"Nationwide, the average has crept up over recent years (from roughly 3.0 months in 2019 to about 4.1 months in 2025), confirming that the trend towards longer waits to exchange contracts is far from resolved."
- Katy Billany - TwentyEA
The average time to exchange on a UK property transaction has risen to 123 days, equivalent to around 4.1 months, according to new data from property analytics company TwentyEA. This marks an increase of two days, or 1.8%, compared with 2024, continuing a gradual upward trend seen over recent years.
Regional differences remain pronounced. The longest transaction timelines are recorded in Outer London and the East of England, where the average time to exchange now stands at 4.6 months. Inner London follows closely behind at 4.2 months. At the other end of the scale, the North-East is the strongest-performing region in England, with an average of 3.6 months.
Scotland continues to stand apart from the rest of the UK. Operating under a different legal system, it records the shortest average time to exchange of any region, at just 2.9 months.
| UK Region | Time to exchange in 2025 (months) |
| Scotland | 2.9 |
| Northern Ireland | 4.1 |
| North East | 3.6 |
| North West | 4.0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 3.8 |
| East Midlands | 4.0 |
| West Midlands | 3.9 |
| Wales | 3.8 |
| East of England | 4.6 |
| Outer London | 4.6 |
| Inner London | 4.2 |
| South East | 4.5 |
| South West | 4.3 |
A longer-term view highlights how transaction times have steadily increased since before the pandemic. Data stretching back to 2019 shows a clear upward movement in the time taken to reach exchange.
| Year | Time to exchange (days) UK | Time to exchange (months) UK |
| 2019 | 91 | 3.0 |
| 2020 | 95 | 3.1 |
| 2021 | 109 | 3.6 |
| 2022 | 130 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | 121 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | 121 | 4.0 |
| 2025 | 123 | 4.1 |
“Our 2025 data shows that ‘time to exchange’ continues to vary significantly by region, from around 2.9 months in Scotland to 4.6 months in Outer London and the East of England,” said Katy Billany, executive director of TwentyEA. “This underlines how local market conditions and legal-system differences remain major drivers of transaction speed. Nationwide, the average has crept up over recent years (from roughly 3.0 months in 2019 to about 4.1 months in 2025), confirming that the trend towards longer waits to exchange contracts is far from resolved.”
Billany also highlighted the wider consequences of extended transaction timelines. “With many buyers waiting four months or more just to exchange, this extended timeline puts pressure on affordability, adds uncertainty for sellers and buyers alike, and magnifies the risk of fall-throughs, especially when interest rates or economic conditions shift partway through the process,” she noted.
Attention is increasingly turning to reform. “In our opinion, the MHCLG’s consultation, focused on reducing transaction timelines and costs for buyers, especially first-time buyers, cannot conclude fast enough,” Billany said. “As a group, TwentyCi has committed to Project 28, which aims to slash the time from ‘sale agreed’ to exchange from roughly 100+ days down to just 28, a major step toward reliability, transparency, and fewer failed sales.”
“With this growing focus and industry momentum, we’re hopeful that steps toward meaningful change will begin to take shape as we move into 2026," Billany concluded.
