How Long Does a Property Transfer Take?

When people divorce or look to secure their family’s future, property is a big consideration. These kinds of life changes can mean you need to change who owns the property on paper, and perhaps the most common question is - how long will the whole thing take?

You're looking at 4-8 weeks in most situations, though transfers without a mortgage can be finished in 2 weeks if the paperwork gets sorted quickly.

Every year, millions of changes are made to property ownership in England and Wales, from transfers of equity to mortgage updates and name changes. In this case, you’re not selling a house, so it should be less complex.

If you’re looking into transferring your property into someone else’s name and you’d like to get a handle on the timescale, you’re in the right place.

Why do some transfers take longer than others?

The single biggest factor at play is whether there's a mortgage on the property or not. No mortgage means you could be done in as little as 2-3 weeks - if nobody messes around. With a mortgage, however, you’ll need to wait on the lender, and that alone adds weeks you can't control.

Lenders don't work to your schedule. Some might respond in a few days, while others can take three weeks and then ask for more documents. Your solicitor can chase, but the lender moves when the lender moves.

Some typical delays:

• Someone who needs to sign a document is abroad for two weeks
• Missing ID or unsigned forms sitting in your inbox
• Lender asks for updated bank statements halfway through
• Land Registry backlog might add three weeks to proceedings
• Someone in the chain has a slow solicitor

A land registry delay can be one of the most exasperating, as you often have no idea of what’s happening or when it’s happening. Even if your side's ready to go, you can be stuck waiting on everyone else's timelines. That’s why it’s super important to have a good solicitor who can use their expertise to ensure everything keeps progressing as it should.

Is there anything you can do to speed up a property transfer?

You can't control the timeline, but you can stop yourself from being the reason behind the delay. Your solicitor's stuck waiting on lenders, the Land Registry, and other people's solicitors - none of which you can influence.

So, when you’re asked to provide your documents, try to get them in as quickly as you can. Every day you delay is a day added to the timeline. If there's a mortgage, get your bank statements and pay slips ready before the lender asks.

The following is likely the most you can do:

• Always aim to respond to your solicitor within 24 hours
• Have your ID & address proof ready and keep them safe and easily accessible
• Tell your solicitor if you're going away
• Sign documents the day they arrive

Of course, you can chase your solicitor if you haven't heard anything in a week. Not because they've forgotten, but because it keeps your file active. If you're in a chain, ask your estate agent who's holding things up. Sometimes knowing where the delay is makes the waiting easier.

Your solicitor can't make the Land Registry work faster. They can't make the other side's solicitor reply to emails. They can't make lenders process applications quicker. That said, if yours is being particularly slow, this blog explains how to put the right kind of pressure on them.

How quickly can a transfer complete?

If there’s no mortgage and no one is dragging their feet, you could have everything wrapped up within a couple of weeks. Bear in mind that this is a best-case scenario, and it almost never happens that cleanly.

If there is a mortgage, it’ll likely be more like 3 weeks. The lender approval stage eats up most of that time, and you can't skip it or rush it. Even if your solicitor submits everything perfectly, the lender works to their own timeline.

What Can I Expect During a Property Transfer?

While there’s only so much you can do, it does pay to know what’s coming during a typical property transfer. The process moves through several fixed stages, and most of the time you're just waiting for other people to do their bit.

You submit your documents, then wait. The deed gets prepared, then you wait for it to come back signed. It goes to the Land Registry, then you wait again.

• ID checks and mortgage details submitted to your solicitor
• Solicitor contacts the lender (if there is one) for approval
• Transfer deed prepared and sent for signatures
• Signed deed returned with proper witnessing
• Everything gets submitted to the Land Registry
• Registry confirms registration and ownership updated

You won't hear from your solicitor every day because there's nothing to report most of the time. When something needs to be done on your end, they'll contact you.