What Happens After Completion? Your Post-Conveyancing Guide
Reaching completion is a huge milestone, but the conveyancing process does not end the moment you get your keys. While you focus on unpacking and settling in, several vital legal and administrative tasks must be finalised. From your solicitor registering your ownership with HM Land Registry to updating your address and managing Stamp Duty, understanding what happens after completion ensures a smooth transition into your new home.
This guide breaks down the essential post-completion steps for both buyers and solicitors. If you are still waiting for your keys, read our guide on What Happens on Completion Day.
What do the buyer and solicitor need to do after completion?
You have collected your keys and moved in, but the legal transfer of ownership is still underway. Here is a breakdown of responsibilities:
Solicitor | Buyer |
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Expert Tip: The 14-day Stamp Duty deadline
If the consideration (purchase price) for your new property is £40,000 or more, an official Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return must be filed with HMRC, and any tax paid, within 14 days of completion.
Crucially, this return must be filed even if no tax is actually payable. For example, if you are a first-time buyer claiming full SDLT relief and owe HMRC nothing, the formal return must still be submitted within the 14-day window.
While you (the buyer) are ultimately legally responsible for the return in the eyes of HMRC, your conveyancing solicitor will handle the entire filing process on your behalf using a secure online portal like InfoTrack. If your solicitor fails to file the return on time and HMRC issues a £100 late penalty to you, you are well within your rights to pass this fine directly back to your solicitor for them to pay.
Partner & Head of Conveyancing
After you
Complete and
Move in?
By Andrew Boast, CEO of SAM Conveyancing
Post-completion requirements for leasehold properties
Unlike a freehold transaction, where you simply file Stamp Duty and apply to HM Land Registry, a leasehold property requires additional legal administration. The most critical step is serving formal notices to the freeholder or managing agent and fulfilling any specific lease conditions.
When registering a leasehold, your solicitor must interact directly with the freeholder to execute several specific legal documents. If there are multiple freeholders or a slow management company, this process can take several weeks to resolve.
Key leasehold post-completion documents
Depending on the specific terms of your lease, your solicitor will need to process the following with the freeholder:
- Notice of Transfer and Charge: Formal legal notices served to the freeholder confirming that you are the new legal owner (Transfer) and detailing your new mortgage lender (Charge). The freeholder will charge a mandatory administration fee to log these details on their systems.
- Deed of Covenant: Many leases dictate that the incoming buyer must sign a Deed of Covenant. This is a legally binding document where you directly promise the freeholder that you will comply with the existing terms of the lease, such as paying service charges and ground rent on time.
- Deed of Variation: If a legal defect was discovered in the lease during the conveyancing process (such as a non-compliant ground rent review clause or missing rights of way), your solicitor will have negotiated a Deed of Variation with the freeholder. This document formally amends the original lease terms and must be executed and registered alongside your post-completion paperwork.
- Share Certificate: If your purchase includes a share of the freehold, the management company's directors will need to formally cancel the seller's share certificate and issue a new one in your name.
The Certificate of Compliance
Many leasehold titles contain a restriction at HM Land Registry stating that the property cannot change hands without the freeholder's explicit written consent. Once your solicitor has served the required notices, returned the signed Deed of Covenant, and paid all associated freeholder fees, the freeholder or managing agent will issue a Certificate of Compliance.
Your solicitor must secure this receipted certificate to finalise the HM Land Registry application. Once returned, it is submitted alongside the TR1 transfer deed and your mortgage documents to officially register you as the new legal owner.
Expert Tip - Protect your home from fraud
Your solicitor can register an Anti-Fraud Restriction (Form LL) on your title deeds so that no one can sell or mortgage your home without your knowledge. The restriction requires a conveyancer to formally certify that they are satisfied the person signing the document is you.
You can ask your solicitor to add this when they register the property, or you can apply for it yourself later.
At a minimum, you should sign up for HM Land Registry's free Property Alert Service. You will receive an email alert if anyone attempts to make official searches or changes to your title.
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
What happens if your solicitor ceases trading before registration?
Discovering that the law firm that handled your conveyancing has been closed down (or "intervened in" by a regulator like the SRA or CLC) can be highly alarming. Often, clients only find out years later, when they try to remortgage or sell, that their ownership was never formally registered.
High Risk: Unfinished Post-Completion Work
Many buyers mistakenly believe that if their solicitor is shut down, the regulatory intervention agents will automatically finish their post-completion work. This is incorrect. Intervention agents only secure files and client funds; they do not complete ongoing legal work. If your solicitor ceases trading before lodging your application with HM Land Registry, paying your Stamp Duty, or serving your leasehold notices, your mortgage lender is left unsecured, and you are not the legal owner of the property.
If your solicitor has ceased trading, you must take immediate action:
- Check HM Land Registry: Download a copy of your title register from the official HM Land Registry portal to see if your name and mortgage are registered.
- Instruct a new firm: If the registration is incomplete, you must instruct a new conveyancing solicitor immediately. They will liaise with the intervention agents to retrieve your file, submit any late SDLT returns to HMRC (to minimise penalties), and finalise your property registration.
How is HM Land Registry updated?
Once the Stamp Duty has been filed, the SDLT5 receipt received, and all freeholder requirements are satisfied, the buyer's solicitor submits a formal application to HM Land Registry to change the names and update the title register. To successfully transfer the legal title, this application must include:
- Form AP1: The official application form to change the register.
- TR1 Transfer Deed: The legal document, signed by the seller, formally transferring ownership to you.
- Mortgage Deed: Your signed agreement with your lender, which will be registered as a legal charge against the property.
- SDLT5 Certificate: HMRC's official receipt proving that the Stamp Duty return has been successfully filed.
- Leasehold Documents: Any required Certificates of Compliance, Deeds of Covenant, or Deeds of Variation (if buying a leasehold property).
Why would HM Land Registry refuse to update a title?
HM Land Registry will not update the title unless the submitted application is legally flawless. They operate a strict compliance checking process to prevent property fraud and maintain the integrity of the national register.
If there is an error in the paperwork - such as a missing witness signature, a discrepancy in the spelling of a name, an absent SDLT5 certificate, or a missing freeholder consent form - HM Land Registry will pause the registration process immediately.
Instead of updating the title, they will raise a formal requisition. This is an official notice sent directly to your conveyancing solicitor, demanding that the error is corrected or the missing paperwork be supplied within a strict timeframe.
High Risk: Unresolved Requisitions
If your solicitor ignores the requisition or fails to provide the requested information before the deadline expires, HM Land Registry will cancel the entire application. If this happens, your priority protection is lost, leaving your legal ownership unregistered and your mortgage lender completely unsecured.
How long does HM Land Registry take?
Your solicitor's application must be submitted within the priority period established by their pre-completion search (normally 30 working days). This "priority search" legally locks the register, preventing any third-party charges from taking precedence over your purchase.
Once submitted, registration timeframes vary wildly. According to recent data, simple automated updates can be finalised within minutes. However, more complex registrations - such as first registrations, new builds, or leasehold transfers - can take anywhere from 2 to 7 months or more due to Land Registry backlogs.
Provided your solicitor has lodged the application correctly within the priority period, your ownership is fully protected under the law, regardless of how many months HM Land Registry takes to process it.
Expert Tip: Expediting your registration for a remortgage
It is not unusual for a standard registration to take over 12 months, and for new build properties, it could take up to two years. This delay can become a serious issue if your initial fixed-rate mortgage is ending and you need to remortgage.
If this happens to you, you can ask the solicitor who handled your purchase to expedite the registration. They will need you to provide your new mortgage offer as evidence of the urgency. Once accepted, HM Land Registry will typically process the fast-tracked application within 10 working days.
Read more here: HM Land Registry - Fast-track your application.
Why doesn't my solicitor have my file anymore?
During the active conveyancing process, your dedicated solicitor handled everything. However, once you complete your file, it is usually passed to a specialised "Post-Completion Department". Do not feel like your solicitor has forgotten you; it is simply more efficient for an administrative team to handle the final HM Land Registry formalities while your solicitor focuses on live property transactions.
Post-completion teams rarely have a single direct point of contact, as different administrators handle different parts of the process. You can ask your solicitor for the department's general email address, but be aware that after completion, there is typically very little communication until HM Land Registry officially confirms the registration is finalised.
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
What documents do you get after completion?
Once HM Land Registry has fully updated the title register, your solicitor will confirm you are the registered legal owner. The key documents you should receive include:
- Title Information Document: An official copy of the updated register showing your name.
- SDLT5 Certificate: Proof from HMRC that your Stamp Duty has been filed and paid.
- Indemnity Policies: Any legal indemnity insurance policies taken out during the transaction.
- Property Certificates: FENSA certificates (for windows), gas safety records, and Building Regulations completion certificates provided by the seller.
Digital deeds vs physical documents
Historically, heavy bundles of physical title deeds were held by the homeowner or mortgage lender. However, since the early 2000s, HM Land Registry has stored title registers entirely digitally.
If any original historical deeds or conveyance documents were passed to your solicitor by the seller, they will forward these to you after completion. You should keep them in a safe place, as they often contain useful historical boundary information that digital registers omit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Andrew Boast FMAAT is a qualified accountant, conveyancing specialist and author with over 25 years of experience in the UK property sector. Since beginning his career in 2000 within established SRA and CLC-regulated conveyancing solicitor firms, Andrew has overseen the legal journeys of more than 75,000 clients.
He is the self-published author of the first-time buyer guide: How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone, and a frequent contributor to mainstream UK media on legislative updates, property law, first-time buyer guides, conveyancing best practices, and stamp duty changes. Andrew specialises in resolving complex title issues, property conflict disputes, and property tax options, streamlining the enquiry process to reduce transaction times and maintaining a client-friendly focus.
Amanda Ambler is a highly accomplished conveyancing specialist with over 15 years of dedicated experience across residential property law, legal compliance, and practice management. Having held senior roles, including Head of Legal Practice and Head of Conveyancing at established UK law firms, Amanda possesses a profound, hands-on understanding of the technical intricacies of the property market.
As the designated Legal Content Reviewer for SAM Conveyancing, Amanda ensures that every guide, legal update, and resource published meets the absolute highest standards of accuracy, regulatory compliance, and factual integrity. Her rigorous review process guarantees that complex property legislation and industry processes are communicated clearly, transparently, and safely for home buyers and sellers alike.
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