Buying property in the UK is carried out through solicitors’ firms. For a cash purchase, there is a solicitor representing each of the buyer and seller; if a mortgage is involved, a solicitor representing the bank is also brought in. Solicitors play a pivotal role in UK property transactions, but owners generally aren’t fully aware of what solicitors actually do during the process. This article sets out the solicitor’s involvement across the whole transaction, to help owners work better with their solicitor and keep the transaction running more smoothly. Finally, we’ll share some tips on choosing a firm, and on speeding up communication and the transaction itself.
The Time Cost of a Transaction
As mentioned above, solicitors play an important role in UK property transactions — but if the buyer is also applying for a mortgage, three solicitors end up involved in the transaction, representing the buyer, the seller and the bank respectively. So the communication, paperwork and administration among three parties’ solicitors are the most time-consuming necessary steps in the transaction.
Using the Same Firm as the Seller Can Speed Up the Transaction
When choosing which solicitor to instruct, you can choose the same firm as the seller — while making sure that firm is also on the bank’s approved-solicitor list. That way, the same firm represents the buyer, the seller and the bank all at once. The seller, too, may have been introduced to that same firm through the same agent. So when the solicitors representing the buyer, the seller and the bank all belong to the same firm, this can save time on discussion, mailing and paperwork — and the firm often has an internal resolution team that can, if needed, handle disputes between the three parties internally.
The Solicitor’s Involvement in the Transaction, Step by Step (A–V)
A. Price agreed with the seller; both sides agree to proceed and the estate agent puts you in touch with a solicitor’s firm.
B. Formal mortgage application submitted to the bank, and the solicitor’s firm opens your personal account on their online document portal (eWay).
C. The seller’s solicitor sends the first set of documents to the buyer’s solicitor (viewable on the system).
D. Documents submitted to the solicitor, in preparation for the bank mortgage application.
E. Bank mortgage approval outcome notified (viewable online).
F. Further documents submitted online, passing anti-money-laundering (AML) checks.
G. A surveyor carries out the property valuation.
H. Final approval of the bank mortgage loan.
I. The solicitor confirms the transaction and explains the whole legal process.
J. Payment of the initial solicitor’s fee.
K. The solicitor carries out a land search (with HM Land Registry).
L. The surveying firm sends out the original valuation report.
M. The solicitor receives the original mortgage documents sent by the bank.
N. The buyer signs the original mortgage documents sent by the solicitor’s firm and returns them by registered mail.
O. The solicitor receives the land search results and uploads the documents online the same day; the buyer can view and download them online.
P. The buyer receives the contract documents sent by the solicitor’s firm, signs them and returns them to the solicitor’s firm by registered mail.
Q. The remaining balance of solicitor’s fees, and the property deposit, are paid to the solicitor’s firm.
R. Both buyer and seller exchange contracts.
S. The buyer purchases insurance online.
T. Completion of the purchase; the property keys are handed over via the estate agent.
U. The solicitor updates the title information at the Land Registry.
V. The Land Registry notifies that the update is complete.
From the above, you can see that a great deal of communication and document submission happens behind the scenes, handled by the solicitor. This is all part of following the process through, and it is time- and energy-consuming for the buyer — if the buyer tried to handle it all alone, they would waste a huge amount of time. This shows how much of a solicitor’s work happens out of sight, yet a hold-up at any single stage can affect the entire transaction timeline.
Key Points and Recommendations
A land search typically takes about 20 days — it’s worth following up with the solicitor by email and phone partway through to help speed up the process. To avoid disputes, keep the email records between the buyer’s and seller’s solicitors so you can trace back if needed. Finally, from the process above, you can see how important a fully functional online document system is. An online document system helps the buyer track the whole transaction and lets everyone clearly know what the next step is and what documents need to be submitted — most solicitors’ firms will state on their website which online document platform they use. When communicating with your solicitor, we recommend using email as much as possible, since it keeps a record and avoids misunderstandings, making it easy to look back later. Buyers should also follow up on progress at the right times, since each solicitor may be handling multiple transactions at once, and a timely call or email helps keep things moving. Finally, make good use of the online document system — log in every three to five days to check progress, to make sure communication between the buyer’s and seller’s solicitors is running smoothly.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Solicitor’s Firm
Solicitors’ firms all face the same legal process and share the same goal — transferring the title to the buyer and moving the transaction forward. It’s worth choosing a larger firm, since a bigger team can divide the work, which can save time overall.
- Transparency: a more complete document system, with multiple contact solicitors and a supporting team behind them.
- Easier communication — if your solicitor is on leave, someone else can still follow up.
- Resources: highly digitized, reducing the chance of errors, with a technical department to resolve issues.
- It’s worth choosing a larger firm that is shared with the seller and the bank.
- Using the same firm can reduce document-transfer time and the chance of errors.
- Disagreements between solicitors can be resolved with the help of the firm’s internal technical/resolution department.
Have a question about this guide? Leave a comment below, or ask Zagdim directly.
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