Can you do your own conveyancing

You might be tempted by DIY conveyancing to save money, but can you do your own conveyancing? We look at when it's possible to do self-conveyancing, how much you can save, what the risks are and when you should avoid it.

Angela Kerr Director, Editor

Can you do your own conveyancing?

Yes you can do your own conveyancing – hiring a conveyancer isn’t a legal requirement. But the conveyancing process is time-consuming and complex and you shouldn’t consider DIY conveyancing if you don’t fully understand all the steps and the risks involved.

But if you’re buying or selling with a mortgage, the lender will almost certainly insist that you instruct a conveyancer.

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

Pros and cons of DIY conveyancing

So what are the advantages of DIY conveyancing?

The pros of DIY conveyancing

There are some potential advantages of self-conveyancing including:

• You may be able to save money
• You might be able to speed the conveyancing process up as you’ll only have one sale/ purchase to deal with.

Cons of DIY conveyancing

But what could go wrong if you do your conveyancing yourself?

• You may not save as much money as you’d hope – read on for more.
• It could take longer as you’ll need to research what you need to do and when. Any delays even could result in the sale falling down.
• You won’t be able to ask an expert for help if you need it, unless you’re prepared to pay.
• You may need to end up using a conveyancer after all, which means you will have wasted time
• But the biggest con of DIY conveyancing are the potential risks, which can be huge. Read on to find out more.

What are the risks of DIY conveyancing

There are a number of risks if you do conveyancing yourself including:

• If you go through the process incorrectly you could be sued and end up spending far more in legal and court fees than you would have done on a conveyancer.
• Professional conveyancers can be held accountable for their mistakes and should have indemnity insurance to cover themselves. If you don’t have this cover you may be liable for any resulting loss.
• You’re at risk of buying a property that cannot be registered after completion.

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

How much could I save with DIY conveyancing?

Conveyancing fees vary but are typically between £850-£1500, plus the cost of disbursements. Legal fees for leasehold properties are more. 

However, the easiest way to cut costs on conveyancing fees is to compare conveyancing quotes first, so you get a professional service but that costs less. You may find the cheapest option is online conveyancing.

And remember, you won’t be saving money if you do it yourself but get it wrong and make costly mistakes.

Is DIY conveyancing when selling easier?

If you’re selling and doing DIY conveyancing, you don’t need to worry about things like applying for local authority searches. But there is still a lot of paperwork to complete and it’s vital that you get it right. No type of conveyancing is easy.

When to avoid DIY conveyancing?

Even if you’re happy with the risks, property law can be more complicated in some circumstances and we recommend against DIY conveyancing in these instances:

• If the property is leasehold
• If the property is not registered with the Land Registry
• If the property is not a house or flat
• If the sellers are divorcing or separating

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

How to do your own conveyancing

However, if you want to do your own conveyancing, here are some of the steps you’ll need to take. Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s a good idea to read the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol and prepare to deal with lots of paperwork. DIY conveyancing should only be considered for simple transactions, and only if you are comfortable with legal jargon.

DIY conveyancing if you’re selling

If you’re selling a property, the DIY conveyancing process works in the same way as if you appoint a conveyancer, except you’ll do the work yourself:

• You’ll need to pull together documents for the sale and there are a number forms you need to be aware of including the TA6 form.
• You’ll use the questionnaire information to draw up a draft contract. This is sent to the buyer for approval. This is likely to involve some negotiations.
• Exchange: Once you’ve exchanged contracts you are legally bound to sell the property.
• Completion day: This is when you had over the keys.

Read more in our guide on the Conveyancing process for sellers explained

Self-conveyancing when buying a property

There are different steps you’ll need to take if you’re buying a property and doing your own conveyancing:

• You’ll need to examine the draft contract and supporting documents and raise any enquiries with the seller’s solicitor and you’ll also need to conduct property searches including local authority searches.
• Exchanging contracts: This means you are legally committed to buying the property so you have to make sure you have everything in place beforehand so that nothing can go wrong. There are a range of things your conveyancing solicitor would normally do to ensure you are ready for the exchange of contracts. Find out more in our guide Exchange of contracts explained
• Completion: On completion day, your conveyancing solicitor would normally confirm the transaction, deal with paperwork and deeds. However, with DIY conveyancing, you’ll need to do the work. Find out more in our guide What happens on completion day?
• Post-completion: After you’ve completed, the property purchase needs to be registered with the Land Registry and you’ll need to pay any stamp duty due.

The amount of work you need to do with DIY conveyancing may seem overwhelming. However, while the government offers some procedural guidance on what’s involved such as how to complete a transfer form and what to do when a property owner dies but you’ll need to do research so that you know what to do and when.

Who normally does conveyancing?

Conveyancing, the legal transfer of home ownership from the seller to the buyer, is usually done either by a solicitor, a licensed conveyancer, or a legal executive. If you’re considering instructing a professional, you’ll need to choose between a solicitor or a conveyancer – and the decision will depend on the circumstances of the purchase.  In addition to comparing quotes and reviews, here are some useful questions to ask your conveyancing solicitor before making your decision, including whether or not your conveyancing solicitor offers a no complete, no legal fee guarantee.

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

Video: Conveyancing process explained

Frequently Asked Questions