Licensed conveyancer : Job description

Licensed conveyancers are specialist property lawyers who work on behalf of clients buying or selling property (houses, flats, business premises or land). They deal with all the legal matters, paperwork and queries involved in a property transaction.

Conveyancers process and agree contracts, transfers, mortgages and leases and draw up all the documents that sellers and purchasers must sign in the course of a transaction. They advise clients on the technical content of the documents and their financial implications. They may act on behalf of the vendor or the purchaser, and in certain circumstances for both in the same transaction.

Typical work activities

Specific tasks involved include:

• taking instructions from clients;
• sending terms of engagement and estimates of fees and disbursements;
• obtaining or checking Land Registry documents or title deeds (if the land is unregistered);
• drafting or checking sales contracts and agreeing terms with the lawyer acting for the other party to the transaction;
• collating and sending or checking supporting documents;
• exchanging contracts and completing the transaction;
• dealing with all financial aspects of a transaction;
• if the property is leasehold, obtaining the landlord’s agreement to the sale or the change of mortgage and dealing with apportionments of rent and service charges.

Specific tasks for purchase transactions include:

• carrying out and checking pre-contract searches by checking whether the property is affected by local authority proposals, leases, easements or covenants, mortgages, land tax, susceptibility to flooding or subsidence, or liability for unsound building structures and repairs;
• receiving and checking mortgage instructions from lenders and undertaking specific tasks required;
• preparing transfer and mortgage deeds;
• receiving mortgage funds;
• paying Stamp Duty and Land Tax and dealing with the registration of client and lender with the Land Registry.

Overall, conveyancers spend most of their time researching information, communicating with clients and others in person, on the phone, by letter or by email, completing forms and drafting documents. They seek to protect their clients’ interests at all times, while taking precautions against potential fraud and money laundering.

More and more conveyancing tasks are now being done online and most firms use a computerised case management system.