Instant Valuation

Buying Services

Conveyancing for Cardiff property

Conveyancing is the legal process between your offer being accepted and completion day - transferring ownership safely from seller to buyer. Here's exactly how it unfolds, what it costs, and how to keep it moving.

See the timeline

The basics

The legal handover, done properly

Once your offer is accepted, a conveyancer - a solicitor or licensed conveyancer - does the legal work to make the property yours: checking the title, running searches, handling the money and registering you as the new owner. It's the part of buying you don't see, but it's where problems are caught before they become yours.

Week by week

The conveyancing timeline

Five phases take you from instruction to keys. Here's roughly when each happens.

  1. Weeks 1-2

    Instruct & gather

    Appoint your conveyancer, provide ID and details, and the draft contract is issued by the seller's side.

  2. Weeks 2-5

    Searches & enquiries

    Property searches are ordered and pre-contract enquiries raised - boundaries, disputes, fixtures and fittings.

  3. Weeks 5-8

    Report & mortgage

    Your Report on Title is prepared, your formal mortgage offer arrives, and your deposit is made ready.

  4. Weeks 8-10

    Exchange

    Contracts are signed and exchanged, the deposit is paid and a completion date is fixed - now legally binding.

  5. Weeks 10-12

    Completion

    Funds transfer, you get the keys, Land Transaction Tax is paid and your ownership is registered.

Behind the scenes

What your conveyancer actually does

Raise pre-contract enquiries

Boundaries, disputes, alterations, and exactly which fixtures and fittings are included.

Check the paperwork

Guarantees, planning permissions and building-regulation certificates for any work done.

Verify ownership & report

Confirm the seller legally owns the property and prepare your Report on Title.

Review searches

Read the local authority and other searches and flag anything that affects the property.

Handle the tax

Calculate and arrange your Land Transaction Tax payment to the Welsh Revenue Authority.

Register your ownership

Submit the transfer to HM Land Registry so the property is recorded in your name.

The investigations

Property searches explained

Searches uncover things a viewing never could. Your conveyancer orders these and explains anything that turns up.

Local AuthoritySearch

Reveals planning history, road schemes, conservation areas and any enforcement notices affecting the property.

EnvironmentalSearch

Checks for contaminated land, landfill, ground stability and flood risk in the immediate area.

Water & DrainageSearch

Confirms the property connects to mains water and sewerage, and where the public sewers run.

Flood riskSearch

Assesses risk from rivers, surface water and coastal flooding - increasingly important for lenders.

Chancel repairSearch

Checks for any historic liability to contribute to local church repairs attached to the land.

Coal & miningSearch

In former mining areas, checks for past workings that could affect ground stability.

Who should you use?

Solicitor vs licensed conveyancer

Both can legally handle your purchase. The right choice depends on how straightforward your transaction is.

Solicitor

Regulated by the SRA

  • Qualified across wider areas of law, not just property
  • Better suited to complex or unusual transactions
  • Useful if probate, divorce or company matters are involved

Licensed conveyancer

Regulated by the CLC

  • Specialists focused solely on property transfer
  • Often faster and more focused on straightforward buys
  • Typically competitively priced for standard purchases

No surprises

What's in your conveyancing quote

A quote is the legal fee plus "disbursements" - costs paid to third parties. Here's the full picture.

  1. 01

    Legal fee

    The conveyancer's charge for doing the work. Ask whether it's fixed and whether it's 'no sale, no fee'.

  2. 02

    Search fees

    Local authority, environmental and water & drainage searches, paid to the providers.

  3. 03

    Land Registry fee

    A statutory fee to register your ownership, scaled to the property's value.

  4. 04

    Bank transfer (CHAPS)

    The fee to send completion funds securely on the day.

  5. 05

    ID & AML checks

    Identity and anti-money-laundering verification required by law.

  6. 06

    Land Transaction Tax

    Paid to the Welsh Revenue Authority - your conveyancer calculates and submits it.

Make it smooth

Get it right, keep it moving

Choosing a conveyancer

  • Get at least three quotes - and compare what's included, not just the headline
  • Check they're regulated (SRA for solicitors, CLC for licensed conveyancers)
  • Ask for a 'no sale, no fee' arrangement where possible
  • Favour personal recommendations from people you trust
  • Consider adding an environmental search to the standard set

Keeping things on track

  • Provide ID, lender details and your questions as early as possible
  • Complete and return mortgage paperwork promptly
  • Respond quickly to enquiries so the chain doesn't stall
  • Read the seller's responses carefully and query anything unclear
  • Use tracked post or hand-delivery for important documents

Ready to talk conveyancing?

Buying a property is exciting. Getting the legal side right is essential. Complete the form below and our specialist team will contact you promptly to guide you through the conveyancing process, manage the paperwork, and ensure a smooth completion.

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