The type of remortgage you’re doing will determine whether you need a solicitor or not. Staying with your current lender on a product transfer usually doesn’t need a solicitor (also called a conveyancer). But if you’re switching to a new lender or changing who owns the property, you usually do need a solicitor for your remortgage.
The exact legal process varies across the UK. Most of the examples in this guide describe the process in England and Wales, so check the requirements that apply where your property is located.
This guide is for you if you’re a homeowner about to remortgage and you instructed a solicitor when you bought your place. We’ll cover the situations when you do, and don’t, need solicitors for remortgaging, plus costs, timing and whether you can go DIY. More on conveyancing in our full guide.
Habito by Monzo is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 714187). Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. This article is for general information only and isn't personal financial advice.
Transferring equity means adding or removing someone from the ownership of a property, while at least one of the original owners remains on the title deeds.
You don’t usually need a solicitor or conveyancer if you’re not changing the ownership paperwork.
A product transfer just means you’re remortgaging with the same lender – switching to a different mortgage from the same provider. You might be moving to a new deal because your current one is ending, for example.
If you’re borrowing more from your current lender, you also don’t usually need a conveyancer.
In both these cases, the ownership of the property isn’t changing and your mortgage provider is already registered as the lender on the property deeds, so there’s no change there.
So why do you need a solicitor to remortgage? You’ll usually need a solicitor or conveyancer if your remortgage involves changing the registered ownership of the property.. In England and Wales, for example, that’s the title deeds held at the Land Registry.
If you’re switching to a new lender, this new provider will need to register its “legal charge” against your property and discharge the previous mortgage.
If you’re releasing equity from your home or borrowing more through a new lender, the provider will also need to register its legal charge on the paperwork.
If you’re adding or removing a name to the title deeds – transferring equity – you’re also making a change by amending the deeds, which needs a conveyancer.
If you’re a leaseholder, you may need a solicitor to check the terms of the lease and the time left on it when you remortgage. If you’re sticking with the same lender, there may be fewer checks.
Solicitors can handle all sorts of legal work, including buying and selling property. A licensed conveyancer is a professional who specialises only in property legal work.
There’s more on the difference between a solicitor and a conveyancer in our guide to conveyancing.
There are few key things your solicitor or conveyancer will need to do as part of your remortgage. They:
You can find out more about the process in our guide about the legal steps when you switch lenders.
Remortgage legal fees vary depending on the conveyancer, lender and work involved, so check what you’ll pay before going ahead. It’s typically less than the cost when you’re buying a place because the work is simpler.
Some lenders offer a free legal package or cashback towards legal costs as part of a remortgage deal. This typically means a solicitor who the lender appoints will cover the work, and will be acting for you and the lender. This option may be slower than if you appoint someone yourself, but not all lenders allow this.
You’ll need to get your own solicitor if you’re adding someone to the mortgage, or removing someone, when you remortgage, as a free package won’t cover this type of change.
There will also be some fees, for example for searches and a registry fee. There’s more about the full cost of remortgaging in our guide.
If you’re sticking with the same mortgage lender and remortgaging to another deal, then you won’t need a solicitor for this remortgage as there’s no legal paperwork. If you switch to a new lender, you’ll normally need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to complete the legal work required by the new lender – this means you can’t go ahead without one.
To explore the options you might be eligible for, you could start by having a chat with one of our friendly mortgage experts. It’s free!
Options available to you will depend on lender criteria, affordability and your personal circumstances.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Habito by Monzo is a mortgage broker, not a lender. We’re authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 714187). This content is intended for general guidance and is not a substitute for personalised mortgage advice.
Usually you don’t need a solicitor if you’re staying with your current lender on a new rate or deal, which is called a product transfer. There’s no change in ownership of the property and no new legal work, so you don’t normally need a solicitor.
If your lender’s offering free legal services with your remortgage, in some cases you can choose between using its firm or paying to instruct your own. If you appoint your own, it must be on the lender’s panel. Some lenders offer cashback at the end of the process as a contribution towards your legal costs, as an alternative to the free legals package.
It typically costs a few hundred pounds for a solicitor to handle your remortgage. It’s usually less than the cost if you’re buying a place, and in many cases the cost will be covered by the lender’s free legal package.
You can arrange the remortgage by yourself, and you don’t need a solicitor if you’re doing a product transfer with your current lender. But switching lenders requires a solicitor or licensed conveyancer for the legal work and your new lender will insist on it.
The legal side of a remortgage usually takes several weeks, and a remortgage with a new lender typically completes in a couple of months. It’s a good idea to give yourself a run-up and start thinking about a remortgage around 6 months ahead of when you need it. Find out more about the stages in our guide about the legal steps when you switch lenders.
This article is based on guidance from organisations such as MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice and GOV.UK. Mortgage rules and legal processes can change, so it's worth checking the latest information or speaking to a qualified adviser.
Information is correct at the time of writing and may change. Always check the latest mortgage terms and requirements before making a decision.
This article is for general information only and isn't personal financial advice.
Here we’ll explain when you can remortgage, when you should start the process, and share a few examples of when it might not make sense.
The lowdown on the legal stuff - how it works, what it’s going to cost you, how long it will take, and more.
Looking to remortgage? It might not be the right decision to remortgage with the same lender. Learn more here.
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