How long does conveyancing take?

How long conveyancing takes depends on the property and the chain, but most moves complete within 10 to 16 weeks of an offer being accepted. A chain-free purchase of a registered freehold can be quicker, around 8 to 12 weeks. A leasehold flat, or a long chain, can stretch to four to six months. The honest part is that much of the wait is outside any solicitor’s control.

This guide gives a realistic, stage-by-stage timeline, explains where the real hold-ups come from, and, the worry behind most of the frustration, helps you tell whether your solicitor is the problem or whether the delay is simply normal.

A realistic timeline, stage by stage

A typical purchase runs through these stages. The times are rough, and the stages overlap rather than run in a neat line.

Because the stages overlap, a transaction with one slow element can still finish near the average, while another drags. After completion, your solicitor pays any tax due and registers you as the owner at HM Land Registry, registration can take several weeks, but it does not hold up your move.

Why does it take so long?

Four things cause most delays, and three of them have nothing to do with your solicitor’s diligence:

• Local authority searches. Officially due in about 10 working days, but some councils run weeks behind, which can add a month or more to the wait.
• Mortgage offers. A standard application for an employed buyer with clean credit takes around three to five weeks; self-employed, contractor or adverse-credit cases routinely take six to ten.
• Leasehold management packs. If you are buying a flat, the freeholder or managing agent must supply a management pack, and there is no legal deadline for it, four to eight weeks is common. We cover this on our leasehold conveyancing page.
• Chains. Every extra property in the chain adds another transaction that has to move in step with yours, and another point at which the whole thing can stall or fall through.

Is my solicitor slow, or is this normal?

This is the question behind most of the frustration, and the fair answer is usually that it is the process, not the person. Searches, mortgage offers and leasehold packs are all in other organisations’ hands. A good solicitor chases them, but cannot conjure a council search or a lender’s offer out of thin air.

What is in your solicitor’s control is narrower, but real: opening the file promptly, raising enquiries quickly and clearly, not sitting on letters from the other side, and keeping you informed. If those things are happening, a long wait is probably normal. If your solicitor cannot tell you what is outstanding or who is holding things up, that is a different matter, and the section below is for you.

What can actually speed things up?

You have less control than you would like, but a few things genuinely help:

• Get your paperwork ready early, proof of identity and address, and evidence of where your deposit came from. Having it ready before your offer is accepted can save a week or more.
• Instruct your solicitor the day your offer is accepted, not a fortnight later.
• Reply to your solicitor’s requests quickly; your own slow replies are one delay you can remove entirely.
• Choose chain-free where you can, buying from a developer, an investor, or a seller moving into rented accommodation removes a major source of delay.
• Stay in touch with your solicitor and estate agent about once a week, so nothing sits unanswered.

GOV.UK has a general guide to buying and selling your home if you want the wider picture.

A South Wales note: coal mining searches

If you are buying in the South Wales coalfield, much of the valleys, and parts of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, your solicitor will usually order a coal mining search alongside the standard ones. It checks for old workings, shafts and any risk of subsidence beneath the property. It is a sensible and often essential check in this part of the country, and worth allowing for in your timetable, as it is one more report to wait on.

When a delay is a red flag, and what to ask for

Long quiet stretches are normal; a solicitor who cannot account for the delay is not. As a rough guide, if you are around twelve weeks in and no one can tell you what is still outstanding, it is reasonable to push. Ask for two things in writing: a list of exactly what is being chased and from whom, and a realistic target date for exchange. A firm on top of your file can produce both quickly. If yours cannot, that tells you something useful.

How we keep things moving

Our conveyancing team acts for buyers and sellers across South Wales and the South West, on freehold and leasehold alike. We keep your file moving, chase the parts we can, and explain in plain English where things stand, so you are not left guessing. You can read more about how we handle a purchase on our buying a property page, or estimate your costs with our conveyancing fees calculator. To get started, request a callback and we will come back to you.