What does no completion no fee conveyancing actually cover and what will you still pay?

Rightmove data shows that more than one in five property transactions is affected by a fall-through at some point, with around 6% of transactions collapsing permanently and never returning to market within a year. For buyers and sellers who have already instructed a solicitor, paid for searches, and invested weeks or months into a transaction, that represents a real financial loss on top of an already difficult situation.

No completion no fee conveyancing exists to limit that loss, at least on the legal fee side. But the protection it offers is not total, and the exact scope varies significantly between firms. Understanding what is and is not covered before you instruct anyone means you can make a genuine assessment of whether the guarantee adds value to your specific situation.

What does no completion no fee conveyancing actually mean?

No sale no fee conveyancing, also described as no completion no fee, is a guarantee offered by some conveyancing firms under which some or all of their legal charge may be waived if the transaction does not reach completion, depending on the terms of the guarantee. If your purchase or sale falls through before the keys change hands, you do not pay the solicitor's professional fee for the work they have carried out up to that point.

The key word in that definition is the solicitor's own charge. The guarantee usually relates primarily to the solicitor's own legal fee and does not automatically cover third-party costs already incurred on your behalf.

What does no completion no fee cover?

The legal fee is the solicitor's professional charge for their time and expertise. On a purchase this typically covers reviewing the contract, carrying out searches, raising enquiries, reporting to you on the title, and corresponding with the other side's solicitor. If the transaction falls through, some or all of this legal fee may be waived depending on the terms of the firm's no completion no fee guarantee.

What is not covered by no sale no fee conveyancing?

Does no completion no fee cover disbursements? In most cases it does not. Disbursements are third-party costs your solicitor pays to external bodies on your behalf during the transaction. Whether these costs can be refunded depends on the type of disbursement, when it was incurred and the provider's terms. The disbursements you will still owe even if the sale falls through typically include:

• Conveyancing search fees, once searches have been ordered
• HM Land Registry fees for official copies already obtained
• Any specialist searches already carried out such as environmental, drainage, or mining searches

The practical implication is that you may still have to pay several hundred pounds in third-party costs even when the solicitor's legal fee is waived.

When does no completion and no fee protection apply?

The timing of when the guarantee kicks in is one of the most important details to check, and firm policies differ.

Some no completion no fee guarantees apply from the point of instruction, while others contain conditions or exclusions depending on when or why the transaction falls through.

In some cases, the guarantee may only apply up to a certain stage, for example before searches have been ordered, with a reduced fee becoming payable if the transaction collapses later.

For a purchase, searches are usually ordered during the pre-exchange conveyancing process, often after the contract papers have been received and reviewed. Because search providers and other third parties may already have been paid by this stage, these costs may remain payable even where the solicitor's own legal fee is waived.

A guarantee that applies only before searches have been ordered provides significantly less protection than one that applies at any point up to completion.

Always ask the firm to confirm in writing exactly when the guarantee applies and whether any circumstances exist where a fee would still be charged despite the transaction not completing.

What causes a sale or purchase to fall through?

Understanding the most common reasons transactions collapse helps you assess how likely the guarantee is to be relevant to your situation.

Survey problems are one of the most frequent causes. A survey that reveals significant structural issues or defects can lead to a buyer attempting to renegotiate the purchase price. If the seller refuses to adjust and the buyer withdraws, the transaction falls through at a point where both sides have already incurred conveyancing costs.

Mortgage offer problems affect both buyers and sellers in a chain. A buyer's mortgage offer can be withdrawn if their financial circumstances change during the conveyancing process, or it can expire on a long-running transaction before the parties are ready to exchange. Either outcome can bring a transaction to an end without warning.

A property chain can also increase the risk of a transaction falling through because the progress of your sale or purchase may depend on several other linked transactions. If one transaction in the chain collapses, it can affect the other buyers and sellers involved. The memorandum of sale stage is where many chains first begin to show signs of strain, and reading about the warning signs before they become a problem gives you a better chance of acting early.

Buyer or seller withdrawal can happen at any point before exchange without legal penalty. If a buyer fails to complete after exchange, they may lose their deposit and could face additional financial consequences under the contract, including potential claims from the seller. The exact consequences depend on the circumstances and the terms of the contract.

After exchange the transaction is legally binding on both parties, and withdrawing from it has significant financial consequences. Before exchange, either party can usually withdraw without having to compensate the other side, although third-party costs already incurred, such as searches, may still be lost.

For a detailed guide on what to do if your transaction stalls rather than collapses entirely, the house sale stalling guide covers the options available at each stage.

Is no sale no fee conveyancing worth it?

The honest answer depends on two things: the risk profile of your specific transaction and what the firm is actually offering under the guarantee.

The value of the guarantee depends partly on the complexity and circumstances of your transaction. A longer property chain, unresolved title or leasehold issues, or uncertainty around mortgage finance can create additional points at which delays or problems may arise. In these circumstances, protection against legal fees if the transaction does not complete may be particularly valuable.

The comparison to consider is no sale no fee vs fixed fee conveyancing. A no completion no fee guarantee does not mean the firm is offering a better price or a faster service. It is a risk-management feature, not a quality indicator. A fixed-fee firm without the guarantee may be faster, better resourced, and more proactive on your file. The guarantee only adds value if the transaction falls through, and paying a premium for that guarantee on a low-risk transaction may not represent the best overall value.

What to check in a quote before committing

Before instructing a no completion no fee firm, confirm the following in writing rather than relying on the headline description alone:

• Whether the guarantee covers the full legal fee or only part of it
• Whether disbursements are also covered or excluded
• At what stage of the transaction the guarantee applies
• Whether there are any circumstances where a fee is still charged, for example if you withdraw rather than the other side
• Whether the no completion no fee policy affects the firm's fixed-fee guarantee on the legal fee itself

A fixed-fee conveyancing quote from a firm with a clear no completion no fee policy gives you the most transparent picture of your total risk before you commit to anything.

How does the total cost compare if a sale falls through?

Understanding the full cost picture helps you assess whether the guarantee is worth prioritising. The conveyancing fees for buyers and conveyancing fees for sellers pages show what a standard transaction costs in full. If a transaction falls through under a no completion no fee guarantee, the disbursements element of that total is what you would typically still owe.

For location-specific fee estimates, the calculators for London, Leeds, and Liverpool give a more detailed picture of typical total costs in those markets.

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Compare conveyancing quotes including no completion no fee options today and get a fixed-fee price that shows exactly what you pay if the transaction completes and what you owe if it does not.