Buying or selling a property is already one of the most stressful things you’ll do. Add a slow conveyancer into the mix and what should be a straightforward process can quickly start to unravel. Delays in conveyancing are more common than most people expect, and the consequences can be serious. Find out why they happen and what you can do about it below.
Why Conveyancing Takes Longer Than Expected
Conveyancing in England and Wales typically takes between 8 and 16 weeks, though it can run longer depending on the chain. Some delays are outside anyone’s control, like waiting on local authority searches, slow responses from a seller’s solicitor, or issues flagged during a survey.
That said, not all delays come from external factors. Overworked solicitors, poor communication, and firms taking on more cases than they can handle are real and common problems. If your conveyancer isn’t chasing things up, responding to queries promptly, or keeping you informed, those weeks can stretch into months.
What’s Actually at Risk When Things Drag On
When a conveyance stalls, the practical fallout can go well beyond mild frustration. Here’s what you might find yourself dealing with:
- Your mortgage offer expires. Most offers are valid for six months. If completion overruns, you could be forced to reapply, sometimes at a worse rate.
- The chain collapses. If you’re part of a chain, other buyers and sellers are depending on your transaction to move. A delay on your end can trigger a collapse further up or down the line.
- You lose the property entirely. Until exchange of contracts, nothing is legally binding. If the seller gets a better offer or loses patience, they can walk away.
- Removal and storage costs mount up. If you’ve given notice on a rental or arranged movers based on an expected completion date, delays will cost you money.
Many buyers work with providers like SAM Conveyancing to get a clearer picture of what to expect from the process and how to keep things moving from their end.
How to Tell If Your Conveyancer Is the Problem
It’s not always easy to know whether a delay is down to your solicitor or something genuinely outside their control. A few signs that your conveyancer may be the bottleneck:
Weeks go by without any updates unless you chase. Queries from the other side’s solicitor sit unanswered. You’re told things are “in progress” but can’t get specifics. You find out about problems after the fact, not when they happen.
A good conveyancer will keep you updated proactively, explain what’s being waited on, and make it clear what they need from you to keep things moving.
What You Can Do If Your Conveyancer Is Dragging Their Feet
If you’re concerned about delays, there are practical steps you can take without having to start from scratch.
Start by putting your concerns in writing. An email asking for a clear timeline and a list of outstanding actions tends to get a quicker response than a phone call. If you’re still not getting anywhere, ask to escalate to a senior solicitor or partner at the firm.
You do have the right to switch conveyancers, though it comes at a cost. You’ll need to pay for work already done and there will be a period of handover that adds time. It’s worth doing if the delay is severe and no resolution is in sight, but it’s not a decision to take lightly mid-transaction.
If you believe your conveyancer has been negligent, rather than just slow, you can raise a formal complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or the Legal Ombudsman. These routes are better suited to situations where you’ve suffered actual financial loss as a result of poor service.
What It All Comes Down To
A slow conveyancer can put your whole purchase at risk, from your mortgage offer to the chain itself. Knowing the warning signs early and acting on them gives you the best chance of keeping things on track.
The most effective thing you can do is stay engaged throughout the process. Ask questions, keep records of all communication, and don’t assume that no news means good news. Property transactions move quickly at some points and grind to a halt at others, but the people who come out of it best are usually the ones who stayed on top of it.
