Buying process
What is conveyancing and how long does it take?
7 min read · Updated June 2026
Conveyancing is the legal work of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another — the contracts, the searches, the Land Registry entries, and the careful movement of very large sums of money. It starts the moment an offer is accepted and ends when you get the keys.
It is also, for most movers, the longest and most opaque part of the entire process: typically 8–16 weeks of apparent silence punctuated by sudden demands for documents. This guide explains what's actually happening in that time — and the things you can genuinely do to make it faster.
Who does the work
Conveyancing is done by a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. For a normal house purchase the difference barely matters — both are qualified, regulated and insured for this exact work. What matters far more is how busy they are, how digital their process is, and how quickly they respond.
- Fees — typically £800–£2,000 plus disbursements (the searches and registration costs they pay on your behalf)
- Fixed-fee quotes are standard; check exactly what's included
- No-sale-no-fee arrangements protect you if the deal collapses — usually worth having, since roughly one in three sales falls through
- Buying and selling at the same time? Use the same firm for both — it removes a whole layer of chasing
The stages, in order
- Instruction — you formally appoint your conveyancer and complete identity checks (allow a few days; the anti-money-laundering checks are unavoidable)
- Draft contract — the seller's side sends the contract pack, including the title documents and the seller's property information forms
- Searches — your conveyancer orders local authority, drainage & water, and environmental searches. These take 2–6 weeks depending on the council, and often set the pace of the whole transaction
- Enquiries — your conveyancer raises questions prompted by the contract pack, the searches and your survey; the seller's side answers them. This back-and-forth is where weeks quietly disappear
- Mortgage offer — your lender issues the formal offer; your conveyancer checks its conditions
- Report and signing — you get a report explaining everything found, then sign the contract and transfer your deposit
- Exchange of contracts — the deal becomes legally binding and the completion date is fixed
- Completion — the money moves, the keys are released, and the property is yours; your conveyancer then pays the stamp duty and registers you at the Land Registry
Why it takes 8–16 weeks
Almost none of the elapsed time is anyone actively working on your file. It's waiting: for council search results, for the seller to return forms, for a mortgage offer, for an answer to enquiry number fourteen, for someone else in the chain to catch up. A transaction with no chain, a responsive seller and a fast council can complete in 6 weeks; a long chain with a slow council can take 5 months.
The single biggest variable you can't control is the chain — every link adds its own conveyancing timeline, and the whole chain exchanges together at the speed of its slowest member.
How to genuinely speed it up
- Instruct before you need to — sellers: instruct when you list, so the contract pack is ready the day an offer lands. Buyers: have a conveyancer chosen before your offer is accepted
- Complete ID checks immediately — files genuinely sit untouched waiting for a passport scan
- Answer everything the same day — when your conveyancer asks for something, treat it as urgent; a 3-day delay at each of a dozen steps is five weeks
- Get searches ordered early — they're the longest single wait; good conveyancers order them at instruction, not after enquiries
- Chase politely, weekly — a short email every Friday asking what's outstanding and who it's waiting on keeps your file near the top of the pile
What it costs
Expect a legal fee of £800–£2,000 (more for leasehold, which involves genuinely more work), plus disbursements: searches (£250–£450), Land Registry fee (£20–£910 depending on price), bank transfer fees (£20–£45 each), and ID checks. Leasehold purchases add management pack fees of £100–£500, set by the freeholder's managing agent.
The short version
- Conveyancing is the legal transfer of ownership — instruction to keys in typically 8–16 weeks
- Most of that time is waiting, not working: searches, enquiries and the chain set the pace
- Instruct early, do your ID checks immediately, and answer every request same-day
- Budget £800–£2,000 in legal fees plus £300–£500 of disbursements; leasehold costs more
- Nothing is binding until exchange of contracts — for either side
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