“Wars Are Fought in Less Time” Says Agent Calling for Conveyancing Reform

Why It Matters

Prolonged conveyancing inflates transaction costs, stalls housing supply and erodes buyer confidence, threatening the broader UK property market. Streamlining the process could boost market efficiency and reduce fall‑through rates.

Key Takeaways

• Average UK property sale takes ~120 days, slower than many wars
• One in three transactions fail before completion, raising costs for parties
• Proposes mandatory upfront info, early binding commitments, and digitised searches
• Calls for national standards, transparent timelines, and accountability for delays
• Petition aims for parliamentary backing to overhaul England and Wales conveyancing

Pulse Analysis

The current conveyancing framework in England and Wales has become a bottleneck for the nation’s housing market. With an average completion time of 120 days, the process lags behind many international peers and even historic military campaigns, according to industry insiders. Delays translate into higher financing costs, increased risk of gazumping, and a sizable proportion of deals collapsing before settlement—an inefficiency that ripples through mortgage lenders, surveyors and estate agents alike.

Sanders’ reform blueprint targets the root causes of these delays. By mandating upfront property information, the proposal seeks to eliminate information asymmetry that often stalls negotiations. Early legally binding commitments would lock in buyer intent, reducing the likelihood of last‑minute withdrawals. Digitising local authority searches and establishing uniform national timelines aim to replace patchwork, paper‑based procedures with a streamlined, transparent workflow. Moreover, introducing accountability measures for avoidable hold‑ups could incentivise conveyancers to meet tighter deadlines.

Politically, the petition represents a grassroots push to place conveyancing reform on the parliamentary agenda. If lawmakers adopt the suggested standards, the UK could see faster transaction cycles, lower costs and a more resilient housing market. Such changes would also align the country with best‑practice models seen in jurisdictions like Canada and Australia, where digital platforms and clear statutory timelines have markedly improved transaction certainty. The outcome of this campaign could therefore reshape the dynamics of home buying and selling across the nation.