By Louise Smith, Senior Conveyancing Assistant
Reaching exchange of contracts is a major milestone in any property transaction. For many clients, it’s the moment everything feels real. The completion date is set, plans can be finalised, and there’s often a mix of excitement and understandable nerves.
At Priory Law, we know that the period between exchange and completion can feel busy and, at times, overwhelming. Our role is to guide you calmly through the final stages, making sure you know what to expect and reassuring you that everything is being handled carefully behind the scenes.
This guide explains what happens after exchange of contracts, what you may need to do, and how completion day works -whether -you are buying, selling, or doing both on the same day.
What Happens After Exchange of Contracts?
Once contracts are exchanged, the transaction becomes legally binding, and a fixed completion date is agreed. From this point, there are several practical and legal steps that take place to prepare for completion.
What You May Need to Do
During the period between exchange and completion, there are a few things you may need to arrange:
- You will need to notify utility providers that you are moving, including gas, electricity, water, broadband and council tax.
- It’s also important to book removals as soon as possible, particularly if the gap between exchange and completion is short.
- If you are purchasing a property, you must ensure that buildings insurance is in place from the date of exchange. In most cases, responsibility for the property passes to you at exchange, not completion.
We will always let you know if there is anything specific you need to do based on your transaction.
What We Do for You After Exchange of Contracts
While you are preparing for your move, our team is managing the legal and financial preparations required for completion.
- This includes requesting a redemption statement if you are selling a property with a mortgage, and obtaining up-to-date service charge and ground rent statements if the property is leasehold so that these can be fairly apportioned.
- If you are purchasing with a mortgage, we will request mortgage funds from your lender, so they are sent to us in time for completion. We also prepare a detailed completion statement for you, clearly showing whether there is a balance due to you or a balance required from you.
- All payments needed for completion are set up in advance. If funds are due to you, we will verify your bank details securely over the phone. If a balance is required from you, we will explain how this should be sent and ensure we hold cleared funds no later than one working day before completion.
Transparency at this stage is essential. You will always know where things stand and what funds are being handled on your behalf.
What Happens on Completion Day?
Completion day is when ownership officially changes hands. Although it can feel daunting, most of the work is carried out by your legal team behind the scenes.
If You Are Selling a Property
On the morning of completion, we contact the buyer’s solicitor to confirm when completion funds are being sent and keep you updated as the day progresses.
Once the funds are received, we formally confirm completion with the buyer’s solicitor and contact you to let you know. We then notify the estate agent so keys can be released.
You will usually need to vacate the property by 1pm and arrange to return the keys to the estate agent on the day of completion.
Following completion, we send all payments due in line with your completion statement. This includes redeeming your mortgage (if applicable), settling estate agent fees, and transferring any remaining balance to you.
If You Are Selling and Buying on the Same Day
If you are selling and purchasing on the same day, your sale completes first. Once those funds are received, we send the completion funds on to your seller’s solicitor.
From this point, it can take a couple of hours for completion to take place, depending on how quickly funds move through the banking system. As soon as the seller’s solicitor confirms receipt, we will let you know that completion has taken place, and you can collect the keys from the estate agent.
What Happens After Completion?
Even after you have your keys, our work continues.
Following completion, we submit and pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax on your behalf. If you are purchasing a leasehold property, we serve the required Notices of Transfer on the management company so they can update their records and issue future service charge statements.
We then apply to the Land Registry to register you as the new legal owner. Registration times vary and can take anywhere from six weeks to several months, depending on the type of application and current Land Registry workloads. This is completely normal and does not affect your ownership of the property.
Once registration is complete, we will confirm this with you and provide copies of the updated registration documents. At that point, our legal work on your transaction is complete and we will close our file.
A Calm, Coordinated Process
This final stage of a transaction is carefully overseen by our experienced team to ensure everything runs smoothly.
As Louise Smith, our Senior Conveyancing Assistant, explains:
“Our role after exchange is all about coordination and reassurance. Clients don’t need to worry about the moving parts -we’re checking funds, managing timings, and keeping everyone informed so completion feels calm and controlled.”
This attention to detail is a key part of our boutique approach. We deliberately manage caseloads to ensure every client receives clear communication, time to ask questions and steady guidance right through to completion.
Sharing Your Experience
Once you have had time to settle into your new home, we love hearing about your experience of working with Priory Law.
Client reviews are incredibly important, not only to us but to others who are looking for a conveyancing team they can trust. Reviews that mention how the process felt, the team members who supported you and even the area you moved to help future clients understand the way we work.
If you feel able to share your experience, we would be genuinely grateful.
Ongoing Support Beyond Completion
Moving home is rarely a standalone moment. It often sits alongside wider life changes. While our legal work on a transaction may conclude once registration is complete, our support does not end there.
Many clients return to us in the years that follow -whether for a future move, a remortgage, a transfer of equity or support with a probate matter. Others recommend us to family and friends, confident they will receive the same calm, thoughtful and transparent service.
At Priory Law, we understand that moving home is personal. We are here to support you not just now, but whenever you need us in the future.
About the Author – Louise Smith
Louise Smith is a Senior Conveyancing Assistant at Priory Law, providing experienced, hands-on support across residential property transactions.
With more than 20 years’ experience in both residential and commercial conveyancing, Louise plays a key role in guiding files through the crucial stages between exchange and completion. She is responsible for coordinating the many practical and legal steps required to ensure matters proceed smoothly, including post-completion formalities and applications to HM Land Registry.
Louise is known for her meticulous attention to detail, calm approach and deep understanding of the moving process. Clients and colleagues alike value her as a safe and expert pair of hands, ensuring nothing is missed and that every stage is handled with care.
About Priory Law
Priory Law is an outstanding conveyancing firm providing expert property law services throughout England and Wales. Led by Anne-Marie Fowler, the team is recognised for their deep expertise, proactive communication, and exceptional client care. At Priory Law, we combine experience with innovation to deliver a seamless, jargon-free service that puts our clients first. Our dedication to transparency and customer satisfaction is reflected in our growing number of five-star reviews, available on Google and Review Solicitors – a testament to the trusted reputation Priory Law has built within the conveyancing industry.