Buying your first home is one of the biggest steps you’ll take, and it comes with more paperwork, deadlines and decisions than most people expect. Our first time buyer solicitors keep things straightforward from offer to completion, explaining each stage in plain English and keeping your purchase moving. With offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester, we’ve helped buyers across the North West take their first step onto the property ladder.
A first-time buyer is someone who has never owned a residential property, either on their own or jointly with someone else, anywhere in the UK or abroad. This definition matters beyond the obvious: it’s also what determines whether you qualify for first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief, so it’s worth checking your position early if your circumstances are at all unusual, for example, if you’ve inherited a share of a property or previously owned a home overseas. A first time buyer solicitor handles the legal side of your purchase: reviewing contracts, carrying out property searches, liaising with your mortgage lender, and registering your ownership with HM Land Registry once you complete.
First time buyer services we can help with
Buying your first home
This is standard freehold conveyancing for first-time buyers: reviewing the contract and title, submitting local authority and other searches, liaising with the seller’s solicitor and your lender, and handling completion and registration. We manage the process from offer to keys-in-hand, keeping you updated at each stage rather than leaving you chasing for news.
Shared Ownership purchases
Shared Ownership lets you buy a share of a property, typically between 10% and 75%, and pay rent on the remainder to a housing association. It’s a common first-time buyer route in the North West, and it comes with its own lease terms, staircasing provisions and restrictions on subletting, so it needs a solicitor who knows what to check. We’ll explain your lease in plain English before you commit.
New build purchases
Buying a new build involves extra steps that resale purchases don’t: reviewing the developer’s contract, checking build warranties (such as NHBC cover), and often working to a tighter exchange deadline set by the developer. We deal directly with developer solicitors regularly and know where the pitfalls tend to sit.
Leasehold flats for first-time buyers
Many first-time buyers start with a leasehold flat rather than a house. We’ll check the lease length, ground rent and service charge provisions, and flag anything that could cause problems with your mortgage lender or when you come to sell.
Mortgages and your first home
A mortgage offer sets out the terms your lender will lend on, and it needs checking against your contract before you can complete. While we can’t give mortgage advice, we play a key part in getting your mortgage over the line: reviewing your mortgage offer against the contract terms, meeting your lender’s legal requirements, and liaising directly with them so nothing holds up your completion date. If you’re using a scheme such as the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme (also known as Freedom to Buy, which supports 95% mortgages up to £600,000), a Lifetime ISA, or Shared Ownership, we’ll factor this into your purchase and make sure the paperwork reflects it correctly. Our mortgages and remortgaging page gives a broader look at how remortgaging works further down the line.
Gifted deposits
A gifted deposit is money put towards your deposit by a family member with no expectation of repayment or stake in the property. If family are helping with your deposit, your lender and our team will need a signed gifted deposit declaration confirming it’s a gift, not a loan, and that the person gifting it has no stake in the property. We’ll guide you through this so it doesn’t slow down your mortgage application.
How first time buyer process works
Buying your first home follows a fairly predictable sequence, even though the exact timing depends on your chain and mortgage lender. Here’s what to expect from offer to keys.
Instructing a solicitor
As soon as your offer is accepted, instruct a solicitor so we can start ID checks and request the title and contract pack from the seller’s solicitor. Doing this early, ideally before you’ve even found a property, can shave weeks off the overall timeline.
Mortgage application and valuation
You’ll submit your mortgage application and your lender will arrange a valuation. We’ll liaise with your lender on the legal side and review your mortgage offer against the contract terms once it arrives.
Property searches and survey
We’ll order local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches. Separately, you’ll need to arrange your own structural survey if you want one, this is different from your lender’s valuation, which only confirms the property is worth what you’re paying and doesn’t check for structural issues.
Reviewing contracts and raising enquiries
Once searches and the survey are back, we’ll raise enquiries with the seller’s solicitor and go through the contract and title in detail. This stage often takes longest, depending on the length of the chain.
Exchange of contracts
Once everyone is ready, contracts are exchanged and you pay your deposit. Your purchase is now legally binding, with a completion date usually one to two weeks later.
Completion
The remaining balance is sent to the seller’s solicitor, you become the legal owner, and we handle your Stamp Duty submission and Land Registry registration.
Most straightforward first-time buyer purchases complete within 10–14 weeks from offer to keys, though chains and mortgage delays can extend this.
Why choose Slater Heelis as your first time buyer solicitor
Straight-talking advice, no legal jargon
Buying your first home involves more legal terminology than most people encounter in one go, from “exchange” and “completion” to “disbursements” and “chargeable consideration.” We explain what each term means and why it matters to you, rather than assuming you already know. If something in your contract or search results needs a decision from you, we’ll tell you plainly what your options are and what we’d recommend, not just hand over the paperwork and leave you to work it out.
CQS accredited, so your lender trusts us too
Slater Heelis holds Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation, the Law Society’s recognised standard for residential conveyancing. This matters practically for first-time buyers: most mortgage lenders require your solicitor to be on their approved panel, and CQS accreditation is one of the ways we meet that requirement, so your mortgage process isn’t held up by a panel issue.
A track record clients trust
We’re rated 4.9/5 on ReviewSolicitors from over 1,900 reviews and are listed in The Times Best Law Firms 2026, recognition built on consistently doing right by clients across the North West.
Offices across the North West, for when you want to talk face to face
With offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester, you can come in and speak to your conveyancer directly rather than dealing only by phone or email. For a first purchase, being able to ask “is this normal?” in person tends to matter more than people expect going in.
Fixed fees, agreed before you commit
You’ll get a clear, fixed-fee quote before you instruct us, with no hidden extras added later. Use our online quote calculator for an instant estimate, or call us on 0330 111 3131 to talk it through first.
Ready to take your first step onto the property ladder? Our first time buyer solicitors are here to guide you through every stage, from instruction to picking up the keys.
Our offices in Manchester, Sale, and Chester are open for face-to-face meetings, and we regularly work with clients across the UK, with meetings at other locations available by appointment.
Frequently asked questions about buying your first home
Do I need a solicitor to buy my first home?
Yes. You cannot complete a residential property purchase in England without a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle the legal transfer, run property searches, and register your ownership with HM Land Registry. Your mortgage lender will also require a solicitor from their approved panel before releasing funds.
How much does a first time buyer solicitor cost?
First time buyer solicitor fees typically include a fixed legal fee plus disbursements such as search fees, Land Registry fees, and any Stamp Duty due. Costs vary by property price and location, so we’d recommend using our online quote calculator for an exact, no-obligation figure rather than relying on a general estimate.
What should I look for in solicitors for first time buyers?
Look for a firm with CQS accreditation (the Law Society’s recognised conveyancing standard), a place on your mortgage lender’s approved panel, and fixed-fee pricing agreed upfront. First-time buyer purchases often involve extra steps, such as Shared Ownership leases or gifted deposit declarations, so experience with these specific situations matters more than price alone.
Do first-time buyers pay Stamp Duty?
First-time buyers in England pay no Stamp Duty on the first £300,000 of a property’s price, and 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000. If the property costs more than £500,000, first-time buyer relief doesn’t apply at all, and standard Stamp Duty rates are charged on the full price.
How long does conveyancing take for a first-time buyer?
Most straightforward first-time buyer purchases complete within 10–14 weeks from offer to keys. This depends on your mortgage lender’s speed, the length of any chain above your seller, and how quickly search results and enquiries are returned. We’ll keep you updated throughout so you always know where things stand.
How do I find the best conveyancing lawyer for my property purchase?
Check for CQS accreditation, genuine client reviews, and a fixed-fee quote agreed before you instruct them, rather than an estimate that could change later. It’s also worth confirming they’re already on your mortgage lender’s panel, since using a solicitor who isn’t can add delay and cost to your purchase.
Do I need buildings insurance before completion?
Yes. Once contracts are exchanged, you’re legally committed to the purchase, so buildings insurance needs to be in place from the exchange date, not just from completion. Most mortgage lenders will ask for evidence of this before releasing funds.
What is a gifted deposit, and do I need one?
A gifted deposit is money put towards your deposit by a family member with no expectation of repayment or stake in the property. If you’re using one, your lender will need a signed declaration confirming this, and we’ll help arrange it as part of your purchase so it doesn’t hold up your mortgage application.
Am I still a first-time buyer if I've inherited a share of a property?
Inheriting a share of a property usually still counts as ownership for first-time buyer purposes, even if you never lived there. HMRC’s first-time buyer test looks at whether you’ve ever owned a residential property interest anywhere in the world, including a partial or inherited share, regardless of whether you lived in it. Tell your solicitor about any previous ownership, even if it seems minor, so we can confirm your position before you rely on first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief.
Can I still get first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief if I'm buying with someone who has owned a home before?
No. If you’re buying jointly, every buyer must qualify as a first-time buyer for the relief to apply to any part of the purchase. If one buyer has previously owned property, the whole purchase is charged at standard Stamp Duty rates, even if the other buyer has never owned before.
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