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.
Looking for a specific term? Try the property glossary.