Transactions · 6 min read
What actually happens between offer and completion
Most sales take eight to twelve weeks. Here is where the time genuinely goes.
Kerr
Conveyancer
Once an offer is accepted, the seller's conveyancer issues a contract pack: the draft contract, official copies of the title, and the property information forms completed by the seller.
The buyer's conveyancer then raises enquiries and applies for searches: local authority, drainage, environmental, and any specific to the area such as mining. Local authority search turnaround varies enormously between councils and is a frequent source of delay that no conveyancer can accelerate.
In parallel, the buyer's lender issues a mortgage offer and instructs the conveyancer to act for it as well. Any conditions in that offer must be satisfied before completion.
When enquiries are answered, searches are clear and finance is in place, contracts are exchanged and the completion date becomes legally binding. Between exchange and completion the conveyancer carries out final searches, submits the Stamp Duty Land Tax return (Land Transaction Tax in Wales) and prepares the transfer for registration.