The average home move in Great Britain now takes 216 days from first listing to completion, with 72% of recent home movers experiencing delays, according to new research from We Are Unchained.
The latest Voice of the Agent report reveals significant communication and coordination challenges between estate agents, conveyancers, and other property professionals, suggesting that technological solutions alone may not resolve transaction delays.
Blame distribution
Among home movers who identified a responsible party for delays, 50% blamed their conveyancer or solicitor, 40% cited the buyer or seller, and just 5% pointed to the estate agent.
Regional variations are substantial. Eight out of 10 London movers experienced delays, compared with 43% in Scotland. Delays also affected 79% of transactions in the East Midlands, 78% in Wales and the North West, and 76% in the West Midlands.
Differing priorities
The research identifies divergent priorities among property professionals. When estate agents were asked what would most improve relationships across transactions, 33% chose faster communication and proactive updates as their primary concern. Another 25% wanted shared case tracking, while only 10% selected integrated digital systems.
Conveyancers viewed the problem differently, with 23% prioritising better understanding of each profession’s role, followed by clearer client expectations at 21%. Only 13% selected faster communication as their top priority.
Mortgage advisers and brokers place equal importance on faster communication and agreed service standards at 22% each. Meanwhile, 29% of surveyors believe none of the proposed interventions would materially improve working relationships.
The findings come as UK property agents face new regulatory requirements, adding further pressure to an already complex transaction process.
Perception gaps
The research also highlights perception differences between professionals. Two thirds of agents describe their relationship with conveyancers positively, compared with 50% of conveyancers describing their relationship with agents positively. The equivalent figures are 54% versus 44% for surveying and 58% versus 54% for mortgage advice.
Simon Leadbetter, Founder of We Are Unchained and author of The Voice of the Agent, said: “Everybody owns part of the property transaction, but nobody owns the transaction. That may be the fundamental problem.”
He added: “A buyer or seller does not experience an estate agent transaction, followed by a mortgage transaction, followed by a surveying transaction and then a legal transaction. They experience one home move.”
Market implications
The research suggests that despite significant investment in upfront information, shared data, AI, digital identity and transaction platforms, few professionals identified integrated technology as their primary need.
“The evidence suggests we also need to fix the spaces between the professions: expectations, communication, role clarity, service standards and visibility,” Leadbetter said. “Making four separate processes faster does not necessarily create one better transaction.”
The findings indicate that improving transaction speed and efficiency may require addressing fundamental coordination and communication issues between different property professionals, rather than relying solely on technological solutions. For investors and buyers, the data suggests that transaction delays remain a persistent challenge across the UK property market, with significant regional variations affecting completion timelines.
