Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in Scotland

Scottish property law, handled by Scottish solicitors

Complete Conveyancing is the conveyancing team of Complete Clarity Solicitors, a Glasgow firm of Scottish solicitors regulated by the Law Society of Scotland. We work only in Scots law, and we act for buyers, sellers and homeowners in every part of the country, from tenement flats in Glasgow and Edinburgh to family homes in Lanarkshire, Fife and the Borders.

Scots property law is a separate legal system from the law in England and Wales. It has different contracts, different timescales, a different land register and a different property tax. That is why the words used on this site, such as missives, dispositions, standard securities and date of entry, may be new to you if you have moved from south of the border. We explain each one as we go, and we tell you at the start what your transaction will cost.

Our residential conveyancing services

Every residential service is run by a Scottish solicitor on a fixed fee, with the outlays set out in writing before you instruct us.

If you are buying and selling at the same time, we run both transactions together so the two dates of entry line up, and we give you one combined quote.

How buying and selling works under Scots law

The main differences from the system in England and Wales are practical ones, and they change how you plan a move:

• The Home Report. Almost every home for sale in Scotland comes with a Home Report, containing a survey and valuation, a property questionnaire and an energy report. The seller pays for it, so buyers see the condition and valuation before they offer.
• Offers, notes of interest and closing dates. Buyers usually ask their solicitor to note interest first. If several people are interested, the selling agent can set a closing date, and offers are submitted in writing by a set time.
• Missives. The formal offer and the letters that follow it are called missives. Most Scottish solicitors now use the Scottish Standard Clauses (Edition 6, in use since January 2025), which set out standard terms on matters such as central heating, statutory notices and late payment.
• Binding earlier than in England. Once missives are concluded, the contract is binding. There is no separate exchange of contracts, and no cooling-off period.
• Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. Scotland does not have Stamp Duty Land Tax. Buyers pay LBTT to Revenue Scotland, and the return must be made within 30 days of the date of entry.
• The Land Register of Scotland. Ownership passes when the disposition is registered with Registers of Scotland. We protect you in the run-up to settlement with an advance notice, which gives 35 days of protection against competing deeds and inhibitions.

What we do on a typical transaction

1. Quote and identity checks. You get a written fixed-fee quote, and we complete the anti-money laundering and source of funds checks that the law requires, online wherever possible.
2. Offer and missives. We submit or accept the offer and negotiate the missives, keeping you told of every condition before you agree it.
3. Title and searches. We examine the title sheet, the plan, the real burdens and any shared maintenance obligations, and we review the property enquiry certificate, coal mining report where needed, and the searches in the Land and Personal Registers.
4. Mortgage and tax. We report on the title to your lender, draw down the loan and prepare your LBTT return.
5. Settlement and registration. On the date of entry we pay or receive the price, release the keys, repay any existing mortgage and register the new owner in the Land Register.

Fixed fees with no surprises

Our residential fee starts from £880 plus VAT, on a fixed scale set by the price of the property. Outlays are the third-party costs we pay on your behalf, such as the Registers of Scotland registration dues, searches, the property enquiry certificate and any LBTT. At the Scottish average price of £196,000 in July 2026, a home mover would pay £1,020 in LBTT and a first-time buyer £420, and the disposition registration fee would be £400. Our quote calculator gives you the full figure for your price, and our fees page explains how the costs are made up.

We only charge more if the work turns out to be materially different from what we quoted for, for example a title that needs correcting, or complex source of funds checks. If that happens, we tell you before any extra work is done.

Who you will deal with

Your transaction is handled by a named solicitor or paralegal in our conveyancing team, led by our Head of Residential Conveyancing, Kirsty Docherty. You can meet the team before you instruct us. We are based at 34 Woodlands Road in Glasgow, but most clients never need to visit, because identity checks, signing and updates can all be done online, by phone and by post.

Where we act

We act for homes throughout Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Hamilton, East Kilbride, Livingston, Dundee and Aberdeen. Because registration with Registers of Scotland is now largely digital, the location of the property makes no difference to how quickly we can work.