Completion is the final legal step in your move, funds transfer, ownership passes, and keys change hands. There's no fixed time in law for when this happens, it depends entirely on when money actually clears, which is exactly why the day can feel slower than you'd expect.
What actually happens on the day?
The buyer's conveyancer transfers the purchase funds to the seller's conveyancer. Once those funds are confirmed as received, the seller's conveyancer notifies the estate agent, who releases the keys to the buyer. Legal ownership passes to the buyer at this exact point, not before. If you're selling and have a mortgage, it's redeemed from the proceeds on the same day, with your conveyancer deducting their own fees and any other costs before transferring the remaining balance to you.
Why don't keys always arrive in the morning?
In a chain, money moves sequentially. Each seller's conveyancer has to receive and confirm funds before they can release money onward to the next seller in the chain. Keys aren't released until the estate agent gets confirmation that funds have genuinely arrived, and in a longer chain this can mean keys don't come through until the afternoon. There's no fixed time in law for any of this. It depends entirely on when the money clears, which is itself dependent on everyone earlier in the chain.
What happens behind the scenes, and afterwards?
Funds typically start transferring during the morning, with everyone's solicitors coordinating the sequential flow through the chain. Once completion is confirmed, the buyer's conveyancer takes over the paperwork trail: submitting the transfer deed, a Stamp Duty Land Tax return, and an application to HM Land Registry to register the change of ownership. The SDLT return and any tax due must be filed within 14 days of completion, a deadline your conveyancer handles on your behalf in the vast majority of cases.
What should you do, as a buyer?
Make sure all your completion funds are with your conveyancer the day before completion. Don't rely on a same-day bank transfer clearing in time. If you're in a chain, book your removal company for the day itself, but plan around the possibility that keys arrive in the afternoon rather than first thing. Take meter readings immediately on arrival and note the time alongside them for your records.
What should you do, as a seller?
Vacate the property by the agreed time and leave all keys, including spares, garage keys, and any outbuilding keys, with the estate agent. Leave the property in the condition you agreed, with everything included in the sale present and everything you're taking removed. Take your own meter readings before you leave. Later in the day, confirm with your conveyancer that your proceeds have actually been transferred to you.
| On the day | Buyer or seller |
|---|---|
| Funds with conveyancer the day before | Buyer |
| Vacate by agreed time, leave all keys | Seller |
| Take meter readings on arrival or departure | Both |
| Confirm proceeds received later in the day | Seller |
Frequently asked questions
- What actually happens on completion day?
- Funds transfer between conveyancers, keys are released once confirmed, and legal ownership passes to the buyer.
- Why don't keys always come through in the morning?
- Money flows sequentially in a chain, so keys wait on funds clearing, which can push release into the afternoon.
- What does a seller need to do with the sale proceeds?
- Their conveyancer redeems any mortgage and deducts fees first, then transfers the remaining balance.
- What has to happen after completion?
- The buyer's conveyancer files the transfer deed, an SDLT return within 14 days, and registers the change of ownership with HM Land Registry.
This guide is general information for home movers in England and Wales, not legal advice. Timings on completion day depend on individual circumstances and chain position.