Why Is Conveyancing Taking So Long, and What Can You Do About It?

A typical purchase in England and Wales takes about 12 weeks from offer accepted to moving in, says the government's buying guide. Leasehold often takes a few weeks longer. If yours is overrunning, the hold-up is usually in one of five places: searches, enquiries, the mortgage, the chain or a leasehold pack. Find which, and you know who to chase.

How long conveyancing should take

The government's guide to buying a home puts the stretch from offer accepted to moving in at around 12 weeks, and says plainly that timing varies. Inside that:

• Mortgage: roughly 18 to 40 days to arrange.
• Searches and survey: roughly 28 to 45 days.
• Exchange to completion: often 2 to 4 weeks, and it can be the same day.

These stages overlap, which is why the total is not the sum of the parts.

Going past 12 weeks does not mean something has gone wrong. It does mean you are entitled to a clear answer about why.

Why conveyancing takes so long

Most of the waiting happens while your solicitor waits on someone else. Here is where files usually sit.

Searches

Your solicitor orders searches from the local council, the water company and an environmental provider. How quickly they come back depends on who is supplying them, and some councils are slower than others. When results raise a question, such as missing planning permission for an extension, that needs following up before you commit.

Enquiries

Your solicitor reads the contract pack and the title and sends questions to the seller's solicitor. Only the seller can answer them. This is where many purchases stall: a seller who is slow to reply, or a missing certificate for work done years ago, can hold things up for weeks.

The mortgage offer

The lender values the property and then issues the offer. Your solicitor cannot exchange until the offer is in and its conditions have been checked. Offers usually last only for a limited period, so if your purchase is dragging, ask your broker when yours runs out.

The chain

If your seller is buying and your buyer is selling, each sale depends on the next. Usually nobody exchanges until everyone in the chain is ready, so one slow link holds up the rest.

Leasehold information

Buying a flat? The landlord or managing agent has to supply information about service charges, ground rent and planned works, usually on a form called the LPE1. Your solicitor cannot hurry a third party they do not act for, which is one reason leasehold takes longer.

Checks on you and your money

By law, solicitors must check who you are and, where necessary, where your money comes from. A gifted deposit, savings moved from abroad or the proceeds of a sale all need paperwork. Missing bank statements are one of the most avoidable delays there is.

Your solicitor's own desk

Sometimes the delay is with the solicitor. Solicitors are required by their regulator, the SRA, to deliver a service that is competent and timely. If you suspect the file is sitting still, the next sections tell you what to do.

Exchange and completion: why exchange is the big wait

Exchange of contracts is when the deal becomes legally binding. If you pull out after exchange, you may lose your deposit and have to pay the seller's losses. That is why solicitors do not rush it.

Before exchange, your solicitor will normally need:

• the searches back and reviewed
• the seller's answers to enquiries
• your mortgage offer, with its conditions checked
• the contract and mortgage deed signed by you
• your deposit in their account
• the whole chain ready, with a completion date everyone agrees

Completion is moving day: the money moves and you get the keys. It often comes 2 to 4 weeks after exchange. Registering you as owner at HM Land Registry happens after completion and does not hold up your move.

What you can do yourself to speed things up

You cannot make a council or a seller move faster. You can make sure nothing waits on you.

• Get a mortgage decision in principle before you offer, then apply as soon as your offer is accepted.
• Send your ID and proof of funds on day one. For a gifted deposit, have the giver's details and bank statements ready too.
• Pay for searches straight away so your solicitor can order them early.
• Book your survey early, so it is not the last thing outstanding.
• Reply to your solicitor quickly and read their report when it arrives.
• A few days after your offer is accepted, check that the seller has instructed a solicitor. The government's guide suggests exactly this.
• Ask the estate agent about the chain. They talk to every party and often know first where it is stuck.

If you are selling: instruct your solicitor when you go on the market, not when you find a buyer. Fill in the property information form (TA6) and the fittings and contents form (TA10) promptly. Dig out guarantees, window certificates, planning permissions and building-control sign-off now. If your home is leasehold, ask the freeholder or managing agent for their information pack early.

How to put pressure on your solicitor (the right way)

Pressure works best when it is specific. In this order:

1. Ask for a written status update. What is outstanding, who it is waiting on, and when they expect it. Often this shows the delay is with a third party, and tells you who to chase.
2. Agree how often you will hear from them, for example a weekly email, so you are not chasing blind.
3. If the seller's side is the problem, ask your solicitor to chase in writing and ask the estate agent to chase the seller.
4. Go to the supervising partner. Every firm has to give you its complaints procedure in writing when you instruct it. It names who to contact.
5. Make a formal complaint in writing, marked "complaint". The firm then has up to eight weeks to put things right.
6. The Legal Ombudsman is the last resort. It is free, and you can go to it after the firm's final response or once eight weeks have passed. You must go within six months of the final response, and within a year of the problem (or of when you became aware of it).

Two things to know before step 6. The Ombudsman can recommend an apology, compensation or a reduced bill, but its own website warns that accepting a case can take many months. It will not rescue a purchase that is happening now. The SRA, meanwhile, deals with misconduct such as dishonesty, not delay, and says it does not usually investigate concerns about delays or communication.

On our own residential conveyancing files, you have a named solicitor from start to finish, so you know who to ask before you need to escalate.

When switching conveyancer makes sense

Switching can help when you are early in the process, have not exchanged, and have had no real answer for weeks despite escalating. It is rarely worth it close to exchange.

It is not free in time or money. You will usually pay the first firm for the work it has done, and the new firm needs the file before it can pick up. We cover the pros and cons in can you switch conveyancers during a property sale.

Questions people ask

Why does conveyancing take so long?

Because much of it waits on other people. Councils return searches, the seller's solicitor answers enquiries, the lender issues the mortgage offer and, in a chain, every buyer and seller usually has to be ready before anyone exchanges. A typical purchase in England and Wales takes about 12 weeks from offer to moving in. Leasehold often takes longer.

How can I speed up conveyancing?

Remove every wait that sits with you. Get a mortgage decision in principle before offering, send ID and proof of funds on day one, pay for searches straight away, book your survey early and reply to your solicitor quickly. Then ask your solicitor, in writing, what is outstanding and who it is waiting on.

Can I speed up conveyancing by doing anything myself?

Yes. Have your bank statements and gifted-deposit paperwork ready, apply for your mortgage as soon as your offer is accepted, and sign and return documents promptly. If you are selling, fill in the property information forms and gather certificates and guarantees early. Leaseholders should ask the managing agent for their pack straight away.

How do I put pressure on my solicitor?

Ask in writing for what is outstanding, who it is waiting on and when they expect it. Agree a weekly update. If nothing changes, contact the supervising partner named in the firm's complaints procedure, then make a formal written complaint. The firm has up to eight weeks to respond before you can go to the Legal Ombudsman.

Why do solicitors take so long to exchange contracts?

Exchange makes the deal legally binding, so everything usually has to be in place first: searches reviewed, enquiries answered, the mortgage offer checked, documents signed, the deposit received and a completion date agreed by the whole chain. Pull out after exchange and you can lose your deposit. One missing piece anywhere in the chain holds everyone up.

What should I do if my solicitor is taking too long with my house purchase?

First find out where the delay is. Ask for a written update listing what is outstanding and who it is waiting on. If the delay is with your own solicitor, escalate to the supervising partner and then make a formal complaint. If it is with the seller or the chain, ask your solicitor and the estate agent to chase.

What are the most common conveyancing delays, and how can I avoid them?

Slow searches, a seller who is slow to answer enquiries, a late mortgage offer, a stuck chain, leasehold information from a managing agent, and missing proof of funds. You cannot control all of them. You can instruct a solicitor early, have your documents ready, apply for your mortgage promptly and, if selling, prepare your forms before you find a buyer.

How long is it between exchange and completion?

Often 2 to 4 weeks, according to the government's buying guide, though exchange and completion can happen on the same day. The gap gives everyone time to arrange removals and move the money. You agree the completion date at exchange, and from then on both sides are legally bound to it.

Sources

Timescales, searches, enquiries, mortgage, exchange and completion: gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-buy-a-home/how-to-buy

Seller's forms, documents and leasehold information: gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-sell-a-home/how-to-sell-a-home

ID and source-of-funds checks: legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/692/regulation/28

Solicitors' duty of timely service and complaints handling: sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/

What the SRA does and does not investigate: sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/

Complaining to your lawyer, and the Legal Ombudsman: legalombudsman.org.uk/how-to-complain/ and legalombudsman.org.uk/for-consumers/faqs/

This is general information about buying and selling property in England and Wales, not advice on your purchase. Your own position depends on facts we would need to see.