Who is working for whom?
A purchase brings together an estate agent, lender, mortgage adviser, conveyancer and surveyor, but they do not all work for the buyer or answer the same questions. Knowing each person’s client and responsibility makes their advice much easier to place in context.
The estate agent acts for the seller
The seller appoints and normally pays the agent. The agent markets the home, communicates offers, checks whether buyers can proceed and helps keep the transaction moving. A friendly agent can be very helpful without becoming your adviser.
Be accurate about your funding, chain and timescale. You do not need to disclose your maximum budget or use the agent's mortgage adviser or conveyancer. Treat material statements about the property as information to verify, not as substitutes for the legal papers or survey.
Your conveyancer acts for you and may also act for the lender
You are the client for the purchase. The conveyancer checks the contract and title, orders or reviews searches, raises enquiries, reports to you and handles exchange, completion, tax and registration.
Where a mortgage is involved, the same firm may also represent the lender and must meet its requirements. That can limit what is possible even if you personally accept a risk. Ask for a plain explanation of any conflict or lender condition.
What the lender is assessing
The lender decides whether to lend, on what terms and against which property, and its valuation exists to support that decision. It should not be read as approval of the home's condition or reassurance that the agreed price is wise for you.
Which lenders and products a mortgage adviser can consider
A regulated adviser should recommend a suitable mortgage from the products and lenders they consider. That range may be broad or restricted. Ask what is excluded, what fees you pay, what commission is received and whether the adviser remains involved through underwriting.
Whether the adviser charges you a fee explains how part of the service is paid for, but does not by itself indicate its quality. “Whole of market” also needs explanation in practice, so ask whether direct-only or other products sit outside the service.
What the surveyor has been instructed to inspect
A surveyor gives an independent opinion within the agreed inspection and report. The service has limits: it is usually visual, areas may be inaccessible and specialist testing is outside an ordinary home survey. Brief the surveyor on your concerns and choose somebody experienced with the property type.
An agent, developer, lender or broker may recommend another professional and may receive a referral fee. A recommendation can still be useful. Ask about the relationship, compare scope and price, and decide whether independence or specialist experience matters here.
Your offer should stand on its price and ability to proceed, not on buying an optional referred service.
The seller and the chain
The seller wants a price and terms that work for their move. Their conveyancer acts for them. Before exchange, both sides retain freedom to withdraw; after exchange, both are bound by the contract.
Once an offer is accepted, the agent's interest in completing often makes them useful for tracing a chain-wide delay. They cannot give you confidential legal advice or compel another conveyancer, but they can ask where the dependency sits.
Which questions to take to each person
- Ask the agent about the seller, chain and process, then verify property facts.
- Tell the conveyancer your intended use and non-negotiables.
- Ask the adviser what market range and service you are receiving.
- Brief the surveyor on the property and your specific concerns.
- Ask whether a referral fee or other relationship exists.
- Make the final risk decision yourself with the professional evidence in front of you.