The short answer
The completion statement is your conveyancer's final account: the price, their fees, the disbursements they paid on your behalf, and the balance. Compare it against the quote you were given at the start, query anything that moved while the file is still open, and keep it, because it matters years later for tax.
Read it while the file is still open
This document arrives at the exact moment you have least appetite for it: keys in hand, boxes everywhere, the transaction apparently over. It is also the last moment anybody involved will happily explain it to you.
Ten minutes now is worth an unanswered email in three weeks.
The lines, and what they actually are
Statements vary in layout but not much in content. Most of what you are looking at falls into three groups.
| Line | What it is |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | What you agreed to pay for the property. |
| Deposit paid | What you already paid at exchange, deducted from the balance. |
| Mortgage advance | What the lender sent. Should match your mortgage offer. |
| Legal fees | Your conveyancer's own charge for the work, usually plus VAT. |
| Disbursements | Money they paid out for you: searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer fees. |
| Stamp duty | Paid on your behalf where due, and passed straight to HMRC. |
| Balance | What you owed or are owed once everything above is netted off. |
What to actually query
You are not auditing anybody. You are checking that the figures match what you were told and that nothing appeared without explanation.
- ✓Anything that is not on the original quote.
- ✓A fee that is materially larger than quoted, with no note saying why.
- ✓A disbursement you cannot identify from its name alone.
- ✓A mortgage advance that does not match the offer you accepted.
Keep it, even though it looks like it has done its job
The completion statement and the estate agent's invoice are the papers a future accountant or buyer asks for, long after you would have thrown them out. They evidence what you paid and what the transaction cost, which is what matters if you ever sell a property that is not your only home.
Put them somewhere you will find them, not in the box the kettle came out of.
Where this applies
This describes a purchase in England or Wales. Scotland works differently: the process runs on missives and settlement rather than exchange and completion, and the paperwork you receive at the end has different names and a different shape. Northern Ireland differs again.
The habit still holds everywhere. Read the final account while somebody is still willing to explain it, and keep it.
Quick answers
The final figure is different from the quote. Is that wrong?
Not necessarily. Disbursements are estimated at quote stage and settle at their real amounts, and a search or a Land Registry fee can differ. What should not happen is a change with no explanation, which is exactly what to ask about.
Who do I ask?
Your conveyancer, in writing, before the file is archived. A short specific question about one line gets answered far faster than a general request to explain the statement.
How long should I keep it?
Indefinitely, with the deeds and the guarantees. It costs nothing to keep and is genuinely hard to reconstruct later.
Put this guide to work
General information for England & Wales, not financial or legal advice. Costs are typical 2026 ranges and vary by region and circumstances.