Exchange is the relief. Completion is the handover. In between is the weirdest, jumpiest day of the entire process- full of phone calls, bank transfers, empty houses and waiting. Here’s what actually happens on completion day, timed out so you know what to expect.
8:00 AM: Your Solicitor Gets to Work
Your solicitor checks that your mortgage funds have arrived from the lender- these usually land in their client account between 8am and 10am. Your deposit should already be sitting there from the day before. The solicitor verifies the combined total matches what’s needed for the seller’s solicitor.
9:30–11:30 AM : Funds Transfer to the Seller
Once your side is ready, your solicitor sends the purchase funds via CHAPS transfer to the seller’s solicitor. In a chain, every solicitor is doing this simultaneously- the bottom of the chain’s money flows up through the chain, each link paying the next. Hold-ups in one link delay everyone above. This is why chains add stress.
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM : The Call You’re Waiting For
When the seller’s solicitor confirms receipt of funds, they notify the estate agent to release the keys. Your solicitor calls you ‘you’ve completed, pick up the keys’. This typically happens between 11am and 2pm, but sometimes as late as 4pm in long chains. Keys are usually collected from the estate agent’s office, occasionally from the seller directly.
What Happens at the Estate Agent
You arrive, ID in hand, and the agent hands you the keys. Sometimes there’s a short form to sign confirming receipt. There’s no ceremony, no ribbon-cutting, just a polite ‘congratulations, good luck’ and a set of keys. The whole thing takes five minutes.
Walking Into an Empty House
If possible, walk the property before the removals van arrives. Check all the agreed fixtures and fittings are there (integrated appliances, light fittings, garden sheds). Test the boiler- you’ll want hot water. Check for any damage that wasn’t there at viewing. Call your solicitor immediately if anything’s wrong; they can raise it with the seller’s side while tempers are short.
Registering Utilities and Council Tax
Take meter readings (gas, electric, water) the moment you’re in. Contact the existing utility providers to switch into your name, or arrange a switch to your preferred provider. Register with the local council- Stockport MBC or Manchester City Council- for council tax. All of this can be done online in an hour.
Changing the Locks
You have no idea how many copies of the old keys exist. Change the locks. It’s £80–£200 per door for a decent replacement barrel. A locksmith can be there in an afternoon. Peace of mind worth every penny.
The Paper Trail After Completion
Your solicitor will submit your stamp duty return (if applicable), register the transfer of ownership with Land Registry, and in due course send you your title deeds. Land Registry processing takes weeks to months — don’t worry about the timing unless you’re selling again soon.
What the First Week Looks Like
Unpack slowly. Budget more than you think for the tiny things — curtain rails, cleaning products, lightbulbs of the right fit, broadband equipment. Meet the neighbours. Walk around your new patch of Greater Manchester. You’ve done it.
Frank Mortgages supports Stockport and Manchester clients right through to completion day — and beyond into remortgages, protection reviews, and future purchases. Let us take the mortgage worry off your plate.
