Moving house guides
Plain-English answers to the questions that come up when you buy or sell a home in England. Every guide covers what happens, why it takes the time it does, and what you can do to keep things moving. Residential property moves in England only.
What happens after an offer is accepted?
The real sequence of events between an accepted offer and a binding contract.
What is a memorandum of sale?
What the estate agent's first document after an accepted offer actually does.
What happens during conveyancing?
The legal process explained stage by stage, and where the delays usually come from.
What are conveyancing searches?
Which searches are standard in England, what each one reveals, and typical timings.
What happens during a property survey?
Survey levels in England, what the surveyor checks, and how to act on the report.
Mortgage valuation versus property survey
Why a satisfactory lender valuation tells you almost nothing about a property's condition.
What are conveyancing enquiries?
The written questions stage of conveyancing, and why it so often causes delay.
What happens at exchange of contracts?
The moment a sale becomes binding, what the deposit does, and what to arrange first.
What happens on completion day?
The running order of completion day, when keys are released, and what happens next.
How does a property chain work?
Why linked transactions move at the pace of the slowest link, and how to reduce the risk.
What happens if a house purchase falls through?
What you lose, what you can reuse, and the practical steps after a collapsed sale.
A realistic moving-house timeline
Typical durations for each stage of a move, and the factors that change them.
Living in a shared ownership home
Rent reviews, staircasing, selling and repairs once you own a share of your home.
The Your First Home scheme: what we know so far
The new 2.5% deposit scheme for first-time buyers: what's confirmed and what isn't yet.
What happens when you buy a new build?
Reservation, exchange deadlines, long-stop dates and snagging: how a new-build purchase really runs.
How do you buy your first home in England?
The whole first-time buyer journey in order, from deposit to keys, with the checks at each stage.
How much does it cost to buy your first home?
Every cost of buying your first home beyond the deposit, with typical ranges and when you pay.
How do you choose a conveyancer as a first-time buyer?
The checks to make and the questions to ask before you instruct a conveyancer or solicitor.
Looking for a specific term? Try the property glossary.