Home Ready UK Blogs
Plain-English guides to buying property in the UK - from first viewings to getting the keys.
Lack of planning permission indemnity, explained
This guide describes what lack of planning permission indemnity insurance is in England and Wales conveyancing, including typical cover in general terms and how it differs from routes that address the planning evidence gap. It covers the stage after solicitor-ordered enquiries or searches surface missing planning evidence for past works.
Read articleIndemnity policy vs regularisation certificate
This guide compares a legal indemnity policy and a building regulations regularisation certificate as they appear in England and Wales conveyancing when building regulations paperwork for past works is missing. It covers the stage after a survey or solicitor-ordered enquiries flag uncertified works.
Read articleConveyancing searches explained
This guide describes the main conveyancing searches used in residential purchases in England and Wales after an offer is accepted. It covers the conveyancing stage of a typical residential purchase.
Read articleLeasehold reform explained
This guide describes what leasehold means and which England and Wales leasehold reforms are already in force or still prospective as of September 2026. It covers leasehold tenure issues that commonly arise at conveyancing or after an offer is accepted.
Read article
EV Charging: What to Look At Before You Buy
Around 40% of UK households have no driveway, and for a growing number of buyers that has quietly become a question about the property rather than about the car. It is also one of the few things that almost never appears on a listing, does not show up in a survey, and only surfaces when someone has already fallen for the house. Here is what the question actually breaks down into, and where the answers come from.
Read article
Missing Building Regs and Indemnity Policies, Explained
A conversation that comes up constantly: the buyer's solicitor asks for the building regulations certificate for a loft conversion, an extension, or the electrics, and nobody can find it. The work was done years ago, possibly by a previous owner, and the paperwork has gone. What follows tends to involve the phrase "indemnity policy", usually without much explanation of what one actually is. Here is what these terms mean and what typically happens next.
Read article
Completion Day: What Actually Happens, Hour by Hour
We booked one day off work for completion day. By four in the afternoon we were sitting in a van outside the house, still waiting for a phone call, watching the removals team's patience run out. Nobody had done anything wrong. We had simply assumed that a date in a contract meant a time, and it does not. Here is what actually happens on the day, roughly when, and which parts are outside anyone's control.
Read article
Gazundering: When the Buyer Cuts Their Offer Late
Most people buying a home in England or Wales have heard of gazumping - the seller accepting a higher offer after already accepting yours. Fewer have heard of the reverse. Gazundering is when the buyer reduces their offer late in the process, often days before exchange, when the seller has already committed to their onward purchase and has the most to lose by walking away. It is legal, it is more common in a slower market, and it is one of the few points in a purchase where the balance of pressure flips entirely.
Read article
What to Actually Look For on a Property Viewing
When we started viewing houses, we spent half the time admiring the décor. It took a few viewings (and some honest feedback from our surveyor) to realise that paint colours and garden tidiness have nothing to do with whether a house suits your needs. Here's what to actually look at - and what you may want to look at more carefully.
Read article
Survey types: Level 1, 2 and 3 explained
A survey is not a legal requirement in England and Wales - but skipping one is a gamble that thousands of buyers regret every year. A friend of ours bought without one and discovered subsidence six months in - a £35,000 lesson. Here's how the three levels differ and which types of property each is designed for.
Read article
7 Mistakes First-Time Buyers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Buying your first home is exciting, and it's also the point at which you're most vulnerable to making expensive mistakes. We made at least three of these ourselves - and built this guide so you don't have to. Here are the seven most common ones - and what many buyers do differently.
Read article
Stamp Duty Land Tax: A Plain-English Guide for UK Buyers
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is one of the most misunderstood costs in buying a home. When we were buying, we had no idea how the bands worked and assumed we'd owe far more than we actually did - it caused weeks of unnecessary stress. Here's the clear breakdown we wish someone had given us.
Read article
Conveyancing Explained: What Your Solicitor Actually Does
For many buyers, conveyancing is the mysterious thing that 'the solicitor does' for several months in the background. We felt completely in the dark during ours - chasing updates, not understanding what stage we were at, wondering if things were on track. Understanding what's actually happening - and what your role in it is - can reduce that anxiety and help you spot delays before they become problems.
Read article
Fixed, Tracker, Variable: UK Mortgage Types Explained
The UK mortgage market can feel bewildering - when our broker showed us a spreadsheet of 40+ products, our eyes glazed over. But the core decision comes down to a small number of choices. Here's how we learned to think about them, and what actually mattered in the end. Rates shown are illustrative examples only and change frequently - check current figures with an FCA-authorised adviser.
Read article
Exchange vs Completion: What's the Difference?
We used to say 'exchange' and 'completion' interchangeably until our solicitor corrected us - they are two very different legal events that happen at different times, and confusing them can lead to costly mistakes. Understanding the difference protects you.
Read article
9 Tools That Made Our Move Easier (and We Still Use Today)
When we moved into our first home, we had a screwdriver and an optimistic attitude. Within a week we'd made three trips to the hardware shop. Most of what we bought turned out to be the wrong thing, the wrong size, or unnecessary. After settling in, we worked out which tools we actually reached for again and again - and which ones made the move itself far less stressful. Here are the nine that made the biggest difference for us.
Read articleAll articles are written for general information purposes. They are not legal, financial or surveying advice. Always rely on qualified professionals when making decisions about buying a property.