Residential Property Purchases

Your entire property purchase at Ellisons will be handled by one individual from inception to post-completion ensuring you receive a comprehensive and personal service right from the start.

Residential Property Purchases services

Instructing a conveyancer

The next stage, after agreeing a purchase is to instruct a firm of solicitors; choosing the correct firm is vital and we would strongly recommend you do not rely purely on the cheapest quote. You should also advise the estate agents that we are instructed, and they will issue the memorandum of sale. That way, the sellers’ solicitors can send us their contract pack. If the property is leasehold, there will likely be a management pack. This often follows at a later date.

Once we have received your initial paperwork and monies on account (to cover disbursements) we will request searches and raise initial enquiries. Additional enquiries may follow dependent on what the searches reveal and any initial responses that have been received.

As soons as all enquiries are satisfied, we will report to you on the entirety of the transaction, including; the title of the property, the legal documentation received, the enquiries raised, the replies to enquiries received, your mortgage (if any), search results, and the contract.

Provided you are happy with the report and we receive your signed documentation back, we will request your deposit and a preferred completion date. Once received, we will be ready to exchange. If you have a related sale, your deposit will, more likely than not, be coming up the chain. This may require topping up, but that is uncommon. We will also request any mortgage funds for completion.

Exchange will secure the completion date forevermore, and at that point we recommend arranging any utilities required, and removals from your current property. Find out how much conveyancing will cost by requesting a quote from our team.

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Carly Callaghan

Legal Director, Solicitor & Head of Residential Property

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Residential Property Purchases services

Completion day

On completion day we will send the monies to the sellers’ solicitors and wait for them to confirm that they have received the funds. Once they confirm the same, we will call you to confirm completion, and let you know that you can collect the keys from the estate agent.

After completion we will pay your Stamp Duty Land Tax (if any) and make the application to register your interest in the property at HM Land Registry. We will then supply you with a copy of the amended title showing you as the proprietors. If the property is leasehold, we will also write to the management company/managing agent/landlord and supply them with a copy of a notice advising them that you are now the owners.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about what we offer

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Purchasing a residential property involves several key legal stages managed by your conveyancing solicitor. Once your offer is accepted, we review the draft contract and legal title pack supplied by the seller’s team, raise necessary property enquiries, and instruct official searches (such as local authority, drainage, and environmental checks). After receiving a formal mortgage offer and ensuring all legal queries are resolved, we report to you on our findings, arrange for you to sign the contract, and collect your deposit. Exchange of contracts then legally commits both parties to the sale, followed by final completion when the funds are transferred, keys are released, and your ownership is registered with HM Land Registry.

A standard property purchase without significant legal complexities usually takes between 12 to

16 weeks from the date your offer is accepted through to completion day. However, the exact timeframe depends heavily on factors such as the length of the property chain, mortgage offer processing times, and speed of local search authority responses. Leasehold properties or purchases involving complex title issues may also require additional time. Our conveyancing team proactively coordinates with estate agents, mortgage lenders, and other solicitors to resolve queries promptly and keep the process moving efficiently.

In addition to your main legal fee, buying a property involves third-party costs known as disbursements, which your solicitor collects and pays on your behalf. These include the local search package (covering local authority, environmental, and water/drainage searches), Land Registry search and bankruptcy fees, and HM Land Registry ownership registration fees. Depending on the property value and your buyer status (such as a first-time buyer or second home purchaser), you may also need to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We provide a transparent itemised estimate at the start of your transaction so you have full clarity on all costs.

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