Quick answer
Conveyancing usually slows down because something outside the conveyancer's control is waiting: a chain, searches, a mortgage offer, leasehold information from a managing agent, or answers to enquiries. Missing documents and slow identity or source of funds checks are also common. Finding out exactly what is outstanding is the first step to moving things on.
On this page
Few things are more frustrating than a move that seems to have stopped. You agreed the sale weeks ago, the survey is done, and still nobody can give you an exchange date. The good news is that most delays have ordinary causes, and once you know which one is holding you up you can often help to clear it.
First, find out what is outstanding
Ask your conveyancer for a short list of what they are waiting for, and from whom. A good firm will be happy to tell you. "We are waiting for the buyer's mortgage offer and replies to two enquiries" is far more useful than "it's progressing". With that list, you can chase the right person rather than everyone at once.
The most common causes of delay
The chain
In a chain, everyone exchanges together. The whole chain can only move as fast as its slowest link, so a problem three transactions away can hold you up even if your own matter is ready. Your estate agent is often the best person to find out where the hold-up is further along.
Searches
Local authority searches can come back quickly in some areas and take much longer in others, depending on council workloads. Additional searches, such as mining or drainage reports, add further steps. Our page on less common property searches explains which ones may apply.
The mortgage offer
The lender needs a valuation and must be satisfied with your income and documents before issuing an offer. Missing payslips, queries about a gifted deposit or a down-valuation can all slow things down. Your conveyancer cannot usually exchange until the offer is in place.
Enquiries and missing paperwork
After reviewing the contract pack and searches, the buyer's conveyancer raises enquiries. Sellers sometimes take time to find guarantees, planning documents or building regulations certificates, and each unclear answer can prompt another question.
Leasehold information
Leasehold sales depend on information from the landlord or managing agent, usually provided in a management pack. Some agents respond quickly; others take weeks. See our guide to leasehold management packs for more on what is involved.
Identity and source of funds checks
Conveyancers must carry out anti-money laundering checks. If evidence of where your deposit has come from is incomplete, they cannot proceed. Money from family, from abroad or from investments tends to need the most evidence.
Title problems
Issues such as missing rights of way, unregistered land, restrictive covenants or old charges that were never removed can all need extra work, sometimes including indemnity insurance or getting documents from third parties.
What you can do to help
- Return forms and ID promptly. The first week after instruction sets the pace for everything else.
- Pay for searches early if you are buying, so they can be ordered straight away.
- Give complete answers. If an enquiry asks for a document, send the document, not a description of it.
- Prepare your source of funds evidence before you are asked, including statements for any gifted money.
- Stay in touch with your broker and respond quickly to lender requests.
- Use your estate agent to check progress along the chain.
- Agree how you will communicate. Constant calls can slow a busy conveyancer down; a weekly update by email is often more productive.
The GOV.UK guide to buying and selling your home is also a helpful overview of each stage.
When the delay is with your conveyancer
Sometimes the problem genuinely is the firm: unanswered emails, lost documents or a file passed between staff. If so, raise it politely but clearly, and ask for a named contact and a timetable. If that does not work, use the firm's complaints procedure. Regulated firms must have one, and if a complaint is not resolved you may be able to go to the Legal Ombudsman.
If the other side's conveyancer is the problem, read our article on what to do when a buyer's solicitor stops responding. Changing firm mid-transaction is possible but has costs and can cause its own delay, so it is usually a last resort.
Delays at specific stages
New builds
New-build purchases can be held up by the property not being finished, by estate roads and drainage agreements not yet in place, or by plans that need approval. Exchange often happens early, but completion depends on the developer serving notice that the home is ready. See new-build conveyancing for more.
Between exchange and completion
Once contracts are exchanged, the completion date is fixed and binding, so delays here are much rarer. When they happen, it is usually because money has not arrived in time on completion day, often because of bank processing or a problem higher up the chain. Sending funds to your conveyancer a few days early, after confirming their bank details by phone, helps avoid this.
Probate, divorce and other special cases
Sales by executors cannot complete until probate is granted, and sales following separation may need a court order or the agreement of both owners. These add stages outside the conveyancer's control.
Is there a "normal" timescale?
There is no standard timescale because every transaction differs. A cash purchase of a registered freehold with no chain will usually move much faster than a leasehold flat at the bottom of a long chain with a mortgage. Be wary of anyone promising a guaranteed completion date before searches and enquiries are back.
How we can help
When you compare fixed-fee conveyancing quotes through us, you are introduced to a regulated firm that provides plain-English updates. You can read about how the process works before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out what is holding up my conveyancing?
Ask your conveyancer for a list of outstanding items and who each one is waiting on. Your estate agent can also check progress along the chain. Knowing exactly what is missing lets you chase the right person rather than guessing.
Can Land Registry delays stop me exchanging?
Usually not. Registration of the new owner happens after completion, so a backlog at HM Land Registry should not normally hold up exchange or your move date. Occasionally an earlier, unfinished registration on the seller's title can need sorting out first.
Will chasing my solicitor every day speed things up?
Usually not. Frequent calls can take time away from the work itself. It is more effective to agree regular updates, respond promptly to requests and ask specific questions about what is outstanding and when it is expected.
Should I change conveyancer if my sale is slow?
Only if the delay is clearly caused by the firm and a complaint has not helped. Switching mid-transaction means a new firm must review the file, which takes time and may involve extra costs. Most delays come from elsewhere in the chain.
This guide is general information about the law in England and Wales as at the date shown above. It is not legal advice. Every property is different, so ask your conveyancer about your own situation. More in Conveyancing problems and how they're solved.
