Question 1

What does a conveyancer actually do?

Accepted Answer

Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property ownership, and the work is far more than paperwork — most of it is **investigating things you cannot see** and identifying problems before you are contractually committed.

**The main tasks, roughly in order:**

**Investigating title.** Obtaining the title register and plan from HM Land Registry, checking the seller genuinely owns what they are selling, confirming the boundaries match, and identifying **restrictive covenants**, easements, rights of way and charges registered against the property.

**Raising enquiries.** Reviewing the seller's property information forms and questioning anything unclear — disputes with neighbours, building work and its certificates, guarantees, flooding history, what fixtures are included.

**Ordering and analysing searches** — local authority, drainage and water, environmental, and any location-specific ones such as mining.

**Reviewing the lease**, if leasehold: term remaining, ground rent and any escalation, service charges and arrears, permissions required, and the management arrangements. This is substantial work and a common source of delay.

**Checking the mortgage offer** and satisfying the lender's requirements, since the conveyancer usually acts for the lender too.

**Anti-money laundering checks** and verifying the source of your deposit.

**Preparing the contract and transfer deed**, agreeing the completion date, and **exchanging contracts**.

**Completion** — sending funds, receiving the transfer, confirming release of keys.

**Afterwards** — paying Stamp Duty and filing the return, registering the new ownership at the Land Registry, and notifying the freeholder on a leasehold.

**Solicitor or licensed conveyancer?** Both are regulated and insured. A **licensed conveyancer** specialises in property; a **solicitor** is more broadly qualified, which helps if the transaction has complications such as probate or a dispute.

**What to check when choosing:** whether they are on **your lender's panel**, whether quotes are fixed or estimates, what disbursements are included, and how communication works. **The cheapest online firms are often the slowest**, and in a chain, speed has real value.

Question 2

What must an estate agent disclose about a property?

Accepted Answer

More than many buyers realise, and considerably less than they assume — the obligation sits on material information that would affect the average buyer's decision, and an agent who withholds it can

Question 3

What to expect during a home appraisal?

Accepted Answer

During a home appraisal, expect an inspection, market analysis, and a detailed report. This process determines your property's value and influences mortgage decisions.

Question 4

How to prepare for a home appraisal?

Accepted Answer

Preparing for a home appraisal involves cleaning, making repairs, enhancing curb appeal, gathering documents, providing access, and being available for questions. These steps help ensure an accurate valuation.

Question 5

How is a property boundary actually determined?

Accepted Answer

Not by the title plan — which is the fact that resolves, or prevents, most boundary disputes. Registered title plans show only "general boundaries", and are explicitly not a statement of the exact

Question 6

What is property title fraud, and how do you protect against it?

Accepted Answer

Fraudulently transferring or mortgaging a property you do not own — by impersonating the owner, forging a transfer or using stolen identity documents — and it succeeds most often against properties

Question 7

What do property searches actually check when you buy a house?

Accepted Answer

Searches are enquiries your conveyancer makes to public bodies and data providers about things that affect the property but are invisible when you view it. They are not a survey — a survey looks at

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