Quick answer
For most property purchases in England and Wales, conveyancing takes between 10 and 16 weeks from the point your offer is accepted to completion. Straightforward, chain-free freehold purchases can complete in 8 to 10 weeks. Leasehold purchases, long chains, or complex transactions typically take 16 to 20 weeks or longer. In 2026, industry data shows the average has crept closer to 17 weeks — though an experienced, proactive solicitor and good communication from all parties can significantly reduce that.
Why Conveyancing Takes Longer Than Most People Expect
If someone told you that buying a home would take four months of legal back-and-forth before you could pick up the keys, you might be surprised. Most buyers expect the process to wrap up in a few weeks. The reality, in 2026, is more complicated.
Conveyancing — the legal process of transferring ownership of a property — involves multiple parties, third-party searches, mortgage lenders, and chains of dependent transactions. None of them move at the same pace. And any one of them can cause a delay.
That said, it is not all out of your hands. Understanding the process, knowing what causes delays, and choosing the right solicitor makes a real difference to how quickly your transaction completes.
This guide explains exactly how long each stage takes, what affects the timeline, and what you can do to keep things moving.
The Honest Numbers: How Long Conveyancing Takes in 2026
Let’s start with the figures most solicitors quote — and what the data actually shows.
Transaction type | Typical timeframe |
Simple freehold, no chain, cash buyer | 4 to 8 weeks |
Freehold purchase with mortgage, no chain | 8 to 10 weeks |
Freehold purchase with a property chain | 10 to 16 weeks |
Leasehold purchase, no chain | 12 to 16 weeks |
Leasehold purchase with a chain | 16 to 20 weeks |
Complex title, disputes, or long chain | 20 weeks or more |
You may have heard the phrase “8 to 12 weeks” — and for a simple freehold purchase with no chain, that is still achievable. But industry data from 2024 and 2025 shows that the average transaction across all property types now takes closer to 17 weeks, with some solicitor firms reporting averages of 20 weeks or more.
The increase is driven by several factors: tighter anti-money laundering checks, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, Building Safety Act requirements for flats, and local authority search backlogs in some London boroughs.
Stage by Stage: What Happens and How Long It Takes
Here is a realistic breakdown of each stage in the conveyancing process for a standard residential purchase in England and Wales.
Stage 1: Instructing your solicitor and onboarding (Week 1)
Once you have an accepted offer, you instruct your solicitor. Before any legal work can begin, you will need to provide:
- Proof of ID and proof of address
- Evidence of your deposit funds and source of funds
- Your mortgage in principle (if applicable)
Anti-money laundering checks have become more thorough in recent years. Solicitors are required to verify not just who you are, but where your money is coming from. This can add a few days if documents are not ready or if funds come from multiple sources such as a gift, savings, and equity from a sale.
Tip: Have all your documents ready before you instruct. It saves a week.
Stage 2: Draft contract and title review (Weeks 1 to 3)
Your solicitor requests the draft contract pack from the seller’s solicitor. This includes the contract itself, the title documents registered at HM Land Registry, the seller’s property information form (TA6), the fittings and contents form (TA10), and — for leasehold — the leasehold information form (TA7).
Reviewing these documents and identifying issues or questions to raise is one of the most important parts of your solicitor’s job. A thorough review here protects you from buying a property with hidden legal problems.
How long it takes: 1 to 3 weeks, depending on how quickly the seller’s solicitor sends the pack and how straightforward the title is.
Stage 3: Property searches (Weeks 2 to 6)
Your solicitor submits a standard search pack to three or four authorities:
- Local authority search — planning history, road adoption, enforcement notices, tree preservation orders
- Water and drainage search — mains connection, public sewers
- Environmental search — flood risk, contaminated land, ground stability
- Chancel repair liability search — historic obligation to contribute to local church repairs
Search turnaround times vary widely depending on which local authority covers the property. Some London councils return results within a few days. Others take four to five weeks. This is one of the most unpredictable parts of the timeline and largely outside your solicitor’s control, though ordering searches early helps.
Stage 4: Raising and answering enquiries (Weeks 3 to 8)
After reviewing the contract, title, and search results, your solicitor raises formal written enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. These are legal questions about the property — planning consents, building regulations certificates, boundary disputes, access arrangements, service charge history for leaseholds, and anything flagged by the searches.
The seller’s solicitor must obtain answers from their client and reply in writing. Some enquiries get answered quickly. Others — particularly for leasehold properties where the freeholder or management company must be contacted — can take several weeks.
This stage is often where transactions slow down. Chasing outstanding enquiries is a regular part of a good solicitor’s job.
Stage 5: Mortgage offer (Weeks 3 to 8)
If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will instruct their own valuation of the property. Once they are satisfied, they issue a formal mortgage offer. Your solicitor then reviews the offer, confirms that all conditions are met, and reports to the lender on the title.
In 2026, mortgage processing times remain variable. Some lenders issue formal offers within two to three weeks of application. Others take five to six weeks, particularly for complex applications, new builds, or shared ownership purchases.
Your solicitor cannot exchange contracts until the mortgage offer is in place and all lender conditions are satisfied.
Stage 6: Report to you and signing (Weeks 6 to 10)
Once the solicitor has reviewed everything — the contract, title, search results, enquiry replies, and mortgage offer — they send you a full legal report. This summarises everything they have found and asks for your approval to proceed to exchange.
You will also be asked to sign the contract and the transfer deed, and to confirm the source of funds for your deposit. This is a good time to read everything carefully and raise any questions before you commit.
Stage 7: Exchange of contracts (Weeks 8 to 12)
Exchange of contracts is the moment the transaction becomes legally binding. Both solicitors speak on the telephone, read out the contract details, and confirm exchange. At this point:
- You pay your deposit — usually 10% of the purchase price
- A completion date is fixed in the contract
- Neither party can withdraw without serious financial consequences
In a chain, all parties must be ready to exchange on the same day — which is why chains take longer. One slow party holds everyone else up.
Stage 8: Completion (Weeks 8 to 16+)
Completion day is when you get the keys. Your solicitor transfers the purchase funds to the seller’s solicitor. Once the money is received and confirmed, the seller vacates and the estate agent releases the keys.
The gap between exchange and completion is usually one to four weeks — though it can be the same day in some cases, or several months ahead when a long moving date is needed.
Stage 9: Post-completion (2 to 4 weeks after)
Your solicitor’s work does not end on completion day. After completion, they:
- Submit your Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return to HMRC and pay any tax due — this must be done within 14 days of completion
- Apply to register your ownership at HM Land Registry
- Send you the title information document once registration is confirmed
- Notify your mortgage lender that completion has taken place
What Causes Delays in Conveyancing?
Conveyancing delays are common. Understanding the most frequent causes helps you spot them early and, in some cases, prevent them.
Property chains
A chain exists when your purchase depends on someone else’s sale, which depends on another purchase, and so on. If any one transaction in that chain stalls, every other transaction waits. In 2026, chains remain the single biggest cause of delays in residential conveyancing.
Slow local authority searches
Search turnaround times are set by the local authority, not your solicitor. In some London boroughs, searches are returned in days. In others, the wait can stretch to five or six weeks. Your solicitor should order searches as early as possible to minimise the impact.
Leasehold complications
Leasehold transactions involve more parties — typically a freeholder, a management company, and sometimes a head leaseholder. Obtaining the management pack (which includes service charge accounts, insurance details, and planned works information) can take two to four weeks. Issues revealed in the pack — service charge arrears, major works planned, a short lease — require further investigation.
Mortgage delays
Lenders vary significantly in their processing times. Changes in circumstances during the transaction — a new job, a change in the property’s valuation, additional conditions on the offer — can extend this stage. Keeping your lender updated and responding quickly to requests from your broker or lender helps.
Title defects and missing documents
Some properties have title issues that need to be resolved before exchange — missing planning permissions, absent building regulations certificates, boundary disputes, or inadequate access rights. Resolving these sometimes requires indemnity insurance, which is straightforward, or in some cases further legal work.
Slow responses from any party
Every transaction involves multiple parties — buyers, sellers, solicitors, estate agents, mortgage brokers, lenders, management companies, freeholders. Any one of them taking a few days longer than expected to respond to an email can add a week to the overall timeline. Clear communication and prompt responses from your end make a real difference.
How to Speed Up Your Conveyancing
You cannot control every part of the process, but you can control your own side of it. Here is what makes a real difference:
- Instruct your solicitor early — ideally before your offer is accepted, so the onboarding process is complete and searches can be ordered the moment you go under offer.
- Gather your documents before you are asked — proof of ID, proof of address, and evidence of your deposit funds and their source. Have them ready to go.
- Respond quickly to your solicitor — when your solicitor asks a question or sends documents to sign, same-day responses keep things moving. Delays on your side are entirely within your control.
- Use email and video calls rather than post — everything moves faster when communication is digital.
- Get your mortgage agreed in principle before your offer — and keep your broker updated throughout so there are no surprises.
- Choose a solicitor who communicates proactively — the biggest frustration buyers report is not knowing what is happening. A good solicitor keeps you updated without being chased.
Does It Take Longer for Leasehold Properties?
Yes — and often significantly longer.
Leasehold purchases in London are common: most flats, and a significant number of houses, are held on leasehold titles. But leasehold conveyancing involves more steps than freehold:
- Reviewing the lease itself — which can run to hundreds of pages
- Obtaining the management pack from the freeholder or managing agent (typically takes 2 to 4 weeks)
- Checking service charge accounts and any planned major works that could affect future costs
- Confirming the lease length — if the lease has fewer than 80 years remaining, this significantly affects the property’s mortgageability and value
- Fire safety documentation — for flats in buildings over 11 metres, an EWS1 form may be required under the Building Safety Act 2022
For leasehold properties, budget for 14 to 20 weeks rather than 10 to 12. If the lease is short or the building has fire safety documentation requirements, the process may take longer still.
How Long Does Conveyancing Take for First-Time Buyers?
The conveyancing timeline for a first-time buyer is broadly the same as for any other buyer. The main difference is that first-time buyers are at the start of the chain, not somewhere in the middle — which can actually work in your favour.
If you are buying from a seller who is not purchasing elsewhere (for example, a landlord selling an investment property), there is no onward chain at all. These are the fastest transactions, and can complete in 8 to 10 weeks.
First-time buyers sometimes take a little longer at the reporting and signing stage, simply because the process is new. A good solicitor will walk you through every document in plain English and make sure you are comfortable before you sign anything.
We work with a large number of first-time buyers at Adam Bernard Solicitors. If you are buying your first home in London, we will make sure you understand every step — and we will tell you exactly what is happening and why.
