Why it's taking longer to sell a house in 2026

If your sale feels like it is dragging, the data backs you up. Homes that exchanged contracts in April 2026 had been under offer for an average of 104 days, the first April on record to pass the 100 day mark, according to research from estate agency group Hamptons. Back in 2019, the same figure was 76 days. That is nearly four extra weeks added to the wait between agreeing a sale and it actually becoming legally binding, and for some sellers the delay is running much longer than average. Here is what is driving the slowdown, and what you can do to keep your own sale off the slow list.

The numbers behind the slowdown

The 104 day average is not the whole story. Nearly 17% of sales now take more than six months to reach exchange, and 23% of sales that fall through do so after the three month mark, up from 18% in 2019. A sale collapsing three, four or five months in is a far bigger blow than one that falls through in week two, both financially and emotionally, so the lengthening timeline is not just an inconvenience.

It is also happening against a backdrop of a cooler market. Buyer enquiries were running around 15% lower and sales agreed roughly 7% down year on year, according to Zoopla's most recent house price index. Fewer transactions might be expected to ease pressure on solicitors and search departments, but that has not translated into faster completions. For a longer view of how timelines have moved over the years, our guide to the average time to sell a house in the UK has the wider context.

The leasehold factor: why flats take longer

The clearest split in the data is between leasehold and freehold sales. Leasehold properties took an average of 155 days to reach exchange, against 97 days for freehold homes, a gap of 58 days that is the widest on record. That difference comes down to the extra layer of information a leasehold sale requires: a management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, confirmation of service charge and ground rent history, and sometimes sign-off on planned works or a change of use. Any delay in a managing agent producing that pack pushes the whole chain back, and it is one of the few parts of the process a seller cannot always control directly.

This is also part of why leasehold reform has become such a live issue for buyers and sellers alike. Our explainer on leasehold reform in 2026 covers what is changing and why management packs and service charge transparency are under such scrutiny at the moment.

What else is slowing things down

1. Local authority searches: officially meant to take around 10 working days, but in practice often running to 25 or more in busier councils.
2. Longer chains: a slower market means fewer cash buyers and more chains of three or four linked sales, and the whole chain moves at the pace of its slowest link.
3. Tighter mortgage underwriting: lenders have added extra checks in response to a choppier rate environment, which can add days to getting a formal mortgage offer issued.
4. Missing or incomplete seller paperwork: gaps in the standard TA6 and TA10 property information forms are a common and entirely avoidable cause of delay once a solicitor starts raising enquiries.

Where the time actually goes

It helps to know which stage of the process is eating the weeks. Our step-by-step guide to conveyancing breaks the whole process down, but broadly, pre-contract work and searches take the first two to four weeks, mortgage offers add around a month, and the draft contract stage, where searches, survey queries and enquiries all get resolved, is the most elastic part of the timeline and the one most likely to run long. Once everyone is satisfied, exchange of contracts itself is quick, and completion typically follows within one to two weeks.

How to speed up your sale

None of this means a slow sale is inevitable. There is a lot within a seller's control, and the sellers who move fastest tend to be the ones who get organised before they need to, not after a solicitor starts chasing them.

• Instruct a solicitor before you have a buyer, so they can start on identity checks and the initial paperwork the moment you accept an offer, rather than weeks later.
• Fill in your TA6 and TA10 forms early and thoroughly, covering boundaries, disputes, alterations and fittings, so your solicitor is not chasing you for basic information mid-sale.
• If you are leasehold, request your management pack the day you list, since it is one of the slowest documents to arrive and you can order it long before you have a buyer lined up.
• Have your EPC and any building or planning certificates ready, particularly for extensions or loft conversions, so a missing certificate does not stall things at the enquiries stage.
• Choose an agent who actively progresses the sale, chasing solicitors, surveyors and lenders on your behalf, rather than one that steps back once an offer is accepted.
• Check in weekly, with both your solicitor and your agent. A short call to ask what is outstanding and who is waiting on what keeps a sale moving and surfaces problems while they are still small.

Selling a tenanted property

If the property you are selling has a tenant in it, build extra time into your plan. You will need to give proper notice under the Renters' Rights Act rules before a sale with vacant possession can complete, and a buyer who is not also a landlord may only want to proceed once the property is empty. If you are weighing up whether to sell or keep letting, it is worth comparing the numbers first. Our tenant find service and our fully managed service are both worth a look before you commit to a sale, particularly if the rental income still works for you.

Ready to sell, without adding to the delay

A slower market makes a proactive agent more valuable, not less. With our sell your home service, you pay one flat fee rather than a percentage commission, and our team chases solicitors, surveyors and buyers through every stage of the sale so you are not the one left waiting for updates. Getting the fundamentals right from day one, a solicitor instructed early, paperwork ready, and an agent who stays on top of the chain, is still the best defence against becoming part of next year's slowdown statistics.