What must be ready before exchange
Your mortgage offer should be in place and the conveyancer needs to be satisfied with the title, searches, enquiries and deposit. You should have dealt with survey findings and read the report on contract. Check the price, names, property, fixtures and proposed completion date.
Arrange a final viewing if possible. Confirm that the property still appears as expected and agreed removals or work have not introduced a new issue. Raise any concern before legal commitment.
A chain is ready only when every linked transaction can exchange. Your own papers may be complete while another buyer waits for a mortgage or search. Ask what is outstanding, but recognise that another person's conveyancer may not be able to disclose private detail.
Exchange is more than signing a form
Contracts are often signed in advance. Exchange occurs when the conveyancers formally commit both sides and agree the completion date. From then, withdrawing usually has serious consequences. Do not assume exchange has happened until your conveyancer confirms it.
Buildings insurance may need to start at exchange for a freehold purchase in England or Wales. Ask your solicitor for the exact date and tell the insurer the truthful occupancy position. New-build, auction and specially amended contracts may work differently.
Use the gap to make firm arrangements
Once exchange is confirmed, book removals, arrange utilities and organise time away from work. Give notice on rented accommodation only after considering the completion risk with your adviser. If the dates are close together, keep essential items and documents separate from the main packing.
Your conveyancer requests mortgage funds and sends a final statement. Check bank details by a known telephone number before transferring money. Property transactions are a frequent target for payment-redirection fraud.
Agree how keys will be collected and whether the agent holds every set. If the seller moves without an agent nearby, the practical arrangement deserves confirming before completion rather than while a removal van waits outside.
Completion day does not run to a fixed hour
The buyer's conveyancer sends the balance to the seller's conveyancer. Keys are released after the seller's solicitor confirms receipt, which may be late morning or afternoon. A long chain can make timing less predictable because money moves through several linked transactions.
Do not arrange contractors or deliveries for early morning. Keep the removal company informed and make a plan for children, pets, medicines and anything needed while waiting.
Check the property when you arrive
Read gas, electricity and water meters and photograph them. Check that the fixtures included in the contract remain and look for obvious damage or belongings left behind. Find the stopcock, consumer unit, heating controls and smoke alarms.
If there is a serious discrepancy, contact the conveyancer promptly rather than agreeing a private cash solution with the seller. Keep photographs and messages. Minor cleaning or rubbish issues may be frustrating without creating a worthwhile legal claim.
Completion funds can include your mortgage, deposit balance and sale proceeds. Read the completion statement and query unfamiliar amounts. Send cleared money by the method and deadline your conveyancer specifies, using verified account details.
The paperwork continues afterwards
Your conveyancer deals with the relevant property tax return and registration, then supplies title information when completed. Registration can take time. Keep the final statement, policy documents, survey, guarantees and fixtures list together.
Tell the insurer if the completion date, residents, security or planned work differs from the quotation. Update driving licences, electoral registration and service providers carefully, but protect yourself against identity fraud by redirecting post from the former address.
If completion is delayed after exchange, take immediate advice. Keep accommodation, removals and essential belongings under control while the conveyancers establish the position. Do not agree compensation or waive a right in an informal conversation with the other household. Record additional removal, storage and accommodation costs. The contract may deal with interest and loss, but your conveyancer must explain what can actually be claimed and what steps are required. Tell the removal company what is happening rather than allowing waiting charges to build without discussion. Keep their revised instructions.