Reallymoving Conveyancing: How Panel Conveyancers Work and What to Watch Out For

What Reallymoving Is

Reallymoving is one of the UK's longest-established conveyancing comparison services, founded in 1999. It allows buyers, sellers, and those remortgaging to enter their transaction details and receive quotes from a panel of conveyancing firms and solicitors. It also offers comparison tools for removals, surveys, and mortgage advice.

Reallymoving earns a referral fee from the conveyancing firms for each instruction, which is disclosed in its terms. As of 2025, the platform works with a panel of conveyancing firms across England and Wales, ranging from volume panel operators to traditional solicitor firms.

How the Quote Process Works

The process is quick: enter the property type, price, whether you are buying, selling, or both, and whether a mortgage is involved. Reallymoving returns quotes from its panel firms, including headline fees and some disbursements. You can compare on price and also on Trustpilot ratings (linked through the platform).

The important point — which applies to all conveyancing comparison services — is that the quoted price at this stage typically represents the base professional fee, often before all disbursements are included. For an accurate cost comparison, you need to request a full disbursement breakdown from each firm.

Key disbursements to confirm separately:

• Local authority search fee (varies significantly by council)
• Water and drainage search
• Environmental search
• Land Registry registration fee (scaled to purchase price)
• Leasehold management pack fee (if applicable)
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (not a conveyancer's fee, but should appear in the final account)

The Panel Firms on Reallymoving

Reallymoving's panel includes a range of firm types. Some are large-volume specialist conveyancers; others are smaller or regional solicitor firms that also appear on comparison panels.

Reallymoving displays Trustpilot ratings for panel firms, which provides a useful signal on customer experience. However, Trustpilot reviews for conveyancers tend to cluster at the extremes — reviews are disproportionately submitted by satisfied customers completing quickly, and by very dissatisfied customers whose transactions have gone wrong. The middle ground of "adequate but not exceptional" is underrepresented.

What to Ask Before Instructing

Before committing to any firm from the Reallymoving panel (or any comparison site), ask the firm directly:

1. **Will a qualified solicitor be responsible for my file?** Some panel firms use paralegals or licensed conveyancers (rather than solicitors) for most of the work. This is not necessarily problematic, but you should understand who is handling your matter.

2. **What is the average caseload per case manager?** A case manager handling 30 files is very different from one handling 100.

3. **How will you communicate with me?** Confirm whether you will have a direct phone number and named case manager, or whether all communication goes through a generic inbox.

4. **Can you provide a complete quote including all disbursements?** Request a full breakdown in writing before committing.

5. **What is your expected timeline from instruction to exchange?** Firms handling high volumes in staffed offices should be able to give you a realistic indication.

Leasehold: A Particular Warning

Leasehold transactions are significantly more complex than freehold. Managing packs from freeholders and managing agents, reviewing service charge accounts, raising requisitions on lease terms — these require both time and expertise. Quotes from volume panel conveyancers for leasehold transactions often look competitive but include a supplement that brings the real cost closer to local solicitor rates, without necessarily providing comparable expertise.

If you are buying a leasehold property — particularly one with a remaining lease of under 90 years, escalating ground rent provisions, or a complex service charge structure — the case for using a specialist property solicitor rather than a panel conveyancer is strong.

The Honest Verdict

Reallymoving is a legitimate and useful starting point for getting a benchmark on conveyancing costs. It is not a shortcut to the best outcome in a complex transaction. For a straightforward freehold purchase with no complications, a well-rated panel firm from the comparison will typically deliver an adequate service at a competitive price. For anything more complex, invest time in finding a local solicitor with relevant expertise rather than optimising purely on price.