There are many things to consider when selling your house, especially if it’s your first time.
You’ll have to factor in the legal side of selling a house as well as the important steps leading up to this point. This article will explore why you need to use a solicitor for selling a house.
Solicitors for Selling a House
The table below displays our best solicitors for selling a house:
| Ranking | Conveyancer | Based |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishopsgate Law | London, Hertfordshire, Northampton |
| 2 | My Home Move Conveyancing | Leicester |
| 3 | Juno | UK-wide (online) |
| 4 | Attwells Solicitors LLP | Colchester, Ipswich, and North London |
| 5 | GD Property Solicitors | Manchester |
| 6 | Muve Conveyancers | UK-wide |
| 7 | Mancini Legal Limited | Horsham, Haywards Heath, and Crawley |
Top Solicitors for Selling a House
Below are our best solicitors for selling a house:
Bishopsgate Law
Bishopsgate Law is our top-rated solicitor for selling a house with an impressive 5-star rating. Joining us back in November 2018, Bishopsgate Law is regulated by the SRA and accredited by the Law Society. With offices in London and Hertfordshire, they offer their services across many locations in England.
My Home Move Conveyancing
My Home Move Conveyancing are our second-best solicitor for selling a house. Rated 5 stars and regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, My Home Move Conveyancing is based in Leicester and offers their services across many areas of the UK. Their unique conveyancing service is continuously awarded.
Juno
Another solicitor who holds a 5-star Compare My Move rating is Juno. Being a fully remote conveyancing solicitor, they can offer legal services across the UK for those selling property. As an online conveyancer, you can save valuable time checking the progress of your case with their online dashboard.
Attwells Solicitors LLP
Attwells Solicitors are one of our best solicitors for selling a house. Holding a 5-star Compare My Move review rating, they have offices in Colchester, Ipswich, and North London. Attwells allow you to instruct them, receive a quote and pay for your initial ID online, meaning the process can be quick and start right away.
GD Property Solicitors
GD Property Solicitors is one of our top-rated selling solicitors. They’re based in Manchester and hold a 5-star Compare My Move rating. Regulated by the SRA, GD Property Solicitors have been partnered with Compare My Move since 2019. They’re modern and forward-thinking when it comes to conveyancing, aiming to stay one step ahead of the game.
Muve Conveyancers
Muve Conveyancers are our 8th best solicitor for selling a house based on their reviews. Operating across Wales and England, Muve Conveyancers are regulated by the CLC to give you peace of mind. They pride themselves on using the latest technology to keep clients updated online 24/7 with changes in your case.
Mancini Legal Limited
Mancini Legal Limited completes our best solicitors for buying. Offering their legal help to those buying property, they have offices in Horsham, Haywards Heath, and Crawley. A partner since May 2019, Mancini Legal Limited go the extra mile for every conveyancing case they take on. Their goal is to provide a down-to-earth and straightforward service.
What You Need to Do First When Selling a House
There are a few essential steps when selling a house. Follow our stages of selling your home to familiarise yourself with the process.
Find an estate agent
An estate agent will help you sell your home and also provide a valuation for the property. They will use their expert local knowledge of the property market to price your home, looking at similar properties in the area, too.
Valuation
You can also get a RICS Valuation Report for a second opinion or if you’re selling your home privately. A RICS registered valuer will carry out the valuation to help you set a price for the sale of your hom
Hire a solicitor
You'll need to hire a conveyancing solicitor for selling a house to deal with the legal aspects. They’ll carry out the conveyancing process which transfers ownership of the property from you to the buyer. There is a home sellers protection insurance that can cover you for most legal costs if a sale ends up falling through.
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Finding a Solicitor for Selling a House
Finding the right solicitor for the sale will allow for a quick process. Follow our top tips to find a trusted solicitor when selling your house.
Recommendations
Ask family, friends or work colleagues if they can recommend a conveyancing solicitor. Hearing good experiences from people you trust should give you peace of mind when choosing your solicitor.
Comparison Websites
Using a comparison website to compare conveyancing quotes will give you a range of prices and companies to choose from.
Local companies
Although you don’t need a local conveyancer to help with your case, using a local company can help. They’ll know the area and have a rough idea of how long the process will take.
Reviews
Reading reviews for solicitors will give you an idea of the service they provide.
Do you Need a Solicitor to Sell a House?
You don’t legally need to hire a solicitor to sell a house, but it’s highly recommended. As the process involves legal aspects, a licensed conveyancer or solicitor will be needed to take care of this.
How Much Does a Solicitor Charge when Selling a House?
The average solicitor fees for selling a freehold house are £1,642 based on 50 licensed conveyancers across the UK. This includes the solicitor’s legal fee but doesn’t take into account the relevant disbursements. Compare My Move customers can receive quotes of £814** on average. Below are the solicitor’s fees for selling a house broken down by property value.
| Property Value | Freehold Solicitor Fees* | Leasehold Solicitor Fees* |
|---|---|---|
Up to £100,000 | £1,050 | £1,220 |
£100,001 to £200,000 | £1,140 | £1,310 |
£200,001 to £300,000 | £1,270 | £1,420 |
£300,001 to £400,000 | £1,340 | £1,490 |
£400,001 to £500,000 | £1,430 | £1,580 |
£500,001 to £600,000 | £1,640 | £1,780 |
£600,001 to £700,000 | £1,720 | £1,880 |
£700,001 to £800,000 | £1,910 | £2,050 |
£800,001 to £900,000 | £2,030 | £2,170 |
£900,001 to £1000,000 | £2,100 | £2,250 |
£1000,001+ | £2,430 | £2,520 |
*We took a sample of fees from 50 licensed conveyancers across the UK to find these averages, but this is just an indication of costs. Fees will greatly vary depending on your situation and conveyancer.
It’s important to check if your solicitor offers a ‘no sale no fee conveyancing’ service. This means you won’t have to pay their legal fee if the sale falls through. You may still have to pay for services you’ve already used such as conveyancing searches and your property survey.
Extra Conveyancing Costs
You’ll also have to pay conveyancing disbursements and extra fees as part of your conveyancing fees. These include:
Anti-money Laundering Checks
Bank Transfer Fee
Mortgaged Property Supplement Fee
Title Register Copy
Our Conveyancing Fees Calculator will give you an approximate cost and is a good place to start when calculating your budget.
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What Does a Seller's Solicitor do?
A seller’s solicitor will be responsible for the following:
Drafting the contract
Pre-contract enquiries
Liaise with mortgage lender
Pay off mortgage
Exchange contracts
Transfer money from the buyer’s deposit
How Long Does the Conveyancing Process take for Selling a House
It takes 8-12 weeks on average to complete the conveyancing process for selling a house. It could take as little as 6-10 weeks if you’re dealing with a cash buyer or if there’s no property chain.
The process takes less time than buying as you don’t need to wait for conveyancing searches. The main job of a seller’s solicitor will be to put together the draft contacts and answer/ask any pre-contract enquiries.
To learn more, read how long does conveyancing take.
What Information Do You Need to Provide your Solicitor
Upon instructing your solicitor, they’ll ask for some important documents from you. Expect to provide:
Identity documentation
Proof of address
Planning permission approvals
Fixtures and fittings forms (TA10)
TA6 form
TA13 form
EPC form
To learn more, read what documents do I need to sell my house.
Save money on your conveyancing costs
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What Searches Do Solicitors Carry Out when Selling a House?
Your solicitor will have to order third-party services during the conveyancing process. These are called conveyancing disbursements and are an essential part of selling your house.
Anti-money Laundering Check
This is to check if your money is coming from where you say it is. It’s a common search for both buyers and sellers.
Title Deeds Copy
Your solicitor will have to obtain these through the Land Registry to prove you own the property.
Exchanging of Contracts
Exchanging of contracts takes place between 7-28 days before the completion day. It takes place over the phone between both the buyer and seller’s conveyancer. They both read out the contracts and you agree to sell the house. You’ll then receive the deposit money soon after.
To learn more, read exchange of contracts.
Completion Day
The quickest completion times in the UK are found in Wales and Yorkshire and the Humber, according to data from the Negotiator. It takes just 129 and 139 days for the property to be registered with the Land Registry after leaving the portal.
The East of England currently experiences the longest completion delays. It takes 182 days from leaving the portal and registering with the Land Registry.
To learn more, read: What Happens on Completion Day.
Selling a Leasehold Property
Selling a leasehold property comes with more legal work for your conveyancer. You’ll need to provide them with:
Lease length
Lease terms
Service charges and ground rent
Solicitor Fees for Selling a Leasehold Property:
There will be additional fees for selling a leasehold property.
£1,420
Solicitor's Legal Fee
£150
Leasehold Property Supplement Fee
£150-£300
Leasehold Management Information Pack
£1,870
Total Solicitor Fees
Save money on your conveyancing costs
Accredited property conveyancers
Used by over 1 million people
When Should you Find a Solicitor?
You should begin your search before you list your house for sale. As soon as you’ve accepted an offer on your house, you’ll need to instruct a conveyancer to begin your case. It’s recommended to find a solicitor and let them know you’ll be needing them soon. This gives them time to prepare your case ready to begin.
How Long Does it Take to Sell a House?
Data from the Negotiator shows that it takes 274 days to sell a house. This is the time from first listing the property to the sale being registered with the Land Registry. They claim that over half of this time is consumed with the conveyancing and legal process once you’ve accepted an offer.
Finding a Conveyancer
At Compare My Move, we can connect you with up to 6 conveyancers to save you up to 70% on your conveyancing costs. All our conveyancing partners have passed our strict verification process for your peace of mind. This means they are all regulated by either the SRA, CLC, LSS, LSNI or CILEx.
Need a Surveyor?
Once you've found a conveyancer, you soon might need the help of a RICS property surveyor. Simply fill in our integrated conveyancing and surveying comparison form to get connected today.
You can compare companies through our integrated conveyancing and surveying form by filling out a few extra steps. We will then connect you with local conveyancers and surveyors to save on the whole process.
**Based on the average service costs for Compare My Move users. See how our data works.
