Switch your deal without the usual waiting.
A remortgage is the shortest job in conveyancing, which makes the preparation worth even more: there is no chain to blame and very little that has to happen in sequence. Get the identity checks, the title and the redemption request out of the way first and the legal stage stops being the bit that holds you up.
What it covers
Repaying one lender, registering another.
Remortgaging is legally simpler than a purchase because nothing changes hands. You already own the property, and the only thing moving is which lender has a charge over it.
Your conveyancer confirms you own the property and reads the title for anything that would stop a new lender lending, checks that your existing lender’s charge is registered correctly, and requests a redemption statement setting out the exact sum needed to close the old mortgage on the completion date.
They also act for your new lender. That means checking the property meets its requirements, confirming buildings insurance is in place, and satisfying every condition attached to the mortgage offer before funds can be drawn. On completion the new lender releases the money, the old mortgage is repaid, any capital you have raised is sent on to you, and the new charge is registered at HM Land Registry.
What a remortgage does not usually need is the full search set a purchase requires, and it is not normally a Stamp Duty event either. That is why it is the quickest and least expensive form of conveyancing. Our guide to what your solicitor actually does on a remortgage goes through it step by step.
Done before instruction
Four things finished before day one.
Fewer items than a purchase, because a remortgage has fewer moving parts. They are still the four that decide whether it takes four weeks or eight.
- 01
Identity and AML checks
Credas-verified digital identity for every owner on the title, done online in about ten minutes. No ID charge.
- 02
Your mortgage details
Your existing lender and account reference, so the redemption statement can be requested as early as possible rather than at the end.
- 03
Title and ownership
Official copies of the title pulled and read early, so any restriction that affects the remortgage surfaces before it is urgent.
- 04
A firm your lender accepts
Your conveyancer acts for your new lender as well as for you, so the firm has to be one that lender will work with. We match you accordingly.
What it costs
Fixed from day one, itemised in full.
We do not publish a price list, because a real quote depends on the property and where it is. There are no searches to pay for on most remortgages, and the fee itself is agreed before you instruct anyone. The conveyancing FAQs explain how the fixed fee works in more detail.
Inside the fixed fee
- A fixed fee agreed before you instruct anyone, with no hourly billing
- No file opening fee and no ID verification charge
- No admin surcharges at completion
- Checking the title and confirming your existing lender's charge
- Requesting the redemption statement and acting for your new lender
- Completion, redemption of the old mortgage, and registration of the new charge
Outside it, and never hidden
- Land Registry and bankruptcy search fees, itemised in your quote
- Any early repayment charge your existing lender applies, which is theirs, not ours
- Your lender's own product, valuation or arrangement fees
Step by step
From enquiry to new charge registered.
Four steps, and only two of them need anything from you. The full journey is set out on how it works.
- 01
Tell us about the remortgage
The property, its value, and whether you are switching lender or raising capital. It takes about three minutes and there is no obligation.
- 02
We review it and come back
Our team prepares the case file and gets in touch within one business day with your fixed-fee quote and a panel firm your lender will accept.
- 03
You complete onboarding
Identity verification and document upload, online, in around ten minutes. No branch visit and no certified paper copies.
- 04
Your conveyancer completes it
The firm checks the title, requests the redemption figure, satisfies the new lender's conditions, draws down the funds and registers the new charge.
Where remortgages stall
The lender panel, and the redemption figure.
There is no chain on a remortgage, so when one drags it is almost always one of these three things.
Your lender's panel
On a remortgage the firm acts for you and for the new lender at the same time, which means it has to be a firm that lender is willing to work with. Getting that right before instruction avoids the most avoidable delay in the whole process.
The redemption figure
Your existing lender has to state the exact amount needed to close the old mortgage on the completion date. Some lenders take over a week to produce it, which is why we ask for your account reference at the start rather than at the end.
No searches, usually
Most remortgages need only bankruptcy and Land Registry searches rather than the full local authority set a purchase requires, though some lenders do ask for more. That is a large part of why a remortgage is quicker and cheaper than a purchase.
Common questions
Remortgage questions, answered plainly.
How long does a remortgage take?
- Typically four to eight weeks from application to completion when you are switching to a new lender. A product transfer, where you stay with your existing lender on a new rate, is faster at two to four weeks because there is no new legal work. Our guide to how long a remortgage takes breaks the timeline down stage by stage.
What does the solicitor actually do?
- Checks your identity and source of funds, checks the title and confirms your existing lender’s charge is registered correctly, requests the redemption statement, acts for the new lender in satisfying its conditions, draws down the funds on completion to repay the old mortgage, and registers the new charge at HM Land Registry.
Do I need searches?
- Usually not the full set. Most remortgages need bankruptcy and Land Registry searches rather than local authority, water and drainage and environmental searches, although individual lenders can require more. Any that are needed appear as itemised disbursements in your quote.
Is Stamp Duty payable on a remortgage?
- A remortgage is not normally a taxable event, because nobody’s ownership is changing. It becomes one where the remortgage is combined with a change of ownership, in which case Stamp Duty is calculated on the consideration, including any mortgage debt being taken on. That is a transfer of equity, and it is a different service.
Can I use any conveyancer, or does my lender decide?
- Your conveyancer is acting for your lender as well as for you, so the firm has to be acceptable to that lender. We take your lender into account when we match you with a panel firm, which is one of the things we settle before anyone is instructed.
Who regulates the firm doing the work?
- The Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, depending on the firm. The Home Panel is an introducer and not a law firm, and we tell you which panel firm has been assigned before you sign a client care letter.
More of these on the full FAQ page.
Other services
Other services
- Buying a homeFixed-fee conveyancing for your purchase, with searches started early.
- Selling a homeYour contract pack and protocol forms ready before a buyer is found.
- Buying and sellingBoth ends of the chain, one firm, one file, one completion date.
- Transfer of equityAdding, removing or buying out an owner without selling the property.
- Auction conveyancingLegal pack reviewed before you bid, and a firm ready for a 28-day clock.
Ready when you are
Get the legal stage off your critical path.
Tell us the property, the value and who you are switching to. We come back within one business day with a fixed fee and a panel firm your lender will accept.