Can I speed up searches?

Some local authorities offer a faster service, and personal search providers can be quicker than the council in some areas, though not all lenders accept them. Your solicitor will know which applies locally.

Why is leasehold slower?

Because a third party — the managing agent or freeholder — has to produce the management pack, and neither solicitor can compel them to do it quickly.

What happens if the chain breaks before exchange?

Nothing is legally binding before exchange, so the transaction can collapse and costs already incurred on searches and surveys are generally not recoverable.

Conveyancing

How long does conveyancing take, and what actually causes delays?

Most transactions take 10 to 16 weeks from offer to completion. The variation between them is almost never the solicitor's typing speed.

7 min read · Last reviewed 2026-08-14

A realistic timeline

For a straightforward freehold house with a mortgage and a short chain, 10 to 12 weeks from offer accepted to completion is a fair expectation. Leasehold flats typically run 14 to 20 weeks because of the management pack. Cash purchases with no chain can complete in six to eight weeks when everyone moves.

Anyone promising four weeks on a normal transaction is either quoting a best case or does not yet know what is in the title.

The stages, and where the time goes

Roughly in order, with typical durations for a normal transaction:

Instruction and ID checks — a few days. Faster if you complete the forms and AML checks immediately
Draft contract pack issued by the seller's solicitor — 1 to 2 weeks
Searches ordered and returned — 1 to 4 weeks, heavily dependent on the local authority's turnaround
Mortgage valuation and formal offer — 1 to 3 weeks
Enquiries raised and answered — 2 to 6 weeks, and this is where most transactions actually stall
Report on title, signing, deposit — a few days
Exchange to completion — typically 1 to 2 weeks, agreed between the parties

What genuinely causes delays

In practice, the same handful of issues account for most of the lost time:

Leasehold management packs, which are ordered from the managing agent and can take four to six weeks to arrive, and often need chasing
Missing building regulations or FENSA paperwork for extensions, loft conversions, new windows or a knocked-through wall — usually resolved with an indemnity policy, but only once someone spots it
Chain length: every additional party adds their own solicitor, lender and timetable, and the chain moves at the pace of its slowest link
Slow replies to enquiries, often because the seller cannot find a document
Mortgage offers that require a retention or further information after the valuation
Probate, matrimonial or shared-ownership complications that need a third party's cooperation
In South Wales specifically, coal mining searches that return findings needing a further report

What you can do to make it faster

Buyers and sellers genuinely can influence the timeline, mostly at the beginning. Instruct as soon as the offer is accepted rather than waiting for the memorandum of sale. Return the property information forms fully and honestly first time. Have your ID, proof of funds and mortgage agreement ready on day one. If you are selling a leasehold flat, ask for the management pack the moment you accept the offer — that single step can save a month.

Dig out the paperwork for every alteration you have made to the property before anyone asks for it. Missing certificates are the most common avoidable delay in the whole process.

Exchange and completion

Exchange of contracts is the point at which the transaction becomes legally binding and the completion date is fixed. Until exchange, either side can walk away without penalty, which is why a long gap between offer and exchange carries risk.

Completion is normally set one to two weeks after exchange to allow removals and mortgage funds to be drawn, though same-day exchange and completion is possible where there is no chain and everyone is ready.

Get a conveyancing quote

How long does conveyancing take? — common questions

Can I speed up searches?: Some local authorities offer a faster service, and personal search providers can be quicker than the council in some areas, though not all lenders accept them. Your solicitor will know which applies locally.
Why is leasehold slower?: Because a third party — the managing agent or freeholder — has to produce the management pack, and neither solicitor can compel them to do it quickly.
What happens if the chain breaks before exchange?: Nothing is legally binding before exchange, so the transaction can collapse and costs already incurred on searches and surveys are generally not recoverable.