A Property expert has shared ten tips to help speed up the process for those moving home.

Jonathan Rolande's comments come amid National Conveyancing Month, a campaign which runs throughout March.

The awareness drive highlights the legal side of moving home and the part it plays in whether a sale glides through or drags on for months.

For buyers and sellers, it is a timely reminder that conveyancing is often where momentum is either protected or lost.

Experts now says the conveyancing process in 2026 is
typically taking around 16 to 20 weeks from offer acceptance to completion. Research reported by Estate Agent Today also found that 49 per cent of home movers found dealing with their conveyancer was the most stressful part of the transaction.

Property expert Jonathan Rolande said: “People often think a home move is delayed by one big problem, but more often it is death by a thousand cuts. A form is left sitting there, a reply takes too long, a management pack is ordered late, or someone in the chain goes quiet. Before long, days have turned into weeks. A lot of that can be avoided if people are organised early and stay close to the details.”

Below are Jonathan’s top 10 tips for keeping a move on track:


1. Get your conveyancer lined up early

Do not leave it until your offer is accepted to start looking for a conveyancer. By then you are already on the back foot. If you instruct early, the file can be opened, the ID checks can be done and your solicitor is ready to move the moment the sale is agreed.

2. Treat paperwork like a priority

A lot of avoidable delay comes from paperwork being treated as something to sort out later. If your solicitor asks for ID, proof of funds, signed forms or answers to questions, get them back straight away. Plenty of transactions lose days over one missing document or one form that sits unsigned.

3. Push your mortgage application forward straight away

As soon as your offer is accepted, get the mortgage application moving. Do not assume there is loads of time. Lenders often come back for more documents or extra checks, and each step adds time. The sooner you start, the less likely it is that finance becomes the reason everything slows down.

4. Get ahead of leasehold delays

Leasehold sales are often slower because there is more paperwork and more people involved. Management packs, service charge details and ground rent information can take weeks to come through. If you are selling a leasehold property, ask for that pack as early as you can rather than waiting for the sale to get going.

5. Sort out title issues before they grow

If there is anything unusual in the title, deal with it early. That could be a boundary question, a missing document, an old restriction or a dispute that has never quite been resolved. These things are often fixable, but they are far easier to handle at the start than in the final stretch.

6. Stay on top of searches

Searches can still hold things up, especially where the local authority is slow. You cannot control the council’s turnaround time, but you can make sure your conveyancer orders the searches as soon as they are in a position to do so. A slow start here often causes a much bigger delay later on.

7. Keep your estate agent involved

A good estate agent should still be earning their fee after the offer is agreed. They can keep communication moving, chase progress across the chain and spot problems before they become serious. In many deals, the agent has the clearest view of what is happening on all sides.

8. Ask direct questions about the chain

If you are in a chain, ask direct questions. Has everyone instructed? Have mortgage applications gone in? Are the surveys done? Is anyone waiting on paperwork? Chains become difficult when nobody really knows where the blockage is.

9. Choose responsiveness over a low fee

Service matters as much as the cost. A cheap conveyancer is no bargain if you cannot get hold of them, cannot get an update and do not know what is outstanding. Good communication will not solve every problem, but it does stop smaller issues turning into bigger ones.

10. Put information on the table early

The transactions that move best are the ones with fewer surprises. Sellers should complete property information forms properly and gather key documents early. Buyers should raise questions at the start rather than in the final stretch. The more that is dealt with upfront, the easier it is to keep the sale moving.