With National Conveyancing Month taking place throughout March, now is the ideal moment to recognise the pressures facing conveyancers — and what is really driving them. In this blog, we explore transaction times and what the latest data reveals about the challenges behind today’s delays.
Property transactions are taking longer than they should – yet consumer expectations are rising rapidly. In a world shaped by instant updates, same-day deliveries and digital self-service, home movers increasingly expect speed, clarity and certainty when buying or selling a property. When those expectations aren’t met, frustration follows. Too often, that pressure lands with conveyancers. “For me, speeding up the transaction is the Holy Grail. Everything comes down to that. If transactions were faster, consumers would be happier, lawyers could handle more cases, and profit margins would increase. It’s the root cause of most of the industry’s problems — and the solution to all of them.” said Rob Gurney, Managing Director of Ochresoft.
Transaction timelines continue to increase
Despite ongoing efforts to modernise the home-moving process, transaction timelines are still trending upwards. Landmark’s latest cross-market research report, “An industry aligned: moving towards certainty” found that the average instruction to completion timeline in England and Wales now stands at around 123 days, or approximately 17.5 weeks – that’s 64% longer than in 2007.
This sits in sharp contrast to current market expectations. While transactions routinely extend well beyond four months, buyers and sellers increasingly expect completion within a matter of weeks, with expectations particularly compressed among younger movers. Rather than converging, current timescales and consumer expectations continue to diverge – despite everyone involved wanting more certainty earlier in the process and transaction times to reduce.
That disconnect creates tension throughout the transaction, particularly during stages where progress is less visible. For clients, it can feel as though nothing is happening. For conveyancers, these are often the most demanding periods of work.
The operational reality behind extended transaction timelines
As transactions slow down, the volume and intensity of conveyancing activity increases, placing growing pressure on already stretched capacity. Landmark’s research highlights that slow transaction times are the single biggest frustration for conveyancers, cited by 42% when asked to identify their top three challenges. A significant proportion of the working day is then absorbed by managing the consequences of those delays, with around 41% of time spent chasing updates and responses from third parties, including lenders, local authorities, managing agents, estate agents and counterpart law firms.
Additional enquiries remain one of the biggest contributors to extended timelines. When documentation is incomplete or unexpected issues arise, such as problematic restrictive covenants or missing planning approvals, the buyer’s lawyer must raise enquiries and wait for satisfactory responses before proceeding. On average, it now takes around 52 days to receive full replies, adding almost two months to a transaction.
Each delay generates more communication, more explanation and more expectation management. It’s no surprise that conveyancers consistently cite slow transaction times as their number‑one frustration, ahead of workload and market conditions.
A click‑and‑buy mindset meets a complex legal process
Part of the challenge is cultural change. Many consumers now approach home moving with expectations shaped by fast, digital experiences where progress is immediate and visible. Landmark’s market research portrays this shift, indicating that buyers and sellers now view an ideal Sold Subject to Contract to completion timeframe as approximately 6.8 weeks, down from around 8.5 weeks the previous year.
Set against this backdrop, the legal reality of property transactions remains inherently complex. Multiple independent parties must align, detailed checks must be completed, and key information is frequently introduced later in the process. When progress does not keep pace with these increasingly compressed expectations, conveyancers can be perceived as the point of delay, even where the underlying causes sit elsewhere. This expectation gap adds further pressure to an already demanding role, as conveyancers balance legal risk, regulatory compliance and ongoing client communication across large and active caseloads.
Why National Conveyancing Month matters
National Conveyancing Month is not about downplaying the challenges facing the home-moving process. Instead, it is about bringing awareness and visibility to them. A key theme this year is the importance of earlier engagement. Landmark’s research demonstrates that 89% of sellers would be prepared to instruct a conveyancer before listing if it resulted in a faster sale. Bringing legal preparation forward to the point of listing, rather than waiting until an offer is accepted, can significantly reduce delays caused by late enquiries and missing information.
Technology is another important part of the picture. Our research shows that 78% of law firms are now using AI to assist fee earners, figures that have doubled from the previous year (39%). This change is helping to reduce administrative burden and strengthen transparency across transactions. Used appropriately, these tools do not replace legal expertise; they support it, enabling conveyancers to focus on complex legal judgement and higher value client care.
Finally, National Conveyancing Month reinforces the need for stronger collaboration across the transaction chain. Nearly half of consumers say that better communication between parties would most improve their moving experience. Conveyancers, agents, lenders and clients all play a role in sharing information earlier, responding promptly and setting clear, realistic expectations from the outset.
Property transactions are becoming longer and more complex at the same time as consumer expectations continue to accelerate. Conveyancers sit at the centre of this tension, absorbing much of the pressure created by delayed information, extended timelines and rising demands for speed and transparency.
National Conveyancing Month provides an important opportunity to acknowledge these realities and refocus the conversation. Earlier engagement, smarter use of technology and stronger collaboration across the transaction chain will not solve every delay, but they can materially reduce friction and narrow the growing expectation gap.
By recognising the work conveyancers do behind the scenes and supporting practical change across the industry, the home moving process can become more efficient, more transparent and more sustainable for everyone involved.
