How long does conveyancing take?
What moves a house purchase along, what stalls it, and what you can do to keep things moving.
Personal services
Conveyancing Solicitors in Manchester
Whether you are buying your first home, moving your family or growing a property portfolio, our Manchester conveyancing solicitors manage every stage with care and keep you informed throughout, for properties anywhere in England and Wales.
At Allied Solicitors we offer a full range of conveyancing legal services to anyone across England and Wales, designed to meet your needs and budget.
Our solicitors aim to make the conveyancing process simple, straightforward and stress-free for you. We achieve this by making sure that a dedicated solicitor deals with you from start to finish. They will act promptly and offer advice at each and every step of the process.
You can rest easy knowing that our solicitors will take all necessary steps to speed the process along, so that you can sell your existing home or move into your new one as soon as possible.
Our residential conveyancing services
- Purchase
- Sale
- Remortgage
- Buy to let
- Right to buy
- Transfer of equity
- Transfer of title
- Auction conveyancing
- Extending your lease
- New build purchase
Get an instant quote
Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including registration at HM Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax if it is in Wales.
Enter a few details into our quote calculator to see our legal fee and the disbursements we expect for your transaction.
See our conveyancing fees for what the quote includes, the leasehold fees you may need to pay and what could change the cost.
How long will my house purchase take?
How long it takes from your offer being accepted until you can move in depends on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, a first-time buyer purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle could complete in 6 weeks. A leasehold property that needs its lease extended can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months, and additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process
The precise stages involved in buying a residential property vary according to the circumstances. These are the key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice
- Check finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact the lender's solicitors if needed
- Receive and advise on the contract documents
- Carry out searches, and obtain further planning documentation if required
- Make any necessary enquiries of the seller's solicitor
- Give you advice on all documents and information received
- Go through the conditions of your mortgage offer with you
- Send the final contract to you for signature, draft the transfer and advise you on joint ownership
- Obtain pre-completion searches and agree a completion date (the date from which you own the property)
- Exchange contracts and let you know this has happened
- Arrange for all money needed to be received from your lender and you
- Complete the purchase
- Deal with payment of Stamp Duty or Land Transaction Tax
- Register your ownership at HM Land Registry
Stamp Duty Land Tax
This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can work out the amount you will need to pay using HMRC's calculator, or, if the property is in Wales, the Welsh Revenue Authority's calculator. Stamp Duty is a personal tax, so we recommend you check the figure yourself using the official calculator.
Please note that if you are married and your spouse owns a property, your purchase will be treated as an additional property and may attract the higher rates of Stamp Duty. You must tell us from the outset if you are a first-time buyer or if you are buying an additional property.
Before we start
We will need your ID documents and proof of funds to open a file and progress the matter. We will also ask you for £250 on account so that we can order the necessary searches.
Protect yourself from fraud. We will never change our bank details by email, text or WhatsApp. Always call us on 0161 660 1505 to check before you send money. Read our fraud warning.
If you are considering buying or selling a property, call us on 0161 660 1505, email conveyancing@alliedsolicitors.co.uk, or send us an enquiry below for a free, no-obligation and confidential discussion about your property.
Questions we are often asked
How much does conveyancing cost?
Use our instant online quote. It lists our legal fee, VAT and the disbursements we expect for your purchase, sale, remortgage or transfer of equity, and you do not need to give contact details to see it.
How long does buying a house take?
On average between 8 and 12 weeks from your offer being accepted. A first-time buyer purchasing a new build with a mortgage in principle could complete in around 6 weeks. A leasehold property that needs its lease extended can take between 3 and 6 months.
Do you act for buyers outside Manchester?
Yes. We offer conveyancing to clients anywhere in England and Wales.
What do I need to get started?
Your ID documents and proof of funds, so we can open a file, and £250 on account so that we can order the searches.
Is Stamp Duty included in the quote?
No. Stamp Duty depends on the price and your own circumstances, so check it on HMRC's calculator. We deal with paying it and filing the return on completion.
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