The Conveyancing Process Explained: A Step-by-Step Timeline

Once your offer is accepted, the conveyancing process is what turns an agreement into legal ownership — and for most people it is the most opaque part of moving home. If you are wondering how long conveyancing takes and what your solicitor is actually doing for weeks on end, this guide walks through the whole journey stage by stage. Knowing the sequence helps you spot delays early, chase the right person at the right moment, and keep your move on track.

How long does conveyancing take?

For a straightforward freehold purchase, conveyancing typically takes somewhere in the region of eight to twelve weeks from offer to completion. But that is an average, not a promise. Leasehold properties, long chains, mortgage complications and slow search results can all stretch the timeline considerably, while a cash buyer with no chain can sometimes complete much faster. The honest answer is that it takes as long as the slowest link in the chain allows.

“Conveyancing rarely fails for one big reason — it stalls on a dozen small ones. The buyers who complete fastest are the ones who respond to every request the day it lands.”

Stage 1: Instructing your conveyancer

The clock starts when you instruct a conveyancer or solicitor — ideally the moment your offer is accepted. They will send you initial paperwork, verify your identity for anti-money-laundering checks, and confirm where your deposit funds are coming from. Choosing your conveyancer in advance, before you even have an offer accepted, can save valuable days here.

Stage 2: Draft contract and supporting documents

The seller's conveyancer prepares the draft contract and a pack of supporting documents, including the title and standard property information forms in which the seller discloses what they know about the home. Your conveyancer reviews these and raises initial enquiries — questions about anything unclear or concerning.

Stage 3: Searches

Your conveyancer orders searches with various authorities to uncover anything that might affect the property. These are routine but essential, and the time they take to come back is one of the most common sources of delay.

• Local authority search — planning history, road schemes and any enforcement notices.
• Environmental search — flood risk, contaminated land and ground stability.
• Water and drainage search — how the property connects to mains supply and sewers.
• Any property-specific searches your conveyancer recommends for the area.

Stage 4: Mortgage offer and survey

If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender carries out a valuation and issues a formal mortgage offer. Many buyers also commission their own survey at this stage to check the property's condition. Issues thrown up by either the survey or the lender's valuation can lead to renegotiation, which is sensible but does add time.

Stage 5: Enquiries and reporting

This is where most of the back-and-forth happens. Your conveyancer chases responses to enquiries, reviews the search results, and once satisfied prepares a report on title for you — explaining what you are buying and flagging anything you need to know. You will be asked to read and sign the contract and transfer your deposit to your conveyancer.

Stage 6: Exchange of contracts

Exchange is the pivotal moment. Once contracts are exchanged, the agreement becomes legally binding: neither side can walk away without serious financial consequences, and a completion date is fixed. Up to this point either party can withdraw, so until you exchange, nothing is guaranteed.

Stage 7: Completion

On completion day the balance of the purchase price is transferred, the seller hands over the keys, and the property is legally yours. Afterwards your conveyancer settles any stamp duty due and registers your ownership with the Land Registry, tidying up the final legal loose ends.

What slows conveyancing down

If you understand where the bottlenecks usually sit, you can do a great deal to avoid them. Most delays trace back to a handful of recurring culprits rather than anything dramatic.

• Long chains — every additional buyer and seller adds another link that can stall the whole transaction.
• Slow search turnaround from a busy local authority, which is outside everyone's control.
• Leasehold complications, where information has to be gathered from the freeholder or managing agent.
• Mortgage delays, missing paperwork or a down-valuation that forces renegotiation.
• Unresponsive parties who sit on enquiries and forms for days or weeks at a time.

Budget for the full cost of moving

Conveyancing fees, searches, surveys, removals and stamp duty add up fast, and it is easy to underestimate the total. Before you commit, get a clear picture of every cost involved in your move so there are no nasty surprises at completion.

How to keep things moving

You have more influence over the timeline than you might think. Instruct your conveyancer early, return every form and identity document the day it arrives, line up your mortgage in advance, and stay in regular but reasonable contact with your conveyancer and estate agent. Most delays come from waiting on paperwork — so be the person who never holds up the chain.

The takeaway

The conveyancing process can feel slow and mysterious, but it follows a logical sequence from instruction through searches and enquiries to exchange and completion. Understanding where you are in that journey lets you anticipate the next step, respond quickly, and keep your purchase on the fastest realistic path to your new front door.

This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Conveyancing timescales and requirements vary by property and circumstance — always instruct and take guidance from a qualified conveyancer or solicitor.