Slow Solicitor: What to Do When Conveyancing Drags

You accepted an offer weeks ago. Your solicitor was supposed to be progressing the sale. But nothing seems to be happening. Emails go unanswered for days, updates are vague, and the buyer's side is getting frustrated. Sound familiar?

Slow solicitors are one of the most common causes of conveyancing delays in England and Wales. Research by the HomeOwners Alliance consistently ranks poor solicitor communication as a top frustration for home sellers. According to Propertymark, roughly 30% of agreed property sales fall through before exchange -- and extended timelines caused by slow legal work are a significant contributing factor. For a full look at why sales collapse, see our guide on why house sales fall through.

This guide covers exactly what to do if your solicitor is dragging their feet: how to chase effectively, when to escalate a complaint, what the formal complaints process looks like, and whether switching solicitors mid-transaction is realistic.

How to tell if your solicitor is genuinely slow

Conveyancing involves multiple parties -- your solicitor, the buyer's solicitor, mortgage lenders, local authorities, and HM Land Registry. Not every delay is your solicitor's fault. Before assuming the problem is on your side, it helps to understand what a reasonable pace looks like.

Task	Reasonable timeframe	Cause for concern
Acknowledging your instruction and running ID checks	1-3 working days	More than 1 week with no contact
Obtaining title documents from HM Land Registry	1-5 working days	More than 2 weeks
Sending draft contract pack to buyer's solicitor	1-2 weeks after receiving your completed forms	More than 3 weeks after receiving forms
Responding to your emails or calls	Within 48 hours for routine queries	Consistently more than 3 working days
Forwarding buyer's enquiries to you	1-2 working days after receipt	Sitting on enquiries for a week or more
Sending your replies back to the buyer's solicitor	1-2 working days after you respond	More than 5 working days
Progressing towards exchange once all enquiries are resolved	1-2 weeks	More than 3 weeks with no clear reason

If your solicitor is consistently hitting the "cause for concern" column, you have a genuine problem -- not just normal conveyancing pace. For context on what the overall process should look like, see our guide on how long conveyancing takes.

Step 1: Chase your solicitor effectively

Before escalating, try structured chasing. Many solicitors handle large caseloads and the squeaky wheel genuinely does get the grease -- but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

The weekly check-in method

Send a short email once a week (the same day each week works well) asking three specific questions:

What is the current status of my sale?
Who are we waiting on, and what are we waiting for?
Is there anything I can do to help move things forward?

This approach is effective because it is specific (not just "any update?"), it creates a written record, and it positions you as collaborative rather than adversarial. Email is preferable to phone calls because your solicitor can reply at a time that suits their workflow, and the exchange is documented.

When to escalate beyond email

If you have sent two weekly check-in emails without a substantive reply, escalate by:

Calling the firm directly and asking to speak to your case handler or their supervisor. Note the date, time, and who you spoke to.
Asking your estate agent to chase. Good estate agents proactively chase solicitors on both sides as part of their sales progression role. If yours is not doing this, ask them to start. They often have existing relationships with local firms and can get through faster.
Emailing the firm's managing partner or head of conveyancing (not your case handler) to flag the lack of communication. This usually triggers an immediate internal review of your file.

Step 2: Identify what is actually causing the delay

Not all conveyancing delays are the solicitor's fault. When you do get a response, ask specifically what the bottleneck is. Common causes include:

Waiting for local authority search results -- some councils take 6 to 8 weeks to return searches. Your solicitor cannot speed this up, but if you had ordered searches before listing, this wait would already be over. See our guide on how to speed up conveyancing as a seller.
Waiting for the buyer's solicitor to respond -- delays on the other side are outside your solicitor's control, though they should be actively chasing.
Outstanding enquiries that need your input -- check whether your solicitor has forwarded questions you have not yet answered. Every day you delay a reply adds at least a day to the timeline.
Mortgage lender conditions -- the buyer's lender may have imposed conditions that need to be satisfied before they issue the formal mortgage offer.
Your solicitor is genuinely overloaded -- high caseloads, staff sickness, or poor firm management. This is the scenario where escalation or switching may be necessary.

Understanding the root cause matters because the right response depends on where the problem actually sits.

Step 3: Make a formal complaint to the firm

If chasing has not worked and you believe your solicitor is providing an unacceptably poor level of service, the next step is a formal written complaint to the firm itself. Every solicitor firm regulated by the SRA is required to have an internal complaints procedure, and they must give you details of this procedure when you first instruct them.

How to make an effective complaint

Put it in writing -- email or letter addressed to the firm's complaints handler (this is usually the managing partner or a designated complaints partner, not your case handler).
Be specific -- include dates of unanswered emails, missed deadlines, and specific instances of poor service. Avoid general statements like "everything has been slow" and instead write "I emailed on 5 January, 12 January, and 19 January and received no substantive reply to any of these messages."
State what outcome you want -- for example, a specific case handler assigned to your file, a commitment to respond within 24 hours, or a partial refund of fees.
Set a deadline -- the SRA's guidance suggests firms should acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days and provide a full response within 8 weeks.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, solicitors must deal with complaints promptly, fairly, and free of charge. A formal complaint often has an immediate effect because firms take their SRA compliance obligations seriously.

Step 4: Escalate to the Legal Ombudsman

If the firm does not resolve your complaint within eight weeks -- or if their response is unsatisfactory -- you can escalate to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is the independent body established under the Legal Services Act 2007 to handle complaints about legal service providers in England and Wales.

What the Legal Ombudsman can do

Order your solicitor to apologise
Order a refund of fees (partial or full)
Order compensation up to 50,000 pounds for the impact of poor service
Order the solicitor to put things right at no extra cost

Time limits for complaining

You must complain to the Legal Ombudsman within one year of the act or omission you are complaining about, or within one year of when you first became aware of the problem. You must also have already gone through the firm's internal complaints process and either received a final response or waited the full eight weeks.

The Ombudsman process typically takes around 90 days, though complex cases can take longer. For an ongoing transaction, this timeline means the Ombudsman complaint is better pursued as a separate matter for compensation, while you focus on getting the sale completed -- either by galvanising your current solicitor or switching firms.

Step 5: Consider switching solicitors

If your solicitor's delays are putting the entire sale at risk and neither chasing nor a formal complaint has resolved the issue, switching solicitors mid-transaction is an option. It is not ideal, but sometimes it is the only way to save the sale.

What switching involves

Instruct a new solicitor -- they will need to run fresh identity checks (anti-money laundering regulations require this) and review all existing work on the file. For guidance on choosing a new firm, see our guide on how to instruct a solicitor for selling.
Request your file from the old solicitor -- under SRA rules, your solicitor must release your file to the new firm promptly. They cannot withhold your file to pressure you into staying, though they may retain copies for their own records and can hold the file until outstanding fees are paid (this is known as a solicitor's lien).
Notify all parties -- your estate agent, the buyer's solicitor, and any other parties in the chain need to know the new solicitor's details.
The new solicitor reviews everything -- they will go through the contract pack, search results, title documents, and any enquiries that have been raised and answered. This typically takes 1 to 2 weeks.

The costs of switching

Cost	Typical range	Notes
Fees owed to the old solicitor for work done	£300 - £1,000	Depends on how far the transaction has progressed; check your terms of engagement
New solicitor's fees for the full transaction	£800 - £1,500 + VAT	Most will charge their standard fee, not a reduced rate for picking up mid-transaction
Duplicate disbursements (e.g. fresh AML checks)	£20 - £50	Some disbursements may need to be re-ordered
Time cost (additional delay)	2-4 weeks	The new solicitor needs time to review all existing work

When switching makes sense (and when it does not)

Switching is usually worth it if you are still in the early stages of conveyancing (before enquiries are resolved), if the delay is clearly your solicitor's fault rather than external factors, and if the buyer is threatening to pull out due to the pace. Switching is usually not worth it if you are close to exchange (say, within 2 to 3 weeks), because the time lost in handover could exceed the time you would save. In that situation, a firm complaint and escalation within the current firm is often the better play.

Understanding the difference between solicitors and conveyancers

When considering a switch, you may wonder whether a licensed conveyancer would be faster than a solicitor. Both are qualified to handle residential property transactions in England and Wales. Solicitors are regulated by the SRA, while licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Licensed conveyancers specialise exclusively in property law, which can mean a more streamlined focus -- but speed depends far more on the individual practitioner's caseload and responsiveness than on their regulatory status. For a detailed comparison, see our guide on solicitor vs conveyancer.

How to prevent slow conveyancing in the first place

The best way to deal with a slow solicitor is to reduce the amount of work that depends on them in the first place. The more you prepare before listing, the less time your solicitor needs to progress the sale after an offer is accepted.

Prepare your legal paperwork before listing

Complete your TA6 Property Information Form and TA10 Fittings and Contents Form before you go on the market. This removes 2 to 3 weeks of dead time that normally follows an accepted offer while the seller assembles their paperwork. See our guide on how to speed up conveyancing as a seller for the full preparation checklist.

Order property searches upfront

Waiting for local authority searches is the single biggest bottleneck in most conveyancing transactions, taking 2 to 8 weeks depending on the council. If you order searches before listing, the results are ready on day one when a buyer makes an offer. This removes the dependency on your solicitor to order them and the wait that follows.

Instruct your solicitor early

Instructing a solicitor as soon as you decide to sell -- rather than waiting until an offer comes in -- gives them time to obtain title documents, run identity checks, and prepare the draft contract at a pace that does not hold up the transaction later. Most solicitors charge the same fee regardless of when you instruct them. For guidance on the instruction process, see our guide on how to instruct a solicitor for selling.

Choose your solicitor carefully

Before instructing, ask about caseloads, response time commitments, whether you will have a named case handler, and whether they hold the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation. The CQS is the industry benchmark for residential conveyancing, and firms that hold it have met specific standards for file management, case handling, and client communication.

Your rights as a client

Under the SRA Standards and Regulations (which replaced the SRA Code of Conduct in November 2019), solicitors in England and Wales must:

Act in your best interests
Provide services in a timely manner
Keep you informed about the progress of your matter
Respond to your communications within a reasonable time
Have a written complaints procedure and tell you about it at the outset
Not withhold your file unreasonably if you decide to switch firms

If a solicitor fails to meet these standards, you have grounds for a complaint to both the firm and, ultimately, the Legal Ombudsman. In serious cases involving professional misconduct (rather than just poor service), you can report the solicitor directly to the SRA.

The real cost of a slow solicitor

A slow solicitor does not just cost you time. The financial impact of delays can be substantial:

Ongoing mortgage payments -- if you are paying a mortgage on a property you want to sell, every extra month of delay costs you a full monthly payment.
Council tax and insurance -- you continue to pay these until completion.
Risk of the sale falling through -- the longer the gap between accepted offer and exchange, the higher the probability that the buyer pulls out, their mortgage offer expires, or market conditions change. According to industry data, mortgage offers are typically valid for 3 to 6 months, and a slow transaction can push past that window.
Opportunity cost -- if you are buying another property, delays on your sale delay your purchase, potentially causing you to lose the property you want to buy.
Emotional toll -- the stress and uncertainty of a sale that drags on for months should not be underestimated. Moving house is consistently rated as one of life's most stressful events.

A step-by-step action plan

Here is a practical sequence to follow if you suspect your solicitor is causing unnecessary delays:

Week 1: Send a structured check-in email asking for status, who you are waiting on, and what you can do to help.
Week 2: If no reply, send a follow-up email and ask your estate agent to chase.
Week 3: Call the firm and ask to speak to a supervisor or the head of conveyancing. Document the call.
Week 4: If the problem persists, submit a formal written complaint to the firm's complaints handler. Be specific about dates and instances of poor service.
Weeks 4-8: If you cannot wait for the complaints process to play out, begin instructing a new solicitor in parallel so you are ready to switch if needed.
After 8 weeks: If the firm has not resolved your complaint, escalate to the Legal Ombudsman.

Throughout this process, keep every email, note every phone call with dates and times, and save any written communications. This documentation is essential if you later pursue a complaint with the Legal Ombudsman.

How Pine helps sellers avoid solicitor delays

Pine is built around the principle that the best way to avoid slow conveyancing is to do the heavy lifting before your buyer arrives. Pine guides you through completing the TA6 and TA10 forms in plain English, helps you order property searches at near-trade prices, and assembles everything into a solicitor-ready legal pack. When your buyer's offer comes in, your solicitor has less work to do -- the forms are completed, the searches are done, and the supporting documents are organised. Instead of relying on your solicitor to drive the early stages of the process, you arrive at the transaction already prepared.

Why is my house sale taking so long? A diagnostic checklist

A slow sale is not always the solicitor's fault. Property transactions involve multiple parties, multiple processes, and multiple dependencies -- and a bottleneck at any point stalls the entire chain. Before blaming your solicitor, work through this diagnostic checklist to identify where the delay actually sits.

Have you returned your TA6 and TA10 forms? -- If not, this is the most likely cause of delay. Your solicitor cannot send the draft contract pack to the buyer's solicitor without your completed property information forms. These forms are entirely within your control, so return them as quickly as possible.
Has the draft contract pack been sent? -- Ask your solicitor to confirm the exact date the draft contract pack was sent to the buyer's solicitor. If it has not been sent and your forms are completed, this is a clear solicitor-side delay.
Are searches still outstanding? -- Some local authorities take 4 to 6 weeks to return search results, and this is outside anyone's control. Ask your solicitor which searches are pending and when they were ordered. For a breakdown of the slowest councils, see our guide on the slowest councils for property searches.
Has the buyer's survey been done? -- If the buyer has not yet arranged their survey or valuation, the sale stalls regardless of how quickly the legal work progresses. Ask your estate agent to confirm whether the survey has been booked and completed.
Has the buyer's mortgage offer been issued? -- Mortgage applications typically take 2 to 4 weeks to process, and exchange cannot happen without a formal mortgage offer in place. A delay here holds up the entire transaction regardless of legal progress.
Are there outstanding enquiries? -- Ask your solicitor whether there are unanswered enquiries from the buyer's side, and whether any of them require your input. If you have been sent questions you have not yet answered, every day of delay on your end adds at least a day to the timeline.
Is there a chain issue? -- A delay further up or down the chain affects everyone involved. Ask your estate agent to check the chain status weekly and report back on any hold-ups that are outside your transaction.
Is your solicitor actually slow? -- If all of the above are resolved and your solicitor still has not progressed matters, it may be time to escalate. Call the senior partner, submit a formal complaint through the firm's complaints procedure, or consider reporting the issue to the SRA.

Your estate agent should be chasing all parties -- solicitors on both sides, the buyer's mortgage broker, and any other links in the chain -- at least once a week. If they are not doing this proactively, ask them to. Sales progression is a core part of an estate agent's role, and regular chasing prevents small delays from compounding into major ones.

Sources and further reading

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) -- Standards and Regulations, complaints guidance, and register of solicitors (sra.org.uk)
Legal Ombudsman -- Independent complaints body for legal services in England and Wales, including compensation limits and time limits (legalombudsman.org.uk)
The Law Society -- Conveyancing Quality Scheme, Find a Solicitor tool, and Conveyancing Protocol guidance (lawsociety.org.uk)
Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) -- Register of licensed conveyancers and regulatory standards (clc.gov.uk)
Legal Services Act 2007 -- The legislation that established the Legal Ombudsman (legislation.gov.uk)
Propertymark -- Market reports and data on fall-through rates and conveyancing delays (propertymark.co.uk)
HomeOwners Alliance -- Consumer research on conveyancing experience and solicitor satisfaction (hoa.org.uk)

Frequently asked questions

How long should my solicitor take to respond to emails?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) does not set a specific response time, but the Law Society considers 48 hours a reasonable maximum for routine queries. If your solicitor consistently takes longer than two working days to reply to straightforward emails, that is a legitimate service concern. Many well-run firms commit to same-day acknowledgement and a substantive reply within 24 hours for standard matters.

Can I complain about a slow solicitor to the SRA?

The SRA handles complaints about solicitor conduct and professional standards, but it generally directs service complaints to the Legal Ombudsman. You must first raise a formal complaint through your solicitor firm's own internal complaints procedure and give them eight weeks to resolve it. If the firm fails to resolve the issue, you can then escalate to the Legal Ombudsman, which can order compensation of up to 50,000 pounds for poor service.

Is it possible to switch solicitors mid-conveyancing?

Yes, you can switch solicitors at any point before exchange of contracts. Your current solicitor is required by SRA rules to hand over your file to the new firm promptly. However, switching typically adds 2 to 4 weeks to the overall timeline, as the new solicitor needs to review all existing work, run fresh identity checks, and familiarise themselves with the case. You may also need to pay your current solicitor for work already completed.

What are the warning signs of a slow solicitor?

Common warning signs include taking more than 48 hours to respond to emails or calls, failing to provide a named case handler, being unable to give a clear update on where your sale stands, missing self-imposed deadlines without explanation, and not proactively chasing the other side. If you find yourself chasing your solicitor more than once a week with no substantive progress, that is a strong indicator of a problem.

Will switching solicitors cost me more money?

Usually, yes. You will likely owe your current solicitor for work already done unless you are on a strict no-sale-no-fee arrangement that covers withdrawal by the client. Transfer fees are uncommon but some firms charge an administrative fee for preparing the file handover. Your new solicitor will charge their own fees for the full transaction. In total, switching can cost between 500 and 2,000 pounds in additional fees depending on how far the transaction has progressed.

How do I chase my solicitor without damaging the relationship?

The most effective approach is a structured weekly check-in by email rather than frequent ad hoc calls. Ask three specific questions: what is the current status, who are we waiting on, and is there anything I can do to help. Email is better than phone because it creates a written trail. If you consistently receive no reply within 48 hours, escalate to the firm's complaints partner rather than simply chasing more aggressively. A professional, documented approach is more likely to get results than emotional phone calls.

Can my estate agent help chase my solicitor?

Yes, and they should. Estate agents have a direct financial interest in the sale completing and are experienced at chasing solicitors on both sides. A good agent will proactively contact all solicitors involved at least once a week for a progress update and flag any delays to you immediately. If your agent is not doing this, ask them to. They can often unblock issues faster than you can because they deal with conveyancing firms daily and understand the process.

What is the Legal Ombudsman and how do I use it?

The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body set up under the Legal Services Act 2007 to resolve complaints about legal service providers in England and Wales. You can complain if your solicitor has provided poor service, such as excessive delays, failure to communicate, or losing documents. You must complain within one year of the problem occurring and within one year of when you first knew about it. The Ombudsman can order your solicitor to apologise, refund fees, pay compensation up to 50,000 pounds, or put things right at no extra cost to you.

Should I instruct a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer for a faster sale?

Speed depends more on the individual practitioner and their caseload than on whether they are a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. Both are regulated and qualified to handle residential conveyancing. Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) rather than the SRA, and they specialise exclusively in property law. The key factors for speed are the firm's caseload, whether you get a named handler, their response times, and whether they use an online case tracker. Ask the same due diligence questions regardless of the type of practitioner.

How long does the Legal Ombudsman process take?

The Legal Ombudsman aims to resolve most complaints within 90 days of receiving them, although complex cases can take longer. Before you can escalate to the Ombudsman, you must first give your solicitor's firm eight weeks to resolve your complaint internally. This means the full process from initial complaint to Ombudsman resolution can take 3 to 6 months. Given this timeline, it is often more practical to switch solicitors for an ongoing transaction and pursue the complaint separately for compensation afterwards.

What you need to know