# Home sellers now face seven month wait to exchange: Here’s how to dodge the delays

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/home-sellers-now-face-seven-month-wait-to-exchange-heres-how-to-dodge-the-delays/
- Published: 2026-07-16T10:29:37+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-27T06:14:02+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/money/mortgageshome/article-15978775/Home-sellers-face-seven-month-wait-exchange-Heres-dodge-delays.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Average UK home sale now takes seven months to reach exchange
- 61% of sales take over six months, up from 36% in 2019
- Government reforms aim to speed up transactions and cut fall-throughs

## Summary

Home sellers in Britain now face an average wait of seven months from listing to exchange of contracts, according to new data from analytics firm TwentyCi, as a sluggish property market with more sellers than buyers gives buyers greater power to stall or renegotiate deals. This matters because exchange is the point at which a sale becomes legally binding in England, and prolonged delays leave sellers vulnerable to buyers pulling out or cutting their offers, with flat owners particularly affected amid weaker demand from first-time buyers and landlords.

The proportion of sales taking longer than six months has risen to 61 per cent, up from 54.4 per cent last year and just 36 per cent in 2019, with the seven-month average split roughly between 2.5 months to agree a sale and 4.5 months to exchange. Scotland bucks the trend, with 72 per cent of sales exchanging within three months due to earlier legal commitment, compared with only 31 per cent in outer London; delays beyond six months are especially costly because property searches typically expire after that period, forcing sellers to pay for updates or indemnity insurance. The Government announced reforms last month requiring upfront property information and earlier binding agreements with penalties for withdrawal, which TwentyCi chief executive Colin Bradshaw said should help reduce delays and fall-throughs.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.