Selling Up? Brace for a Long Wait!
- Sarah Ruivivar
- Dec 25, 2025
- 2 min read
Landlords looking to exit the rental market due to high taxes and red tape might need a bit of patience.
Recent data from property analytics company TwentyEA reveals that the average time to exchange contracts in the UK has stretched to 123 days, or about 4.1 months. That's a smidge longer than last year, by two whole days!
Outer London and the East of England are the slowpokes, taking up to 4.6 months, while Inner London isn't far behind at 4.2 months. On the flip side, the North-East shines with a speedy 3.6 months, and Scotland takes the crown with just 2.9 months, thanks to its different legal system.
Katy Billany from TwentyEA highlights that these regional differences underscore the impact of local market conditions and legal quirks on transaction speed. Nationwide, the time to exchange has been creeping up since 2019, making the process more stressful for buyers and sellers alike.
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With buyers waiting over four months to exchange, this prolonged timeline adds pressure on affordability and increases the risk of deals falling through, especially with fluctuating interest rates and economic conditions.
The government is consulting on ways to cut transaction times and costs, particularly for first-time buyers. Meanwhile, TwentyCi's Project 28 aims to slash the time from 'sale agreed' to exchange to just 28 days, promising more reliability and fewer failed sales.
With industry focus and momentum building, there's hope for meaningful change as we head into 2026. Fingers crossed!
Want to hear more? Join Mal & Matt on the Property AI Report Podcast each week!
Access from your preferred podcast provider by clicking here
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