Buying a house in the UK — the 2026 step-by-step guide

Buying a UK home in 2026 takes 12-16 weeks on average from offer accepted to keys. The process is genuinely opaque to first-time buyers; this guide is the order in which things happen and what to do at each stage.

1. Agreement in principle (AiP)

Before you start viewing, get a mortgage AiP. Habito, Mojo, and L&C are the easiest free brokers; high-street lenders take longer.

2. Viewings + offer

Aim for 5-10 viewings per offer. Run a free property check before you offer — sales history, EPC, flood, crime, council tax. Spending 3 minutes here regularly takes 1-3% off the offer.

3. Offer accepted — instruct a solicitor

You'll pay £1,000-£1,500 for conveyancing. The solicitor will run local authority searches (£90-£250), drainage searches (~£60), and an environmental search (~£40). Total searches £200-£400.

4. Instruct a survey

RICS Level 2 (HomeBuyer) is £400-£900 for most homes. Level 3 (Building Survey) is £600-£1,500 for older or unusual properties. We strongly recommend Level 3 for anything pre-1930, listed, or extended.

5. Mortgage application

Your broker submits the full application after you've had the survey. Lender valuation takes 1-3 weeks. If the property values lower than the offer, expect to renegotiate.

6. Searches return — renegotiate if needed

Search results often surface flood risk, mining, road schemes, planning, contaminated land. Use this to renegotiate. Premium HomeBuyerCheck reports surface most of these BEFORE you spend on searches, so you can renegotiate earlier.

7. Exchange + completion

Exchange = legally binding contract. Completion = keys. Allow 1-2 weeks between for moving logistics.

Run a free check on the property you're viewing

Home buying process explained, stage by stage

Checked 28 September 2026 against GOV.UK and HM Land Registry guidance. Written for England and Wales; stamp duty figures are for England.

The home buying process in order

Work out your budget and get a mortgage agreement in principle.
View properties and check the ones you like before you offer.
Make an offer. Once it is accepted the sale is agreed subject to contract, which is not yet binding.
Instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer.
Apply for your mortgage. The lender values the property.
Your conveyancer orders searches and raises enquiries while you arrange a survey.
Exchange contracts: the purchase becomes legally binding, you pay the deposit and insure the building.
Completion: the money is transferred and you collect the keys.
After completion: stamp duty is paid and HM Land Registry registers you as the owner.

GOV.UK puts the time from an accepted offer to moving in at approximately 12 weeks, though precise timing varies.

Budget and a mortgage agreement in principle

An agreement in principle is, in GOV.UK's words, a written statement from a lender giving an estimate of what you can borrow. Budget for more than the deposit: stamp duty, legal fees, searches, a survey, mortgage fees and removals all come on top, and our cost of buying a house calculator adds them up. In England a first-time buyer pays no stamp duty up to £300,000 and 5% on the part from £300,001 to £500,000; above £500,000 the relief does not apply (see the stamp duty calculator).

Checks before you offer

Much of what later turns up in searches is public already. Before you offer, check the flood risk, the sold price history, the energy rating, whether the property is freehold or leasehold and whether it is listed. HM Land Registry's free property summary shows the tenure type, and a free HomeBuyerCheck pulls flood, sales, EPC and other public data for the address in one go.

Offer, then instructing a conveyancer

Once the seller accepts your offer, the sale is agreed subject to contract. Nothing is legally binding until contracts are exchanged, so either side can still walk away. Your solicitor or licensed conveyancer checks the title, orders the searches, raises enquiries with the seller's side and handles the money. HomeOwners Alliance puts the average cost of conveyancing when buying at £1,509 including disbursements and VAT, based on Reallymoving figures; work out your own figure with the conveyancing cost calculator, and see what conveyancers actually do.

Mortgage application and valuation

You or your broker submit the full mortgage application and the lender arranges a valuation of the property. GOV.UK's guide allows roughly 18 to 40 days for this stage. If the valuation comes in below the price you agreed, the lender may offer less than you applied for, and the gap has to be renegotiated or found from your own money.

Searches, enquiries and the survey

Your conveyancer orders the local authority, drainage and environmental searches. HomeOwners Alliance puts searches at typically £250 to £450; our guide to how much property searches cost breaks that down. At the same time, arrange a survey. HomeOwners Alliance puts standard surveys at £300 to £1,500, and the level you need depends on the property; the survey cost calculatorhelps you choose. For a flat, the seller's leasehold management pack (LPE1) arrives in this stage too. It is also a good time to read the title register yourself.

Exchange of contracts

Exchange is when you and the seller swap signed contracts and the purchase becomes legally binding. GOV.UK warns that if you withdraw after exchange you may lose your deposit. From exchange you are legally responsible for the property, so buildings insurance must be in place, and this is when the completion date is agreed.

Completion, and what happens after

On completion day your conveyancer transfers the rest of the money to the seller's conveyancer, you take ownership, and the estate agent hands over the keys. The Stamp Duty Land Tax return must be sent and the tax paid within 14 days of completion; a solicitor or conveyancer usually does this for you on the day. Your conveyancer then registers you as the owner with HM Land Registry and pays the registration fee, which is £150 online for a purchase between £200,001 and £500,000. Tell the council, your utility suppliers and anyone else who needs your new address.

Buying a house being sold by executors

If the owner has died and their executors are selling, ask early whether probate has been granted. GOV.UK advises executors not to put property on the market until they have got probate, and HM Land Registry will only register a sale by executors with a copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration, or a conveyancer's certificate that they hold one. Your conveyancer will ask for it, but before you pay for searches and a survey you can check whether probate has been granted on the public probate index yourself. One exception: a home owned jointly as joint tenants passes to the surviving owner automatically, so probate may not be needed at all.

Buying a home checklist

Before you offer

Mortgage agreement in principle in hand.
Total cost of buying worked out, not just the deposit.
Flood risk, sold prices, EPC, tenure and listed status checked for the address.

Once your offer is accepted

Solicitor or conveyancer instructed.
Full mortgage application submitted.
Survey booked at the right level for the property.
For a flat, the seller has ordered the leasehold management pack.
If executors are selling, probate confirmed as granted.

Before exchange

Search results, survey and title register read and any questions answered.
Mortgage offer received.
Deposit ready and completion date agreed.
Buildings insurance arranged to start at exchange.

Completion and after

Keys collected.
Stamp duty return filed and paid within 14 days.
Registration with HM Land Registry confirmed by your conveyancer.
Council, utilities and other organisations told your new address.

Premium from £4.99 adds ground stability, ownership and an AI buyer's verdict for the exact address: start a check.

Home buying process: common questions

What are the stages of buying a house in the UK?

In order: set a budget and get a mortgage agreement in principle, view and check properties, make an offer, instruct a solicitor or conveyancer, apply for the mortgage, have searches done and arrange a survey, exchange contracts, complete, then pay stamp duty and register the purchase with HM Land Registry.

How long does it take to buy a house?

GOV.UK's guide to buying a home puts it at approximately 12 weeks from an accepted offer to moving in, though precise timing varies. A chain, leasehold paperwork or slow searches can all make it longer.

When does buying a house become legally binding?

At exchange of contracts. Before that the sale is subject to contract and either side can pull out. After exchange you are committed, and GOV.UK warns that you may lose your deposit if you withdraw. You are also responsible for insuring the building from exchange.

Can I buy a house before probate is granted?

You can agree the purchase, but HM Land Registry needs a copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration (or a conveyancer's certificate that they hold one) to register a sale by executors, so in practice the sale cannot complete until the grant has been issued. The public probate index shows whether a grant exists.

When do I pay stamp duty?

The SDLT return must be sent to HMRC and the tax paid within 14 days of completion. If you use a solicitor or conveyancer, they usually file the return and pay the tax for you on completion day. Wales has Land Transaction Tax instead of stamp duty.

Sources for the stage-by-stage section, checked 28 September 2026