Is DIY conveyancing low budget and high risk? Absolutely, especially if you are buying or selling in South West London. Our corner of the capital, including Battersea, Clapham and Putney, has its fair share of leasehold properties, period homes, conservation areas, house-to-flat conversions and other property tenures you might never have heard of (flying freehold anyone?).
As such, DIY property conveyancing requires detailed knowledge of housing law, generous amounts of time and a professional eye for detail. Our DIY conveyancing guide informs you of what to expect and how to avoid a costly mistake.
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring legal ownership of a property from one person to another. There are two stages to the process, the first is the exchange of contracts, during which the sale becomes legally binding. The second is the completion, when title deeds are legally passed to the new owner.
DIY conveyancing may sound appealing but as with any legal process, conveyancing has a lot of steps that need to be adhered to. It’s why a trained solicitor or conveyancer typically undertakes the process. It is, however, possible to do it yourself but it’s only recommended for the super competent or those with a legal background.
Not every transaction can be completed using DIY property conveyancing. If a mortgage is involved in any capacity, the lender will almost always insist the transaction is overseen by a solicitor or conveyancer. This applies:
When you consider that approximately 63% of UK homeowners have a mortgage, DIY conveyancing can be ruled out for a high number of people. There’s also the right for others in the chain to refuse to deal with buyers or sellers who are doing their own conveyancing.
If you’ve bought and sold a property before, the conveyancing process may seem like merely filling in a few forms. In reality, there is much more to it – even if your transaction does not involve a mortgage.
Many buyers wonder if they can save on legal fees by carrying out their own conveyancing. While technically the answer is yes, bear in mind that any mistakes in the necessary searches and formal enquiries will lead to big problems later on.
According to the Land Registry: “If you do your own conveyancing and something goes wrong, then normally you’ll have no cover. If you use a professional conveyancer, you’ll be covered by their professional insurance. This is why the vast majority of land transactions are handled by professional conveyancers, like solicitors.”
If you are buying a house in South West London, consider the type and tenure of the property you are buying. Only a tiny minority of purchases are suitable for DIY conveyancing as many are leasehold or have unusual tenures. Even a simple looking freehold transaction can throw up a host of legal issues.
Even if your purchase is freehold, the DIY approach requires an assured level of confidence concerning legal jargon, a willingness to chase people in the chain and meticulously tracking critical paperwork.
DIY conveyancing should definitely be avoided if the property:
Typically, solicitors’ conveyancing fees are around £850 to £1,500 plus VAT, which is a small proportion of the overall buying and selling costs. The price you pay will vary depending on location and whether additional searches are required. Legal fees for leasehold properties and complex transactions, such as homes near a river or those with easements, are likely to be more.
Costs can vary from one solicitor to another, so it’s advisable to shop around and get quotes. Solicitors in England and Wales must now publish their conveyancing fees on their websites, making it easy to compare costs.
DIY conveyancing money savings may not be as substantial as you first think – you’ll still have stamp duty, search fees and survey costs to pay. It’s also wise to consider a contingency budget for mistakes and postage – it’s these aspects that can make DIY conveyancing a false economy.
Solicitors and conveyancers are trained to manage risk, have a vast bank of legal knowledge at their fingertips and will have seen every type of transaction in their professional career. That gives them a huge advantage over DIY conveyancing.
If you’re set on DIY property conveyancing, it’s worth knowing the risks you leave yourself open to:
Although the risks far outweigh the positives, there are some perks to DIY property conveyancing. You’ll be in charge of your transaction, rather than another file in a solicitor’s caseload, and you may save money. Most of the documents and templates you’ll need are available online – the skill will be in choosing the right one for your transaction.
DIY conveyancing needs a logical brain and a huge investment of time. The below is a very brief DIY conveyancing step by step guide. There’s simply not enough room here to outline every process in detail:
you’ll need to make contact with everyone in the chain, including the buyers and sellers, their estate agents and their solicitors. You’ll need to make it crystal clear you are doing your own conveyancing. You might be challenged on this point. If people are happy to proceed, you’ll need to provide ID for anti-money laundering checks and buyers will be asked for proof of deposit funds.
There are multiple forms and documents that need sourcing, verifying, checking, filling in and reviewing. These include:
Official copies of the title or evidence from HM Land Registry that the seller is the legal owner of the property, including a title plan
As the sole point of legal contact, all questions will be directed to you. The longer you take to research and provide the correct, evidenced-based answer, the longer it will take to exchange contracts. If you’re a buyer, you’ll need to ask every conceivable question to ensure you’re fully informed.
DIY conveyancing also requires you to check that all signed documents, enquiries and forms are legally watertight and represent your best interests. Two of the most important documents you’ll have to review are the contract and the title deeds.
Only fools would buy a property without ordering searches and in the absence of a solicitor, you’ll have to order these yourself. Searches will reveal if there are restrictive covenants, easements, contested access arrangements and planning issues. They will also detail utilities, flood risks and threats from aspects such as local developments and tin mines. Expert interpretation is vital, whether you’re a buyer or seller.
If you’re a buyer, you’ll need to examine your survey in fine detail and raise any post-survey enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. If you’re the seller, you’ll have to prepare for a barrage of questions from your buyer and possibly negotiate a price discount.
Once you are sure all queries are answered, you’re certain who owns what and are aware of any restrictions, you can sign your contract and exchange it with the corresponding solicitor. If you’re the buyer, you’ll have to transfer your deposit too. At this stage, you’ll also have to negotiate a completion date with others in the chain.
When you’re DIY conveyancing as a buyer, it’s you who organised the transfer of the agreed asking price, less the deposit. This can be a tricky hurdle that needs careful liaison with your mortgage lender. If you’re the seller, you must send the title deeds and signed deed of transfer to the buyer.
It doesn’t end just because a sale has completed. Buyers who are doing their own conveyancing will have to send their stamp duty payment to HMRC within 14 days of completion and register their ownership with HM Land Registry. Sellers may also need to receive any surplus profits and pay Capital gains tax (CGT).
Given the risks, most people decide to use a qualified conveyancer to ensure that the correct procedures are followed, and the purchase is legally binding.
When choosing a solicitor, it is essential to look at more than cost alone. The Law Society advises checking the solicitor is part of its Conveyancing Quality Scheme – the recognised quality mark for legal experts in buying or selling property. Scheme members are assessed annually. They should clearly explain the steps in buying or selling a home and be transparent about their services and the costs. They should also keep you well informed through the process.
It is also worth checking whether your solicitor is registered with the specialist property law regulator, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
If you are unsure, asking friends or colleagues who have bought and sold in the area for personal recommendations is a good idea.
Buying and selling property is expensive so it’s only natural you’ll want to save a few pounds here and there. Generally, you get what you pay for – it’s up to you if you want to skimp on conveyancing. If budgets are tight, the following advice may help keep costs down:
Yes, DIY conveyancing is legal in England and Wales, provided no mortgage is involved. There is no law that compels you to use a solicitor or licensed conveyancer when buying or selling property.
However, if a mortgage lender is involved on either side of the transaction – whether you are the buyer taking out finance or the seller still under a mortgage – the lender will almost always insist that a qualified professional handles the legal work. DIY conveyancing is therefore a legal option for a narrow set of cash transactions only.
First-time buyers are generally not well-placed to handle their own conveyancing. Most first-time purchases involve a mortgage, which automatically rules out the DIY route because lenders require a qualified solicitor or conveyancer to act on their behalf. Beyond the mortgage question, first-time buyers tend to lack the procedural experience to spot title issues, interpret search results correctly, or navigate the chain – all of which carry significant financial risk if mishandled.
If you make an error doing your own conveyancing, you are personally liable for the consequences – financially and legally. There is no professional indemnity insurance to fall back on, unlike when using a qualified solicitor, whose negligence policy covers mistakes made during the transaction. Errors can range from minor delays (such as an incorrectly completed transfer deed being rejected by HM Land Registry) to severe outcomes, including purchasing a property with undisclosed restrictive covenants or one that cannot be legally registered in your name.
DIY conveyancing almost always takes longer than using a qualified professional, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the process. Solicitors have established relationships with other firms in the chain, access to legal databases, and experience processing enquiries efficiently.
Without that infrastructure, chasing responses, correctly interpreting documents, and completing forms to the required standard takes considerably more time. Delays caused by DIY conveyancing can also frustrate others in the chain, creating pressure that may ultimately jeopardise the sale.
Yes. Other buyers, sellers, solicitors, or estate agents in a property chain are entitled to decline to proceed with someone who is handling their own conveyancing. This is an often-overlooked risk and can bring an entire chain to a halt if a party in the middle refuses to engage. It is advisable to confirm that all parties are willing to proceed before committing significant time to the DIY conveyancing process.
Conveyancing fraud is a form of property crime in which criminals impersonate solicitors or other parties to intercept money transfers or manipulate a transaction. Fraudsters use convincing email domains, spoofed bank details, and high-pressure tactics around exchange deadlines. Solicitors are trained to identify and respond to these threats, and firms have compliance protocols in place.
Without that expertise and without professional email verification systems, DIY conveyancers are more exposed to fraud – particularly when dealing with unknown parties in a chain for the first time.
Yes. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), property search fees, and Land Registry registration fees are all payable regardless of who conducts the conveyancing. These costs are fixed obligations tied to the transaction itself, not to the professional handling it. The potential saving from DIY conveyancing – roughly the cost of solicitor fees, typically £850 to £1,500 plus VAT for straightforward transactions – should be weighed against the time investment involved and the cost of any errors.
For a straightforward freehold sale without a mortgage, the core documents include official title register copies and a title plan from HM Land Registry, a TA6 Property Information Form, a TA10 Fittings and Contents Form, a draft contract of sale, and a Transfer Deed (Form TR1). If the property is leasehold, a TA7 Leasehold Information Form is also required. Sourcing, checking, and correctly completing each of these is time-consuming and requires careful attention to legal detail.
At minimum, most buyers require a local authority search, a drainage and water search, and an environmental search. Depending on the property’s location, additional searches may be needed – for example, a coal or tin mine search, a flood risk assessment, a chancel repair search, or searches related to planned development. Ordering the wrong searches, or failing to correctly interpret the results, can leave a buyer unaware of significant legal or environmental issues affecting the property.
Online conveyancing – using a regulated conveyancing firm that operates remotely – is a meaningfully different proposition to true DIY conveyancing. Online conveyancers are qualified professionals subject to the same regulatory oversight and professional indemnity requirements as high-street solicitors, though they typically charge lower fees.
The main trade-off is that your case may be handled by a pool of conveyancers rather than a single dedicated contact. For buyers and sellers looking to reduce cost without taking on personal legal liability, regulated online conveyancing is a much lower-risk option than the DIY approach.
Conveyancing is just one of the many complex aspects of selling your home. While DIY conveyancing may sound manageable, movers underestimate the legal complexity and time needed to achieve success. The risks can be financially and emotionally catastrophic, making the protection of a solicitor literally invaluable.
If you are buying or selling a home in Wimbledon, Coombe, Wandsworth, Raynes Park, New Malden or beyond – contact us today for the help you need.
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