Conveyancing insight
Complete ASAP: Leasehold transactions do not have to be slow
Smarter strategies can help agents, conveyancers and clients cut avoidable leasehold delays and keep chains moving.
At a glance
Leasehold remains slower: ASAP data shows leasehold transactions still complete later than freehold sales.
The gap is narrowing: the delay improved from 27 days in 2024/25 to 17 days in 2025/26.
Complexity is the cause: leases, ground rent, service charges, managing agents and lender requirements all add moving parts.
Early action helps: checking lease length, ground rent, management packs and Building Safety Act requirements upfront can reduce avoidable delays.
It is a fact that leasehold transactions take longer than freehold.
The question is how much can be done to minimise the often inevitable delays.
Analysis of transaction times between leasehold and freehold sales highlights the scale of the challenge. ASAP’s data shows leasehold transactions completed an average of 26 days later than freehold sales in 2023/24, rising to 27 days in 2024/25 before improving to 17 days in 2025/26.
26 days
average leasehold delay compared with freehold in 2023/24.
27 days
average leasehold delay in 2024/25.
17 days
average leasehold delay in 2025/26, showing improvement but not parity.
While the gap has narrowed, leasehold transactions remain consistently slower. Notably, ASAP’s completion times outperform the wider market, with some industry data suggesting leasehold transactions can take up to 58 days longer than freehold sales.
Leasehold transactions involve greater complexity, more stakeholders and additional documentation, creating significantly more opportunities for delay.
Why leasehold takes longer
A freehold transaction is typically focused on title, searches and seller information.
Leasehold transactions require wider investigation, including the lease itself, service charges, ground rent provisions, management information, planned maintenance works, lender requirements and, in some cases, Building Safety Act obligations.
Common leasehold delay points include:
- Management packs taking weeks to arrive
- Freeholder consent being required
- Leases not meeting lender requirements
- Additional documentation being needed
- Ground rent clauses requiring investigation
- Deeds of variation
- Licences to assign
- Lease extensions
The challenge is that many of these issues are only discovered once the transaction is already underway.
The impact on the chain
Leasehold delays rarely affect just one property.
A slow-moving leasehold transaction can create uncertainty across an entire chain, putting pressure on buyers, sellers, mortgage offers and completion dates.
Managing expectations is vital.
Clients need to understand from the outset that leasehold transactions often involve additional stages and third parties beyond anyone’s direct control.
Not all leasehold properties are the same
Leasehold flats often involve managing agents, service charges and building insurance requirements.
Leasehold houses can sometimes move more quickly, although freeholder permissions and ground rent arrangements still need investigation.
There is also the frequently misunderstood concept of “share of freehold”. While buyers often assume this is effectively freehold ownership, it remains a leasehold transaction with an additional freehold element.
The lease still governs rights and obligations, and transferring ownership of the freehold share can create additional work and delay, particularly where the transferer cannot be tracked down.
Taking control of the variables
While agents cannot control every aspect of a leasehold sale, they can influence many of the factors that determine how smoothly it progresses.
Simple steps can make a significant difference.
Before marketing, agents can:
- Check the remaining lease length
- Review ground rent provisions early
- Identify the managing agent before a sale is agreed
- Encourage sellers to obtain service charge and ground rent information upfront
- Establish whether Building Safety Act requirements may apply
- Work with experienced conveyancers who understand leasehold transactions
Working with the right team has certainly helped ASAP reduce leasehold transaction times, as experienced conveyancers can often identify issues earlier and resolve them more efficiently, helping to keep momentum throughout the chain.
Collaboration is key
The complexity of leasehold does not have to result in unnecessary delay.
When agents, brokers, solicitors and clients understand where problems typically arise, it becomes easier to identify risks early, communicate proactively and keep transactions moving.
Faster completions come from strong collaboration.
Shared knowledge, realistic expectations and strong communication remain some of the most effective ways to reduce delays, protect pipelines and deliver a better experience for everyone involved.
Leasehold transactions may never be simple, but they can certainly be more predictable, more transparent and, as a result, faster.
Keep leasehold moving
Work with a team that understands leasehold complexity
ASAP’s data shows that leasehold delays can be reduced when the right information, expectations and conveyancing experience are in place from the start.
