Fact 15. How long does conveyancing take? Complex legal issues, leasehold complications, or chain delays can extend the timeline.

Conveyancing begins from the moment an offer is accepted until the day of completion. For most residential sales or purchases in the UK, the average conveyancing process takes between 8 and 12 weeks. 

However, this timescale can vary dramatically depending on the circumstances, the type of property involved, and how smoothly all parties and third parties cooperate.

Understanding what influences conveyancing timescales not only helps buyers and sellers plan ahead but can also reduce anxiety during what is often one of the most important financial transactions of their lives.

What happens during conveyancing?

Although every transaction is unique, the process generally follows a similar pattern:

-  Offer accepted – The conveyancers for both buyer and seller are instructed once the offer is agreed. At this stage, the Memorandum of Sale is issued, confirming the basic details of the transaction.

-  Draft contract and property documentation – The seller’s conveyancer prepares and issues the draft contract along with the title deeds and supporting documents to the buyer’s conveyancer.

-  Searches and enquiries – The buyer’s conveyancer conducts various searches (local authority, environmental, drainage, and sometimes mining or flood risk) and raises legal enquiries to ensure there are no hidden issues.

-  Mortgage and surveys – If the buyer is obtaining a mortgage, their lender will carry out a valuation survey. Buyers may also arrange independent surveys such as a Homebuyer Report or Building Survey.

-  Exchange of contracts – Once both sides are satisfied with the title, searches, enquiries, and mortgage offer, contracts are signed and exchanged. At this point, the sale becomes legally binding.

-  Completion – The remaining balance of the purchase price is transferred, the keys are released, and ownership officially changes hands.

Average conveyancing timelines

A straightforward freehold purchase or sale with no chain will often take between 6 and 8 weeks if everything goes smoothly. However, if there are several parties involved in a chain, leasehold elements, slow mortgage lenders, or outstanding legal issues, this can easily extend to 12, 16, or even 20 weeks.

Typical estimated timelines often look like this:

-  Week 1–2: Offer accepted, solicitors instructed, draft contract issued

-  Week 3–6: Searches, enquiries, survey, and mortgage offer in progress

-  Week 7–10: Enquiries answered, title issues resolved, contracts reviewed

-  Week 10–12: Exchange and completion arrangements finalised

However, these are only averages, and unforeseen delays can arise at any point.

Common factors that slow down conveyancing

There are several reasons why the conveyancing process can take longer than expected. Understanding these can help clients anticipate challenges.

1. Property chain delays

A chain occurs when multiple buyers and sellers are linked, each waiting for another transaction to complete before theirs can proceed. Even one slow party in the chain can delay everyone else. For instance, if a buyer at the bottom has an issue with their mortgage or survey, every linked sale above can stall.

2. Leasehold properties

Leasehold transactions regularly take longer than freehold because additional parties are involved. The buyer’s conveyancer must review the lease, ground rent details, service charges, management company accounts, and sometimes obtain replies from a managing agent or freeholder. A leasehold management pack can take two to four weeks to obtain, depending on the responsiveness of the managing agents.

3. Legal title issues

If the Land Registry records are incomplete, incorrect, or the property is unregistered, the process can be more complex. Missing rights of way, boundary discrepancies, or previous deed errors often need to be rectified before contracts can be exchanged.

4. Delays in searches or local authority responses

Local authority search results can vary widely by region. Some councils return results within five days while others may take several weeks, especially during busy periods or system upgrades.

5. Mortgage delays

Lenders have their own timelines for underwriting and issuing formal mortgage offers. Any missing documentation from the buyer or valuation concerns raised by the lender can hold things up.

6. Buyer or seller readiness

Some clients are not ready to proceed when expected—for example, a buyer may not have proof of funds ready or a seller might still be gathering paperwork. Ensuring both parties have provided all required documents early can make a big difference.

7. Slow response times from other solicitors or agents

Communication between conveyancers, estate agents, and buyers or sellers is critical. A lack of updates or slow responses can turn what should be an 8-week process into one lasting several months.

8. Survey or inspection issues

If surveys uncover structural problems or defects, buyers may pause to renegotiate or require further specialist reports. This can pause progress for multiple weeks.

Legal complexities that cause extended timelines

Certain transactions inherently carry greater legal complexity.

-  New build properties often take longer as developers usually specify a fixed short exchange deadline (sometimes 28 days) but completion can be delayed while construction finishes or new titles are registered at the Land Registry.

-  Shared ownership purchases involve both a housing association and mortgage lender, creating additional layers of approval and documentation.

-  Lease extensions, variations, or defective leases must often be corrected before completion, which can add several weeks or even months.

-  Transfers involving divorces, trusts, or inherited properties may require additional verification of authority and probate documentation.

-  Title splitting or selling off part of a larger estate often involves new plans, consents, and registration work.

These cases may extend well beyond 12 weeks, not necessarily due to inefficiency but because extra legal safeguards take time to ensure everything is compliant.

Managing and reducing delays

While conveyancing timelines cannot be guaranteed, proactive management can make a meaningful difference. Some practical steps include:

-  Instruct your conveyancer as soon as your offer is accepted, or even before if you’re planning to sell.

-  Complete and return required forms immediately (e.g., property information form, fittings and contents form).

-  Ensure you have all ID and source of funds documents ready for anti-money laundering checks.

-  If leasehold, request management information or a leasehold pack from your landlord/agent at the earliest opportunity.

-  Keep in regular contact with your conveyancer and estate agent for updates.

-  If you’re obtaining a mortgage, stay responsive to your lender’s requests and avoid unnecessary spending that could complicate affordability checks.

-  Consider local search indemnity insurance if acceptable to your lender and your conveyancer advises it could save time.

How estate agents, conveyancers, and mortgage brokers interact

The conveyancing process depends on coordination between multiple professionals. Estate agents often act as communicators between buyer and seller, pushing for progress and providing updates on where delays may be occurring. Conveyancers handle the legal side, and mortgage brokers or lenders deal with the financial approvals.

The best results occur when communication is transparent and frequent. Buyers and sellers benefit from replying promptly to their conveyancer’s enquiries and keeping their agent informed about milestones such as the receipt of mortgage offers or survey results.

What happens if the process is taking too long?

If you feel your conveyancing is dragging on, speak first to your conveyancer for a progress update. They can explain exactly where the delay lies—whether it’s awaiting searches, enquiries, or another party’s action.

Where multiple parties are involved, estate agents can often help chase updates from the other side. If your conveyancer confirms that there are genuine external holdups (for example, a freeholder’s slow response or a local authority backlog), setting realistic expectations can reduce stress.

In some cases, you might be able to pay a fee to expedite certain documents or searches, although not every council or management company offers this service.

How leasehold timelines differ in detail

Leasehold conveyancing deserves special mention because it is one of the most common reasons for longer completions. To better understand what causes this, it helps to look at how additional steps fit into the process:

-  Seller’s conveyancer requests a management pack from the managing agent or freeholder.

-  Once received, it includes ground rent accounts, building insurance information, statements of service charge payments, and confirmation of any future major works.

-  The buyer’s conveyancer must review all details carefully and often raise specific leasehold enquiries about restrictions or covenants.

-  If consents to assign or notices to the landlord are required, these must be organised before completion.

Because managing agents and landlords are not legally obliged to provide information quickly, many leasehold packs take several weeks to arrive. Some charge separate administrative fees, which sellers must pay before the pack is released.

Understanding this from the outset allows both sides to factor it into expectations.

Cash buyers vs mortgage buyers

Cash purchases can complete much faster because there is no lender involved. Without waiting for a mortgage offer or valuation, a motivated cash buyer can sometimes complete in as little as two to four weeks if searches and title checks raise no issues.

Mortgage buyers, on the other hand, must go through the lender’s underwriting process and ensure all conditions are satisfied before exchange. The average mortgage offer takes around 3–5 weeks from application, sometimes longer with complex income or credit assessments.

Chain-free vs chain transactions

In a chain-free sale, there is only one buyer and one seller. With no dependence on other completions, it can progress quickly when both sides are ready. Chain-free sales are common with vacant properties, new builds, or sales to investors.

In a chain, every transaction must align completion dates. If one sale collapses further down the chain, it can delay or derail all the connected transactions above. Chains are one of the biggest sources of unpredictability in residential conveyancing.

After completion: registration and post-completion delays

Even after keys have been exchanged, a final phase remains—registration. The buyer’s conveyancer must send details to HM Land Registry to update ownership and the mortgage charge.

In straightforward cases, registration might take only a few weeks. 

However, during periods of high activity, complex leasehold registrations or newly split titles can take several months. Buyers usually receive confirmation through the updated Title Register once it’s complete.

Ways to make the process smoother

-  Respond promptly to your conveyancer’s requests.

-  Gather all key documents early (for sellers: guarantees, planning permissions, service charge statements).

-  Use a conveyancer with experience in your type of property—especially important for leasehold or shared ownership.

-  If possible, avoid unrealistic timescales when agreeing completion dates.

-  Maintain communication with your mortgage broker or estate agent to remain aware of progress elsewhere in the chain.

Setting expectations with realistic timelines

Ultimately, how long conveyancing takes depends on cooperation, responsiveness, and complexity. While an average of 8–12 weeks is reasonable for most cases, more complicated transactions can take much longer. By understanding each stage and preparing early, clients can help reduce risk of delay and ensure a smoother journey to completion.

The most important thing is communication and early preparation. Whether you are buying or selling, staying organised and choosing a proactive conveyancer can make a big difference. Every property has its own quirks, but with proper guidance, even complex transactions can move forward confidently toward successful completion.