This guide explains the process of selling a house or flat with Judge Law, one stage at a time. You will get an email from us each time your sale reaches a new stage. Each email links to the matching section of this page, so you can see what has happened, what comes next and whether you need to do anything.
For more background, read our article on the house sale process. If a word is unfamiliar, our guide to common property terms explains it.
The 10 stages at a glance
Choose a stage to jump straight to it. The names match the progress emails we send you.
- Step 1 of 10: Instructed
- Step 2 of 10: ID verified
- Step 3 of 10: Contract pack issued
- Step 4 of 10: Buyer’s enquiries received
- Step 5 of 10: Enquiries answered
- Step 6 of 10: Redemption figure obtained
- Step 7 of 10: Contract signed
- Step 8 of 10: Exchanged (completion date set)
- Step 9 of 10: Completed
- Step 10 of 10: Post-completion
How long selling a house usually takes
Your sale usually takes as long as your buyer’s purchase, because the two happen together. A straightforward freehold sale in a short chain usually takes 10 to 14 weeks from instruction to completion. Freehold means you own the building and the land it stands on. A leasehold sale usually takes longer, often 14 to 20 weeks, because of the extra information needed from the freeholder or managing agent.
These are typical ranges, not promises. The stage you can speed up most is the first one: returning your forms and documents quickly.
Step 1 of 10: Instructed
We do not usually send a progress email for this step. Your first email normally arrives at step 2.
What happens
You instruct us, we open your file, and we name the conveyancer who will handle your sale. We send you our client care letter and the property forms to complete.
Why it matters
The buyer’s solicitor cannot start their work until we send them the contract pack, and we need your forms to prepare it.
How long it usually takes
From a few days to two weeks, depending on how quickly your forms and documents come back to us.
What we need from you
- Your signed client care letter and terms. Why: our professional rules require us to give you clear information about our terms and costs before we start work.
- Your ID: see step 2.
- The completed property forms:
- the property information form (TA6), about the property, its boundaries, any disputes and any work done;
- the fittings and contents form (TA10), listing what you are leaving and what you are taking;
- for a leasehold property, the leasehold information form (TA7).
Why: the buyer’s solicitor cannot start until we send these.
Tip: the forms are the main early hold-up on a sale. Returning them in the first week can save weeks overall.
What can slow it down
Forms that are incomplete or not returned. If a question on a form is unclear, ask your conveyancer rather than leaving it blank.
Step 2 of 10: ID verified
What happens
We check your identity, as we must on every sale, and we check that the people selling are the owners named on the title.
Why it matters
The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require these checks. They also protect you from someone trying to sell your home in your name.
How long it usually takes
Often a few days, once you have completed the online check.
What we need from you
- Photo ID and proof of address, through our secure online ID check, which you can complete from home.
- If they are not with us yet: your completed forms, plus any guarantees, certificates and planning documents. For example:
- FENSA or other certificates for replacement windows and doors;
- Gas Safe and electrical certificates;
- building regulations sign-offs and planning permissions for any work done;
- damp-proofing or timber guarantees;
- the new-home warranty, if the property was built in the last few years.
Why: the buyer’s solicitor will ask for these, and gathering them now prevents weeks of back and forth later.
What can slow it down
- One of the owners not completing the ID check.
- A property still in the name of someone who has died. The people dealing with the estate need legal authority to sell, called a grant of probate (or letters of administration if there is no will), usually before contracts can be exchanged.
Step 3 of 10: Contract pack issued
What happens
We send the draft contract, the title and your completed forms to the buyer’s solicitor. The title is the official record of who owns the property and of any rights or restrictions that affect it.
Why it matters
The contract pack is the buyer’s solicitor’s starting point. It lets them order searches and begin their checks.
How long it usually takes
What follows is a quiet period while the buyer’s side orders searches and reviews the papers. This often takes 2 to 6 weeks. Silence at this stage is normal: the work is happening at the buyer’s end.
What we need from you
Nothing at the moment. If you find any further documents about the property, send them to us.
What can slow it down
- Council backlogs on the buyer’s searches.
- The buyer’s mortgage application or valuation taking longer than expected.
We keep in touch with the buyer’s solicitor and tell you if anything is holding things up.
Step 4 of 10: Buyer’s enquiries received
What happens
The buyer’s solicitor sends their questions about the property and the paperwork. These questions are called enquiries. We answer what we can from the documents and send you the questions only you can answer.
Why it matters
The buyer’s solicitor needs complete answers before their client can commit to buying.
How long it usually takes
It depends largely on how quickly the answers come back. There may be more than one round of questions. Together with the buyer’s searches, this part often takes 2 to 6 weeks.
What we need from you
Fast, complete answers to the questions only you can answer. Why: this is the stage you can speed up most.
What can slow it down
- Missing documents, such as guarantees, certificates or building regulations sign-offs.
- For a leasehold property, waiting for the management pack (see selling a leasehold property).
Step 5 of 10: Enquiries answered
What happens
The buyer’s solicitor has the answers they need. They report to their client and prepare for signing, and the buyer’s mortgage offer needs to be in place.
Why it matters
Once the buyer’s side is ready, we can agree a completion date and plan the exchange of contracts.
How long it usually takes
Often 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the buyer’s side and the rest of the chain.
What we need from you
Nothing at the moment. It helps to think about which completion dates would suit you, so we can agree one quickly.
What can slow it down
The buyer’s mortgage offer, or other links in the chain that are not yet ready.
Step 6 of 10: Redemption figure obtained
This stage applies only if you have a mortgage or another loan secured on the property.
What happens
Your lender tells us how much is needed to pay off your mortgage on completion. This is called the redemption figure.
Why it matters
We repay your mortgage directly from the sale money, and the figure appears on your completion statement, our account of where the money from your sale goes.
How long it usually takes
Lenders usually provide the figure within a few days of our request.
What we need from you
- Keep making your normal mortgage payments until completion.
- Your mortgage account details, if we do not have them already.
- Tell us about any other loans secured on the property, such as a second mortgage or a Help to Buy equity loan. Why: they must be repaid on completion too.
What can slow it down
A slow reply from the lender, or a secured loan we did not know about. If your mortgage has an early repayment charge (a fee some lenders charge for paying off a mortgage early), the figure will include it; check with your lender if you are unsure.
Step 7 of 10: Contract signed
We do not usually send a progress email for this step.
What happens
You sign the contract and the transfer deed. The transfer deed, called a TR1, is the document that transfers ownership to your buyer. We hold both until exchange.
Why it matters
With the documents signed, we can exchange as soon as everyone in the chain is ready.
How long it usually takes
Usually a few days, depending on when you are available to sign.
What we need from you
The documents signed and witnessed correctly. Why: the witness must be an independent adult who is not a family member, your partner or anyone else involved in the transaction. We will tell you if your lender has extra requirements. A deed that is witnessed incorrectly has to be signed again, which delays exchange.
What can slow it down
An owner who is away or unavailable to sign, or a deed that needs signing again.
Step 8 of 10: Exchanged (completion date set)
What happens
We exchange contracts with the buyer’s solicitor. Exchange is the point where your sale becomes legally binding and the completion date is fixed. Completion is the day the buyer’s money reaches us and the property passes to them.
Why it matters
From now on, pulling out has serious financial consequences for either side.
How long it usually takes
The gap between exchange and completion is agreed by everyone in the chain. It is often 1 to 4 weeks, and it can be the same day.
What we need from you
- Book your removals.
- Plan to leave the property empty by the agreed time on completion day, leaving the fixtures and fittings you agreed to include on your fittings and contents form.
- Arrange to leave the keys with the estate agent on the day.
What can slow it down
Your buyer’s money arriving late, or a problem further up the chain. Our completion day guide explains what to do between now and moving day.
Step 9 of 10: Completed
What happens
We receive the buyer’s money. We repay your mortgage, pay the estate agent’s fees as shown on your completion statement, and send you the balance.
Why it matters
We only ever pay the balance to the bank account you have already confirmed with us.
How long it usually takes
Completion happens on the agreed day, and its timing depends on how the money moves through the chain. We send your balance once completion has taken place, usually on the same day.
What we need from you
Nothing for the legal steps. Leave the keys with the estate agent as arranged.
What can slow it down
Your buyer’s money moving slowly through the chain. Our guide explains what happens if completion is delayed.
Step 10 of 10: Post-completion
What happens
We wait for your lender to confirm that its charge has been removed from the title. A charge is the lender’s legal claim over the property. The lender confirms the mortgage is repaid with a form called a DS1, which is sent to HM Land Registry. Then we close your file.
Why it matters
Your buyer needs the title registered without your mortgage on it.
How long it usually takes
Often a few weeks, depending on your lender.
What we need from you
Nothing.
What can slow it down
A lender that is slow to confirm the repayment. We chase the lender until it does. See after completion if you sold for more.
If you are selling a leasehold property
- The management pack. The buyer’s solicitor needs information from the freeholder or managing agent about the building, the service charge, the ground rent, any planned works and the rules in the lease.
- The lease. The buyer’s solicitor checks how many years are left and what the lease requires. Some lenders will not lend on a lease below a certain length.
- Consent. Some leases require the freeholder’s consent to the sale.
Why it takes longer: management packs commonly take 2 to 6 weeks to arrive, and most of that time is outside our control.
What we need from you: your managing agent’s or freeholder’s contact details, and payment of the pack fee, which the seller usually pays. Ordering the pack early saves time.
If you are selling and buying at the same time
- Your sale and your purchase are linked. They usually exchange and complete on the same day.
- The money from your sale pays for your purchase, so we cannot complete one without the other.
- Together with other linked sales and purchases, they form a chain. A chain moves at the pace of its slowest link, so one delay anywhere can hold up everyone.
- We handle both completions together on the day.
Our buying guide explains the stages of your purchase.
What we need from you: the full checklist
Every item has a reason. Sending each one complete and on time helps keep your sale moving.
- Signed client care letter and terms. Our professional rules require us to give you clear information about our terms and costs before we start work.
- Photo ID and proof of address, through our online ID check. The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require it, and it protects you from someone selling your home in your name.
- The property forms (TA6, TA10, and TA7 for leasehold). The buyer’s solicitor cannot start without them.
- Guarantees, certificates, planning and building regulations documents. The buyer’s solicitor will ask for them, and sending them early saves weeks.
- Your managing agent’s details, for a leasehold property. We need them to order the management pack.
- Your mortgage account details, if you have a mortgage. We repay it from the sale money on completion.
- Signed contract and transfer deed, witnessed correctly. We need them to exchange, and a wrongly witnessed deed has to be signed again.
- Your bank details for the balance, confirmed with us directly. We only pay the balance to an account you have confirmed with us.
- Quick answers to our questions. Every unanswered question pauses your sale.
We will never change our bank details by email, text or phone. If you get a message about bank details or payments that seems to come from us, call us on the number you already have for us before you do anything.
Why things take longer than expected
Most of the waiting in a sale happens outside our office: at the buyer’s solicitor, the council, the buyer’s lender, the managing agent and everyone else in the chain. A chain moves at the pace of its slowest link, and a reply to one question can raise another. That is normal, and it protects everyone involved.
These stages often go quiet for a while, and that usually means we are waiting on someone else:
- Contract pack issued, while the buyer’s side orders searches and reviews the papers;
- Enquiries answered, while the buyer’s mortgage and the rest of the chain catch up;
- Post-completion, while your lender confirms the mortgage is cleared.
We chase regularly, we email you at every key stage, and we tell you if something is taking unusually long and why. Our conveyancing overview explains the common causes of delay, and our article on why a house sale can take so long goes into more detail.
Frequently asked questions
How long does selling a house take?
A straightforward freehold sale in a short chain usually takes 10 to 14 weeks from instruction to completion, and a leasehold sale often takes longer. Your sale moves at the same pace as your buyer’s purchase and the rest of the chain. Returning your forms and documents quickly helps you avoid early delays.
Why has my sale gone quiet?
After we send the contract pack, the work moves to the buyer’s side while they order searches and review the papers. This can take a few weeks and is a normal part of a sale. We email you at each key stage and tell you if anything is taking unusually long. If you would like an update in between, reply to any email from us.
What documents should I gather?
Start with anything about work done to the property: planning permissions, building regulations sign-offs, window and door certificates, electrical and Gas Safe certificates, and any guarantees. For a newer property, find the new-home warranty. For a leasehold flat, find your lease and your managing agent’s details. If you cannot find something, tell us: there is often another way to deal with it.
Do I have to keep paying my mortgage?
Yes. Keep making your normal mortgage payments until completion. We obtain a redemption figure from your lender and repay the mortgage from the sale money on completion day. If you have other loans secured on the property, tell us so we can repay those too.
When will I receive the money from my sale?
On completion day, once we have received your buyer’s money, we repay your mortgage, pay the estate agent’s fees and any other costs shown on your completion statement, and send you the balance. We only ever send it to the bank account you have already confirmed with us.
Can I pull out after exchange?
Exchange makes the sale legally binding, so pulling out after exchange has serious financial consequences. Before exchange, either side can usually withdraw without a legal penalty. If you have any doubt about going ahead, tell your conveyancer before you sign, and we will explain your position.
What time do I need to move out on completion day?
Your contract sets a time on completion day by which the property must be empty and the keys available, often early afternoon. In practice your buyer can collect the keys as soon as their money reaches us, so plan to be packed and out in good time. Leave the fixtures and fittings you agreed to include.
What happens to the things I listed on the fittings and contents form?
The fittings and contents form (TA10) becomes part of the contract. You must leave the items you said you would include, and you can take the items you said you would remove. If you want to change anything, tell us before exchange, because changing it afterwards needs the buyer’s agreement.
Do I need to come into your office?
In most cases, no. We can usually handle everything by phone, email and post, and we check your identity through our secure online ID check. Your transfer deed must be signed in front of a suitable witness, but the witness does not need to be at our office.
How to reach us
- Your conveyancer's name and contact details are in every email we send you. Replies to those emails go straight to them.
- We aim to reply within one working day. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Our Windsor office: 01753 770 775. You can also find all our contact details.
- If you are unhappy with our service, please tell your conveyancer first. Our complaints procedure explains what happens next.
Questions about your own sale?
Reply to any email from us, or call your conveyancer on 01753 770 775.
Call 01753 770 775
