Buying a Home Checklist: Everything to Tick Off From Affordability to Keys

Buying a home checklist in one paragraph: there are 11 stages to buying a home in the UK — affordability check, getting mortgage-ready, Decision in Principle (DIP), property search, making an offer, full mortgage application, conveyancing, exchange of contracts, pre-completion, completion day and your first weeks. From accepted offer to completion typically takes 12 to 16 weeks. Work through each block below in order and tick items off as you go; every stage links to a deeper guide if you need it.

Most buying-a-home checklists are a list of estate-agent admin. This one is written from the mortgage side — the things that actually decide whether you get the keys — and it tells you what your lender will ask for at each stage and what most often goes wrong. Print it, or keep it open in a tab next to the property portal.

Buying a new build? The stages are the same, but the order and timings shift — the deposit is paid earlier and the mortgage offer has to outlast the build.

Check Your Affordability — Free →

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Stage 1: Before You Look — Affordability

Everything else depends on knowing your real budget, not a portal's "you could borrow up to" figure.

• ☐ Work out what you can actually borrow across lenders, not just one bank's calculator — the spread between the most and least generous lender is routinely £30,000–£60,000 on the same income.
• ☐ Set a purchase ceiling = maximum loan + deposit − buying costs. Don't spend the deposit on the price and forget the fees.
• ☐ Budget for the costs on top of the price: stamp duty, solicitor, survey, mortgage fees and removals — see the costs table at the end of this checklist.
• ☐ Know your monthly figure at today's rates, not the rate you hope for — and check it still works at 1–2% higher.

What goes wrong here: buyers set a budget from a single generic calculator, then the DIP comes in lower than expected and the search has to start again.

Stage 2: Getting Mortgage-Ready

Do this 1–6 months before you apply. It is the stage most people skip and then regret.

• ☐ Check your credit file with all three agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) and fix errors — a single mis-recorded default can cost you the high-street lenders.
• ☐ Register to vote at your current address.
• ☐ Close or reduce unused credit and stop applying for new credit for six months.
• ☐ Gather your deposit evidence — statements showing the money building up, and a gift letter if any of it is a gift.
• ☐ Collect the standard documents now (see the box below) so the application isn't held up later.
• ☐ Self-employed? Get your last two years' SA302s and tax-year overviews from HMRC, and your accounts finalised.

Full walkthrough: getting mortgage-ready.

Documents Your Lender Will Ask For

Have these scanned and in one folder before Stage 3. Lenders ask for them at DIP or full application, and missing paperwork is the single biggest cause of a slow application.

Document	Employed	Self-employed
Photo ID (passport or driving licence)	☐	☐
Proof of address (utility bill or bank statement, under 3 months old)	☐	☐
3 months' payslips	☐	—
Latest P60	☐	—
2–3 years' SA302s and tax-year overviews	—	☐
2 years' finalised accounts	—	☐
3–6 months' bank statements (all accounts)	☐	☐
Deposit evidence and gift letter if applicable	☐	☐
Proof of any bonus, overtime or commission (payslips or a letter)	☐	☐
Existing mortgage statement if you already own	☐	☐

Lender-by-lender detail: mortgage application documents checklist.

Stage 3: Decision in Principle (DIP)

• ☐ Get a DIP before you view seriously — most estate agents now ask for one before they'll pass on an offer.
• ☐ Choose the lender for the DIP deliberately. A DIP is lender-specific: the figure you get is that lender's view, not the market's. Get it from the lender that scores your circumstances best, not just your current bank.
• ☐ Check whether it's a soft or hard search — most are soft, but not all.
• ☐ Note the expiry — DIPs usually last 30–90 days.

What a DIP does and doesn't guarantee: Decision in Principle explained.

Stage 4: Property Search and Viewings

• ☐ Set portal alerts slightly below your ceiling — asking prices in most of the UK sell 2–5% under.
• ☐ Check the property is mortgageable before you fall for it: ex-council flat, high-rise, flat above a shop, non-standard construction, short lease — all narrow the lender list. See which property types lenders accept.
• ☐ Ask the lease length on any flat — under 80 years is a problem for many lenders.
• ☐ At the viewing: damp, cracks, roof, boiler age, windows, flood risk, parking, mobile signal. Take photos.
• ☐ Ask the agent: how long on the market, why selling, any offers, is there a chain, when can they move.
• ☐ Check the chain — how many buyers and sellers are linked to your purchase, and how far along each of them is. A long chain raises fall-through risk.

Viewing checklist and questions in full: property search guide.

Stage 5: Making an Offer

• ☐ Offer in writing (email) with your position stated: DIP in place, deposit source, chain status, ideal timescale.
• ☐ Ask for the property to be taken off the market once accepted.
• ☐ Get the memorandum of sale from the agent — check names, price and any conditions.
• ☐ Instruct a conveyancer immediately — not after the mortgage offer.
• ☐ Don't over-stretch to win — if the lender's valuation comes in below your offer you'll have to fund the gap.

Negotiation tactics and what "offers over" really means: making an offer.

Stage 6: Full Mortgage Application

• ☐ Submit within days of acceptance — the application-to-offer stage is usually 2–4 weeks and drives the whole timeline.
• ☐ Declare everything accurately: dependants, childcare, all credit commitments, any adverse history. Lenders cross-check against bank statements.
• ☐ Don't change anything financial while it's in progress — no new credit, no job change, no large unexplained deposits.
• ☐ Book the survey — choose a Level 2 (HomeBuyer) or Level 3 (Building) survey. The lender's valuation is not a survey and will not tell you the roof needs replacing.
• ☐ Get the mortgage offer in writing and check the amount, rate, term, product end date and any conditions.

Stage-by-stage detail: the full mortgage application.

What goes wrong here: the valuation comes in below the price. Know your options before it happens: down-valuation survival guide.

Stage 7: Conveyancing

• ☐ Return the conveyancer's onboarding pack (ID, source-of-funds, questionnaire) the day it arrives — this is where most weeks are lost.
• ☐ Searches ordered (local authority, drainage, environmental) — ask for confirmation.
• ☐ Read the draft contract and TA6/TA10 forms the seller completes — boundaries, disputes, alterations, what's included.
• ☐ Raise enquiries on anything unclear: building regs for extensions, warranties, leasehold charges.
• ☐ Leasehold? Confirm ground rent, service charge, lease length and any major works planned.
• ☐ Chase weekly — politely, in writing, to both your conveyancer and the agent.

What your solicitor is actually doing: conveyancing explained.

Stage 8: Exchange of Contracts

• ☐ Agree the completion date with everyone in the chain before exchange.
• ☐ Transfer the deposit to your conveyancer in time (usually 10% of the price at exchange, though 5% is often agreed).
• ☐ Buildings insurance in place from the moment of exchange — you are legally responsible for the property from exchange, not completion.
• ☐ Sign the contract and mortgage deed — check the mortgage offer hasn't expired and won't before completion.
• ☐ Confirm the final completion statement shows the exact money you need to send.

Exchange is the point of no return — pull out afterwards and you lose the deposit. Exchange and completion explained.

Stage 9: Pre-Completion (the week between)

• ☐ Send the balance of funds to your conveyancer the working day before completion — bank transfer limits and cut-off times catch people out.
• ☐ Book removals and confirm the key handover with the agent.
• ☐ Set up the mortgage direct debit and note the first payment date (often a larger initial payment covering part-month interest).
• ☐ Redirect post, and notify your employer, bank, DVLA and insurers of the new address.
• ☐ Take meter readings at your current home on the day.

Stage 10: Completion Day

• ☐ Wait for your conveyancer's call — the money moves lender → your solicitor → seller's solicitor, usually between 11am and 2pm.
• ☐ Collect keys from the agent only once completion is confirmed.
• ☐ Take meter readings at the new property immediately and photograph them.
• ☐ Check what's been left against the TA10 fixtures and fittings list.
• ☐ Locate the stopcock, fuse board and boiler before you unpack.

Stage 11: Your First Weeks

• ☐ Register with the council for council tax and set up utilities in your name.
• ☐ Check the Land Registry has recorded you as owner (your conveyancer does this; it can take weeks).
• ☐ Diary the end of your fixed rate and, if you bought a new build, start the snagging list in the first two weeks while the builder is still on site.
• ☐ Set up overpayments if your budget allows — most lenders permit 10% a year without penalty.

Everything from day one to month three: your first weeks in a new home.

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Costs to Budget For (On Top of the Price)

Cost	Typical amount	When paid
Stamp duty (England & NI)	Depends on price and first-time-buyer status — calculate it	At completion
Conveyancing	£1,200–£2,500 incl. searches	Part upfront, balance at completion
Survey	£400–£1,500 depending on level	When booked
Mortgage fees	£0–£1,500 (product fee), plus valuation fee	At application or added to the loan
Removals	£400–£1,500	Completion day
Buildings insurance	From ~£150/year	From exchange

How Long Does It Take?

Stage	Typical time
Getting mortgage-ready	1–6 months (before you start)
Search to accepted offer	4–12 weeks
Accepted offer to mortgage offer	2–4 weeks
Conveyancing to exchange	6–10 weeks (runs alongside)
Exchange to completion	1–2 weeks
Accepted offer to keys	12–16 weeks

Chains, leasehold and new builds all push this out. The pillar guide covers the timeline stage by stage: the complete home buying process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the checklist different for first-time buyers?

The stages are identical; what changes is the money. First-time buyers pay no stamp duty on the first £300,000 in England and Northern Ireland (relief up to £500,000), can often use 5% deposit products, and may qualify for schemes such as shared ownership or First Homes.

What documents do I need to buy a house?

Photo ID, proof of address, three months' payslips and your latest P60 (or two years' SA302s and accounts if self-employed), three to six months' bank statements, and evidence of your deposit — plus a gift letter if any of the deposit is gifted. Lenders can also ask for proof of bonus or commission income and your existing mortgage statement.

When should I take out buildings insurance?

From exchange of contracts, not completion. Once contracts are exchanged you are legally bound to buy the property, so if it burned down the day before completion you would still have to complete. Most lenders make cover from exchange a condition of the mortgage offer.

What if the survey finds problems?

Get quotes for the work and go back to the seller with evidence: ask for a price reduction, ask them to fix it before completion, or — if it's structural and unquantified — walk away. Your lender may also apply a retention (holding back part of the loan until work is done) if the valuer flagged the issue.

How long does buying a home take from offer to completion?

Typically 12 to 16 weeks. The mortgage offer usually takes 2–4 weeks, conveyancing 6–10 weeks alongside it, and exchange to completion 1–2 weeks. A long chain, a leasehold flat, or slow responses to solicitor enquiries are the three most common reasons it runs to 20 weeks or more.

After Completion

Once you have the keys, switch to the moving house checklist for the post-completion admin.