Buyers blame conveyancing for stalled property sales as communication gaps cause delays

# What the research found A survey commissioned by Lyons Bowe of 1,046 UK homeowners who bought in the previous two years shows buyers see conveyancing as the top obstacle to completing a property sale. Forty-two percent identified conveyancing as the biggest barrier, compared with 19% who blamed property chains.

Slow exchanges of information between conveyancers stand out. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) pointed to slow communication between buyers' and sellers' conveyancers as a leading cause of delay.

# How buyers view responsibility Respondents were divided about who should keep transactions moving. Almost half (49%) said conveyancers have the greatest influence over whether a transaction progresses smoothly. A third (33%) said no single party carries that responsibility and that everyone involved needs to work together.

# What buyers want changed When asked what could have improved their most recent transaction, buyers chose concrete fixes:

• Better communication between all parties: 20%
• Earlier access to legal and property information: 17%

Visibility is also a problem: 42% said they had the least visibility during the conveyancing stage, making it harder to understand what was happening with their purchase. Almost a quarter (23%) said they would shorten and simplify the conveyancing process to improve the experience.

Lyons emphasised that a smoother transaction is about both completing legal work and keeping clients informed so everyone involved has access to necessary information.

# Practical implications for buyers, agents and conveyancers Buyers: expect limited visibility during the conveyancing stage and ask early for timelines and key documents. Request regular, dated updates and clear explanations of outstanding actions.

Estate agents: where possible, coordinate the flow of information between conveyancers and nudge parties for timely responses. Make the parties' communication responsibilities explicit to buyers.

Conveyancers: faster, documented responses and clearer client updates would address the primary buyer complaints. Earlier sharing of legal and property information could reduce downstream delays.

# Bottom line Buyers in this survey see conveyancing — especially slow communication between conveyancers — as the main bottleneck in property transactions. They want faster replies, clearer cross-party communication and better visibility during the legal stage. The broader market context shows falling conveyancer numbers and long exchange times, which help explain why buyers are losing patience.