Completion day checklist: your full guide to completion day

Completion day is the final step in your property purchase – the day when ownership officially transfers from the seller to you. While your conveyancer handles the legal work behind the scenes, there are important things you need to do to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Understanding what happens on house completion day helps you prepare properly and reduces stress on this important milestone. Think of completion day as the grand finale of your house buying journey - all the paperwork, searches, and negotiations have led to this moment when you finally get to walk through the door of your new home.

When the day arrives, your conveyancer will transfer the purchase funds to the seller’s conveyancer, typically via a bank transfer CHAPS payment (ensuring it arrives same day). Once the seller’s conveyancer confirms they’ve received the money, they’ll authorise the release of the keys.

This will usually happen between 10am and 2pm, though the exact timing depends on when all the paperwork is finalised and the funds are transferred. If there is a chain of properties, then completion could be delayed whilst the funds are transferred up the chain.