On average, buying a house in the UK takes 12 to 20 weeks from the day your offer is accepted to the day you get the keys. Here's a stage-by-stage breakdown of what happens, and why some purchases take much longer.
The typical timeline
Week 1–2: Offer accepted and solicitors instructed
Your offer is accepted and the estate agent issues a memorandum of sale — a document confirming the agreed price and the parties involved. This is not legally binding, but it starts the clock.
You instruct your solicitor. The seller's solicitor sends over the draft contract pack — usually within a week of instruction. Slower solicitor firms can take two to three weeks.
You also apply for your mortgage in full at this stage, if you haven't already.
Week 2–5: Searches ordered
Your solicitor orders local authority searches (usually the biggest wait), drainage and water searches, and environmental searches. In Manchester and Salford:
- Manchester City Council: searches currently take 3–5 weeks
- Stockport: 2–3 weeks
- Trafford: 2–4 weeks
While searches are pending, your solicitor raises enquiries with the seller's solicitor — questions about the property based on the draft contract.
Week 3–8: Mortgage application processing
Your lender processes your mortgage application. This involves:
- Credit checks (usually instant)
- Affordability assessment (3–10 working days)
- Lender's valuation of the property (1–2 weeks to instruct, plus the surveyor visit)
- Underwriting and formal mortgage offer (1–3 weeks after valuation)
Total time from application to mortgage offer: typically 3–6 weeks.
Week 4–12: Enquiries and contract review
Your solicitor receives answers to enquiries from the seller's solicitor. For straightforward freehold properties, this takes 2–4 weeks. For leasehold, add 2–4 weeks for management pack, service charge accounts, and lease review.
If something comes up — a missing guarantee, an unresolved planning matter, a title defect — it adds more time while it's resolved.
Week 8–14: Exchange ready
Once searches are clear, enquiries answered, mortgage offer confirmed, and contract approved — your solicitor tells you you're ready to exchange. At this point, both sides agree a completion date and exchange contracts.
Exchange is the legal commitment. Before exchange, either party can walk away without penalty. After exchange, you're bound — backing out means losing your deposit (or worse, facing legal action).
Exchange to completion: 1–4 weeks
Most buyers set a completion date 1–4 weeks after exchange. This gives the seller time to move out, and you time to arrange removals and redirect post.
On completion day, the money transfers and the keys are released.
What slows purchases down
Slow solicitors
This is the number one cause of delay — not searches, not lenders, not the process. A solicitor who takes a week to reply to enquiries, or who doesn't chase the other side, adds weeks to a transaction. Ask before you instruct: what's your average time from instruction to exchange?
Chains
If your seller is buying somewhere else (and their seller is buying somewhere else, and so on), every link in the chain has to be ready at the same time to exchange. One slow solicitor or delayed mortgage anywhere in the chain affects everyone.
Title issues
Missing deeds, defective title, unresolved planning consents, missing guarantees — any legal issue that wasn't known about at the start has to be investigated and resolved before exchange.
Leasehold complications
Leasehold properties add complexity. Obtaining the management pack (information about the building, service charges, planned works) can take 4–8 weeks if the managing agent is slow to respond.
How to keep your purchase moving
- Appoint your solicitor the same day your offer is accepted — don't wait.
- Submit your full mortgage application immediately — the AIP is just the start.
- Respond to all requests within 24 hours — you can't control the other side, but you can control your side.
- Chase your solicitor every Thursday — a weekly update keeps you informed and keeps them accountable.
- Ask for specific timelines at each stage — not "it's in progress" but "I expect the mortgage offer by the 14th."
This guide is information only. Dom does not provide financial, mortgage or legal advice. Always consult a qualified adviser for decisions specific to your circumstances.