Solicitor or Conveyancer — What’s the Difference and Which Do You Need?

When you are buying a home, there is a lot of new terminology to get your head around — and one question that regularly catches people off guard is whether they need a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer to handle the legal side of their purchase. The two are often used interchangeably, and in many cases either will do the job perfectly well. But there are some genuine differences worth understanding before you make your choice.

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. It covers everything from reviewing and exchanging contracts and carrying out local authority searches, to registering the new ownership with HM Land Registry and arranging payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax on your behalf. It is a detailed and time-sensitive process, and getting it wrong — or choosing the wrong professional — can cause costly delays.

What does a licensed conveyancer do?

A licensed conveyancer is a property law specialist. Their entire training and professional focus is on the legal and administrative work involved in buying and selling property in England and Wales. They are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which sets strict standards for competence and conduct. Because conveyancing is all they do, they tend to be well-practised at handling the day-to-day flow of a property transaction and are often a cost-effective option for straightforward purchases.

What does a solicitor do?

A solicitor is a fully qualified lawyer, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and required to be a member of the Law Society. Their training covers a broad range of legal disciplines — from family law and litigation to employment and commercial matters — and conveyancing is one area among many in which they can act. Some solicitors specialise heavily in property and handle very little else; others are more generalist practitioners who take on conveyancing alongside other work.

So what is the practical difference?

For most straightforward residential purchases, a licensed conveyancer and a property solicitor will complete much the same work to much the same standard. The key distinctions tend to appear when things become more complicated.

If your transaction involves a boundary dispute, a separation between sellers who are each instructing their own legal representative, or you need additional legal advice on something connected to the purchase — such as drawing up a cohabitation agreement or a declaration of trust — a solicitor’s broader legal knowledge may be the better fit. A licensed conveyancer, by contrast, is focused solely on property law and would need to refer you elsewhere for anything outside that scope.

Cost is another practical consideration. Solicitors generally charge more than licensed conveyancers, partly because of the wider scope of their qualification and the broader range of services they are able to provide. For a standard purchase, this does not necessarily mean you are getting more for your money — it simply reflects a different professional background. As a guide, conveyancing fees in England typically range from around £400 to £1,500 plus disbursements (which are third-party costs such as search fees), though this varies with the value and complexity of the property.

Which should you choose?

For most people buying a standard residential property, a licensed conveyancer will be perfectly well-equipped to manage the process. Where it is worth considering a solicitor is if your circumstances are more complex, if you anticipate legal complications arising, or if you would benefit from having a single professional who can handle multiple legal matters alongside your purchase.

Whichever you choose, a few things are worth checking. Make sure the firm is on your mortgage lender’s approved panel — if they are not, you may face additional costs or need to instruct a separate firm on the lender’s behalf. Read reviews, compare quotes from more than one firm, and check whether their fee structure is transparent and fully itemised. It is also worth asking how your case will be managed day-to-day, particularly whether you will have a named contact or whether work is passed around a team.

A note on your mortgage

If you are at the early stages of a property purchase and still working through your mortgage options, our team at Impact Specialist Finance is here to help. Whether you are a first-time buyer, moving home, or looking to remortgage, we work with a wide range of lenders — including specialist options for more complex circumstances — to find the right solution for your situation.

Call us on 01403 272625 or get in touch via our contact page.