How to Choose a Conveyancing Solicitor and Compare Quotes: A Checklist

To compare conveyancing quotes, first check that each firm is regulated and on your lender's panel. Then make sure every quote is for the same job, and compare the totals line by line: the legal fee, each extra fixed fee, the disbursements and VAT. Finally, ask who will handle your file, what happens if the purchase falls through, and whether anyone is paid for referring you.

The checklist below puts all of that on one page. Print it or keep it open while you read your quotes, and get a conveyancing quote from us to compare.

Check who you would be instructing

Before you compare prices, check the firms themselves.

• Is it regulated? Solicitors' firms are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Search the firm on the SRA's register and check that the name and SRA number match the quote. Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which has its own register on clc-uk.org.
• Can it act for your lender? If you are buying with a mortgage, the firm usually acts for your lender too, so it needs to be on that lender's panel. Ask before you instruct.
• Is it accredited? The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) is an accreditation for firms doing residential conveyancing. Some lenders ask for it.
• Who is the quote from? Some quotes come from a law firm directly. Others come through an estate agent, a broker or a comparison website. Check that the name and SRA number on the quote are those of the firm that would act for you.

Make sure every quote is for the same job

A quote is only as accurate as the details it was based on. Give every firm the same answers:

• the price of the property
• whether it is freehold or leasehold
• whether it is a new build, shared ownership or Right to Buy purchase
• whether you are buying with a mortgage or in cash
• whether any of the deposit is a gift, or comes from a Help to Buy ISA or Lifetime ISA
• whether you are also selling, and whether it is your first home

Each of these can add a fixed fee to a quote, and a lower legal fee does not always mean a lower total. On our quotes, for example, these appear as separate lines: Dealing with Leasehold, £150 + VAT; New Build Property, £250 + VAT; Shared Ownership, £250 + VAT; Gifted Deposit Check, £150 + VAT. If one quote lists extras like these and another does not mention them, ask the second firm whether they will be added later.

The compare-quotes checklist

Go through each quote with these questions. If a quote cannot answer one, ask the firm in writing.

1. Regulation. Is the firm on the SRA or CLC register, under the name on the quote?
2. Same details. Was the quote based on the right price, tenure and type of purchase?
3. Legal fee. Is the legal fee shown, with VAT shown separately?
4. Extra fixed fees. Is each extra listed by name and amount, such as leasehold, new build, gifted deposit, ID checks, bank transfers and lender-related fees?
5. Disbursements. Are the third-party costs, such as searches and Land Registry checks, listed one by one, with the estimates marked?
6. Government costs. Are Stamp Duty and the HM Land Registry fee shown separately from the firm's own charges?
7. Total. What is the total of the legal fee, every extra, the disbursements and VAT?
8. Fixed or estimated. Is the fee fixed, and what would change it?
9. If it falls through. What do you pay if the purchase does not go ahead?
10. Payment. What do you pay up front, and when is the rest due?
11. Your lender. Is the firm on your lender's panel?
12. Who does the work. Who will handle your file, what is their role, and who supervises them?
13. Updates. How will you hear about progress, and how do you contact the person handling your file?
14. Timing. What timescale do they expect, and what does it depend on?

Questions to ask a conveyancing solicitor before you instruct

The checklist covers the quote. These questions cover the service:

• Who will be my contact, and how do I reach them?
• How often will I hear from you, and how?
• What do you need from me to get started: ID, proof of address, and bank statements showing where the deposit comes from?
• How will you report on the seller's answers in the TA6 property information form, and on the searches?
• If the property is leasehold, what will you check in the lease and the TA7 leasehold information form, including the ground rent and the service charge?
• How do I confirm your bank details before I send money?

What our quote shows

Every quote we give is written and itemised:

• Our legal fee, with VAT shown separately. For a standard purchase of a freehold home under £2 million with one mortgage, it is £1,010 to £1,910 + VAT, depending on the price.
• Each extra fixed fee by its name and amount.
• Disbursements, the third-party costs, one by one. They are typically £319 to £341 on a purchase, for one or two people, including VAT where it applies.
• Stamp Duty and the HM Land Registry fee shown on their own. They are paid to the government, so they are not part of our fee.

If your purchase falls through, you pay the File Opening Fee (Non-refundable), £100 + VAT, and any disbursements we have already paid out on your behalf; the rest is refunded, or carried over to your next property when you find one.

A purchase typically takes 8 to 10 weeks for a freehold home and 10 to 12 weeks for a leasehold one, depending on the chain, the searches and your lender. We give you an estimate at the start and tell you if anything changes it.

Waterstone Legal is regulated by the SRA (No. 605949) and CQS accredited. You can see the figure for your own purchase with our conveyancing cost calculator, read what our solicitors for buying a house do, see solicitor fees for buying a house line by line, find out what a fixed fee covers, or see all our prices on our fees page.

Questions people ask

How do I compare conveyancing quotes?

Give every firm the same details about the purchase, then compare the totals line by line: the legal fee, each extra fixed fee, the disbursements and VAT. Check that Stamp Duty and the Land Registry fee are shown separately, and ask what you pay if the purchase falls through.

Do I have to use the solicitor my estate agent recommends?

No. You can choose any firm, as long as it can act for your mortgage lender. If an agent or broker recommends a firm, check it on the SRA or CLC register and compare its quote like any other.

When should I instruct a conveyancing solicitor?

Get your quotes while you are looking, and instruct a firm as soon as your offer is accepted. The estate agent and the seller's solicitor will ask for your solicitor's details at that point, and the earlier the firm starts, the sooner the searches can be ordered.

Does my conveyancing solicitor need to be local?

No. Most conveyancing is done by email, phone and post, and identity checks can be done electronically. What matters is that the firm is regulated, can act for your lender and keeps you updated.

What is the difference between a solicitor and a licensed conveyancer?

Both can do residential conveyancing. Solicitors are regulated by the SRA and licensed conveyancers by the CLC. Check either on their regulator's register.

What is CQS accreditation?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the Law Society's accreditation for firms that do residential conveyancing. Firms are assessed when they join and have to renew their accreditation. Some lenders ask for it.

Sources

Solicitors Register (SRA): sra.org.uk/consumers/register/

Council for Licensed Conveyancers and its register: clc-uk.org

Price information firms must publish (SRA Transparency Rules): sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/transparency-rules/

Conveyancing Quality Scheme (Law Society): lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/conveyancing-quality-scheme

This is general information about choosing a conveyancer for a purchase in England, not legal advice on your situation. Figures checked on 20 October 2026.