Why Does It Take So Long to Buy a House?

The Legal Process Is Holding the Property Market Back and I Think It's Time Conveyancing Entered the 21st Century

By Jon Brierley, Founder & Managing Director of Lennon James Property

We can photograph a property today.

Create a cinematic video of it tomorrow.

Produce a 360-degree virtual tour.

Launch it on Rightmove and Zoopla.

Put it in front of thousands of people through Facebook and Instagram.

A buyer can discover it on their phone, virtually walk around it from their sofa, book a viewing online and potentially agree to buy it within a matter of days.

Then something rather strange happens.

We find a buyer.

Everyone celebrates.

The board changes to SOLD STC.

And suddenly a process that has become incredibly modern can feel like it travels 20 years backwards.

Welcome to conveyancing.

I've spent the majority of my working life in property and there aren't many parts of the home moving process that frustrate me more.

Not because solicitors aren't important.

They are absolutely essential.

Not because the legal work shouldn't be thorough.

It should.

Buying a home is a major legal and financial commitment and buyers deserve proper protection.

My frustration is with the system itself.

Too much fragmentation. Too many different organisations. Too much duplicated information. Too many emails. Too much waiting for one party to respond to another party before somebody else can do something.

And far too little transparency for the people who actually matter:

The buyer and the seller.

In my opinion, the legal process involved in buying and selling property in England and Wales needs major modernisation.

We have a 21st-century property market trying to complete transactions through a process that too often doesn't feel 21st century at all.

How Long Does It Take to Buy a House in the UK?

There isn't one fixed answer.

A straightforward transaction can move relatively quickly.

A complicated chain can take considerably longer.

According to the government's current guidance, buying or selling a home normally takes around five months and it can take longer where somebody is part of a chain.

Five months.

Think about that for a moment.

You can find somebody willing to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on your property within a week.

But turning that agreement into a completed transaction can take months.

And throughout much of that period, in England and Wales, the transaction remains vulnerable because an accepted offer isn't legally binding until contracts are exchanged.

That creates uncertainty for everyone.

Why Does Conveyancing Take So Long?

This is the question we hear constantly at Lennon James.

“What's actually happening?”

“Why haven't we exchanged?”

“What are we waiting for?”

“Why does nobody seem to know?”

Usually, there isn't one answer.

That's part of the problem.

A property transaction can involve:

the buyer,

the seller,

two estate agents,

two conveyancers,

a mortgage broker,

a lender,

a surveyor,

a management company,

a freeholder,

a local authority,

search providers,

HM Land Registry,

and potentially several more buyers and sellers if there's a chain.

One transaction can therefore depend upon an extraordinary number of people and organisations.

And the transaction can only move as quickly as some of its slowest components.

The Property Chain Makes Everything Harder

Imagine we're selling your home in Huntingdon.

You've found a buyer.

Great.

You're buying in St Ives.

Your seller is buying in Cambridge.

The person they're buying from is purchasing a property elsewhere.

Suddenly your move isn't one transaction.

It's a sequence of interconnected transactions.

If one buyer's mortgage offer is delayed, everybody can be affected.

If one survey raises an issue, everybody waits.

If one solicitor is waiting for enquiries, everybody waits.

If one management pack is missing, everybody waits.

If somebody changes their mind, the entire chain can potentially be affected.

This is why sales progression is such an important part of estate agency.

Finding a buyer is only the beginning.

“Sold” Doesn't Actually Mean Sold

This is another part of our property system that I think consumers understandably find confusing.

We put a SOLD STC board outside a house.

But legally, the property isn't necessarily sold.

“Sold Subject to Contract” essentially means an offer has been accepted but contracts haven't yet been exchanged.

Either party can still withdraw.

The Government's guide confirms that an offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged.

That's a fairly extraordinary situation when you think about it.

A buyer may have spent money on:

a survey,

mortgage fees,

legal work,

searches,

and potentially removals planning.

A seller may have:

found another property,

started packing,

planned schools,

arranged work,

and emotionally committed to moving.

Yet the transaction can still collapse.

Why Do House Sales Fall Through?

There are dozens of reasons.

A survey discovers a problem.

The mortgage valuation comes in lower than expected.

A buyer loses their mortgage offer.

Someone changes jobs.

The chain collapses elsewhere.

A legal issue appears in the title.

A lease creates a problem.

Information is missing.

A management company takes too long to respond.

Someone tries to renegotiate.

Or occasionally somebody simply changes their mind.

Some of those things are unavoidable.

Others, in my view, could be reduced substantially by changing when information is collected.

We Discover Too Much Too Late

This is one of my biggest criticisms of the current system.

Why do we wait until a buyer has been found before discovering information that could have been established before the property went on the market?

Think about it.

We prepare the photography before launch.

We prepare the description.

We prepare the floorplan.

We prepare the video.

We establish the asking price.

We prepare the marketing.

Why shouldn't we prepare more of the legal information too?

The Government's seller guidance actually recommends instructing a legal representative early and notes that doing so can help avoid delays.

I completely agree.

I Would Like to See Much More Upfront Property Information

Imagine a property came to market with far more of the legal groundwork already completed.

Identity checks done.

Property forms completed.

Title documents checked.

Lease information available where relevant.

Planning paperwork gathered.

Building regulations documentation available.

Guarantees located.

Fixtures and fittings considered.

Known issues identified.

Management information requested.

Basic legal questions anticipated.

Then, when the buyer is found, the transaction starts from a much stronger position.

Instead, too often we begin gathering essential information after the starting gun has already fired.

That doesn't make sense to me.

Searches Can Add More Time

Buyers' conveyancers may need various searches depending on the property and lender requirements.

Local authority searches can reveal information relating to matters such as planning, building regulations and highways.

There can also be environmental and drainage searches and additional searches depending on location and circumstances.

These checks exist for good reasons.

The problem isn't necessarily that searches happen.

It's that so much of the process happens sequentially rather than simultaneously.

Something is requested.

We wait.

It arrives.

Someone reviews it.

That creates another question.

The question goes elsewhere.

We wait again.

Multiply that process across an entire chain and it's easy to see how weeks disappear.

Leasehold Properties Can Be Even More Complicated

If you're buying or selling a leasehold property, there can be additional parties involved.

Freeholders.

Managing agents.

Management companies.

Service-charge information.

Ground-rent information.

Buildings insurance.

Major works.

Lease terms.

Management packs.

Consent requirements.

The conveyancer may need information from organisations that have no particular commercial incentive to move at the speed the buyer and seller would like.

And everybody else is left waiting.

Again.

Mortgage Lenders Add Another Layer

If the buyer requires a mortgage, the lender needs to be satisfied too.

The buyer may have an Agreement in Principle before offering, but the full mortgage application comes later.

There can then be:

affordability checks,

valuation,

underwriting,

additional information requests,

and ultimately the mortgage offer.

If the lender's valuation raises an issue, it can affect the whole transaction.

This is why I strongly encourage buyers to get their finances properly prepared before they start making offers.

What Can a Seller Do to Speed Up Conveyancing?

Quite a lot.

And this is where I'd encourage homeowners to be proactive.

Instruct your solicitor before you find a buyer.

Don't wait until the morning we agree a sale to start looking for one.

Get everything ready.

Complete the onboarding.

Complete your ID checks.

Provide the information requested.

Start completing your property forms.

Locate documents relating to extensions or alterations.

Find planning permissions.

Building Regulation certificates.

FENSA certificates.

Boiler information.

Guarantees.

Warranties.

Electrical paperwork.

Lease documents.

Anything relevant to the property.

The more prepared you are, the less likely your solicitor is to spend the first two weeks of the transaction asking you for information that could have been supplied beforehand.

Fill Your Forms In Properly

This sounds basic, but it matters.

Don't leave questions unanswered because you're not sure.

Ask.

Don't guess either.

Your solicitor can advise you.

Incomplete information often generates additional enquiries later.

A few extra minutes spent getting something right at the beginning could save days further down the process.

Tell Your Solicitor About Problems Early

If there is something unusual about your property, don't hope nobody notices.

An extension without obvious paperwork.

A historic boundary issue.

A right of way.

Solar panels.

A septic tank.

An unusual covenant.

A lease problem.

An unresolved planning matter.

Tell your solicitor.

The earlier an issue is identified, the more time there is to solve it.

Surprises are rarely helpful in conveyancing.

What Can Buyers Do to Speed Up a House Purchase?

Preparation matters just as much for buyers.

Before you make an offer, ideally have:

your mortgage Agreement in Principle,

your deposit position understood,

your ID documentation available,

proof of funds available,

and your solicitor chosen.

Once your offer is accepted, move quickly.

Submit the full mortgage application.

Pay for searches promptly.

Arrange your survey.

Respond to your solicitor.

Read documents when they arrive.

Ask questions.

And don't disappear for a fortnight on holiday without telling anybody.

That last one happens more often than you might imagine.

Choose Your Solicitor Carefully

This is probably the biggest piece of advice I can give both buyers and sellers.

Please don't choose your conveyancer purely because they're £150 cheaper.

I'm not saying the most expensive solicitor is automatically the best.

Far from it.

But property transactions are complicated enough without adding poor communication to the equation.

You want somebody who:

responds,

communicates,

understands property,

identifies problems early,

explains issues clearly,

and recognises that there are human beings waiting to move home at the other end of the file.

Why Lennon James Recommends Larrington & Co

At Lennon James, we work incredibly closely with Larrington & Co.

And there's a reason we recommend them.

It's not simply about passing somebody a solicitor's telephone number.

It's about how closely the transaction can then be managed.

When we're progressing a sale and the solicitor is somebody we know, trust and communicate with regularly, it can make an enormous difference.

We can speak.

We can understand where the transaction genuinely is.

We can identify what is outstanding.

We can help get information from the relevant parties.

And if there's a problem, everybody can work together to try to solve it.

In my experience, Larrington & Co are exceptional at this.

They understand that conveyancing isn't simply about completing a legal file.

There is a buyer and seller at either end who are trying to move their lives from one property to another.

That matters.

Communication Is Often the Difference

I've seen transactions where the legal issue itself wasn't particularly complicated.

The real problem was that nobody knew what was happening.

The buyer phones the estate agent.

The estate agent emails the solicitor.

The solicitor is waiting for the other solicitor.

The other solicitor is waiting for the seller.

The seller thought they'd already sent it.

The buyer thinks nothing has happened for two weeks.

Frustration builds.

Confidence falls.

And suddenly a relatively small issue feels enormous.

Good communication doesn't magically remove legal problems.

But it can stop uncertainty becoming a bigger problem than the legal issue itself.

This Is Why Our Job Doesn't End When We Find a Buyer

I think some homeowners assume an estate agent's job is effectively finished when a sale is agreed.

I completely disagree.

At Lennon James, that's when another major part of the job begins.

Sales progression.

We want to know:

Has the memorandum of sale been issued?

Have solicitors been instructed?

Has the buyer submitted their mortgage application?

Has the valuation happened?

Has the survey happened?

Have searches been ordered?

Has the draft contract been issued?

Have enquiries been raised?

Have they been answered?

Are there issues?

What's happening elsewhere in the chain?

What needs to happen next?

Because simply saying:

“It's with the solicitors.”

isn't sales progression.

Estate Agents Have a Crucial Role in the Middle

We're in a useful position.

The buyer has their solicitor.

The seller has theirs.

But solicitors generally represent their own client's legal interests.

As estate agents, we're often able to communicate across the broader transaction.

We speak with:

our seller,

the buyer,

other estate agents,

mortgage brokers,

and solicitors.

That can give us a wider view of the chain.

And when everybody works collaboratively, problems can often be identified much earlier.

This is one reason our relationship with Larrington & Co is so valuable.

We're not operating as two completely separate businesses who occasionally exchange an email.

We work together.

Why Can't Buyers and Sellers See What's Happening?

This is another area I'd like the industry to address.

We can track a £20 takeaway almost minute by minute.

Order received.

Food being prepared.

Driver collecting order.

Driver is three minutes away.

Yet somebody can be buying a £600,000 house and genuinely have no idea what's happened for the last ten days.

That cannot be the long-term answer.

I'd like buyers and sellers to have much clearer visibility.

Not access to confidential legal advice, obviously.

But a meaningful transaction timeline:

ID complete

Draft contract issued

Searches ordered

Mortgage offer received

Enquiries raised

Enquiries outstanding

Survey complete

Ready to exchange

Imagine the difference that would make.

Why Isn't Property Data More Connected?

Another frustration is how many different systems are involved.

Estate agents have CRM systems.

Solicitors have case-management systems.

Mortgage brokers have their platforms.

Lenders have theirs.

Search providers have theirs.

Land Registry has its systems.

Managing agents have theirs.

And too often these systems don't communicate particularly well with one another.

So humans bridge the gaps with:

emails,

attachments,

telephone calls,

PDFs,

and repeated requests for information.

Technology exists to improve this.

The property industry needs to embrace it properly.

We Need a Genuine Digital Property Logbook

In an ideal world, I think every home would gradually build a secure digital record.

Imagine purchasing a property and receiving a verified digital file containing:

title information,

planning permissions,

building regulation approvals,

guarantees,

certificates,

lease information,

major improvements,

service records,

relevant searches,

and key property documentation.

When you eventually sell, much of the information is already available and simply needs updating or verifying.

Instead, homeowners often find themselves searching through drawers for a certificate relating to windows fitted eight years ago.

There has to be a better way.

Why Can't More Legal Work Happen Before a Buyer Is Found?

This is probably the biggest structural change I'd like to see.

At the moment, marketing and conveyancing often feel like two separate processes.

Stage one: Find a buyer.

Stage two: Start the legal journey.

I'd like those stages to overlap far more.

When Lennon James launches a property, we're trying to make the marketing as prepared as possible.

Why shouldn't the legal side be similarly prepared?

If the seller is serious about moving, why not have much of the initial legal pack ready?

Then when we agree a sale:

we move.

Not:

we start preparing to move.

Technology Won't Replace Good Solicitors

I want to make this very clear.

When I say conveyancing needs modernising, I'm not suggesting replacing experienced property lawyers with an app.

Quite the opposite.

Technology should remove the repetitive administration and improve information sharing so solicitors can spend more time doing the work that actually requires legal expertise.

Complex title issues.

Lease interpretation.

Contracts.

Rights.

Covenants.

Risk.

Advice.

Problem solving.

Those are exactly the areas where an experienced solicitor adds enormous value.

Modernisation should make good solicitors better equipped, not make them redundant.

Why Does Speed Matter So Much?

Some people might ask:

“If it takes 16 or 20 weeks, what's the problem?”

The problem is risk.

The longer a transaction takes, the more opportunity there is for circumstances to change.

Mortgage offers can become problematic.

Interest rates can move.

Jobs can change.

Buyers can get nervous.

Sellers can become frustrated.

Another property can come onto the market.

Relationships can change.

Survey issues can appear.

Chains can become unstable.

People can simply lose patience.

Every unnecessary week adds another week in which something can happen.

Moving House Is Already Stressful Enough

We sometimes forget the emotional side of this.

A property transaction isn't just paperwork.

People may have children waiting to start a new school.

They may be relocating for work.

They may be selling after a bereavement.

Separating from a partner.

Buying their first home.

Moving closer to family.

Downsizing after decades in the same house.

Or waiting for the home they've dreamed about for years.

For the solicitor, it's understandably a legal transaction.

For the estate agent, it's a sale.

But for the people involved:

It's their life.

The process should reflect that.

Why I Think Conveyancing Needs Bringing Into the 21st Century

I don't think we need to compromise legal protection.

I don't think we need fewer checks.

And I certainly don't think we should rush people into purchasing properties without understanding what they're buying.

What I think we need is a smarter process.

More upfront information.

Better digital identity verification.

Greater interoperability between systems.

More transparent milestones.

Earlier legal preparation.

Faster access to property information.

Better communication.

Greater accountability for unnecessary delays.

And technology that allows everyone involved to understand what needs to happen next.

We shouldn't confuse thoroughness with slowness.

They're not the same thing.

What Sellers Can Do Before Their Property Even Goes on the Market

If you're considering selling your Cambridgeshire home in the next few months, my advice is simple:

Don't wait until you accept an offer to think about conveyancing.

Speak to us.

Get the property valued.

Understand the likely selling strategy.

Choose your solicitor.

Start gathering your documents.

Get your paperwork organised.

Tell us about anything unusual.

And allow us to prepare the sale properly.

We spend a huge amount of effort creating the best possible launch for a property.

I want the legal side ready to move when the marketing delivers the buyer.

From “For Sale” to “Sold” Should Feel Like One Process

This is ultimately how I think estate agency should work.

Not:

marketing → buyer → hand everything over → hope.

But:

preparation → marketing → buyer → legal progression → exchange → completion.

One continuous process.

With everybody communicating.

That's the experience we're trying to create at Lennon James.

And it's why the relationships we build with excellent professionals around us matter.

My View

I've seen extraordinary changes in property during my career.

I joined Rightmove in 2006, when the shift from newspapers and shop windows towards online property search was still transforming the industry.

Look at what has happened since.

Smartphones.

Property portals.

Social media.

Drone photography.

Cinematic video.

Virtual tours.

Digital floorplans.

Targeted advertising.

Instant communication.

Data.

Artificial intelligence.

The way we find property has changed beyond recognition.

Yet once somebody says:

“Yes, I'd like to buy it.”

the process can still feel painfully slow.

That is the next part of the industry I want to see transformed.

Because finding the right buyer shouldn't be where innovation stops.

The journey from Sale Agreed to Sold deserves exactly the same attention.

Until the wider system catches up, the best thing buyers and sellers can do is prepare early, choose good professionals and make sure the people representing them actually communicate.

That's why at Lennon James we don't simply focus on finding you a buyer.

We stay involved.

We progress the sale.

We communicate.

We chase.

We problem solve.

And where clients ask us for a solicitor recommendation, we're extremely comfortable recommending Larrington & Co, because we've seen first-hand the difference that excellent communication and close collaboration can make.

Getting a property under offer is a great moment.

Getting our clients moved is the result that actually matters.

Jon Brierley
Founder & Managing Director
Lennon James Property

Frequently Asked Questions About Conveyancing and House Sales

Why is my house sale taking so long?

Property transactions can be delayed by searches, mortgage applications, surveys, legal enquiries, title issues, missing documentation, leasehold management information or problems elsewhere in the property chain. Identifying exactly what is outstanding is an important part of good sales progression.

How long does conveyancing take in the UK?

There is no fixed timescale. The Government says the overall process of buying or selling a home normally takes around five months, although straightforward transactions can be faster and complicated chains considerably slower.

How can I speed up conveyancing as a seller?

Instruct your solicitor early, complete identity checks and property forms promptly, gather relevant certificates and guarantees before finding a buyer and respond quickly when further information is requested.

How can I speed up buying a house?

Have your mortgage position prepared, choose your solicitor before offering, submit your mortgage application quickly, arrange your survey promptly, pay for searches without delay and respond quickly to requests from your conveyancer and lender.

Should I instruct a solicitor before selling my house?

You can, and doing so can allow important preparatory work to begin before a buyer is found. Government guidance specifically suggests sellers consider instructing their legal representative when they put their property on the market.

What does Sold STC mean?

Sold Subject to Contract means the seller has accepted an offer but contracts haven't yet been exchanged. In England and Wales, the agreement is generally not legally binding until exchange of contracts.

Why do solicitors raise enquiries when buying a house?

Enquiries allow the buyer's conveyancer to investigate legal and practical matters relating to the property before their client becomes legally committed to purchasing it.

What causes conveyancing delays?

Common causes can include slow responses, incomplete paperwork, searches, mortgage issues, surveys, title problems, unanswered enquiries, leasehold management packs and delays elsewhere in a chain.

What does an estate agent do after a sale is agreed?

A proactive estate agent should help progress the transaction by communicating with buyers, sellers, solicitors, mortgage brokers and other agents in the chain, identifying outstanding issues and helping maintain momentum through to exchange and completion.

Which solicitor does Lennon James recommend?

Where clients ask us for a recommendation, Lennon James works closely with Larrington & Co. We value the relationship because strong communication between agent and solicitor can make progressing a transaction significantly easier for everyone involved.

Can Lennon James recommend a solicitor if I'm buying or selling in Cambridgeshire?

Yes. Speak to the Lennon James team and we can explain how we work with Larrington & Co and the role early legal preparation can play in getting your transaction moving.