How to Buy a House in the UK

UK Except Scotland

1. Contact a mortgage broker or advisor to get a ‘decision in principle' on the amount you can borrow to buy a house or flat.
2. Obtain the services of a property solicitor to carry out the conveyancing. If you are buying the house with a friend, you should also draw up an agreement. If you are buying with a civil partner or a spouse, educate yourself on the automatic agreements that assign rights in case you split.
3. Shop for houses. Read the home information pack (HIP) and visit the house.
4. Make an offer. Ask the estate agent (if there is one) to take the property off the market if your offer and conditions were accepted.
5. Give the details of the property location and the vendor's estate agent's contact information to your property solicitor, who will begin the contractual proceedings.
6. Get a home-buyers report or survey completed. This is optional, but if the home has asbestos, dry rot or subsidence, having a full structural survey will protect your interest.
7. Pay for the valuation survey carried out by the mortgage lender. If all goes well, the lender will agree to loan you the funds needed to purchase the house.
8. Send a copy of the survey report to your solicitor, who may be able to offer advice. Perhaps you can negotiate a lower price or request that remediation work be done on the house pre-sale. The solicitor will check the property. You may also want to negotiate the price for fixtures and fittings at this time. The solicitor will finalise the details of the contract and coordinate with your mortgage lender.
9. Pay a deposit to the solicitor. Your solicitor will exchange contracts with the seller's solicitor and send your deposit. Before the completion date, the following will take place:
   
   
   • Your solicitor will make sure that your mortgage is available by that date.
   • You and the seller will sign the property transfer deed, which will then be held by the seller's solicitor until completion.
   • The mortgage lender will transfer the money to your solicitor's account.
10. Move in on completion day. Your solicitor will transfer the money to the seller's solicitor in exchange for the transfer deed, Land Registry certificate and the keys. The transfer deed will be stamped and sent to the Land Registry to record you as the owner (your solicitor will take care of it and pay the stamp duty). The deed will then be passed to the mortgage lender.
11. Pay for the solicitor's services and costs.