BLOG: Conveyancing is taking longer these days – what’s the hold-up?

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Tina Khanna of RG Law explains why the traditional 12-week timetable for conveyancing is now often unrealistic.

3rd Feb 20260 621 3 minutes read David Callaghan

For many years, the property industry has worked to a familiar benchmark: a ‘standard’ conveyancing transaction taking around 10-12 weeks. It’s a timeframe that still shapes expectations for many buyers, sellers and agents alike.

The difficulty is that this benchmark no longer reflects the reality of modern conveyancing.

In today’s market, this shift is clearly reflected in transaction timelines. Conveyancing now routinely takes longer than 12 weeks, with many freehold sales completing in a 12–16 week window.

Where leasehold properties are involved, timelines more commonly extend to 12–18 weeks due to the additional layers of documentation, third-party input and compliance requirements.

This is not the result of inefficiency or unnecessary delay, but a reflection of how the process now operates.

Setting expectations early

For agents, recognising this reality is key to setting accurate expectations early, reducing friction during the transaction and supporting a smoother journey for buyers and sellers alike.

Understanding what has shifted – and why – is essential to setting realistic expectations from the outset.

Traditionally, conveyancing followed a relatively straightforward path. Title checks, searches, enquiries, exchange and completion progressed in a mostly sequential way. While delays were possible, the process itself was predictable.

Parallel tracks

That is no longer the case. Modern conveyancing now runs on multiple parallel tracks. Alongside the legal work sits an extensive compliance framework, with checks and validations required at various stages of the transaction and often revisited as circumstances evolve.

Progress is no longer driven solely by legal readiness, but by whether regulatory and lender requirements have been fully satisfied.

One of the most significant drivers of change has been the expansion of regulation. Anti-money laundering rules, source-of-funds verification, sanctions screening, identity checks and enhanced due diligence are now central to the conveyancing process.

One of the most significant drivers of change has been the expansion of regulation.”

These are not procedural formalities. Each requirement demands clear, auditable evidence and professional judgement. Where funds originate from multiple sources, overseas accounts, gifts or business income, additional investigation is not just prudent – it is mandatory.

This regulatory framework is designed to protect consumers, lenders and the wider system, but it inevitably adds complexity and time.

Common perception

There is a common perception that longer conveyancing timelines are the result of inefficiency or unnecessary administration. In reality, much of today’s workload is manual, detailed and judgement-led.

Source-of-funds checks, for example, cannot always be automated. Documents must be reviewed in context, explanations clarified and inconsistencies resolved. Identity and sanctions checks may need to be repeated if transactions are delayed, documents expire or circumstances change.

This work takes time because it requires scrutiny and professional responsibility, not because it lacks process or momentum.

Greater influence

Mortgage lenders now have a far greater influence on transaction timelines. Funding decisions often depend on layered compliance checks that sit outside the direct control of the conveyancer.

Additional documentation requests, further affordability reviews, or late-stage clarifications are increasingly common. Even relatively minor changes can trigger further checks, extending timelines despite the legal work being otherwise complete.

As a result, conveyancing progress is often shaped by lender dependencies as much as legal readiness.

Frustration

When delays occur, they are frequently driven by compliance dependencies rather than legal inefficiency. Waiting for verified documentation, responding to follow-up queries, aligning regulatory and lender requirements, and managing third-party input all add time to the process.

These stages are not always visible to clients, which can lead to frustration. However, they reflect the reality of a system built around risk management, transparency and consumer protection.

The traditional 12-week conveyancing benchmark belongs to a different era.”

The traditional 12-week conveyancing benchmark belongs to a different era.

For agents, understanding the modern conveyancing landscape is key to setting realistic expectations with buyers and sellers from the very start. Open, informed conversations about complexity, compliance and dependencies can help reduce friction later and support smoother transactions for everyone involved.

Tina Khanna is Conveyancing Director at RG Law

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3rd Feb 20260 621 3 minutes read David Callaghan Share Facebook X LinkedIn Share via Email