For a typical chain-free purchase, it often takes around 8 to 12 weeks from having an offer accepted to completion, with contracts usually exchanged at around 8 to 10 weeks.
Simple cash purchases can sometimes move faster, while leasehold properties and mortgage delays can add time.
Removing the chain takes away one of the main sources of uncertainty, because there’s no linked sale or purchase that can hold yours up, as long as both sides are chain-free. The residential conveyancing work still has to be done, though: the legal checks, searches and, for most buyers, a mortgage offer.
This guide walks you through what happens each week, how long is left from the milestones you may have already reached, and what can slow a chain-free purchase down.
The timings in this guide apply to property transactions in England and Wales.
What’s in this guide?
- What Does ‘No Chain’ Mean?
- No Chain Conveyancing Timeline: Week by Week
- How Long Different Chain-Free Purchases Take
- How Long After the Memorandum of Sale to Completion With No Chain
- How Long After the Survey to Completion With No Chain?
- What Can Still Delay Conveyancing With No Chain?
- How to Speed Up Conveyancing With No Chain
- Buying or Selling With No Chain? Talk to Bespoke Law Services
- No Chain Conveyancing: FAQs
What Does ‘No Chain’ Mean?
A property chain is a series of linked sales and purchases, where each one depends on the others going through. ‘No chain’ means your transaction doesn’t depend on anyone else’s, but it’s worth checking which side is chain-free, because that affects how quickly things can move.
| Situation | What it means | What it does to the timeline |
| You have nothing to sell | You’re a first-time buyer, a cash buyer or currently renting | Your side is chain-free, but if the seller is buying another home, you’re still part of their chain |
| The seller has nothing to buy | The home is vacant, being sold by executors, owned by an investor, or the seller has already moved | Often advertised as ‘no onward chain’, because the seller isn’t waiting on another purchase |
| Both sides are chain-free | Neither buyer nor seller depends on another transaction | Usually the quickest and most flexible scenario, as only two parties need to agree dates |
Probate sales are often chain-free, but the executors usually need the grant of probate before contracts can be exchanged. If you’re buying from an estate, ask the agent whether probate has been granted before you make an offer. If you’re selling your property and have already moved out, make that clear in your marketing, as buyers may look for it.
New build homes are often chain-free on the seller’s side too, because the developer isn’t buying another property. Our guide to new build conveyancing explains what’s different.
No Chain Conveyancing Timeline: Week by Week
How long the conveyancing process takes with no chain depends on how quickly each stage is finished, and many of the stages run at the same time. The table below shows a typical chain-free timeline when buying a house, along with what you can do at each point to keep things moving.
| Week | What happens | What you can do |
| Week 1 | Offer accepted, memorandum of sale sent to both conveyancers, conveyancers instructed, ID and source of funds checks started | Return your forms and ID within a day or two, and book your survey |
| Weeks 1 to 3 | Contract pack sent by the seller’s conveyancer, searches ordered, mortgage application submitted | Send your lender any documents it asks for promptly |
| Weeks 2 to 6 | Lender valuation and mortgage offer, search results arrive, survey report received, enquiries raised | Read your survey and tell your conveyancer about any concerns |
| Weeks 4 to 8 | Enquiries answered, report on title sent to you | If you’re buying a freehold, arrange buildings insurance to start from exchange |
| Weeks 8 to 10 | Contract signed, deposit sent, completion date agreed, exchange of contracts | Book removals once the completion date is fixed |
| Weeks 8 to 12 | Completion, on the same day as exchange or a week or two later | Collect your keys |
These ranges are indicative, and the stages overlap. Your conveyancer can give you a more accurate estimate once the paperwork is under way.
Our house buying journey guide explains each stage of the purchase in more detail.
How Long Different Chain-Free Purchases Take
Even without a chain, the type of purchase affects the conveyancing and completion timeline.
Cash buyers with no chain
This is usually the quickest route. A cash buyer has no lender valuation, underwriting or mortgage offer to wait for, so their side of the transaction can move as fast as the legal work allows.
Searches and enquiries set the pace, though, and a cash buyer needs the same legal checks as anyone else. A purchase that completes much faster than the typical range is possible when everyone is ready and the property is straightforward, but it’s the exception.
Mortgage buyers with no chain
For chain-free buyers using a mortgage, the mortgage offer is often one of the longest waits. The lender needs to value the property and assess your application before it issues a formal offer, and that can take several weeks.
Getting a mortgage agreement in principle before you make an offer, then applying as soon as your offer is accepted, helps avoid this becoming a hold-up. If you’re buying your first home, our page on first-time buyer conveyancing explains what to expect.
Leasehold properties with no chain
Leasehold flats tend to take longer, even with no chain. Your conveyancer needs a management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, covering service charges, ground rent, insurance and any planned works, and these packs can take weeks to arrive.
If the lease contains a clause your lender won’t accept, the seller may also need to arrange a deed of variation with the freeholder, which adds more time.
Not sure what a deed of variation is? Read ‘Deed of Variation on a Property: What It Is and How It Works’.
How Long After the Memorandum of Sale to Completion With No Chain?
The estate agent sends the memorandum of sale once an offer is accepted. It confirms the agreed price, the buyer and seller, and their conveyancers, so the legal work can begin. That makes it the starting point of the timeline above: with no chain, exchange often follows around 8 to 10 weeks after the memorandum of sale is issued, with completion around 8 to 12 weeks after it.
The first few days after the memorandum of sale goes out can make a noticeable difference to the timeline. Instruct your conveyancer straight away, return your ID and source of funds documents as soon as they’re requested, and book your survey. If the memorandum of sale is slow to reach both conveyancers, or either side delays instructing, the whole timeline shifts back.
How Long After the Survey to Completion With No Chain?
There’s no fixed gap between the survey and completion, because the survey isn’t a legal milestone. How long is left depends on what else is still outstanding when your survey report comes back.
If the searches are back, the mortgage offer has been issued, and the enquiries have been answered by the time you get your survey, exchange and completion can follow within a few weeks. If some of those are still outstanding, they’ll set the pace instead. And if the survey raises a problem, such as damp, roof repairs or an alteration without the right approvals, you may need specialist reports, quotes or a renegotiation on price before you’re ready to exchange.
Your survey and your lender’s valuation are two separate things. The lender’s valuation is for the lender’s benefit, to confirm the property is worth what it’s lending against. Your survey tells you about the property’s condition.
What still needs to happen after your survey:
- Search results reviewed by your conveyancer
- Enquiries answered by the seller’s conveyancer
- Formal mortgage offer issued (if you’re using a mortgage)
- Report on title sent to you
- Contract signed and deposit cleared
- Buildings insurance arranged from exchange (for a freehold)
- Completion date agreed
Want a conveyancer who keeps you updated on what’s still outstanding? Get a conveyancing quote from our team.
What Can Still Delay Conveyancing With No Chain?
No chain means fewer things can go wrong, but a few common hold-ups can still affect a chain-free purchase.
| Delay | Why it happens | What helps |
| Local authority searches | Turnaround times vary widely between councils | Your conveyancer orders searches as early as possible |
| Mortgage offer or down-valuation | The lender needs a valuation and underwriting before it issues an offer, and a down-valuation can mean renegotiating the price or finding a bigger deposit | Apply promptly and send any documents the lender asks for |
| Survey issues | Problems found can lead to further reports or renegotiation | Book the survey as soon as your offer is accepted |
| Unanswered enquiries | Your conveyancer can’t report on the property until questions are answered | Sellers can gather certificates and guarantees before they’re asked |
| Leasehold management packs | The freeholder or managing agent works to their own timescale | Sellers can request the pack as soon as the property goes on the market |
| Source of funds checks | Conveyancers must check where the money for the purchase comes from | Provide bank statements and any gifted deposit paperwork upfront |
| Probate | Executors usually can’t exchange until probate is granted | Ask where probate stands before you offer |
| A change of mind | Either side can pull out before exchange | Keep communication open and resolve issues quickly |
Getting your search results back is good progress, although your conveyancer still needs to review them and may raise further questions before you can exchange. Our guide explains what searches are done when buying a house and what they show.
How to Speed Up Conveyancing With No Chain
With no chain, the people involved have more control over the timetable, so a few early steps can shorten it.
Agree target dates early
With no chain, the buyer and seller can agree a target exchange and completion date early on. Share it with both conveyancers, the estate agent and your lender or broker, so everyone has a deadline to work towards and it’s easier to spot when something is falling behind.
Consider exchanging and completing on the same day
Without a chain, simultaneous exchange and completion is more practical, although it means booking removals before the sale is legally binding. Our guide to exchanging contracts explains how it works.
Checklists for buyers and sellers
If you’re buying:
- Instruct a conveyancer as soon as your offer is accepted
- Apply for your mortgage straight away, if you need one
- Book your survey in the first week
- Prepare bank statements and any gifted deposit paperwork for the source of funds checks
If you’re selling a vacant or probate property:
- Gather guarantees, planning documents and building regulations certificates early
- Order the leasehold management pack as soon as you go on the market
- Keep utilities connected and arrange access for surveys and valuations
Our guide to selling your home covers what else to prepare.
Buying or Selling With No Chain? Talk to Bespoke Law Services
How long conveyancing takes with no chain depends partly on things outside your control, and partly on how quickly the legal work moves. Our conveyancers handle the legal side of your purchase or sale and keep you informed as each stage is completed.
- A dedicated conveyancer for your case
- Regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers
- An online service for buyers and sellers across England and Wales
No Chain Conveyancing: FAQs
Can conveyancing be done in 4 weeks with no chain?
It’s possible, but it isn’t typical. A 4-week purchase usually needs a cash buyer, a straightforward freehold property, quick search results and both sides ready to move at each stage. Most chain-free purchases take longer, so it’s sensible to plan your move and notice periods around the typical range.
Is a property with no chain a good sign?
It usually means fewer things can hold up your purchase. Properties are often chain-free because they’re vacant, being sold after a death, owned by an investor, or the seller has already moved. You’ll still need searches and a survey to check the property itself.
Do I still need searches and a survey if there’s no chain?
Yes. Having no chain affects how long the purchase takes, and the searches and survey tell you about the property and its surroundings. Mortgage lenders usually require searches, and a survey helps you avoid expensive surprises after you move in.
Is a first-time buyer chain-free?
On their own side, yes, because a first-time buyer has nothing to sell. If the seller is buying another home, though, the first-time buyer is still part of that chain and can be affected by delays further along it.
How long does a probate sale with no chain take?
Once probate has been granted, a probate sale can move as quickly as any other chain-free purchase. Before that, the executors usually can’t exchange contracts, so ask the estate agent whether probate has been granted before you make an offer.
Can we choose our completion date if there’s no chain?
Usually there’s more flexibility, because only the buyer and seller need to agree. The completion date is agreed before exchange and written into the contract, so once contracts are exchanged, the date is fixed, and changing it needs both sides to agree.
How long is it between exchange and completion with no chain?
There’s no set gap. Exchange and completion can happen on the same day, or completion can follow a week or two later – this is to be agreed by the buyer and seller.
What’s the difference between exchange and completion?
Exchange is when the buyer and seller swap signed contracts and the buyer pays the deposit. From this point, the sale is legally binding and the completion date is fixed.
Completion is when the rest of the money is transferred, ownership passes to the buyer and you get the keys. Learn more about the process in our guide to exchanging contracts.
Do I still need a conveyancer if there’s no chain?
In practice, yes. There’s no legal requirement to use one, but having no chain doesn’t change the legal work on your purchase or sale. Your conveyancer checks the title, orders and reviews searches, raises enquiries, and handles exchange, completion and registration. If you’re buying with a mortgage, your lender will need a conveyancer or solicitor to act for it.
Is there a chain when you remortgage?
No. Remortgaging doesn’t involve a chain because no property changes hands. The timescale for remortgaging your home depends mainly on your lender.
