What should I ask before choosing a conveyancer?

Can the firm act for you and your mortgage lender?

Conveyancing is the legal work involved in transferring property ownership. This checklist focuses on buying a home in England or Wales; ask a local legal professional about the process elsewhere in the UK.

Before instructing a firm, ask whether it is on your proposed mortgage lender’s approved panel. GOV.UK’s guidance on choosing a legal representative includes this check, relevant property experience and professional regulation.

If you have not chosen a lender, write “lender to confirm”. Give the firm the name when known and ask your mortgage advisor and conveyancer to confirm the position before you rely on it. Recheck if your proposed lender changes.

What is included in the quote?

Ask for an itemised quote showing the legal fee, VAT and payments to other organisations, often called disbursements. MoneyHelper’s conveyancer guide explains these costs and recommends comparing quotes.

• Which searches, bank-transfer charges and registration costs are included?
• What extra work might be charged separately?
• When is each payment due?
• What would you owe if the purchase does not go ahead?

GOV.UK also recommends asking about referral fees and costs if a purchase falls through. Keep the written answers with the quote; a headline price alone may not describe the same service.

Use our deposit calculator for a separate deposit illustration, leaving purchase costs outside the deposit figure.

Who will handle the purchase and keep you updated?

Ask who your contact will be, how updates are provided and who covers absences. Mention relevant features such as a leasehold or shared-ownership purchase and ask about the firm’s experience. MoneyHelper includes communication, cover and specialist experience among its selection questions.

Ask what information the firm needs from you, how to provide it securely and what must happen before work starts. Read the engagement letter: GOV.UK explains that it sets out the agreed instructions, fees and other terms.

Keep a decision record before instructing anyone

The diagram groups your notes into three checks: lender, quote and contact. For each firm, record the date, the answer received and anything still unresolved.

• Lender: name, panel answer and who confirmed it.
• Quote: version, inclusions, exclusions and payment dates.
• Contact: named person, update method and next question.

For example, if one quote includes a search payment and another leaves it unspecified, mark that line “to confirm” and ask for clarification before comparing totals. This record organises questions; it does not select a firm for you.

Return to our first-time buyer guidance for mortgage preparation. The mortgage callback form explains referral to MGI Network Ltd, the advice partner. A callback does not appoint a conveyancer; keep legal documents and account details out of the optional notes.

Sources

• GOV.UK: how to buy a home — sections 12–13 on referrals, lender panels and instructing a legal representative.
• MoneyHelper: find the right solicitor or conveyancer — quote breakdowns and questions about service.

Information checked 2 November 2026. General information, not a personal mortgage recommendation.