Week 1: Instruct Your Solicitor and Mortgage Lender
The clock starts ticking the moment the estate agent confirms your offer is accepted. Your first task is to formally instruct a conveyancing solicitor (if you haven't already) and submit your full mortgage application to your lender. Both of these should happen within the first 2–3 days — delay here ripples through the entire timeline.
Your solicitor will write to the seller's solicitor confirming they're acting for you and requesting the draft contract pack. Your mortgage lender will begin processing your application and will arrange a valuation of the property. If you're a cash buyer, you skip the mortgage step but still need a solicitor.
This is also the time to book your survey if you want one. RICS Level 2 (HomeBuyer) or Level 3 (Building Survey) appointments can take 1–2 weeks to arrange, so booking early avoids adding weeks to the timeline later.
Weeks 2–4: Searches, Survey, and Mortgage Valuation
Your solicitor will order local authority searches, which typically take 2–4 weeks depending on the council. These searches reveal planning history, road schemes, contamination, and other issues that could affect the property. Your solicitor may also order environmental searches (flood risk, subsidence, mining), drainage searches, and chancel repair searches.
The mortgage lender's valuation will usually take place within 1–2 weeks of your application. This is not a survey — it's a brief inspection to confirm the property is worth what you're paying. If the valuer down-values the property (says it's worth less than your offer), you'll need to renegotiate the price, increase your deposit, or withdraw.
If you've booked an independent survey, this will typically happen in weeks 2–3. The surveyor's report may raise issues that need further investigation — such as signs of subsidence, damp, or structural movement. Your solicitor can raise these with the seller's solicitor as 'additional enquiries'.
Weeks 4–8: Enquiries and Contract Review
This is the phase that tests everyone's patience. Your solicitor reviews the draft contract, the title documents, the search results, and any information provided by the seller. They then raise 'enquiries' — formal questions to the seller's solicitor about anything unclear, concerning, or missing.
Enquiries can cover anything from boundary disputes and planning permissions to boiler service history and neighbour complaints. The seller's solicitor responds, sometimes prompting follow-up questions. This back-and-forth can take 2–4 weeks, particularly if the seller is slow to respond or if the property has a complex history.
Meanwhile, your mortgage lender will issue a formal mortgage offer once they're satisfied with the valuation and your application. This is the document confirming they'll lend you the money. Without it, your solicitor cannot proceed to exchange. Chase your broker if the offer hasn't arrived by week 5.
Weeks 8–10: Exchange of Contracts
Once your solicitor is satisfied with the search results, enquiry responses, and contract terms, and your mortgage offer is in hand, you're ready to exchange contracts. Before exchange, your solicitor will send you a 'report on title' summarising everything they've found and asking you to confirm you're happy to proceed.
You'll need to sign the contract and transfer your deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) to your solicitor's account. On the day of exchange, the solicitors speak by telephone to formally exchange contracts. From this moment, both parties are legally committed. A completion date is set — typically 1–2 weeks after exchange, though it can be the same day.
If you're in a chain, exchange happens simultaneously for all parties. This is the most stressful part of the process — one delay in the chain holds everyone up. Your solicitor will keep you informed, but be prepared for last-minute complications and keep the day as free as possible.
Weeks 10–12: Completion Day
Completion is the day you get the keys. Your solicitor transfers the purchase funds to the seller's solicitor. Once the seller's solicitor confirms receipt, the estate agent releases the keys to you. In a chain, funds cascade down from buyer to buyer, which is why completions are set for the morning — it can take until the afternoon for everyone in the chain to complete.
Before completion, your solicitor will send you a 'completion statement' showing exactly how much you need to pay, including the purchase price minus your deposit, plus Stamp Duty, solicitor's fees, and any disbursements. Transfer this amount to your solicitor at least 24 hours before completion day to avoid delays.
After completion, your solicitor handles the final administrative tasks: paying Stamp Duty to HMRC (within 14 days), registering your ownership with HM Land Registry, and sending you copies of the registered title. The registration process can take weeks or months, but it doesn't affect your ownership — you own the property from the moment of completion.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Instruct your solicitor and submit your mortgage application within 48 hours of your offer being accepted
- ✓Book your survey early — RICS surveys can take 1–2 weeks to arrange and delays here extend the whole timeline
- ✓Local authority searches take 2–4 weeks and are on the critical path — your solicitor should order them immediately
- ✓The enquiries phase (weeks 4–8) is where most delays occur — respond instantly to any requests from your solicitor
- ✓Transfer your deposit and completion funds to your solicitor at least 24 hours before each deadline
- ✓The typical timeline from offer to completion is 8–12 weeks, but chains and slow searches can push this to 16+ weeks