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Exchange · completion · the gap between

How long between exchange and completion?

Commonly one to two weeks, by agreement — same-day is possible, months is legal. But that’s the wrong number to worry about. The stretch that actually decides when you move is the three to four months before exchange, when nobody is committed to anything. This page covers both, honestly.

1–2 weeksthe common gap between exchange and completion — set by agreement, not by law; same-day and month-long gaps are both legal
3–4 monthsthe typical offer-to-exchange stretch of searches, surveys and mortgage work — the part that actually sets your moving date
~1 in 4agreed sales that never reach completion at all — almost all of them collapse before exchange, while nobody is committed (industry data)

The two clocks, and which one to watch

Every sale runs on two clocks. The short clock — exchange to completion — is the one people ask about, and it’s the tame one: once contracts are exchanged the date is fixed, the deposit is at stake, and both sides are legally bound to the day. One to two weeks is typical because it’s just enough time to book removals against a date that’s finally real. Same-day exchange-and-complete exists, mostly in chain-free sales, at the cost of certainty right up to the final morning.

The long clock is offer to exchange: three to four months of conveyancing, searches, surveys and underwriting, multiplied by every link in the chain, during which any party can walk away without penalty — and roughly one agreed sale in four does exactly that. When someone says “we complete in two weeks,” what they mean is the long clock already ran its course. If your question is really “how do I know when I’ll actually move?”, the answer lives on the long clock — and the tool below works it backwards from the day you need.

Work backwards from the date you need

Both clocks, all three routes, from the day that actually matters to you.

The questions people ask about the gap

Can you exchange and complete on the same day?
Yes, and chain-free sales sometimes do — but it means nobody is contractually committed until the very morning the money moves, so removals, mail redirection and time off work are all booked on faith. Most solicitors advise at least a few days' gap unless there's a strong reason not to.
What's the most common gap between exchange and completion?
One to two weeks. It's long enough to book removals with a date that's now legally certain, and short enough that nobody's mortgage offer or patience expires. Longer gaps — a month or more — are perfectly legal and sometimes deliberate, for example to line up with a school term or a new job.
Why does it take so long to get to exchange in the first place?
Because everything that matters happens before it: local searches, the survey, mortgage underwriting, title queries — repeated for every link in the chain, with nobody legally committed while it grinds on. Offer to exchange is typically three to four months, and it's this stretch, not the exchange-to-completion gap, that decides when you actually move.
Does a long gap between exchange and completion carry risk?
Less than you'd think — after exchange, both sides are bound and the deposit is at stake, so collapses are rare. The real risks are practical: a buyer's mortgage offer expiring before a distant completion date, or either side's circumstances changing with no right to move the date alone. Check the mortgage offer's expiry against the date before exchanging.
How fast can the whole thing be done with a cash buyer?
With us, completion can be as soon as seven days from first contact — because there's no chain, no mortgage underwriting and no marketing period, the offer-to-exchange stage collapses to days. You pick the date, from seven days out to six months, and it goes in the contract with £500 a day on us if we're late (capped, and subject to contract).

Sources: MoneyHelper, exchange and completion · Property Solvers, exchange-to-completion timing · timings and fall-through rate via Ready Steady Sell. England & Wales. General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed September 2026.

Put a real date on it

There's no obligation and nothing to sign. We'll give you a figure in writing, with our reasoning, and you can take it to anyone you like before you decide.

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This page is part of the completion-date guide. The full picture — every route to a fixed date, compared honestly — is on can you guarantee a completion date?

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