What happens after you accept an offer on your house
Updated 6 November 2026
Accepting an offer is the start of the legal process, not the end. In England and Wales it often takes around three to four months from an accepted offer to moving day, and longer if there is a chain.
1. Agree the sale, subject to contract
Confirm the price and what is included, and swap solicitors' details. Neither of you is committed yet, and either side can still change their mind until contracts are exchanged.
2. Both sides instruct solicitors
The seller's solicitor sends a draft contract, the title from HM Land Registry, and the property information forms you fill in about the home. A leasehold home also needs a pack from the freeholder or managing agent, which can take a few weeks, so ask for it early.
3. The buyer's checks
- Searches: the buyer's solicitor checks local authority records, drainage and environmental risks.
- Survey: many buyers pay for a RICS survey. If it finds problems, they may ask to renegotiate the price.
- Mortgage: the lender values the home and issues a mortgage offer.
- Questions: the buyer's solicitor raises enquiries, and your answers go back through your solicitor.
4. Exchange of contracts
When everything is agreed, both sides sign and the solicitors exchange contracts. The buyer pays a deposit, often 5% to 10%. From this point the sale is legally binding, and a completion date is fixed.
5. Completion
On completion day the buyer's solicitor sends the money, your solicitor pays off any mortgage, and the keys are handed over. The buyer's solicitor then registers the new owner with HM Land Registry.
How to keep it moving
- Choose a solicitor who replies quickly, and return forms promptly.
- Gather documents early: guarantees, planning permissions, building regulation certificates and any leasehold papers.
- Keep in touch with your buyer. On Homeflit, Sale steps tracks each stage for both of you.
In Scotland
The process is different: once missives are concluded between the solicitors, the sale is binding, and this usually happens earlier than exchange in England.
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General information, not legal or financial advice. For your own situation, ask a solicitor, conveyancer or adviser.