One of the most frustrating aspects of buying a home is just how long the whole process takes from the point of having your offer accepted all the way through to completion, when you can finally get your hands on the keys.
Part of the issue is the introduction of very necessary and increasingly detailed identification processes for anti-money-laundering purposes, and this is multiplied along the length of the chain you might be part of.
According to the latest figures from TwentyEA, the average completion time in 2025 took over 200 days, which is almost seven months. Not so long ago, many will fondly remember, it was significantly lower than that.
The longer the process takes, the more capacity for uncertainty to creep in, and the greater the likelihood of a fall-through as one or more of the parties involved become disillusioned and back out. Frustration is almost part and parcel of the process, where delays are now expected to be the norm.
It is therefore in everyone's interest, from estate agents and conveyancing solicitors to surveyors and the people actually buying and selling, to bring that timescale down.
Why conveyancing takes so long
Delays in the conveyancing process are rarely down to a single cause. Slow communication between parties, gaps in documentation and the sheer number of individual steps involved all play a role. When any one of those steps stalls, it creates a knock-on effect felt all the way down the chain.
Project 28 and the push for faster completions
At Homeward Legal, we've been monitoring the news of industry groups working to bring that duration down using a number of refinements with the Project 28. Now leading property technology company, iamproperty, reports on their collaboration with business transformation company Movera and leading property services and estate agency group Connells Group to rethink the processes involved with buying and selling properties.
Like Project 28, the aim is to transform and streamline the process, adding pace and proving that speedier completions are achievable without losing any of the necessary rigour. iamproperty has reported completing a transaction in just three days, though this is unlikely to be the standard target for every case.
Mapping the end-to-end process
It was 18 months ago that representatives from the three companies met to map out the end-to-end process and identify the pinch-points where delays most commonly occur. From there, they introduced shared processes, consistent workflows and improved communication between all parties.
The result is a more connected, transparent process that reduces delays, improves visibility for the customer and creates a smoother transaction experience from start to finish, all backed by the adoption of the latest technology.
47-day average completions: what the data shows
The outcomes from iamproperty are striking. Across 614 completed cases, the average completion time was 47 days.
As Julian Lavender, Corporate Accounts Director at iamproperty, said:
"This partnership helped us address common challenges we see in transactions that slow things down for everyone involved such as lack of communication.
Now, on each transaction, we have two conveyancers working together, talking to each other, problem solving.
As a pair they are building a relationship across brands with a commitment to work as one.
Not only has it revolutionised the process, but we have people queuing up to work on those teams.
It just goes to show that by combining the right technology, processes and people with a shared mindset, we can really make a difference to the home moving process."
Nick Hale, CEO at Movera, added:
"This partnership highlights the impact that investing in the right people and technology can have on the home moving journey.
We don't have to wait for the market to change, we can actively improve it."
Jean Coughlan, Home Conveyancing Director at Connells Group, said:
"We mapped out the entire journey in detail, from the vendor experience to the buyer journey and every touchpoint in between.
This time, we had the right people in the room, all committed to improving the process."
What this means for buyers and sellers
This model is currently available only to Connells Group customers, but the results and their implications may well spur broader adoption across the industry. That would be good for the companies involved, good for the housing market and, most importantly, good for the people they represent: the buyer and the seller.
Get a conveyancing quote from Homeward Legal
Our conveyancers at Homeward Legal will start work on your plans as soon as you agree to the quotation and appoint them to represent you. We provide a fixed-fee quote: what you are quoted is what you pay for the standard conveyancing process, so you can budget with confidence.
We also operate a 'no completion, no fee' promise: should your purchase or sale not reach completion, no payment is required. Call us on or use our quick quote generator to get started.