Completion, Post-Completion Steps and Land Registration
The completion sequence
Completion discharges the contract: the purchase price balance is paid, the transfer deed is executed and dated, keys are released, and the seller's solicitor undertakes to discharge the mortgage and provide a receipt. Candidates must know the standard completion mechanics: the Law Society Code for Completion by Post, the undertaking to redeem, and the undertaking to forward the title documents.
Post-completion
After completion the buyer must pay stamp duty land tax (or, in Scotland, LBTT) within the filing period, usually 14 days, and file the return even where no tax is due. Then the buyer applies to register the transfer and any charge, paying the fee and, where relevant, claiming relief. In registered land, the application should be made promptly; in unregistered land, first registration is triggered. Late applications can lose priority against intervening entries.
Traps
The most examined trap is the gap between completion and registration: the buyer holds an equitable interest until registered, and a subsequent registrable disposition may take priority if protected first. Watch the interaction of SDLT deadlines with the registration application, the need for a certificate of compliance with the Code, and the requirement to send notice of transfer to the landlord in leasehold matters. Also note the duty to update the register where a lease is granted out of registered land.
Rule of thumb
After completion, run a checklist: SDLT return and payment, registration application with correct fee, notice to landlord, discharge of seller's charge, and file closure.
Worked example
A buyer completes on 1 March but delays registration until June. A third party registers a notice in April. Because the buyer's transfer was not yet registered, the notice may take priority - a stark illustration of why prompt application matters.