What Happens After Completion? Your Post-Conveyancing Guide

Reaching completion is a huge milestone, but the conveyancing process doesn't end the moment you get your keys. While you focus on unpacking and settling in, several vital legal and administrative enquiries and tasks must be finalised. From your solicitor registering your ownership with the 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've collected your keys and have moved in, but what do you and your solicitor need to do after completion?

Post-Completion Requirements for Leasehold Properties

Unlike a freehold, where you simply file and pay the stamp duty, and then register at the Land Registry, a leasehold propertyleasehold property requires more legal work to be completed. The additional process for a leasehold is obtaining the notice from the freeholder.

When you are registering ownership of a leasehold, you need the notice from the freeholder to complete the registration, which may take a number of weeks. Where there is more than one freeholder, this may take longer.

The solicitor will chase the notice and pay the notice fee to the freeholder (or leasehold management company, if you have one managing the freehold). Once the notice is received, this is submitted to the Land Registry, along with the TR1, mortgage deeds, and any other registration documents.

How long does the Land Registry take?

The application must be made within 30 working days from the date of the priority search; if this expires, the title is protected by the solicitor obtaining a further priority search until the property is registered. As of January 2025, around 30% of the applications are automated and get finalised within minutes. More than half of the remaining applications can take 2-3 months or, in some instances, even 7 months or more.

The reason for the Land Registry Delays is the large backlog of transactions they update.

There is no need to worry about when your name is registered over the property, or how long the Land Registry take. As long as you have completed the process for registering, it will be handled by your solicitor with the Land Registry.

What documents do you get after completion?

Once the Land Registry have updated the title, your solicitor will inform you that you are the registered legal owner. Some solicitors will send you a copy of the title but charge a fee for it. The documents your solicitor should send you after completion are:

• Title Information Document (once Land Registry is updated).
• SDLT5 Form (Stamp Duty confirmation).
• Indemnity Insurance policies.
• Fensa certificates (for windows).
• Gas Safety/Boiler service records.
• Building Regulation Certificates.

Digital Deeds vs Physical Documents

Historically, the physical title deeds were either held by the legal owner or by the mortgage lender. In the 2000s, mortgage lenders stopped holding copies of the original title deeds as the Land Registry holds digital copies of the title and the original conveyance (when the land was sold off, and your title was originally registered).

If the original deeds are sent to your solicitor during the conveyancing process, they will send them to you after completion. You should keep these in case you need to show them when you sell the property.