How Long Does Conveyancing Take? The 2026 Week-by-Week Reality

Conveyancing Timeline Overview: The Numbers

Conveyancing is the legal process that transfers property ownership from seller to buyer. It begins the moment your offer is accepted and ends when the seller’s solicitor confirms completion and you collect the keys. In between, there are searches, surveys, mortgage applications, contract reviews, and — almost inevitably — additional enquiries that slow everything down.

According to HM Land Registry 2024–25 data, the median time from sale agreed to completion is 15 weeks. The HomeOwners Alliance puts the typical range at 12 to 16 weeks, with significant variation depending on chain length, property type, and how quickly all parties respond.

Those numbers represent the total time from offer acceptance to keys in hand. The conveyancing work itself — instructing a solicitor, ordering searches, reviewing contracts, raising enquiries, exchanging, and completing — runs in parallel with the mortgage application and survey. Understanding where time is spent at each stage is the key to shortening your timeline.

The Week-by-Week Timeline Breakdown

Below is a realistic week-by-week breakdown for a standard freehold purchase in a short chain. Leasehold adds 2–4 weeks on top, and longer chains push the overall timeline further right.

Week	Stage	Who’s responsible	Typical duration
1	Offer accepted & instruct solicitor	You / estate agent	1–3 days
1–3	Seller’s solicitor prepares draft contract pack (TA6, TA7, TA10, title)	Seller’s solicitor	1–3 weeks
1–2	Full mortgage application submitted	You / mortgage broker	1–5 days
2–4	Mortgage valuation & survey	Lender / surveyor	1–3 weeks
2–10	Local authority searches returned	Local council	2–8 weeks
3–5	Your solicitor reviews draft contract & title	Your solicitor	1–2 weeks
4–8	Additional enquiries raised & answered	Both solicitors	2–4 weeks
4–6	Mortgage offer issued	Lender	2–4 weeks from application
8–12	All parties ready — sign contracts	You / your solicitor	1–2 weeks
10–14	Exchange of contracts (deposit paid, date set)	Both solicitors	1 day (but scheduling takes 1–2 weeks)
12–15	Pre-completion: final searches, transfer deed, funds requested	Your solicitor / lender	1–2 weeks
12–16	Completion day — keys collected	Both solicitors	1 day

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance, 2026; Pine; HM Land Registry 2024–25

Notice that weeks 2–8 are where the real bottlenecks sit: local authority searches and additional enquiries. These two stages alone can account for more than half your total waiting time. Everything else either runs in parallel or takes a matter of days.

Step-by-Step: The Full Conveyancing Process

Here is each step in detail, with what to expect and what you can do to keep things moving.

Step 1: Accept the Offer and Instruct a Conveyancer (Day 1–3)

Once your offer is accepted, your first job is to instruct a licensed conveyancer or solicitor. If you already have one lined up — and you should — this can happen on the same day. They will send you a client care letter, request identification documents (passport and proof of address), and ask for funds on account to cover search fees (typically £250–£400).

Time-saving tip: Get quotes from solicitors before your offer is accepted. Have your ID documents and proof of funds ready to go. This avoids losing a week at the very start.

Step 2: Seller’s Solicitor Prepares the Draft Contract Pack (Weeks 1–3)

The seller’s solicitor prepares the draft contract pack, which includes the draft contract itself, official copies of the title register from Land Registry, property information forms (TA6 — the big one), fittings and contents form (TA10), and any relevant planning permissions or building regulations certificates.

According to the HomeOwners Alliance, this draft contract phase takes 2 to 10 weeks in the worst cases. The main bottleneck is incomplete property information forms — particularly the TA6, which asks detailed questions about boundaries, disputes, alterations, and services. If the seller has not prepared these in advance, the delay starts here.

Step 3: Order Property Searches (Weeks 1–8)

Your solicitor orders searches as soon as they receive the draft contract pack (or often in parallel). The key searches are:

• Local authority search: Checks planning history, building control records, road schemes, tree preservation orders, conservation areas, and contaminated land. Takes 2–8 weeks depending on the council (Pine).
• Environmental search: Flood risk, contaminated land, subsidence. Usually returned within 48 hours.
• Water and drainage search: Confirms connection to mains water and sewerage, and whether public drains cross the property. Usually 3–5 working days.
• Chancel repair liability search: Checks whether the property is liable for church repairs. Returned within 24 hours.

The local authority search is the variable one. Some London boroughs and rural councils take 6–8 weeks; others return results within 2 weeks. Your solicitor cannot control this — but they can chase, and some councils offer an expedited service for an additional fee.

Step 4: Apply for Your Mortgage (Weeks 1–6)

Submit your full mortgage application as soon as your offer is accepted. The lender will instruct a valuation survey of the property. Some lenders use desktop valuations (instant), while others require a physical visit (1–2 weeks). The full mortgage offer typically takes 2–4 weeks from the date of application.

Time-saving tip: Have your Agreement in Principle (AIP) in place before making an offer, and ensure all your financial documents (payslips, bank statements, tax returns if self-employed) are ready. Delays in providing documents to the lender are entirely within your control.

Step 5: Review the Draft Contract and Title (Weeks 3–5)

Your solicitor reviews the draft contract, the title register, property information forms, and the results of the searches. They are looking for anything that could affect the property’s value or your ability to use it as intended — restrictive covenants, rights of way, boundary discrepancies, missing building regulations sign-off, and planning issues.

This review itself only takes a few days of solicitor time, but it depends on the draft contract pack being complete and the searches being returned. If either is delayed, so is this step.

Step 6: Raise and Resolve Additional Enquiries (Weeks 4–8)

This is the stage that causes the most frustration and the most delay. Your solicitor raises additional enquiries — questions for the seller’s solicitor about issues found in the contract pack, searches, or survey. Common topics include:

• Missing building regulations certificates for extensions or conversions
• Unclear answers on the TA6 (boundaries, disputes, Japanese knotweed)
• Issues flagged by the survey (damp, structural movement, asbestos)
• Planning permission queries
• Discrepancies between the title plan and the physical property

According to Pine, additional enquiries from incomplete TA6 answers add 2–4 weeks to the process. Each round of enquiries requires the seller’s solicitor to go back to the seller for answers. If the seller is slow to respond — or if their answers trigger further questions — this stage can drag on for weeks.

Step 7: Receive Your Mortgage Offer (Weeks 4–6)

Once the lender completes the valuation and is satisfied with your application, they issue a formal mortgage offer. Your solicitor reviews the mortgage conditions — checking for any special conditions that need to be met before completion (for example, indemnity insurance requirements).

If the lender down-values the property (values it at less than the purchase price), you may need to renegotiate the price or find additional funds. This can add 1–2 weeks while you negotiate or apply to a different lender.

Step 8: Sign Contracts and Exchange (Weeks 8–14)

Exchange of contracts is the point of no return. Before exchange, your solicitor will:

• Confirm all enquiries are satisfactorily resolved
• Confirm all searches are returned and reviewed
• Confirm the mortgage offer is in place
• Send you the contract to sign and return
• Request your deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price, though 5% is sometimes agreed)

At exchange, both buyer and seller are legally committed. A completion date is set — typically 1–4 weeks after exchange, though same-day exchange and completion is possible in chain-free transactions. If either party pulls out after exchange, they face significant financial penalties.

Step 9: Pre-Completion Checks (1–2 Weeks Before Completion)

In the period between exchange and completion, your solicitor:

• Carries out a bankruptcy search against you (required by the lender)
• Files a priority search at Land Registry (protects your purchase for 30 working days)
• Prepares the transfer deed (TR1) for signing
• Sends a certificate of title to your lender
• Requests the mortgage funds from the lender (these typically arrive on the morning of completion)
• Prepares a completion statement showing all figures

Step 10: Completion — Collect the Keys (Completion Day)

On completion day, your solicitor transfers the full purchase price to the seller’s solicitor by bank transfer. Once the seller’s solicitor confirms receipt, they authorise the estate agent to release the keys to you. This usually happens between 12pm and 2pm, though it can be later in a chain.

After completion, your solicitor handles the post-completion work: paying any Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to HMRC within 14 days and registering the transfer with HM Land Registry. You do not need to be involved in this — but it is worth checking it has been done.

Common Delays and How Long They Add

Every conveyancing transaction is different, but certain delays crop up repeatedly. Here are the most common, with their typical impact on your timeline:

Delay	Time added	How to reduce it
Additional enquiries (incomplete TA6)	2–4 weeks	Ask seller to complete forms fully before offer
Slow local authority searches	2–6 weeks beyond minimum	Solicitor chases; consider personal search insurance
Mortgage valuation issues (down-valuation)	1–3 weeks	Research comparable sales before offering
Chain delays (waiting for other parties)	2–8 weeks	Buy chain-free or keep your chain short
Leasehold management pack	2–4 weeks	Ask seller to order the pack before accepting your offer
Missing building regulations certificates	1–3 weeks	Indemnity insurance can be arranged quickly
Slow solicitor response times	1–2 weeks per round	Choose a solicitor with clear turnaround commitments
Buyer delays (slow document provision)	1–2 weeks	Have all ID, proof of funds, and mortgage docs ready

Sources: Pine; HomeOwners Alliance, 2026

The compound effect is what catches people out. If you hit slow searches and additional enquiries and a chain delay, a 12-week process can easily become 20+ weeks. That is why preparation matters so much — every day you can save at the start reduces the risk of the whole transaction unravelling.

Chain-Free vs Short Chain vs Long Chain

The length of your property chain has the biggest single impact on how long your purchase takes. Here is how the three most common scenarios compare:

Scenario	Typical timeline	Risk of collapse	What it means
Chain-free (new build, first-time buyer, or probate sale)	6–8 weeks	Low	No other transactions depend on yours. You and the seller move at your own pace. Fastest possible completion.
Short chain (2–3 links)	12–16 weeks	Moderate	Most common scenario. You are buying from someone who is also buying. All parties must be ready at the same time for exchange.
Long chain (4+ links)	16–24 weeks	High	Every additional link adds complexity and delay. One slow party holds up the entire chain. 30% fall-through rate applies to each link.

Sources: Pine; HM Land Registry 2024–25

The Pine data showing that 30% of agreed sales fall through is worth keeping in mind. Each additional link in the chain is another point of failure. In a 4-link chain, the probability of at least one link breaking is significantly higher than 30%.

How to Speed Up Your Conveyancing

You cannot control the council or the other side’s solicitor, but you can control your own preparation. Here are the most effective ways to cut weeks off your timeline:

1. Instruct a solicitor before your offer is accepted. Get quotes, choose your solicitor, and send your ID and proof of funds in advance. On the day your offer is accepted, your solicitor can start work immediately rather than spending a week on onboarding.

2. Have your mortgage Agreement in Principle (AIP) in place. This means your lender has already checked your income, credit, and affordability. The full application after offer acceptance is faster because the groundwork is done.

3. Keep all financial documents in one place. Three months of payslips, three months of bank statements, your latest P60, and proof of deposit source. If you are self-employed, have two years of tax returns and SA302 forms ready. Lender document requests are a common source of avoidable delay.

4. Ask the seller about form readiness before making your offer. Through the estate agent, ask whether the seller has already completed their TA6, TA7, and TA10 forms, and whether a leasehold management pack has been ordered (if applicable). Sellers who have these ready can shave 2–4 weeks off the process.

5. Respond to your solicitor within 24 hours. When your solicitor asks you to sign something, review a document, or confirm a detail, do it the same day. Every day of delay on your side is a day added to the timeline.

6. Chase proactively. Ask your solicitor for a weekly update, even if there is nothing to report. Keep the estate agent informed of progress — they can chase the other side on your behalf. A polite but persistent buyer gets to completion faster.

7. Consider a property in a short or no chain. If speed matters to you, prioritise chain-free properties. New builds, probate sales, repossessions, and investor disposals are all typically chain-free.

Leasehold: Why It Takes Longer

If you are buying a leasehold property (most flats and some houses), expect the process to take 2–4 weeks longer than a comparable freehold purchase. The main reason is the leasehold management pack (sometimes called the LPE1 form), which must be obtained from the freeholder or managing agent.

This pack contains critical information about:

• Ground rent (current amount and any escalation clauses)
• Service charges (current and projected)
• Any planned major works or special levies
• Buildings insurance details
• Any ongoing disputes or tribunal proceedings
• The remaining lease term

Freeholders and managing agents are notoriously slow at providing this information, and there is no legal obligation for them to respond within a set timeframe. Many charge £300–£500+ for the pack, and some take 3–4 weeks to prepare it. Your solicitor also needs more time to review the lease itself — checking for onerous terms, ground rent escalation clauses, and the remaining lease length (anything below 80 years makes mortgage lending difficult).

Time-saving tip: If you are buying a leasehold, ask the seller to order the management pack as soon as your offer is accepted — or even before. The earlier this information is available, the less it holds up the rest of the process.

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