The Conveyancing Timeline: A Stage-by-Stage Guide for 2026
This guide covers buying and selling in England and Wales and is general information, not legal advice. Scotland uses a different system, which we flag near the end.
The short answer
A straightforward conveyancing transaction usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from offer accepted to completion, the day you get the keys. The overall average is longer, at around 120 days according to the government, because chains, leasehold paperwork and slow searches pull it up. A chain-free purchase can complete in 6 to 10 weeks, and a cash buyer with no chain can sometimes do it in 4 to 6.
The headline range is the easy part. This guide maps where those weeks actually go, what you need to do at each stage to keep things moving, and what to do when a stage stalls.
The conveyancing timeline at a glance
Conveyancing isn't one long wait. It's a sequence of stages, some of which overlap. Here's the map for a typical freehold purchase with a mortgage:
| Stage | What's happening | Typical duration | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Instruction and ID | You appoint your conveyancer, complete ID and anti-money laundering checks, sign terms, and searches are ordered | 3 to 7 days | Return ID and forms the same day |
| 2. Searches and enquiries | Local authority, drainage and environmental searches come back, and your conveyancer raises enquiries on the seller's contract pack | 2 to 6 weeks | Read the search results and keep your mortgage moving |
| 3. Mortgage offer | Your lender values the property and issues a formal offer | 2 to 4 weeks, alongside stage 2 | Answer any lender conditions quickly |
| 4. Report and signing | Your conveyancer reports on the title, and you sign the contract and transfer | 3 to 10 days | Get your deposit ready and evidence where it came from |
| 5. Exchange of contracts | Both sides commit and the completion date is legally fixed | One day, once all the above is done | Arrange buildings insurance from exchange |
| 6. Completion | Pre-completion searches are done, then money moves and the keys are released | Usually 1 to 2 weeks after exchange | Book removals and take meter readings |
| 7. After completion | Your conveyancer pays any Stamp Duty and registers you at HM Land Registry | Days to file, weeks or months to register | Nothing: your conveyancer handles it |
The most important thing to understand: stages 2 and 3 run side by side, and they're where almost all the time goes. Everything after exchange is fast and predictable. Everything before it depends on how quickly other people respond.
Week by week: what's happening and what you should be doing
Weeks 1 to 2: getting set up. Your conveyancer confirms instructions, completes ID checks and orders searches. The seller's conveyancer sends the contract pack and the standard forms: the TA6 property information form, the TA10 fittings and contents form and, for leasehold, the TA7. Your job is to return everything the same day, because a two-day delay at the start can become a two-week delay later.
Weeks 3 to 6: the engine room. Searches come back, your conveyancer raises enquiries with the seller's side, and your lender values the property. This is the longest and least predictable stretch, because local authority search times vary from a few days to several weeks depending on the council. Your job is to keep your broker moving and answer questions quickly.
Weeks 6 to 9: reporting and signing. Once enquiries are answered and your mortgage offer is in, your conveyancer sends you a report on title and the contract to sign. Your job is to read the report, sign, and get your deposit, usually 10% of the price, ready to transfer.
Weeks 9 to 11: exchange and completion. With everyone in the chain ready, contracts are exchanged and completion follows, often one to two weeks later. In between, your conveyancer carries out pre-completion searches, including an HM Land Registry search that protects your purchase for 30 working days and a bankruptcy search. On completion day the money moves by bank transfer and the keys are released, usually around lunchtime. Your job is to book removals, insure the property from exchange and take meter readings.
How long does conveyancing take? By transaction type
The average hides a lot of variation. The biggest factor is whether you're in a chain, followed by whether the property is leasehold and how you're paying:
| Transaction type | Typical timeframe | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cash buyer, no chain | 4 to 6 weeks | No mortgage and no chain removes the two slowest links |
| Chain-free purchase with a mortgage | 6 to 10 weeks | The mortgage and searches are the only real dependencies |
| Freehold with a mortgage and a short chain | 8 to 12 weeks | The typical case |
| A longer chain | 12 to 20 weeks or more | You move at the speed of the slowest party |
| Leasehold flat | Often several weeks longer | The landlord or managing agent's information pack is a common bottleneck |
| New build | Varies | If it isn't built yet, completion follows the developer's build timetable |
| Traditional auction | Usually 28 days from the auction | Contracts exchange when the hammer falls, and the auction terms fix completion |
| Modern method of auction | Often around 56 days in total | You pay a non-refundable reservation fee and then have a set time to exchange and complete |
New builds behave very differently: developers often set tight deadlines to exchange, but completion can be months away. Our guide on how conveyancing differs on a new build explains more, and our guide to freehold and leasehold covers why leasehold purchases take longer.
What speeds it up, and what slows it down
Some of the timeline is in your hands, and much of it isn't. Knowing which is which tells you where it's worth pushing. These are largely in your control:
- Returning ID, forms and signed documents the same day you receive them
- Having a mortgage agreed in principle, ideally with a full application ready, before your offer is accepted
- Lining up your deposit early, with evidence of where it came from for anti-money laundering checks
- Choosing a conveyancer who can start straight away
- Being chain-free, or buying from someone who is
These are mostly outside your control:
- Slow local authority searches, the most common cause of a stalled transaction
- A long chain, because you complete only when everyone is ready
- Leasehold information packs waiting with a landlord or managing agent
- Complex enquiries, such as unregistered title, missing planning or building regulations certificates, or a boundary or right of way question
- A down valuation by the lender's surveyor, which can reopen price negotiations
The three slowest links are usually the searches, the mortgage and, for flats, the leasehold pack, and only the mortgage is even partly in your control. Our guide to what checks and searches are involved in conveyancing explains each search.
Worked example: a chain-free first-time buyer
Here's a realistic timeline for Priya, a first-time buyer purchasing a £280,000 freehold house with a 10% deposit and a mortgage, from a seller who has already moved out, so there's no chain on either side:
- Day 1 (Monday): offer accepted. Priya instructs her conveyancer that afternoon and completes her ID check online the same evening.
- Week 1: searches are ordered and the seller's conveyancer sends the contract pack. Priya's broker submits her full mortgage application.
- Week 3: the drainage and environmental searches are back, but her council's local authority search is taking about four weeks. The mortgage valuation is booked.
- Week 4: her mortgage offer is issued. The local authority search arrives and flags a nearby planning application, so her conveyancer raises an enquiry.
- Week 5: the seller's side confirms the application is two streets away and doesn't affect the property. Priya receives her report on title and the contract.
- Week 6: Priya signs, transfers her £28,000 deposit, and contracts are exchanged on the Thursday, with completion set for the following Friday.
- Week 7 (Friday): The funds move in the morning and the keys are released at 12:30pm, just under seven weeks after her offer was accepted.
Priya's purchase was fast for three reasons: no chain, a mortgage application ready on day one, and same-day responses from her at every step. Add a chain, a leasehold pack or a week's delay returning documents, and seven weeks can easily become 12.
What to do if your conveyancing is taking too long
If you're past the typical window and worrying, the right move depends on where you're stuck:
| Where you're stuck | What's likely going on | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting on searches | A local authority backlog | Ask whether your lender will accept a regulated personal search or, in some cases, search indemnity insurance |
| Enquiries dragging on | The seller's side is slow, or there's a genuine title or planning issue | Ask for the specific outstanding enquiries in writing, and whether any can be covered by indemnity insurance |
| Mortgage offer delayed | A lender backlog or an outstanding condition | Push your broker. An unanswered lender condition is the usual cause |
| Everyone ready but no exchange date | A slow link elsewhere in the chain | Ask your estate agent to chase the chain and identify the slow party |
| The other side's conveyancer has gone quiet | A heavy caseload, or a query waiting on someone | Call rather than email, and ask for a written status on each outstanding item |
Two principles help. First, be specific: "what exactly are we waiting for, and from whom?" gets a far better answer than "any update?". Second, if the chain is the problem, no amount of chasing on your part can make someone else's conveyancer move faster. If a chain looks like it's collapsing, our guide on what to do if your property chain collapses sets out your options, and our guide to common conveyancing problems covers other hold-ups.
What's affecting timelines in 2026
- The April 2025 Stamp Duty changes. From 1 April 2025, the nil-rate band fell from £250,000 to £125,000 and first-time buyer relief from £425,000 to £300,000. The rush to beat the deadline caused a spike in transactions in early 2025. The market has since settled, but search and lender backlogs can still flare in busy periods.
- Search times. Local authority search turnaround still ranges from a few days to several weeks depending on the council, and it's the most common reason a simple purchase drifts past 12 weeks.
- Leasehold reform. Some changes under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 are in force, such as the right to extend a lease or buy the freehold without waiting two years. The valuation changes aren't yet and have no start date. Either way, the leasehold information pack remains a frequent bottleneck.
- Home buying reforms. The government announced plans on 19 June 2026 for upfront sales packs and binding contracts earlier in the process, aimed at shortening transactions. None of it is law yet.
Scotland works differently. The Scottish system uses "missives" rather than exchange of contracts and has its own timeline, so the stages here don't apply there.
Frequently asked questions
My searches have been outstanding for six weeks. Is that normal?
It can be. Local authority search times depend on the council, and some run to six weeks or more in busy periods. Ask your conveyancer whether your lender will accept a regulated personal search, which is often much faster.
The other side hasn't replied to enquiries for three weeks. What can I do?
Ask your conveyancer to send a chaser listing each outstanding enquiry, copied to the estate agent. Agents have a strong incentive to keep the deal alive. If it keeps stalling, ask whether any of the outstanding points could be covered by indemnity insurance instead.
Can I speed up my conveyancing?
You can't control searches or the chain, but you can control your own responsiveness, and that genuinely helps. Have your mortgage application ready before your offer is accepted, return every form and ID request the same day, and get your deposit in place early.
How long does it take to exchange once the searches are back?
Once searches are in, enquiries are answered and your mortgage offer is issued, exchange can happen within days. The usual hold-up is waiting for everyone in the chain to be ready at the same time.
How long is the gap between exchange and completion?
Typically one to two weeks, though it can be the same day if everyone agrees. The completion date is fixed when you exchange, so you'll know it the moment you're legally committed.
Does buying with no chain really make it faster?
Yes, significantly, because you no longer have to wait for other transactions to line up. A chain-free purchase often completes in 6 to 10 weeks, and a chain-free cash buyer can sometimes complete in 4 to 6.
Is the conveyancing timeline the same as how long it takes to move house?
Not quite. The conveyancing timeline covers the legal work from offer accepted to completion. Moving house also includes finding a property, surveys and removals, so the whole journey usually takes longer.
Related guides
For more on keeping your purchase on track, these guides may help:
- What to do if your property chain collapses
- Common conveyancing problems and what to do about them
- How does conveyancing differ when buying a new build home?
- What are disbursements in conveyancing?
Why choose Bird & Co for your conveyancing?
A timeline only helps if someone is actively driving it. Our conveyancing is transparent and fixed-fee, and our guide to disbursements explains the third-party costs. You'll have a dedicated conveyancer you can contact directly, so chasing a stage is a phone call, not a ticket.
We're accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) and Lexcel, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 1,100 reviews. Read more about our conveyancing service.
Get an instant conveyancing quote, call our new conveyancing enquiries line on 01476 591711, email enquiries@birdandco.co.uk or contact your nearest office, and we'll give you a realistic timeline for your purchase or sale.
In this article, we’ll explore the typical conveyancing process timeline, including the stages from offer acceptance to completion, and related considerations for those who are soon to purchase or sell a property.
If you require conveyancing support today, please contact our expert conveyancing solicitors at Bird & Co, to discuss how we can help you.
How long does conveyancing take?
The conveyancing process takes an average of 11 weeks from the point where the offer is first accepted. Of course, this timeframe can vary depending on many different factors. Generally speaking, the process should take somewhere between 11 and 21 weeks.
When you work with us at Bird & Co, we will attempt to give a timeframe estimate if possible, and will always keep you up to date with the progress of your transaction.
How long does conveyancing take with no chain?
Where there is a property chain, this means that there is a sequence of sellers and buyers, who are dependent on one another’s transactions, and consequently, any problems or issues experienced by one party, has an effect on the others. This way, issues that arise in some part of the chain can slow down the entire process.
Where there is no property chain, this can substantially reduce the potential for delays, and therefore speed up completion time.
Typically, where there is no chain, the average time that the conveyancing procedure would take would be approximately 6 to 8 weeks. The process may even take a shorter length of time, depending on the specifics of the transaction.
What delays the conveyancing process?
There are various issues that can delay the conveyancing process, including:
- Problems with property title: Issues with property title can cause delays, for instance, boundary disputes, or where the ownership history is unclear.
- Property search delays: Often, delays can occur with property searches, whether environmental searches or local authority searches, and these can slow down the transaction.
- Documentation issues: Delays might also be caused by documentation issues, including document errors, or missing paperwork.
Though conveyancing timescales can vary, and issues cannot always be avoided, working with a specialist solicitor can contribute to a smoother and faster process.
Why does conveyancing take so long?
The conveyancing stages can take a long time due to various different factors; these include:
Legal complications: Certain properties may be associated with legal complications, whether that’s issues with rights of way, or boundary disputes.
Documentation verification: Verifying and collecting the required property documents and take some time, and it is not uncommon for there to be delays. Documents that will need to be collected and verified include planning permission, building regulations, or title deeds.
Transaction chain: Where a transaction is part of a property chain there is a greater likelihood of delays, for instance, where one party experiences an issue that affects the other stakeholders.
Delays are common throughout the conveyancing process, particularly where transactions are part of a more complex chain. Rest assured, our team at Bird & Co have much experience dealing with conveyancing delays, solving issues, and speeding up transactions as far as possible.
What is the step by step conveyancing process?
The conveyancing process will vary depending on the deal, though broadly speaking, a typical conveyancing timeline looks something like this:
Pre-contract enquiries
The initial stages of the conveyancing process involve pre-contract enquiries, at this stage the seller’s solicitor will have provided a contract pack, detailing the information about the property, and have drafted a contract of sale.
The seller acting on behalf of the buyer will review the contract of sale and contract pack. If there are any issues with either of these documents, they will address these right away with the buyers solicitor. This stage may take days to weeks, dependant on whether or not initial issues arise.
Property searches and checks
The solicitor acting on behalf of the buyer will need to arrange for several property checks and searches to be carried out. This part of the process helps to identify whether there are issues with the property. Carrying out these checks takes approximately between 2 and 6 weeks. The searches and checks involved include:
- Local authority searches
- Land registry searches
- Environmental searches
- Water authority searches
Exchange of contracts
At this stage, the solicitor acting for the buyer and the solicitor acting for the seller will compare contracts, to ensure that both are identical. Once it is confirmed that the contracts are the same, the solicitors post the signed copies to one another, which completes the contract exchange. The contract exchange process takes a few days.
Completion stage
It is at the completion stage where the funds are transferred, and the buyer legally becomes the owner. During the contract negotiation phases, a completion date is set, this date might be as early as the contract exchange day, or around a month afterwards, depending on any delays.
Our specialist solicitors at Bird & Co can walk you through all of the conveyancing steps, whilst providing bespoke advice based on your unique situation.
Why choose Bird & Co as your conveyancing solicitor?
At Bird & Co, we are both Conveyancing Quality Scheme and Lexcel accredited by the Law Society. Our talented team have the experience and knowledge to handle all manner of property transactions, no matter how complex.
We can provide an expert conveyancing service for clients across England and Wales, as well as international clients, using our online service.
Our team have a broad range of experience in property types, including different types of property transaction. Bird & Co have an excellent reputation, based on our commitment to our clients and our bespoke and convenient service.
Contact our conveyancing solicitors today
To discuss your conveyancing needs with our expert conveyancing solicitors today, please contact us at Bird & Co.
You can call us on 01476 372 038, our specialist team will be happy to answer any queries that you have.