How to choose a conveyancer / solicitor

You’ll need to choose a conveyancer or solicitor as soon as you’ve agreed an offer, as they will oversee the process that transfers the legal ownership of the property you are buying or selling. But how do you find the right solicitor or conveyancer?

Angela Kerr Director, Editor

How to choose a conveyancer / solicitor

Choosing the right conveyancer or solicitor is crucial for a smooth property transaction. Key factors to consider include experience, fees, whether they are on your mortgage lender’s panel, and customer reviews.

Key criteria to consider:

• Mortgage lender’s panel: Confirm that the conveyancer is on your mortgage lender’s approved panel to avoid incurring extra fees.
• Compare conveyancing solicitor quotes: Shop around to get the best service at the best price.
• Fees: Ensure that fees are transparent and itemised, with no hidden costs.
• Experience: Look for a conveyancer or solicitor who has lots of experience.
• Customer reviews: Check reviews and ratings to assess their reliability and service quality.

Whether you decide to use a solicitor or a conveyancer to do the legal work will depend on your personal circumstances. A conveyancer is a specialist in property law whereas a solicitor is a fully qualified lawyer who can offer broader legal services such as divorce proceedings and can handle complex property transactions.

You’ll need to instruct a conveyancer or solicitor as soon as you’ve agreed an offer as they will handle the process that transfers the legal ownership of the property you are buying or selling.

But how do you choose the right solicitor or conveyancer? Here are the key factors to consider:

1. Check your conveyancer is on your mortgage lender’s panel

When you choose a conveyancer or solicitor and you’re getting a mortgage, you should check that the conveyancer / solicitor is on your mortgage lender’s panel. You can do this easily

You should be aware of the following:

• Mortgage lenders will only deal with certain conveyancers and solicitors – those on their “panel” – who in turn usually pay the lender for the privilege.
• If you choose a conveyancer or solicitor that is not on their panel, you will usually have to pay for the bank’s representation fees. This is usually around £200 but varies from bank to bank.
• Ask your conveyancer or solicitor what panels they are on and set out what lender you are considering for your mortgage.

2. Compare conveyancing solicitor quotes

The best way to find the right conveyancer or solicitor for your property purchase or sale, is to make sure you shop around and compare conveyancing solicitor quotes.

While the amount quoted is key, you should also check:

• What’s included in the fee? It should include disbursements.
• Responsiveness: How quickly do they get back to you?
• Customer support: Do their working hours suit your needs?

Should I go with the estate agent’s recommendation?

Estate agents and mortgage brokers will often recommend a local solicitor or conveyancer. But it is worth comparing conveyancing quotes to make sure you are getting good value for money. You are not under any obligation to use your estate agent’s conveyancing solicitor.

3. Check fees are itemised with no hidden costs

Check that cheap conveyancing solicitor quotes aren’t missing hidden costs. For example, does the quote include disbursements fees? Do your research and make sure you are aware of what the final bill will be; our guide on conveyancing solicitor fees will help.

And whatever you do, avoid solicitors/conveyancers who charge an hourly rate, and be wary of any quote that does not fully itemise all charges.

Many conveyancing solicitors will operate on a no sale, no fee basis which means that if the sale or purchase of your property falls through you won’t have to pay their legal fees. It is also sometimes called no completion, no fee.

Compare conveyancing quotes now to get the best prices and make sure the costs are broken down.

4. Check reviews

When narrowing your shortlist, look at the reputation of the conveyancer or solicitor and not just their fees. HomeOwners Alliance makes it easy for you to find conveyancers that users have had the best experience with, by showing you ratings and reviews for all of the firms that provide quotes. This is based on feedback from people who have used that particular company, and is designed to help you make an informed decision.

5. Be aware of common frustrations

When you choose a conveyancer, it’s wise to be aware of the common pitfalls, so you can keep this in mind when you’re looking for the right conveyancing solicitor.

Common frustrations include:

• How long conveyancing takes – Conveyancing can take between 12-16 weeks for a purchase. The time conveyancing takes can be affected by things like the length of the chain, problems with the property title, a survey revealing problems, issues with the buyer’s mortgage application, property search delays or missing paperwork from your seller or buyer and how quickly you respond to requests for information. When you choose a conveyancer or solicitor, ask about timescales so you have a better idea of what to expect for your transaction.
• Paperwork efficiency & tracking milestones – The conveyancing process involves a lot of paperwork and it is vital that all aspects are correctly completed and as efficiently as possible. If the solicitor or conveyancer is not diligent and efficient in sending off the right bits of paper at the right time, they can cause considerable delays to the process. To help smooth the process, modern conveyancing practices operate with online case tracking facilities allowing you to access up to date information on your transaction 24 hours a day and sending you an automated email or text when a milestone has been met such as your searches have been returned. This can provide you with greater reassurance throughout your transaction. When you choose a conveyancer or solicitor, check what case tracking technology they have to keep you informed of progress.
• Communication – Not receiving regular updates or communication is one of the main sources of complaints about conveyancers. From a conveyancer’s perspective, there may not be anything to update on if they are still waiting for searches or for paperwork. When you choose a conveyancer or solicitor, be clear about the level of communication you can expect, how often updates will be provided, who will be managing your case day-to-day and who will be covering your case if your main contact goes on holiday. For more advice on what to expect from your conveyancer, see what does a conveyancer do?

You can avoid falling foul of these frustrations by asking the right questions before you instruct, and choosing a conveyancer carefully.

Questions to ask before hiring

Before hiring your conveyancing solicitor you’ll want to ask a number of questions including:

• Who will handle my case? It’s important to know who is working on your case so that you can build a relationship with them and you know who to speak to about any concerns.
• How often will I hear from you? Discuss what level of communication is reasonable and when you can expect to hear from them.  Many conveyancers now have online case management systems that ease communication as well.
• Which bodies are you a member of? Conveyancing solicitors should be members of professional bodies such as the Law Society and the Council of Licensed Conveyancers. Check which professional body they’re a member of before appointing them.
• What costs will I have to pay if the sale falls through? Check how much you’d need to pay if the sale falls through. Somef firms offer ‘no move, no fee’, but check what that means in reality. For example, would you still need to pay third party costs? Do you need to pay for an insurance policy to be eligible for this, and if so how much will the premiums be?

Find more detailed information and more questions to ask in our guide 10 questions to ask a conveyancing solicitor.

Online vs. traditional conveyancing services

While some traditional conveyancers offer online aspects to the conveyancing process which can speed things up, you can get online-only conveyancing services. Online conveyancing is when the legal process of buying or selling a property takes place solely online or over the phone. You won’t meet your conveyancer face to face and there is no high street presence to drop documents off at.

Advantages of online conveyancing services are they can be cheaper, they usually offer online case tracking so you can check on progress, plus, being able to upload key documents and sign documents digitally can speed up the conveyancing process.

However, if the online conveyancing firm has a heavy workload there’s no guarantee that you’ll progress more quickly. So making sure you instruct a good conveyancer is key. Also, with online conveyancing, it’s less likely that you’ll have one point of contact like you would usually have with a traditional conveyancer. Read more in our guide What to expect from online conveyancing.

What to do if something goes wrong

Conveyancing draws more complaints than any other area of law, according to the Legal Ombudsman – it accounted for a third of all issues reported in 2023/2024.

The most common complaints were about:

• Delay and failure to progress
• Failure to advise
• Failure to follow instructions
• Costs
• Poor communication

If you want to complain about your solicitor or conveyancer, start by following the firm’s complaints process and keep a written record of your complaint containing all the pertinent details and how you would like the situation resolved. You can download a complaint letter template from the Legal Ombudsman for free.

However, if you complain to your solicitor and they either don’t respond or you are not satisfied with their response, you can escalate your complaint. Find more details in our guide on How to complain about a solicitor.

Should I choose a conveyancer or solicitor local to me?

You may personally prefer a local conveyancer or solicitor but they do not need to be local to the property you are buying or selling to deal with your conveyancing. You are just as likely to find out about local developments or other factors that might impact your purchase through the searches that are carried out and these days most communication is done online or over the phone.

The most important point is to make sure that you choose a well-reviewed conveyancer in the first place, as this will have much more of a bearing on the quality of advice they provide than their postcode. If you would like more information on Finding the best conveyancing solicitors in London, Birmingham or Manchester, see our local conveyancing pages or for quotes for all areas, see our free tool and compare conveyancing quotes.

Compare conveyancing quotes from regulated and reviewed conveyancing solicitors that cover your area.

Video: Conveyancing process explained

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