Completion Day: What Actually Happens

Completion Day: The Main Event

Completion is the day you become the legal owner of your property. Funds transfer from your lender and your own money to the seller. Legal ownership passes to you. The keys get handed over. After months of waiting, this is the day it all happens.

It's rarely dramatic. Most completions run smoothly. But there's a specific sequence to it, and understanding that sequence stops you refreshing your phone every ten minutes wondering whether you're actually getting the keys today.

Before 10am: Final Checks

Your conveyancer will be in touch with the seller's conveyancer early in the morning to confirm everything is ready. If you haven't already, use the pre-completion checklist to make sure everything is in place. They're checking:

Are all documents signed and in order? Both sides must have fully executed contracts with no outstanding queries or amendments. Any loose ends get tied up now.

Is the mortgage lender releasing funds? Your conveyancer confirms with your lender that they're sending the completion funds. The lender has had your property valuation and your final searches. They've already done their checks. Now they just need to send the money. Your conveyancer is checking: funds are definitely coming today.

Is the seller's conveyancer ready? The other side must confirm they're ready to receive funds and release the keys. Sometimes the seller is still removing belongings or there's a logistics issue. Your conveyancer needs to know if there are any delays.

Is the SDLT paid or accounted for? Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) (the tax on the purchase) is due within 14 days of completion per HMRC filing requirements, but your conveyancer needs to have filed the return. They'll confirm this is done or will be done at completion.

Is there any last-minute bad news? This is when problems would surface. A missing signature. A lender pulling out. A survey issue discovered at the last minute. These are rare but they can happen. If they do, completion is delayed.

Assuming everything checks out, you're good to proceed.

10am–2pm: The Main Transfer

This is when the money moves. Your conveyancer will send a CHAPS payment (Clearing House Automated Payments System) to the seller's conveyancer. CHAPS is a same-day payment system operated by the Bank of England. The money doesn't arrive instantly—it takes a few hours—but it clears the same day.

Your conveyancer initiates the transfer. The amount includes:

• The balance of the purchase price (total price minus your deposit)
• Your lender's mortgage funds
• Your own money (if additional funds are required)
• Any costs and fees deducted

The seller's conveyancer receives the money, checks it matches the agreed completion statement, and confirms receipt back to your conveyancer.

This is the moment ownership officially passes to you. You become the registered proprietor. Not when you get the keys. When the money is confirmed received.

The exact timing depends on when both conveyancers are processing, when the lender sends funds, and when the banks process the transfer. Most completions happen between 11am and 2pm, but there's flexibility. Sometimes it's 10am. Sometimes it's 3pm if there's a queue or a delay.

Key point: If there's a problem with the lender's funds or your own money, this is when it surfaces. If your lender suddenly changes the amount or requires additional paperwork, completion can be delayed. If your own money doesn't arrive, same issue. This is why having everything confirmed with your lender days before completion matters.

Afternoon: Key Release

Once the seller's conveyancer confirms the funds have cleared, they authorise the estate agent to release the keys. The estate agent will contact you—usually a phone call, sometimes an email—to say your keys are ready.

This typically happens between 1pm and 3pm on the same day, depending on when funds cleared. You then arrange to visit the estate agent's office and collect the keys.

The estate agent will hand over:

• Keys to the front door
• Keys to back doors (if any)
• Keys to outbuildings, gates, or other locks
• Garage remote controls (if applicable)
• Alarm codes (if applicable)
• Any other keys the seller has provided

Check you have all of them. Check they work in the locks. If anything is missing, tell the estate agent now. They can contact the seller or the seller's conveyancer immediately.

The estate agent will also give you a set of completion paperwork: the keys receipt, the estate agent's notes, any final vendor information.

When You Arrive at Your New Home

You're now the legal owner. The keys are in your hand. You've probably been imagining this moment for months. Resist the urge to throw open all the doors and start planning the kitchen. Do this first:

Conduct a proper walkthrough. Go through every room. Check that all agreed fixtures and fittings are present and in the condition you agreed. Check windows and doors lock. Check light switches work (basic stuff, but do it). Check heating comes on. Check water runs hot. Check there's no unexpected damage.

Take meter readings immediately. Gas, electricity, water—photograph the meters or write down the numbers. These readings mark the point between the seller's responsibility and yours. The utility companies need these readings to calculate final bills.

Verify you have all keys. Test every external door and any interior locks (garage, utility rooms, etc.). If a key is stuck or doesn't work properly, note it immediately. Much easier to sort now than in a week's time.

Check alarm codes work. If there's a security alarm system, test the codes you've been given. If they don't work, contact your conveyancer or the seller's conveyancer immediately.

Photograph anything odd. If there's damage that wasn't noted before, take photos. If furniture or fixtures have been removed that you thought were staying, document it. You may need this for a claim against the seller.

Contact your conveyancer if issues arise. Your conveyancer is still active. If the property is damaged, if agreed items are missing, if the keys don't work—tell them immediately. They can contact the seller's conveyancer and take action. Don't wait until next week.

After You Collect the Keys

Notify utilities. Ring your electricity, gas, and water suppliers. Provide the meter readings you just took. Arrange for final bills to go to the seller and first bills to come to you.

Arrange final inspections if needed. If you're planning major work, you might want a gas engineer to check the boiler or an electrician to check the circuits. Do this sooner rather than later if there are concerns. These are now your problems to fix, not the seller's.

Sort insurance. Your buildings insurance started at exchange. Check it's still active and your contents insurance (if you have it) is ready to go.

Update your address. Electoral register, council tax (the council should register you automatically once the Land Registry application is filed), HMRC, your bank, insurers, employers. This is covered in the first week checklist, but do it within a week or two.

Keep the keys safe. You have them now. The house is yours. Lock the doors. Set the alarm. Secure any valuables if you're leaving the house empty before you move in.

If Completion Is Delayed

Sometimes the money doesn't clear on time. Maybe the lender is running late. Maybe the banks are processing slowly. Maybe there's an issue with the seller's side.

If this happens, your conveyancer will keep you informed. They'll tell you how long the delay is expected to be. Often it's just hours. Sometimes it's next business day.

This is why having removals booked for completion day can be tricky. If completion is delayed and your removals company arrives while you don't have the keys, it's a hassle. See the moving day survival guide for better planning—many people arrange removals for the day after completion, or book them flexibly so they can be moved if needed.

If completion is delayed by more than a day, you can push back your removal date. Stress about the logistics, not about completion itself.

That's Completion

It's the final step. Money moves. Ownership changes. Keys appear. Your new home is actually yours.

The conveyancer will register you with the Land Registry as the new owner, which is a formality that happens over the following weeks. But from completion day onwards, you're the owner. You can decorate, modify, mortgage the property—it's completely yours. For a full roadmap covering all the stages of the completion process, check out our complete completion guide.

When do I become the legal owner?

When the seller's conveyancer confirms funds have been received. This is usually the moment that matters legally, even though you don't physically have the keys yet. Keys follow once funds are confirmed cleared.

What if the seller's conveyancer can't complete?

Your conveyancer will tell you. They'll work toward resolving the issue. Completion delays to next business day or later, but they'll negotiate on your behalf. Keep communication open with your removal company.

Who pays for solicitor fees and searches if we don't complete?

You do. These are professional services rendered before completion. Conveyancing fees and searches are due regardless of whether completion happens. This is why home buyer protection insurance (£74) is worthwhile.

What happens if I find damage on completion day?

Document everything with photos. Contact your conveyancer immediately if it's significant. For minor issues, these can be addressed post-completion. Your conveyancer may negotiate with the seller's conveyancer for remedy or compensation.