What should a London conveyancing quote actually include for a £413,400 student property?

E

elio.west

Seller
I’m comparing conveyancing services for a student housing purchase in London at about £413,400, and the quotes seem to describe completely different jobs. Some mention negotiation and coordinating everyone; others appear to provide little beyond an introduction to a solicitor.

As a first-time buyer, what should I insist is included between offer, exchange and completion? I’m looking particularly at response times, itemised fees, relevant London experience and one named person who remains accountable. Clean handoffs matter more to me than a dashboard.
 
Ask each firm to price the same written scope. At minimum, I’d want the quote to say who handles enquiries, searches, title and contract papers, lender requirements if there is a mortgage, reporting to you, exchange, completion and the post-completion work. It should also separate the firm’s fee from third-party costs and identify likely extras.

Price negotiation is usually a different function, so don’t assume “negotiation included” means the solicitor will renegotiate the purchase price.
 
What exactly does “student housing” mean here: a normal flat marketed to students, a purpose-built student unit, or a property with an existing occupancy arrangement? Also, is it leasehold and are you using a mortgage? Those details could change both the work and whether a lender is comfortable with the property. I wouldn’t compare quotes until every firm has those facts.
 
A nearby London office and a firm with deeper experience of this type of student property are both appealing, but neither label guarantees that the file will be handled well. The property type, tenure and deal structure may matter more than the firm's postcode, while even a local practice can pass routine work between staff without explaining the handoff.

Before instructing anyone, ask for the name and role of the person doing the legal work, not just the client contact. Also establish who takes over during absences and how unresolved issues are recorded. Changing firms early is possible; discovering near exchange that no one clearly owns the file is much harder to undo.
 
Jack’s questions also affect the cash risk. A cheap headline fee can expand through supplements for leasehold work, mortgage work, gifted funds, unusual title issues or extra document handling. I’m not saying all of those apply here; the point is to have each possible supplement listed before instructing.

Also ask what becomes payable if the purchase falls through before exchange. That answer is as important as the successful-completion total.
 
For the document trail, I would want substantive advice confirmed in writing rather than scattered across calls between the agent, broker and conveyancer. Keep a simple list of open enquiries, who owns each one and when it was last chased.

On response times, “we aim to reply promptly” tells you nothing. Ask for their stated communication timescale, how urgent exchange or completion issues are escalated, and what happens when the assigned person is away.
 
There is a distinction between coordinating the legal transaction and being accountable for every participant. A conveyancer cannot make the seller, managing agent, lender or search provider respond on time. What they can do is tell you clearly what is outstanding, why it matters, who has been chased and whether proceeding without an answer creates a risk.

I’d ask for a sample contents page or blank structure of the report you will receive—not another sales presentation. That can reveal whether they explain the title, lease, searches and unresolved points coherently.
 
Before choosing, independently verify the firm and the individual or team named in the engagement terms through the appropriate UK regulatory channels. Read the complaints process and confirm where client money instructions will come from; payment-detail changes should be verified through a trusted contact route.

Have a fallback plan too: if replies repeatedly miss the promised timescale, know the escalation contact and whether transferring the file would trigger fees or delay access to papers.
 
This has clarified the decision. I was treating all “conveyancing” quotes as comparable when they plainly aren’t. I’ll first confirm the tenure, the precise student-housing arrangement and any mortgage requirements, then send the same facts to each firm.

My comparison will include the full legal scope, named file handler and cover, written response expectations, all stated supplements, abortive costs, escalation route and responsibility for outstanding enquiries. I’ll also exclude negotiation claims unless the provider explains exactly what is being negotiated and by whom.
 
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