Legal
Do I need a solicitor to sell my house?
In practice, yes. There is no absolute legal bar on doing your own conveyancing, but almost no seller should — and if your buyer needs a mortgage, their lender will effectively require a qualified conveyancer on your side.
Last reviewed 4 August 2026
The short answer
- You can use a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. Both are regulated and both can handle a residential sale.
- DIY conveyancing is legal but risky, and lenders generally will not deal with an unrepresented seller.
- Instruct at the point you go on the market, not when you accept an offer — it removes weeks from the timeline.
- Get a written quote covering the fee, VAT and every disbursement, and ask whether it is no-sale-no-fee.
Solicitor or licensed conveyancer?
A licensed conveyancer is a property law specialist regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. A solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and can advise across wider areas of law. For a straightforward sale, either is fine.
Choose a solicitor where there is a complication attached to the sale: divorce, probate, a trust, a disputed boundary, a business use, or a linked tax question. Choose whichever firm is responsive and quotes clearly where the sale is simple.
In Scotland the position differs — solicitors traditionally handle both the marketing formalities and the conveyancing, and formal offers are made solicitor to solicitor.
What your conveyancer actually does
- Carries out identity and anti-money-laundering checks.
- Obtains the title register, title plan and any deeds.
- Prepares the draft contract and the contract pack for the buyer's side.
- Sends you the property information forms to complete and returns them with supporting documents.
- Answers the buyer's pre-contract enquiries and negotiates the contract terms.
- For leasehold, obtains and passes on the management information pack.
- Agrees the completion date and exchanges contracts.
- Obtains the mortgage redemption figure and repays your lender on completion.
- Accounts to you for the net proceeds and deals with the transfer and Land Registry formalities.
Can I do my own conveyancing?
There is no law preventing you from conveying your own property, but it is a bad idea for most sellers. Errors in the contract, the transfer deed or the redemption of an existing mortgage are expensive and sometimes unfixable.
Practically, it is often impossible anyway. Where the buyer is using a mortgage, the lender's conditions and their solicitor's professional obligations usually mean they will not proceed with an unrepresented seller. The saving is a few hundred pounds against a transaction worth six figures.
What it costs
A sale-only conveyance is typically several hundred pounds plus VAT, with leasehold priced higher. On top of that come disbursements: Land Registry official copies, the completion bank transfer fee, identity checks and, for leasehold, the freeholder's or managing agent's pack.
Ask specifically what is excluded. Common add-ons include leasehold supplements, help-to-buy or shared-ownership redemption, gifted deposits, expedited completion and unregistered land.
How to choose and instruct
- Get three written quotes showing fee, VAT and every disbursement separately.
- Check the firm is regulated — the SRA register for solicitors, the CLC register for licensed conveyancers.
- Ask who will actually handle the file and how you will reach them.
- Ask about no-sale-no-fee cover and what it excludes.
- Ask their current average time from instruction to exchange.
- Instruct as you go on the market so the contract pack is ready the day you accept an offer.
Getting quotes through HausMart
You can invite regulated firms to quote for your sale through HausMart's conveyancing panel, compare the fees side by side and instruct without leaving the platform. It is the same process a good agent would run for you — without the commission attached.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a solicitor legally required to sell a house in the UK?
- Not by statute, but in practice yes. Conveyancing is complex and, where the buyer has a mortgage, their lender and solicitor will normally refuse to proceed with an unrepresented seller.
- Solicitor or licensed conveyancer — which is better?
- Both are regulated and both can handle a residential sale. A licensed conveyancer specialises in property; a solicitor is preferable where the sale involves divorce, probate, trusts, disputes or a tax question.
- When should I instruct a conveyancer?
- When you go on the market, not when you accept an offer. Early instruction lets identity checks, title documents and the contract pack be prepared in advance, typically saving two to three weeks.
- Can I use the same solicitor as my buyer?
- Generally no. Acting for both sides is a conflict of interest and is only permitted in narrow circumstances under the professional conduct rules.
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