What do conveyancing solicitors in Glasgow do?
A conveyancing solicitor handles the legal side of buying, selling or remortgaging property in Scotland.
For a buyer, that means noting interest, submitting offers, negotiating the contract, examining the
title deeds and reporting to you on any title burdens, such as restrictions on alterations or shared
liability for common repairs. The solicitor also prepares or checks the disposition, which is the deed
that transfers ownership, and the standard security, which is the Scottish name for a mortgage deed.
After the purchase completes, your solicitor deals with Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and
with registering your ownership. For a seller, the solicitor deals with offers and missives from buyers'
solicitors, hands over the deeds at settlement and receives the price.
Many Scottish solicitors also work as estate agents. A solicitor estate agent can market your home, take
notes of interest, run a closing date and then carry out the conveyancing, so one firm handles the sale
from start to finish. The Law Society of Scotland regulates solicitors, including their estate agency
work; estate agents who are not solicitors are regulated differently, so it is worth checking how any
agent you use is regulated.
How does buying and selling a home work in Scotland?
The Home Report
Sellers must provide a Home Report. It has three parts: a survey covering the condition and value of the
property, an energy report, and a property questionnaire covering matters such as the council tax band
and factoring arrangements. Buyers should discuss anything unclear in the Home Report with their
solicitor, and a lender may still ask for its own survey.
Noting interest and closing dates
When you find a property you like, your solicitor formally notes your interest with the seller's agent.
A note of interest does not oblige you to buy, and it does not stop the seller selling to someone else.
If several buyers note interest, the seller usually sets a closing date: a deadline by which all written
offers must reach the seller's solicitor. The seller does not have to accept the highest offer, or any
offer.
Offers and missives: when the contract becomes binding
In Scotland an offer is sent as a letter from your solicitor. It sets out the price, the date of entry
you want, any items included in the sale and other conditions. If the seller agrees, their solicitor
usually replies with a qualified acceptance, and the solicitors then exchange further letters, known as
missives, until every point is agreed in writing.
Once all points are agreed, the missives are concluded and a binding contract exists. Neither side can
then withdraw without penalty, so make sure your mortgage offer and finances are in place before your
solicitor concludes missives. You do not sign the contract yourself; your solicitor does this on your
behalf. Buyers should normally insure the property from conclusion of missives unless the missives say
otherwise.
Settlement and the date of entry
Settlement takes place on the date of entry. The buyer's solicitor sends the price to the seller's
solicitor, the signed disposition is handed over and the buyer receives the keys.
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax
LBTT is the Scottish tax on property purchases and is paid to Revenue Scotland, not HMRC. It is
self-assessed, and the return must be made within 30 days of the day after the effective date of the
transaction. First-time buyer relief raises the nil rate band from £145,000 to £175,000 for eligible
buyers who have never owned a residential property anywhere in the world and who intend to live in the
property as their only or main residence.
The Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) is charged on top of LBTT, usually when you buy a home in
Scotland and already own one or more residential properties anywhere in the world, unless you are
replacing your only or main residence. For transactions on or after 5 December 2024, ADS is 8% of the
purchase price. If you buy a new main home before selling your old one, you may be able to reclaim ADS
if you sell your previous home within 36 months. Revenue Scotland's
property transactions calculator (opens in a new tab)
shows the tax due on a given price.
Registration with Registers of Scotland
Your ownership is recorded in the Land Register of Scotland, kept by Registers of Scotland. The Land
Register provides a state-backed guarantee of title. Registration dues are set by the Registers of
Scotland (Fees) Order, and current figures are published in the
Registers of Scotland fee tables (opens in a new tab).
What happens when you remortgage in Scotland?
Remortgaging means replacing your existing loan with a new one secured on the same property. The new
lender will need a standard security in its favour registered with Registers of Scotland. When the old
loan is repaid, the old lender can sign a discharge of standard security, which is registered to remove
the old mortgage from the register. A conveyancing solicitor usually handles both deeds and the transfer
of funds. If you are adding or removing an owner at the same time, for example after a separation, speak
to a family law solicitor in Glasgow as well, because the
title and the mortgage may both need to change.
How to choose a conveyancing solicitor in Glasgow
Look for a firm that handles residential property regularly, replies promptly and explains the process
in plain terms. Questions to ask at a first meeting or call:
- Who will handle my file day to day, and how quickly do you usually reply?
-
Can you give me a written quote that separates your fee from outlays such as LBTT, registration dues
and searches?
-
What will you check before you conclude missives, and when will you tell me the contract is binding?
- Do you act for my lender as well as for me?
-
Will you check whether first-time buyer relief or the Additional Dwelling Supplement applies to me?
- If you are acting in my sale, how will you market the property and run any closing date?
Buying a home, especially with someone else, is a good moment to review your will; see
wills and estate planning solicitors in Glasgow.
Conveyancing costs, funding and legal aid in Scotland
Most people pay for conveyancing privately. Firms set their own charges, so ask each one for a written
quote and compare what is included rather than just the headline figure. Some firms quote a fixed fee
for straightforward work; others charge according to the work involved.
Remember that a solicitor's fee is only part of the cost. LBTT is set by law and collected by Revenue
Scotland, and registration dues are set by order and collected by Registers of Scotland. Neither is set
by your solicitor, and both can be estimated using the official calculator and fee tables linked above.
If your property matter is tied to another legal problem and money is tight, ask the solicitor whether
advice and assistance from the Scottish Legal Aid Board might be available.
If you are selling a property as part of administering someone's estate, see our page on
executry solicitors in Glasgow. For business premises and
commercial leases, see commercial solicitors in Glasgow.
How to read the rankings on this page
Our rankings reflect published evidence about each firm, such as the services it describes, its
regulatory status and what it shows about its property work. They are not a guarantee of service or
outcome. Always check a firm directly before you instruct it, and read
how we rank for the full method.