Property transactions in some parts of the country are being delayed by more than three months while buyers and sellers wait for Local Authority search results, according to new analysis from House Buyer Bureau.
The research examined turnaround times across councils in England and Wales, highlighting growing delays in one of the key stages of the conveyancing process.
Local Authority searches provide information on planning matters, land charges, restrictions and other issues linked to a property, and are typically required before a sale can proceed to exchange.
House Buyer Bureau found that several councils have seen substantial increases in waiting times over the past two years, raising further concerns about bottlenecks within the home-moving process.
Bracknell Forest Borough Council recorded the longest average turnaround time at 92 working days, up by 85 working days compared with two years ago. The delays have largely been attributed to IT system issues.
Elsewhere, the London boroughs of Camden and Merton, along with Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, were all averaging 52 working days for searches to be returned. Merton’s average wait time has increased by 42 working days since 2024.
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council was averaging 47 working days following a 42-day increase, while North East Derbyshire District Council, North Somerset Council, Oxford City Council and Tamworth Borough Council were all averaging 42 working days.
Other councils recording notable increases included Vale of White Horse District Council, Luton Borough Council, Plymouth City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and the London Borough of Newham.
The figures add to wider concerns across the property sector about transaction delays, with lengthy conveyancing times increasingly linked to higher fall-through rates and greater uncertainty for buyers and sellers.
Chris Hodgkinson, managing director of House Buyer Bureau, commented: “One of the biggest frustrations for sellers in the current market is that transactions are simply taking far too long to progress, and delays during the legal stages are becoming a major reason why so many sales are struggling to make it to exchange.
“When sellers accept an offer, many expect the hard part to be over. In reality, the process can then drag on for months whilst searches, legal enquiries and paperwork slowly work their way through the system.
“The longer a transaction takes, the greater the chance that something goes wrong. Buyers lose patience, mortgage offers expire, circumstances change, chains break down, and sales that looked secure suddenly collapse before reaching the finish line.
“What makes it even more frustrating is that many of these delays sit completely outside of the seller’s control, yet they are often the ones left dealing with the consequences, whether that’s wasted time, additional costs, or having to restart the entire process from scratch.
“It’s one of the key reasons we’re seeing more sellers prioritise certainty and speed when choosing how to sell, particularly those who simply don’t want to risk months of uncertainty only to see a sale fall apart late in the process.”
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Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/property-sales-hit-by-three-month-council-search-delays/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=property-sales-hit-by-three-month-council-search-delays
