17/06/2026
The average property transaction in England and Wales takes around five months - and roughly a third never make it to completion at all. Preparation is usually what separates the two.
The property industry is pushing hard to speed conveyancing up. Nationwide now accepts e-signatures, Lloyds is gathering key information earlier, and a government-backed coalition is working on digitising the whole process. The single biggest factor in whether your move completes on time is still how prepared you are before an offer is even on the table.
A few things that consistently cause late-stage delays:
- Missing or out-of-date documents (planning consents and building regs)
- ID and source-of-funds checks left until the last minute
- Mortgage offers not yet in place when an offer is accepted
- Uncertainty over whether a property is leasehold or freehold, and what that actually means for the buyer
Getting "move ready", gathering paperwork, sorting verification, lining up funding, is the difference between completing on schedule and watching a chain collapse around you.
Our Partner and Head of Residential Conveyancing, Jack Prosser, has written more on what move-ready actually looks like and where transactions most often come unstuck: https://www.stephenrimmer.com/news/getting-move-ready/