A Realistic 2026 Timeline
Last updated: October 2026. Figures checked against UK government and Rightmove data published in June and July 2026.
Most people ask how long does conveyancing take. The moment their offer is accepted. Right now, the realistic answer in England and Wales is around four to five months from the accepted offer to completion. The government puts the average at about 120 days, and Rightmove’s latest figure for the West Midlands is 153 days.
So how long does conveyancing take for your move? That depends on your chain, the type of property, your lender and how quickly everyone replies. You’ll still see “8 to 12 weeks” quoted on plenty of websites. Honestly, that figure is out of date for most moves in 2026. A simple, chain-free purchase can still beat the average. But long chains, leasehold flats and slow searches can stretch things well past five months.
This guide walks through each stage, the delays we see most often, and what you can do to keep things moving. It covers you whether you’re a first-time buyer, moving home, remortgaging or selling an investment property. It’s written by Chapter Law, a specialist property law firm in the West Midlands.
How long does conveyancing take in 2026?
On current data, conveyancing in England and Wales takes roughly 17 to 22 weeks on average. The exact number depends on whose figures you use, because each source measures slightly different things.
| Source | What it measures | Average time |
|---|---|---|
| UK government, June 2026 | Offer accepted to completion | Around 120 days (about 17 weeks) |
| Rightmove, July 2026 | Sale agreed to completion, Great Britain | 154 days (about 22 weeks) |
| Rightmove, July 2026 | Sale agreed to completion, West Midlands | 153 days |
| Rightmove, July 2026 | Sale agreed to completion, London | 174 days |
| Rightmove, July 2026 | Sale agreed to completion, Scotland (different legal system) | 98 days |
The government figure comes from its home buying and selling reform roadmap, which also says the process is now around 60% longer than in 2007. Rightmove’s July 2026 analysis counts the days between a home being marked “sold subject to contract” and the listing coming down. That gap can run a little longer than the legal process itself.
Either way, the trend points the same direction. According to Rightmove, completing a move now takes 36 days longer than it did in 2019. So plan for about four months, and treat anything quicker as a bonus. If your move is tied to a tenancy ending or a new job, build in a buffer of a few weeks.
The conveyancing timeline, stage by stage
Every transaction is different. Even so, most follow the same broad stages, and knowing them helps explain where the weeks go.
| Stage | What happens | What the timing depends on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Instruction and ID checks | Your solicitor opens the file, checks your identity and source of funds, and sends out client care paperwork. | How fast you return forms and documents |
| 2. Contract pack | The seller’s solicitor sends the draft contract, title documents and property information forms. | How quickly the seller completes their forms |
| 3. Searches | The buyer’s solicitor orders local authority, environmental, and water and drainage searches. | The local council’s turnaround time |
| 4. Title review and enquiries | The buyer’s solicitor checks the legal title and raises questions about boundaries, planning, rights of way and anything unclear. | Replies from the seller and their solicitor |
| 5. Mortgage offer | The lender values the property, underwrites the application and issues a formal offer. | The lender, and how complete the buyer’s paperwork is |
| 6. Survey | An independent surveyor inspects the property’s condition. | Booking dates and anything the survey finds |
| 7. Exchange of contracts | Both sides sign, the buyer pays the deposit and everyone fixes a completion date. The deal becomes legally binding. | Every link in the chain being ready |
| 8. Completion | The money moves, ownership transfers and you collect the keys. | Funds arriving on the day |
| 9. After completion | Your solicitor pays any Stamp Duty and registers the purchase with HM Land Registry. | Your solicitor (this stage doesn’t delay your move) |
Several of these stages run side by side. Searches, enquiries and the mortgage application usually happen at the same time, so the slowest of them tends to set the pace. Once contracts exchange, completion usually follows within days or a few weeks, depending on what both parties agree.
An agreement in principle doesn’t count as a mortgage offer, by the way. Your lender still needs to finish its own checks, and requests for extra documents at this stage are one of the most common hold-ups we see.
What delays conveyancing? Six common causes
Some delays cost a day or two. Others can add months. Here are the ones that come up most often.
1. Property chains
How long does conveyancing take with a chain? There’s no fixed answer, because it depends on every link. A chain forms when your purchase depends on someone else’s sale, and theirs depends on another. Each extra link adds risk. If one buyer’s mortgage stalls, every move in the chain waits. Chains are the delay you control least, so ask the estate agent how long the chain is before you agree a moving date.
2. Local searches
Councils return searches at very different speeds, and some have backlogs. In fact, Rightmove lists search turnaround as one reason completion times vary so much by area. The legal process averages 120 days in North East Derbyshire but 229 days in Slough. Searches can also turn up planning or environmental issues that need more investigation.
3. Mortgage offers
Lenders may ask for more payslips or bank statements, run further affordability checks, or slow down in busy periods. A low valuation or a change in your income during the application can also send things backwards. Keep in mind that mortgage offers have an expiry date. On a long transaction, check yours with your broker.
4. Leasehold paperwork
How long does conveyancing take on a leasehold flat? Usually longer than on a house. Leasehold sales need information from the freeholder or managing agent, such as service charge accounts and a management pack. The government’s own roadmap admits that freeholders and managing agents can take too long and charge too much for this. The data backs that up. Rightmove found that flats take 169 days on average to complete, compared with 149 days for terraced and semi-detached houses.
5. Survey results
If a survey finds damp, roof problems or structural movement, the buyer may want to renegotiate, ask for repairs or get a specialist report. That’s sensible, but each step adds time.
6. Slow replies
Every unanswered email adds days. Buyers, sellers, estate agents, lenders and solicitors can all hold things up. Rightmove also points to high caseloads among conveyancers as a big driver of long completion times. That’s worth asking about when you choose a firm.
Not every delay is avoidable. Property transactions have a lot of moving parts, and some of them sit outside anyone’s control.
How long does conveyancing take for different types of transaction?
The answer changes with the type of deal. Here’s how the common ones compare with the average.
| Transaction | Compared with average | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time buyer purchase | Often quicker | You have no sale of your own, so you sit at the bottom of the chain. Mortgage and leasehold issues can still slow things down. |
| Sale and purchase in a chain | Often slower | Completion depends on every linked transaction being ready on the same day. |
| Leasehold flat | Slower | Extra documents from the freeholder or managing agent. |
| Cash purchase, no chain | Can be much quicker | No mortgage offer or lender valuation to wait for. |
| Remortgage | Usually the quickest, often a few weeks | Ownership doesn’t change, so there’s much less legal work. |
| Transfer of equity | Varies | Depends on lender consent and any agreement between the owners. |
| New build | Depends on the build | Developers often set tight exchange deadlines, and you may exchange before construction finishes. |
How to speed up conveyancing
You can’t control the council or the lender. However, you can control your own paperwork, and that’s where a surprising amount of time disappears.
If you’re buying
- Instruct your solicitor as soon as your offer is accepted, or before you start making offers.
- Submit your full mortgage application straight away, not after the searches come back.
- Have photo ID, proof of address and proof of your deposit ready. If family members are gifting money, your solicitor will need details from them too.
- Book your survey early so any problems surface before exchange, not after.
- Reply to questions from your solicitor or lender the same day if you can.
If you’re selling
- Instruct your solicitor when you list the property, not when an offer arrives. That way, ID checks and the contract pack can be ready on day one.
- Fill in the property information forms fully and accurately. Vague answers lead to extra enquiries later.
- Gather guarantees, warranties, planning permissions and building regulations certificates for any work you’ve had done.
- If your property is leasehold, ask your managing agent about the management pack early, as these often take weeks to arrive.
- Tell your solicitor about extensions, disputes or alterations up front. Surprises found later cost far more time.
What a good conveyancing solicitor does to keep things moving
Your solicitor can’t make a slow council faster. Still, the right one makes a real difference to how long conveyancing takes, mostly by catching problems early.
For example, say your seller built an extension without building regulations sign-off. A proactive solicitor spots that in the contract pack and raises it straight away. You then have time to agree an indemnity policy or another fix, rather than discovering the problem a week before exchange.
Good firms also chase rather than wait. They keep in regular contact with the estate agent, the lender and the other side’s solicitor, and they update you without you having to ask. Online case tracking and digital document signing help too, because you can see progress and sign forms in minutes instead of posting them.
When you compare firms, ask three things. Who will handle my file day to day? How often will I hear from you? What happens if that person is away? Clear answers tell you more than any price quote.
Will the government’s reforms speed up conveyancing?
Eventually, perhaps. However, they won’t change a move you’re making this year.
The June 2026 roadmap sets out plans to require “sales packs” before a property is listed, including searches and a property condition report. It also plans binding conditional contracts, but only once sales packs are in place. The government aims to complete the Local Land Charges programme, which moves council land charges data to a central digital register at HM Land Registry, by 2028. For leasehold sales, it intends to use the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to cap fees and turnaround times for sales information, with a consultation planned for next year.
Most of these changes need new legislation first. Until they arrive, preparation and quick replies remain the most reliable ways to shorten your timeline.
Conveyancing timescales: frequently asked questions
Is conveyancing still 8 to 12 weeks?
For some simple, chain-free freehold purchases, yes. For the average move, no. Government figures put the typical time from offer to completion at around 120 days, and Rightmove’s figure is longer still.
Can conveyancing be completed in 4 weeks?
It’s possible but rare. It usually needs a cash buyer, no chain, a freehold property, quick searches and everyone ready with their paperwork. Don’t plan your move around it.
How long does conveyancing take in Scotland?
Scotland uses a different legal system, with more information provided upfront through Home Reports. Rightmove’s July 2026 data puts the average at 98 days from sale agreed to completion, well below the rest of Great Britain.
How long does conveyancing take after a mortgage offer?
It depends on what’s still outstanding. If the searches, enquiries and survey are already done, exchange can follow fairly quickly. If not, the mortgage offer is just one box ticked, and the slowest remaining item decides the date.
Does leasehold conveyancing take longer?
Yes. Leasehold deals involve extra parties and paperwork. On Rightmove’s figures, flats take about three weeks longer to complete than terraced or semi-detached houses.
What is the slowest part of conveyancing?
Usually searches, mortgage offers and replies to enquiries. In a chain, the slowest link sets the pace for everyone.
Ready to get your move started?
Conveyancing timescales depend on your chain, your property and the people involved. You can’t control every part of that. You can, however, start early, keep your paperwork ready and choose a solicitor who keeps the file moving.
Chapter Law offers clear, fixed-fee conveyancing with a dedicated solicitor guiding you through each stage, whether you’re buying, selling, remortgaging or transferring ownership. Get in touch today for a no-obligation quote and advice tailored to your situation.