may be required if an unexpected title issue arises or your transaction involves something outside the scope of the original quotation.
Check what the fixed fee covers and which circumstances could result in an additional charge.
5. Find Out Who Will Handle Your Conveyancing
It is useful to understand how the firm will manage your transaction before you instruct.
Some firms operate with an individual conveyancer supported by a team. Others use larger teams where different people deal with different stages of the transaction.
Neither model is automatically better, but you should understand what service you’re agreeing to.
Consider asking:
- Who will have overall responsibility for my case?
- Will I have a named contact?
- Who can I speak to if they are unavailable?
- Who provides updates?
- How can I contact the team?
Knowing this beforehand can help avoid mismatched expectations later.
6. Check Whether They Can Act for Your Mortgage Lender
If you’re buying or remortgaging with a mortgage, your conveyancer may also need to act for the mortgage lender.
Lenders generally have requirements concerning which firms can represent them.
Before instructing, check that the conveyancing firm can act for your particular lender where this is required.
If they cannot, another firm may need to become involved, potentially creating additional work, cost or delay.
7. Check That the Firm Is Properly Regulated
Conveyancing firms providing legal services should be appropriately authorised and regulated.
Depending on the type of firm, this may include regulation by bodies such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
You can check the firm’s regulatory details rather than relying solely on its website or advertising.
Regulation doesn’t tell you whether you’ll personally like a firm’s service, but checking that you’re dealing with an appropriately authorised provider is an important starting point.
8. Look Beyond Star Ratings
Online reviews can be useful when choosing a conveyancer, but they are best considered as one part of the overall picture.
Rather than looking only at the average rating, read a selection of recent reviews and look for recurring comments about:
- communication
- responsiveness
- clarity
- keeping clients updated
- handling problems
- meeting expected timescales
- overall service
One negative or positive review tells you relatively little. Repeated patterns across a larger number of reviews can be more informative.
9. Local or Online Conveyancer?
You don’t necessarily need to choose a conveyancer with an office near your home or the property.
Much of modern conveyancing can be handled by telephone, email, secure online systems and post where required.
A local firm may appeal if you prefer face-to-face contact or have a particular reason for wanting someone nearby. An online or remotely based conveyancer can also provide an effective service.
Rather than focusing solely on location, compare the service, communication, experience and accessibility offered by the individual firm.
Explore: Online vs Local Conveyancer →
10. Don’t Leave Choosing a Conveyancer Until the Last Minute
You don’t necessarily need to wait until a buyer has been found or an offer has been accepted before deciding which conveyancer you intend to use.
Having your choice ready can allow you to instruct promptly once the transaction is ready to proceed.
For sellers, early preparation may also allow initial information and documentation to be dealt with sooner.
For buyers, having a conveyancer selected means their details can be supplied promptly once an offer is accepted.
This doesn’t guarantee a faster transaction, but it can avoid unnecessary delay at the very beginning.
Should You Use the Conveyancer Recommended by an Estate Agent or Mortgage Broker?
Estate agents, mortgage brokers and other property professionals may recommend a conveyancing firm.
A recommendation can be useful, particularly where the professional has experience of working with the firm. However, you are not obliged to choose a conveyancer simply because one has been recommended to you.
Ask why the firm is being recommended and make the same checks you would with any other conveyancer.
You should also be told about relevant referral arrangements where disclosure is required.
The important point is that the final choice of conveyancer remains yours.
What Questions Should You Ask Before Instructing?
A short conversation before you instruct can tell you a lot about how a firm operates.
Useful areas to ask about include:
- who will handle your transaction
- how you’ll receive updates
- how you can contact the team
- relevant experience
- whether they can act for your mortgage lender
- what’s included in the quotation
- circumstances in which additional charges could arise
- what happens if the transaction doesn’t complete
We’ve created a separate checklist covering these questions in more detail.
Explore: Questions to Ask Before Instructing a Conveyancer →
Warning Signs to Look Out For
No single factor automatically means a conveyancing firm will provide a poor service, but there are some things worth questioning before you instruct.
These might include:
An Unclear Quote
If it’s difficult to understand what the quotation includes or when additional charges may apply, ask for clarification before instructing.
Difficulty Getting Basic Information
If you struggle to obtain answers about who will handle your case or how communication works before you’ve instructed, consider whether the service is likely to meet your expectations.
No Relevant Experience
If your transaction involves something unusual, make sure the firm is comfortable dealing with it.
Pressure to Instruct Immediately
You should have an opportunity to understand the service and quotation before making your decision.
A Simple Checklist for Choosing a Conveyancer
Before instructing, ask yourself:
- Is the firm appropriately regulated?
- Do they have experience relevant to my transaction?
- Can they act for my mortgage lender if necessary?
- Do I understand the quotation and what it includes?
- Do I know when additional charges might apply?
- Do I know who will handle my transaction?
- Am I comfortable with how the firm communicates?
- Have I looked beyond the headline price?
If you can answer those questions confidently, you’ll have a much stronger basis for choosing your conveyancer.
How to Choose a Conveyancer: Quick Answers
Why Choosing the Right Conveyancer Matters
Choosing the right conveyancer is about more than comparing prices. We recommend carefully selected firms based on service, communication and reliability, helping you enjoy a smoother property transaction from instruction through to completion.
Carefully Selected
Every firm we recommend is assessed against our standards for service, communication and professionalism.
Regular Updates
Regular updates and in-house client support to help keep your transaction moving.
Fixed Fee Quotes
Clear fixed-fee quotations with transparent pricing, helping you understand the costs before you instruct.
A Smoother Move
Helping reduce unnecessary delays and making your property transaction smoother and less stressful.
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