What Is Conveyancing and How Long Does It Take?

Conveyancing is the part of buying or selling a home that most people hand entirely to a solicitor and try not to think about. That's understandable — but it's also the stage where most delays happen, most costs accumulate, and most sales fall through.

Understanding what conveyancing actually involves — and what you can do to keep it moving — is one of the more practical things you can do before you start a transaction.

What Is Conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from one person to another. It begins the moment an offer is accepted and ends on completion day when the keys change hands and the title is registered in the buyer's name at HM Land Registry.

In England and Wales, conveyancing must be carried out by a solicitor or licensed conveyancer. You can't legally transfer property ownership yourself. The work involves investigating the legal title of the property, carrying out a series of searches, drafting and exchanging contracts, and managing the transfer of funds on completion.

Conveyancing happens in two distinct phases separated by the most important moment in the transaction: exchange of contracts.

Before exchange, nothing is legally binding. Either party can withdraw at any time without penalty (though you may lose money spent on surveys and legal fees). After exchange, both parties are legally committed. Withdrawing after exchange carries serious financial consequences.

What Your Conveyancer Actually Does

Most buyers and sellers are surprised by the volume of work involved. Here's what's happening behind the scenes from offer acceptance to completion.

Reviewing the draft contract — the seller's solicitor prepares the initial contract pack, which includes title documents, property information forms, and fixtures and fittings lists. Your solicitor reviews these and raises any initial queries.

Ordering and reviewing searches — your solicitor orders a set of mandatory searches on your behalf. These include a local authority search (checking for planning issues, enforcement notices, and road adoption), an environmental search (flood risk, contaminated land, ground stability), and a water and drainage search. Some searches are optional depending on location.

Raising enquiries — based on the searches and contract documents, your solicitor will raise formal enquiries with the seller's solicitor. These questions must be answered in writing before exchange can happen.

Reviewing the survey — your solicitor will note any legal implications from your survey report, such as whether any building works have the appropriate planning and building regulations approval.

Liaising with your mortgage lender — your lender's solicitor (often the same firm) will confirm that the property is suitable security for the loan and that the title is satisfactory before releasing mortgage funds.

Reporting to you — once searches, enquiries, and mortgage offer are all in order, your solicitor prepares a report summarising everything and seeks your authority to proceed to exchange.

Exchange of contracts — both solicitors confirm exchange simultaneously, the deposit is transferred, and a completion date is set. Both parties are now legally bound.

Completion — funds are transferred, the seller vacates, and keys are handed over. Your solicitor then registers the title in your name at HM Land Registry and pays any stamp duty owed within 14 days.

How Long Does Conveyancing Take?

This is the question everyone asks and few solicitors will answer precisely — because the honest answer depends heavily on the specific transaction. That said, realistic ranges by scenario are:

In 2026, the average conveyancing process takes 16 to 20 weeks from offer acceptance to completion, according to conveyancing firm Enact. This is longer than many buyers and sellers expect — and longer than it was even a few years ago, with average time to exchange rising 37% since 2019. Our guide to how long it takes to sell a house breaks down the full timeline.

What Causes Delays

Most delays fall into a handful of predictable categories:

Local authority search turnaround times vary enormously by council. Some return results within days. Others take four to six weeks. This is largely outside your control, though some solicitors use personal search companies as a faster alternative to official searches.

Slow responses to enquiries — if the seller can't locate building regs certificates for an extension, or a management company is slow to provide a leasehold pack, the whole transaction waits. This is why gathering your paperwork before listing is so valuable as a seller.

Mortgage offer delays — if your lender requires additional documentation, carries out a down-valuation, or takes longer than expected with underwriting, the transaction stalls until the offer is issued.

Chain dependencies — every party in a chain must be ready simultaneously. A delay at any link affects everyone above and below. See our guide on what is a property chain for more on managing this.

Slow communication — delayed responses from buyers, sellers, or either party's solicitor can add weeks to a transaction unnecessarily. This is entirely within your control.

What Conveyancing Costs

Conveyancing fees have two components: the solicitor's professional fee and a set of disbursements — third-party costs that your solicitor pays on your behalf.

Leasehold purchases add a further £200–£500 for reviewing the lease, management pack, and associated documentation. For a full breakdown of all buying costs including stamp duty, see our guide to the cost of buying a house in the UK.

These costs are in addition to stamp duty, which is calculated separately and paid by your solicitor to HMRC within 14 days of completion. Use the HMRC Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator to work out your liability.

Choosing a Conveyancer

Not all conveyancers are equal — and a slow or unresponsive firm can add weeks to your transaction. When choosing:

Look for Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation, which indicates a specialist firm meeting defined quality standards. Check independent reviews on Google or Trustpilot. Ask specifically who will be handling your case day-to-day and how often they'll update you. Avoid firms that promise unrealistically short timescales to win your instruction — these are usually the ones that disappoint later.

Price comparison sites can be useful for getting quotes, but the cheapest option is rarely the fastest. A solicitor who charges £100 less but adds three weeks to your transaction isn't saving you money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a solicitor and a licensed conveyancer?

Both can carry out conveyancing legally. A solicitor is a qualified lawyer who can handle a wider range of legal matters. A licensed conveyancer specialises solely in property law. For a standard residential transaction, either is appropriate. For complex situations — disputed titles, boundary issues, unusual leases — a solicitor with property law experience may be preferable.

Can conveyancing be sped up?

Yes, within limits. The factors within your control are: instructing your solicitor early, responding to all queries within 24 hours, having all documentation ready before the transaction starts, and maintaining regular communication with your solicitor. The factors outside your control — search turnaround times, chain dependencies, mortgage processing — you can only manage by choosing a proactive firm and staying on top of progress.

What happens if conveyancing takes too long and my mortgage offer expires?

Mortgage offers typically last three to six months. If your transaction is delayed beyond that, you'll need to apply for an extension or reapply entirely — which may result in a different rate if the market has moved. This is one reason why keeping momentum in a transaction matters.

Do I need to use the conveyancer my estate agent recommends?

No. Estate agents often have referral arrangements with conveyancing firms. You're under no obligation to use their recommendation, and in many cases their preferred firm won't be the best or cheapest option for you. Always get at least two or three quotes and choose based on reviews and communication rather than convenience for the agent. Our guide to how to choose an estate agent covers referral arrangements in more detail.

What is the difference between exchange and completion?

Exchange is when contracts are signed and both parties become legally committed. A completion date is set at exchange — usually one to two weeks later, though it can be longer. Completion is the day the money transfers, the seller vacates, and the buyer receives the keys. Most transactions aim for exchange and completion to happen fairly close together to reduce the window of uncertainty.

Is Brix&Mortr useful during the conveyancing process?

Before the conveyancing process even begins, knowing whether the agreed price reflects what the property is genuinely worth protects you from overpaying. Brix&Mortr gives you a price range built on real Land Registry sold prices — so if a down-valuation comes back from your lender, or you want to renegotiate based on survey findings, you already have an independent baseline to work from.