How to choose a conveyancing solicitor

When you’re buying or selling a property, you’ll need to choose a conveyancer or solicitor to handle the legal work. This decision directly impacts how smooth your property journey is.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or have had experiences with conveyancers before, knowing what to look for is essential. With fees varying widely and service quality differing dramatically between firms, choosing the wrong conveyancer can cost you time, money, and stress.

Here’s what to consider when picking a conveyancer:

• Mortgage lender’s panel: Check that the conveyancer you choose is on your lender’s panel.
• Customer reviews: Reviews will give you a realistic overview of their service quality and previous experiences.
• Clear pricing: Does the pricing include everything without any hidden fees?
• Are they regulated: By either the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) or the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
• How they work: Modern processes and technology can help create a seamless process.

You’ll need to instruct a conveyancer or solicitor as soon as you’ve agreed an offer to get the legal process started.

For standard residential property transactions, there's little practical difference between a conveyancer and solicitor. Both are fully regulated and follow the same conveyancing processes.

Licensed conveyancers specialise exclusively in property law, while solicitors have broader legal training and can handle complex disputes or court representation.

If you’re getting a mortgage, your conveyancer must be on your lender’s panel. Mortgage lenders only work with pre-approved conveyancers who meet their requirements.

Using a conveyancer who isn’t on your lender’s panel means you’ll need to pay for separate legal representation for the bank – typically around £200 to £300 in additional fees.

Before picking a conveyancer, ask which lender panels they’re on and confirm they can act for your specific provider.

If you haven’t chosen a mortgage lender yet, selecting a conveyancer who’s on multiple panels gives you more flexibility when shopping for your mortgage.

Check out mortgage panel list here.

Don't instruct the first conveyancer you contact. Getting quotes from multiple firms helps you understand the market rate and spot any unusually high or low pricing.

When comparing quotes, make sure you're comparing like-for-like services. Check what's included in the headline price and what costs extra. Some firms quote excluding VAT, others include it. Some include all disbursements (search fees, Land Registry fees), while others add these separately.

Be wary of quotes that seem too cheap - they often come with hidden extras or reduced service levels. Ask how the firm can offer such low rates and what corners might be cut.

Your conveyancer should provide a detailed breakdown of all costs upfront, with no hidden surprises later in the process.

A transparent quote should clearly separate the legal fee from disbursements and show whether VAT is included.

Watch out for vague terms like “plus additional costs as required” or quotes that don’t specify what’s included. If you can’t get a clear, itemised breakdown before you instruct them, they’re likely to spring unexpected charges on you later.

If anything in your quote or their pricing is unclear, ask for clarification before proceeding.

Customer reviews give you genuine insight into what it’s really like to work with a conveyancer. Check independent review sites like Trustpilot to get an idea of their service quality.

Look for patterns in feedback. Are people complaining about poor communication, delays, or unexpected costs? Do people praise their responsiveness and expertise? These recurring themes tell you more than individual one-off complaints.

Be realistic about what you’re reading. Every firm will have some negative reviews, but the overall pattern and how the company responds to reviews will give you a good sense of their professionalism.

Check out Eden Conveyancing’s reviews here.

A customer-focused conveyancer prioritises your experience and keeps you informed throughout the process. Look for firms that proactively address the most common frustrations:

Communication standards

Ask how often they’ll update you and who your main point of contact will be. Will you deal with the same person throughout, or be passed between different staff members? What happens if your conveyancer is absent – is there proper cover in place?

Workload management

Find out how many cases your conveyancer handles simultaneously. Handling too many at any given time can mean communication is poor. A reasonable caseload means more attention to your transaction.

Technology and tracking

Modern firms should offer online case tracking, electronic ID checks, and automated updates when milestones are reached. Ask whether they use digital processes or still require you to post documents like passports and bank statements. Tech-savvy firms move transactions faster and give you better visibility of progress.

Realistic timescales

A good conveyancer will explain how long conveyancing takes based on your situation, while it’s hard to predict exactly you should be able to get a rough timeline. They will also explain any delays, what’s caused them, and how long they expect the delay to last.

All conveyancers and solicitors must be properly regulated to handle your transaction.

Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), while solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Both offer the same level of protection and professional indemnity insurance for standard residential transactions. You can verify a firm's regulatory status by checking the CLC or SRA online registers.

Never use an unregulated conveyancer, regardless of how cheap their quote might be - if something goes wrong, you'll have no protection

Many people think they need to choose a conveyancer that is close to them. Your conveyancer does not need to be local to you or your new property to be able to provide you conveyancing services. In fact, depending on where you live, then some local firms could be more expensive – in London and the South East for example.

As long as they are capable of representing you in the appropriate part of the UK (Scotland has a different buying process, and both Scotland and Wales have different Stamp Duty Laws) you do not need a local conveyancer. There are far more important things to consider, and given that these days, the conveyancing process can be done online, there’s really no obligation to go with a local solicitor.

It is a good idea to shop around for quotes before making a decision, but choosing the cheapest conveyancer doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the best value. The Legal Ombudsman said:

“While it’s a good idea to get quotes, remember that buying a house is in all likelihood the biggest financial outlay you’ll have in your life. By all means make sure that you’ve got a competitive quote, but don’t become consumed with getting the cheapest.”

Ask yourself: how is a firm able to offer the cheapest rates? What element of service has been reduced to enable them to charge so little for such an important service?

At Eden, we pride ourselves on providing a quality service while remaining competitive on price. Our bespoke online platform gives us the ability to work on your transaction efficiently and keep you updated at each step, without compromising on quality.

Before instructing a conveyancer, research their track record, and how other people have felt about their service. Although many services include testimonials on their site, these can be cherry picked to give the best impression to potential customers.

Check out third-party sites like Trustpilot and Google reviews to see the experience that other buyers and sellers have had with the conveyancing service.

Recommendations from family and friends are great. However, if it is an estate agent making the recommendation, then make sure you know if they are basing it on the quality of the conveyancer being recommended. Some conveyancers offer estate agents cash bonuses to refer their clients to them, while there may be other services which are better-suited to the person’s needs.

Remember, you are free to choose. An estate agent is not allowed to tell you that your offer won’t be accepted if you don’t use their conveyancer or their mortgage broker.