Choosing a conveyancer is one of the first big decisions in a move, and it deserves a little thought. A good firm keeps things moving and quotes a fair fixed fee with no nasty surprises at the end. A poor one can add weeks of delay and a lot of stress. This guide walks you through what actually matters, so you can pick with confidence.
1 Solicitor or licensed conveyancer: what is the difference?
Both can legally handle the transfer of property ownership, so for a standard purchase, sale or remortgage either is a sound choice. A licensed conveyancer is a property law specialist, regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). A solicitor is a qualified lawyer regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and a conveyancing solicitor does property work day to day.
For most moves the practical difference is small. A solicitor may suit you better if your matter has wider legal complications, say a divorce, probate or a contested boundary, because they can advise across those areas too. A licensed conveyancer often gives you a focused property specialist who can be very efficient on a straightforward case. If you want the basics first, our guide on what a conveyancer does explains the role in plain terms.
Online versus local
You no longer need a firm on your high street. Many conveyancers work nationally by phone, email and an online case tracker, and that is perfectly normal for property in England and Wales. A local office can be reassuring if you prefer to drop in, but it is not a measure of quality. Judge a firm on its regulation, communication and price, not its postcode.
2 Check they are properly regulated
Only instruct a firm that is regulated. Regulation protects your money and gives you somewhere to complain if things go wrong. Anyone handling your conveyancing should be authorised by either the SRA (solicitors) or the CLC (licensed conveyancers). Both bodies require firms to hold client money in protected accounts and carry professional indemnity insurance.
- Ask which regulator the firm is authorised by, then check the firm appears on that regulator's public register.
- Confirm they hold professional indemnity insurance, which every regulated firm must.
- Be wary of anyone vague about who regulates them, or who cannot give a firm name and an SRA or CLC number.
Solicitors are regulated by the SRA and licensed conveyancers by the CLC. A licensed conveyancer is not "SRA-regulated", and that is fine, because both are legitimate. What matters is that a recognised regulator stands behind the firm.
3 Make sure they are on your lender's panel
If you are buying or remortgaging with a mortgage, your conveyancer must be on your lender's panel, the approved list of firms your bank or building society will work with. This is easy to overlook and genuinely important. If your firm is not approved, your lender may insist on appointing a second firm to act for them, which adds cost and delay, or you may have to switch conveyancer partway through.
Before you instruct anyone, tell them who your lender is and ask them to confirm in writing that they are on that lender's panel. Most established firms are on the major panels, but smaller or newer lenders can be more selective, so never assume. This matters most when you are buying with a mortgage or arranging a remortgage.
4 Get a clear fixed-fee quote and compare like for like
Always ask for a written fixed-fee quote that lists the firm's own fee and the third-party costs separately, so you know exactly what you are paying for. A fixed fee for the legal work means the price should not balloon as the case goes on, except where genuinely new work crops up, for example an unexpected lease issue. Cheap-looking quotes often hide extras, so the headline number alone tells you little.
A full quote has two parts. The first is the firm's professional fee for doing the legal work. The second is disbursements, the costs the firm pays out on your behalf to third parties, such as property searches and Land Registry fees. These tend to be similar whichever firm you choose, because they are set by others. Our guides on conveyancing costs and disbursements break this down in detail.
Typical add-ons to watch for include fees for telegraphic transfers, dealing with a leasehold, acting for the mortgage lender, identity checks and "no completion, no fee" protection. None of these are wrong, but they should be visible in the quote, not sprung on you later. When you compare firms, line up the totals on the same basis, including the same searches and the same property type.
A low legal fee can disappear once extras are added. Ask each firm for the all-in figure for your exact transaction, then compare those totals side by side. This is exactly what MoveGuide does, gathering fixed-fee quotes from regulated firms in about 60 seconds.
5 Judge how they communicate
Communication tends to matter more than almost anything else in how a move feels. Conveyancing involves a lot of back and forth between you, the other side, lenders and search providers, and delays usually come from someone being slow to reply rather than from the law itself. Before you commit, get a feel for how the firm works and who you will actually be dealing with.
- Will you have a named contact who handles your file, or a rotating call centre?
- How do they prefer to communicate, by phone, email or an online portal, and does that suit you?
- What are their typical response times, and what happens to your questions when your contact is on holiday?
- Do they offer an online tracker so you can see progress without chasing?
It also helps to know what is coming, so you can spot whether a firm is keeping pace. Reading the conveyancing process step by step beforehand makes it far easier to ask the right questions and to tell a responsive firm from a slow one.
6 How to choose, step by step
Note whether you are buying, selling or remortgaging, the property type (freehold or leasehold), and who your mortgage lender is, if any. This shapes the right quote.
Get written, itemised quotes from several regulated firms for your exact transaction, with the legal fee and disbursements shown separately.
Confirm each firm is authorised by the SRA or the CLC and holds professional indemnity insurance. Check the firm against the regulator's public register.
If you have a mortgage, ask each firm to confirm in writing that they are on your specific lender's panel before you go further.
Line up the all-in totals on the same basis, including the same searches and property type, so you compare true cost, not headline price.
Ask about your named contact, response times and whether there is an online tracker. A clear, prompt firm is worth a little more.
Before instructing, check the terms of business and the fixed-fee scope, so you understand what is covered and what would cost extra.
Once you choose, return forms quickly and reply promptly. Your own speed is one of the biggest factors in how fast things complete.
A typical freehold sale or purchase often takes around 8 to 12 weeks, though a long chain or a leasehold can push that out, so a firm that keeps pace really does make a difference. Take your time on this choice, but do not let it stall your move. A regulated firm with a fair fixed fee, the right panel membership and good communication will serve you well. (Scotland and Northern Ireland follow different systems, so this guidance applies to England and Wales.) When you are ready, you can compare fixed-fee quotes from SRA-regulated solicitors and licensed conveyancers side by side, free and with no obligation, in about 60 seconds.