Average time: 2-3 months
The legal side of buying or selling a property can be carried out by either a ‘solicitor’ or ‘licensed conveyancer’, for simplicity we refer to both of these as ‘conveyancer’. They will check who owns the property you want to buy, what’s included in the sale, and whether there are any clauses in the property’s legal title you or your lender need to be aware of. In Scotland your solicitor will also put in your offer to buy the property and negotiate for you.
You’ll need to:
- Get an estimate from them of costs, including any legal fees and VAT
- Ask your conveyancer to explain anything in your Mortgage Offer you don’t understand
- Ask your conveyancer to confirm any Stamp Duty Land Tax/Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (properties in Scotland) charge payable
- Tell your conveyancer if you have negotiated for any items such as curtains, carpets or kitchen appliances to be included in the sale
- Make sure you read any documents your conveyancer sends you very carefully.
Who’s involved:
- You and the seller, known as the vendor
- Seller’s estate agent
- Your conveyancer and the seller’s conveyancer
- Your lender.
You can use the Lloyds Bank Conveyancing Service to compare quotes from our panel of up to 200 conveyancing professionals. You can review the quotes and choose a conveyancer based on what matters to you - the price, the firm's location or their service rating.
Get a quote for your legal costs
Alternatively, you can appoint your own conveyancer, or your mortgage adviser can help arrange one during your mortgage appointment using the Lloyds Conveyancing Service.
All conveyancers instructed through the Lloyds Bank Conveyancing Service offer a 'no completion, no legal fee' guarantee, so you'll have nothing to pay for the legal work done if the purchase falls through. No legal fee is payable, however if the conveyancer has made payments to third parties on your behalf, such as fees for searches, these will still be payable.
Using the Lloyds Bank Conveyancing Service isn’t a requirement of applying for a mortgage with us and inclusion of a firm on our eConveyancing panel does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of that firm by Lloyds Bank.