Conveyancing is the legal process of buying and selling a property. 'Conveyancer' is the generic term given to either a conveyancing solicitor or licenced conveyancer.

All solicitors practising law in England and Wales must also be registered with the Law Society. Also visit the Council for Licensed Conveyancers website.

You should start thinking about hiring a licensed conveyancer of solicitor as soon as you decide to sell your house or establish your solicitor before you start looking for a property.

The buying and selling of your home is a very complex business and the conveyancing process with differ from time to time, but essentially there are three main stages:

before the exchange of contracts

The draft contract is received and negotiated, enquiries are made and a formal mortgage offer is received.

A conveyancer's job is to take care of all legal aspects of moving house, which include:

• local search
• land charges search
• land registry
• stamp duty
• Home Information Packs - see our guide

exchange of contracts

The contract is signed between the buyers and sellers. The deposit is paid here. The final accounts are prepared and the mortgage deed requested for you to sign. Final searches are made.

completion

Here you will obtain the keys to your new home and receive the title deeds. Stamp duty is paid and if you are using an estate agent their fees are also paid. The Land Registry also arranges transfer.

You can do the conveyancing yourself (which we do not advise) but it is very important that the work is all carried out correctly and be prepared for a fair amount of detailed work involved. Licensed conveyancers/solicitors are part of a redress scheme and are insured if things go wrong. If you do it yourself, it will be on your head.

Ask friends and family for a personal recommendation on a solicitor/licensed conveyancer. Remember that conveyancing is often a slow process.