Buying and selling a house at the same time can be a lot to manage. You will be dealing with estate agents, solicitors, mortgage lenders, surveyors, removal plans and paperwork, all while trying to keep your sale and purchase moving along.
One question we’re often asked at Ubique Legal is whether you can use the same solicitor for buying and selling a house. In most cases, the answer is yes. When selling one property and buying another, it’s very common to use the same conveyancing solicitor for both transactions.
This is often referred to as a linked sale and purchase, and can make the process more straightforward because one legal team handles both sides of your move. They can see how your sale affects your purchase, how the funds need to move, and whether any delays in one transaction could affect the other. If you’re moving home, it’s worth instructing experienced conveyancing solicitors in Redditch as early as possible so the legal work can begin.
Why Using the Same Solicitor is Beneficial
Using the same conveyancing solicitor for your sale and purchase can make the whole process easier. Rather than dealing with two different legal teams, you will have one point of contact managing both property transactions.
This can be especially useful if you’re in a chain and your move depends on other transactions completing simultaneously. If your buyer is delayed, it might affect when you can complete your purchase. If there is an issue with your purchase, it might affect your sale completion date.
When the same solicitor is handling both matters, they can keep an eye on the chain. They will understand your timescales, your funding position and the practical steps needed to move both transactions towards exchange and completion. It can also make things simpler for you. You only need to instruct and update one firm. You also have one legal team explaining what is happening, rather than trying to piece together updates from different people.
What a Solicitor Handles When Selling
When you sell a property, your solicitor will prepare the legal paperwork needed by the buyer’s solicitor. This usually includes the draft contract, title documents, property information forms and any key documents relating to the property.
Your solicitor will also deal with enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor. These might cover planning permissions, building regulation certificates, boundaries, rights of way, and fixtures and fittings. If the property is leasehold, there is usually extra work involved. Your solicitor might need to obtain a management pack and respond to questions about service charges, ground rent, building insurance, planned works and restrictions in the lease.
Once everything is ready, your solicitor will exchange contracts, prepare for completion and arrange for any existing mortgage on the property to be repaid from the sale proceeds.
What a Solicitor Handles When Buying
When you buy a property, your solicitor will help you check the legal position before you commit to the purchase. This is an essential part of the process because it helps you understand exactly what you are buying.
Your conveyancing solicitor will review the contract pack, check the title, raise enquiries, order searches and report to you on all legal documents. Searches can provide important information about local authority matters, drainage and water, environmental risks and other issues that could affect the property. Your solicitor will review these results and explain anything that needs further attention. If you’re buying with a mortgage, they will also handle the legal and administrative side of the loan.
For leasehold purchases, the checks are usually more detailed. The lease needs to be reviewed carefully, including the remaining lease term, ground rent, service charges, repair obligations and any restrictions on use.
Will Using the Same Conveyancing Solicitor Make the Process Quicker?
Using the same solicitor can make the process feel more straightforward, but it doesn’t guarantee you will complete faster. Conveyancing depends on several different parties. Your solicitor might need to wait for search results, mortgage offers, replies from the other side, management company information or updates from other people in the chain.
However, using one solicitor can reduce unnecessary confusion caused by poor communication. They will already know what is happening on both your sale and purchase, which can help them spot issues early and keep you updated throughout.
The best way to avoid delays is to instruct an experienced residential conveyancing solicitor early. They can get the legal process started before other parties start chasing.
When Might Separate Advice Be Needed?
For most straightforward sale and purchase transactions, it’s normal to use the same solicitor. Yet, there are some situations where additional legal support might be needed.
A solicitor always needs to consider whether there is a conflict of interest. This is usually more of an issue if the same firm is asked to act for different parties in the same transaction, such as both the buyer and the seller. If the solicitor is only acting for you on your linked sale and purchase, this isn’t usually a problem.
There may also be additional complexity if the transaction involves a transfer of equity, a gifted deposit, a bridging loan, a dispute over ownership, an unusual funding arrangement, or a property with legal issues that need to be resolved. These situations don’t always mean you need separate solicitors, but it’s important to ensure your solicitor understands the full picture from the beginning. If there’s anything unusual about your sale or purchase, it’s always better to mention it early; this can help to keep things on track.
How are Solicitors’ Fees Worked Out?
If you’re buying and selling at the same time, you will usually have to pay legal fees for both transactions. Even if the same solicitor is handling both matters, your sale and purchase are still separate pieces of legal work.
Typically, conveyancing fees include preparing, reviewing, and managing contracts, liaising with other parties, arranging property searches and reviewing the results, and handling the exchange of contracts and completion. There may also be some extra disbursements. These are third-party costs, such as search fees, Land Registry fees or management company charges.
A clear quote should make it easy to see what’s included from the outset. Before instructing a solicitor, it’s worth checking whether the quote covers both the sale and purchase, whether the property is freehold or leasehold, and which disbursements are likely to apply. This helps you budget properly and reduces the chance of unexpected costs as the transaction progresses.
Speak to Ubique Legal About Buying and Selling a House
All in all, using the same solicitor for buying and selling a house is often a practical choice. It can make the whole process less stressful, with one point of contact throughout and the same dedicated team handling both transactions.
At Ubique Legal, we have an experienced team of residential conveyancing solicitors in Redditch who can support you with both buying and selling a home. We will be happy to explain the process in more detail, provide a transparent quote, and help you move forward with confidence. Please get in touch with our team today.
