How long does conveyancing actually take?
Typical UK conveyancing takes 8 to 12 weeks from offer accepted to completion. Here's what happens in each week, and where delays tend to creep in.
Most UK conveyancing transactions complete in 8 to 12 weeks from offer accepted, but the range can stretch to 16 weeks if there's a long chain or a complex leasehold. Here's a realistic week-by-week breakdown.
Weeks 1 to 2: Instruction and ID. Your solicitor opens a file, runs identity checks (usually via a provider like Credas), and requests the seller's solicitor's initial contract pack. If you come in pre-prepared, which is how we're built, this stage compresses to days, not weeks.
Weeks 2 to 4: Searches and enquiries. Local authority, water, drainage and environmental searches are ordered. Most come back in 10 to 20 working days, though some councils are slower. Your solicitor raises pre-contract enquiries with the seller's solicitor based on the contract pack.
Weeks 4 to 8: Mortgage and report on title. Your lender issues the mortgage offer (if they haven't already). Your solicitor produces a report on title for you, the document that explains what you're buying.
Weeks 8 to 10: Exchange of contracts. Once searches are back, enquiries answered, and mortgage in place, your solicitor agrees a completion date with the seller and you exchange contracts. At this point, both parties are legally committed.
Weeks 10 to 12: Completion. Funds transfer, keys handed over. Post-completion, your solicitor registers the transaction at HM Land Registry and files your Stamp Duty return with HMRC.
Where delays happen. Long chains, leasehold management packs (LPE1), delayed mortgage offers, and slow seller-side responses. Our model, preparing your file before we're even instructed, removes 2 to 3 weeks from the start of the timeline.
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