SQE1 Property Practice – Rules, Exceptions & Key Distinctions Cheat Sheet

Property Practice can feel overwhelming because there are so many searches, documents, deadlines and procedural steps — and the answer changes depending on exactly where you are in the transaction.

This 53-page SQE1 Property Practice revision guide is designed around one complete conveyancing transaction, followed from the first instruction through to completion and registration.

Instead of learning isolated rules, the guide helps you ask at every stage:

where are we in the transaction → who acts → what must they do → which document, form or search is required → what must be checked → what happens next

The transaction is organised through the full sequence:

instructions → title → searches and enquiries → contract → exchange → pre-completion → completion → post-completion → registration

Covered in the guide:

• First instructions and professional conduct

• Finance, tax and planning issues

• Registered and unregistered title

• Investigation and deduction of title

• Searches and pre-contract enquiries

• Freehold and leasehold transactions

• Contract drafting and negotiation

• Exchange of contracts

• Pre-completion steps

• Mortgages and lender requirements

• Completion

• SDLT/LTT and post-completion

• Land Registry applications

• Remedies when a transaction goes wrong

Built for SQE1 Property Practice revision

The guide is structured to help you:

• See the conveyancing transaction as one connected process

• Distinguish the seller solicitor’s role from the buyer solicitor’s role

• Understand what must happen before exchange

• Identify the correct searches, enquiries, forms and documents

• Follow mortgage and lender requirements

• Remember procedural deadlines in context

• Distinguish exchange from completion

• Understand post-completion obligations

• Connect Land Law principles to Property Practice

• Follow the consequence when a step is missed or something goes wrong

The resource also includes transaction maps, procedural sequences, MCQ traps, “Do Not Confuse” distinctions, deadlines, forms, searches and one-step-further consequences so you can see not only the rule, but where it fits in the transaction.

The aim is simple:

stop learning Property Practice as isolated rules and start seeing one transaction from beginning to end.

Use the guide alongside MCQ practice to consolidate the procedure, review deadlines and documents, connect Land Law to practice and prepare for mocks and final-stage revision.

Please note: This is an independently prepared educational revision resource. It is not affiliated with, approved by or endorsed by the SRA or any university, education provider or SQE preparation provider. Candidates should use the applicable SRA SQE1 Assessment Specification and their main study materials alongside this resource.

Accuracy and liability notice:

This resource has been prepared with reasonable care for educational and revision purposes. However, legal rules, regulatory requirements, figures, forms, deadlines and assessment specifications may change, and errors or omissions may occasionally occur. Candidates should check the applicable SRA SQE1 Assessment Specification and relevant official sources for the version that applies to their assessment date.

This resource is not legal or tax advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for professional advice or official assessment materials. Nothing in this notice affects any rights you may have under applicable consumer law.