SQE1 Property Practice: Complete Guide
Most SQE1 candidates lose marks on Property Practice because they memorise individual searches and steps rather than understanding the conveyancing journey from the pre-contract stage through exchange of contracts to post-completion registration. Learn the timeline and each procedural step will make sense.
Explore This Topic
- Commercial Leases
- Completion in Property Transactions
- Exchange of Contracts
- Freehold Covenants
- Mortgage Finance
- Planning Permission and Building Regulations
- Post-Completion and Registration
- Pre-Completion Steps
- Pre-Contract Stage in Conveyancing
- Property Taxation: SDLT, CGT and VAT
What Is Property Practice?
Candidates often lose marks on SQE1 by confusing procedural steps or getting the timeline sequence wrong — a mistake that costs marks in nearly every Property Practice question.
Property Practice is the study of the law and procedure governing property transactions in England and Wales. It sits within the FLK2 assessment and focuses on how solicitors advise clients through each stage of a conveyancing transaction.
Core Areas Tested in SQE1
The SQE1 syllabus for Property Practice covers the full conveyancing timeline:
- Pre-Contract Stage — Taking client instructions, investigating title, raising pre-contract enquiries
- Searches and Surveys — Local authority searches, environmental searches, water and drainage searches
- Title Investigation — Reviewing official copies, understanding significance of entries on registers
- Exchange of Contracts — Legal effect of exchange, methods of exchange, role of deposit
- Pre-Completion and Completion — Pre-completion searches, transfer deed preparation, completion mechanics
- Post-Completion — SDLT returns, Land Registry registration, notification to relevant parties
- Mortgage Finance — Solicitor's role when acting for a lender, CML requirements, conflicts of interest
- Planning and Building Regulations — When planning permission is required, building regulations approval
Key Principles for SQE1
Exam tip
Property Practice rewards procedural precision — the correct answer is the exact next step in the conveyancing timeline at that stage. When you see a scenario, identify which stage (pre-contract, post-contract, pre-completion, completion, or post-completion) and what the solicitor should do next. Know the standard searches (local authority, environmental, water/drainage, chancel); the timing of completion searches (to check for intervening entries); the effect of exchange (risk passes unless insured, deposit held, completion date fixed, parties bound). For SDLT, remember the timings (14 days after completion for payment, return within 30 days). For post-completion registration, remember the priority period (14 days for registered dispositions). These systematic sequences determine exam success.
How This Appears in SQE1 Questions
Property Practice is assessed as part of FLK2 using single-best-answer questions with five options. Scenarios are transactional — you will be placed in the role of a solicitor acting for a buyer, seller or lender at a specific stage and asked to identify the correct next step.
This is one of the most commonly tested areas in SQE1 — examiners always test procedural precision and the correct sequence of conveyancing steps.
How to Revise Property Practice Effectively
Structure your revision around the conveyancing timeline:
- Pre-contract — What should the solicitor do, for which party, and in what order?
- Searches — Know which searches are standard, which are situational, what each reveals
- SDLT and Land Registry — Focus on time limits and procedural steps
- Practice questions — Work through realistic questions systematically
Want to test this now? Try a few SQE1-style questions below before moving on.
Common Mistakes Students Make
- Remembering the correct order — Exam questions test whether you know the right step at the right stage
- Distinguishing procedures — Title investigation and post-completion requirements differ for registered vs unregistered land
- Lender requirements — Acting for both buyer and lender raises specific duties and potential conflicts
- SDLT rules — Residential and commercial transactions have different SDLT implications
Quick Summary
- Pre-contract: Take instructions, investigate title, raise searches, obtain survey, raise pre-contract enquiries, and advise client.
- Searches: Local authority searches reveal planning and building regulation issues; environmental searches identify contamination and flood risk; water/drainage searches confirm utility connection; chancel searches apply to rural properties.
- Exchange of contracts: Legal effect: parties become bound, deposit is held, risk passes to buyer (unless protected by insurance), and completion date is set.
- Pre-completion and completion: Final checks, pre-completion searches to ensure no intervening entries, transfer deed execution and completion statement.
- Post-completion: SDLT return and payment within 14 days, Land Registry application within the priority period, discharge of seller's mortgages, notification to affected parties.
Test Yourself
Test yourself
Quick check questions based on this article.
Question 1
Scenario
A solicitor is acting for a tenant who wishes to assign a 10-year commercial lease of restaurant premises. The lease was granted on 1 February 2018 and contains a fully qualified alienation covenant. The lease also contains a condition, agreed at the time of the grant pursuant to section 19(1A) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, that the landlord may refuse consent to an assignment if the proposed assignee does not provide a rent deposit equal to six months' rent. The proposed assignee is willing to provide references and a personal guarantee from its director, but has refused to provide a rent deposit. The tenant's solicitor wrote to the landlord requesting consent to the assignment on 1 March. The landlord has not responded to the request for consent. It is now 1 May. The tenant has asked the solicitor to advise on the position. The proposed assignee has been trading successfully in the restaurant business for eight years. The rent under the lease is £60,000 per annum. The landlord's managing agent has informally indicated that the landlord is not opposed to the assignment in principle but is concerned about the absence of a rent deposit. The tenant is keen to complete the assignment as quickly as possible because the proposed assignee has threatened to withdraw if the matter is not resolved within the next month.
Which of the following best describes the position regarding the landlord's failure to respond?
Question 2
Scenario
A tenant occupies commercial premises under a five-year lease that was granted in 2020. The lease is protected by Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. The lease is due to expire by effluxion of time on 30 September 2025. The landlord wishes to oppose the grant of a new tenancy. The landlord served a section 25 notice on the tenant on 1 March 2025, specifying a termination date of 30 September 2025 and stating that the landlord would oppose any application for a new tenancy on the ground that the landlord intends to demolish or reconstruct the premises. The landlord has obtained planning permission for a substantial redevelopment of the building and has entered into a building contract with a reputable construction company. The construction works are scheduled to begin on 15 October 2025. The tenant served a counter-notice within the required time period, indicating that the tenant is unwilling to give up possession. The tenant has now applied to the court for the grant of a new tenancy. The tenant argues that the landlord cannot satisfy the ground of opposition because the works could be carried out without the tenant giving up possession, as the tenant occupies only the ground floor and the works primarily affect the upper floors. The landlord argues that access through the ground floor is essential for the construction works. The tenant has been an exemplary tenant throughout the term, paying rent punctually and maintaining the premises to a high standard.
On what basis is the court most likely to determine whether the landlord can successfully oppose the grant of a new tenancy?
Question 3
Scenario
A solicitor acts for a tenant taking a new 15-year lease of a commercial warehouse. The landlord's solicitor has sent a draft lease for approval. The draft lease contains a full repairing and insuring covenant requiring the tenant to keep the premises in good and substantial repair and condition throughout the term. The solicitor inspects the premises with the tenant and notes that the roof has some visible wear and the external brickwork shows signs of age-related deterioration. The premises are approximately 30 years old. The tenant is concerned about being required to carry out extensive repairs to the roof and external walls that pre-date the commencement of the lease. The solicitor considers what steps can be taken to protect the tenant. The landlord has indicated that the rent has been set at a level reflecting the current condition of the premises. The tenant is a medium-sized logistics company with a turnover of £8 million per annum. The tenant asks the solicitor whether there is a way to limit the repairing obligation to the current state of the property rather than requiring it to be put into a better condition.
What is the most appropriate step the solicitor should recommend to protect the tenant from liability for pre-existing disrepair?
Practice with full exam-style questions
Practise Property Practice Questions for SQE1
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