From accepted offer to moving day, the real timeline
An accepted offer feels like the finishing line. It is, in practice, the starting gun for the legal and logistical process that eventually results in moving day. Zoopla's data shows the average time from offer accepted to exchange of contracts is seven weeks, with the full process from deciding to move to moving typically taking five to six months. Several things happen at once during those seven weeks including conveyancing, survey, and mortgage arrangement all run in parallel rather than one after another and understanding what fills each strand is useful for both buyers and sellers approaching this stage.

The conveyancing stage: eight to twelve weeks
Once an offer is accepted, the conveyancing process begins on both sides. The buyer's solicitor requests searches, reviews the title documents, raises enquiries, and manages the mortgage lender's requirements alongside the buyer's own. The seller's solicitor prepares the contract pack, handles enquiries, and coordinates the transfer of title.

Zoopla's guide suggests this stage can take eight to twelve weeks start to finish though because it runs alongside the survey and mortgage process rather than after them, many transactions still reach exchange within the seven-week average, with conveyancing continuing to tie up loose ends as that point approaches.

The most common sources of delay in conveyancing are slow responses to enquiries, missing documentation on the seller's side, and complications with leasehold properties where a management pack is required from the freeholder or managing agent. Sellers who have gathered their compliance documentation, planning permissions, building regulations certificates, and guarantees before listing are better placed to move through this stage efficiently. Buyers who respond promptly to any requests from their conveyancer and lender can similarly avoid adding unnecessary weeks to the process.

The survey: two to three weeks
Buyers should arrange a survey of the property once an offer is accepted. From first contact with a surveyor to receiving the report typically takes up to three weeks. There are three survey levels to choose from - a condition report, a HomeBuyer report, and a full building survey depending on the age and type of property being purchased. Where the survey identifies significant issues, there may be a renegotiation of the purchase price or a request for remedial works, which can add further time before the parties are ready to exchange.

Arranging the mortgage: two to six weeks
For buyers relying on mortgage finance, the formal mortgage application follows the accepted offer. Most mortgages are portable, which mean buyers who have an existing deal can potentially transfer it to the new property rather than arranging a new product, though the application process is still required. The formal mortgage offer, once received, is a prerequisite for exchange of contracts. Any conditions attached to the offer by the lender must be satisfied before the solicitor can proceed.

Exchange and completion
Exchange of contracts makes the transaction legally binding. Both parties sign identical contracts, the deposit transfers, and a completion date is fixed. Completion typically follows one to two weeks after exchange, though the gap can be shorter or longer by agreement. It is recommended to book a removal company four to six weeks before the expected move date and confirming the booking as soon as the completion date is set.

What can extend the timeline
There are several factors that commonly extend the process beyond the average. Chains involving multiple buyers and sellers in sequence require all parties to be ready to exchange simultaneously - the longer the chain, the more points at which a single delay can hold up everyone else. Survey issues, mortgage delays, and last-minute complications can each add weeks. The figure of five to six months is an average: straightforward transactions with no chain can complete more quickly, while complex chains or problem properties can take considerably longer.

Making the timeline work for you
The most consistent thing buyers and sellers can do to influence the timeline is to be responsive, prepared, and well-advised from the outset. A few actions make the biggest difference at each stage:

• Instruct a conveyancer when the property is listed, not when an offer is accepted - this alone can save about one to two weeks at a critical stage.
• Gather compliance documents early if selling - planning permissions, building regulations certificates, and guarantees.
• Book the survey immediately after an offer is accepted, rather than waiting for the mortgage process to begin.
• Respond quickly to any request from a conveyancer or lender - most delays come from waiting on paperwork, not from the paperwork itself.

Thinking about starting the process? Talk to our team about what your own timeline could look like.

The Renters' Rights change nobody's talking about
The Renters' Rights Act brought a set of changes on 1 May 2026 that have dominated landlord discussion: Section 21 abolished, periodic tenancies in place, rent increases capped to one per year, pet requests mandatory. All of these changes matter. But one element of the legislation has received considerably less attention in landlord circles than the headline reforms, despite having direct financial consequences for anyone who falls foul of it. The strengthening of Rent Repayment Orders is the change most landlords know exists in outline but few have absorbed in its current form.

What Rent Repayment Orders were
Before the Renters' Rights Act, a tenant could apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order requiring a landlord to repay up to twelve months of rent where specific offences had been committed. The most common trigger was operating an unlicensed HMO. The order applied to the landlord directly involved in the tenancy.

What they are now
From 1 May 2026, three significant changes apply to the Rent Repayment Order regime, each of which enlarges the exposure a landlord carries if they fall foul of the Act's requirements.

The maximum claim period has doubled from twelve months to twenty-four months. A tenant who successfully applies for a Rent Repayment Order following a qualifying offence can now recover up to two years of rent paid. On a tenancy at £1,200 per month, that represents a potential liability of £28,800 before any additional penalty is considered.

The maximum civil penalty for a Rent Repayment Order has been raised to £40,000 for serious or repeated breaches. This is the same ceiling that applies across the wider enforcement framework of the Act and signals the government's intention to make the consequences of non-compliance financially meaningful.

The scope of offences that trigger a Rent Repayment Order has expanded to cover new requirements introduced by the Act. Failure to register on the Private Rented Sector Database, once that system goes live in late 2026, will be a qualifying offence. Accepting or encouraging rental bids above the advertised asking rent is a qualifying offence. Accepting more than one month's rent in advance, or accepting any rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, are qualifying offences. Each of these is in addition to the pre-existing triggers such as unlicensed HMO operation and illegal eviction.

The coverage has also extended to superior landlords. Where a property is sublet and the superior landlord, rather than the immediate landlord, has committed a qualifying offence, they can now be the subject of a Rent Repayment Order application. This matters for anyone who operates through intermediary arrangements, including some corporate landlord structures.

What this means in practice
The practical implication for landlords is straightforward: the financial consequences of operating outside the Act's requirements are now considerably more significant than before May 2026, and they apply to a broader set of behaviours. The changes that landlords might have considered administrative, such as correctly setting a fixed asking rent and not accepting offers above it, or not taking rent before an agreement is signed, now carry a direct enforcement mechanism that a tenant can invoke.

The Rent Repayment Order regime is not designed to catch landlords who are genuinely trying to comply. It is designed to deter and penalise specific practices. Understanding which practices trigger it, and ensuring those practices are not occurring, is the most straightforward way to remain outside its reach entirely.

Talk to our lettings team about managing your compliance

Today's serious buyers all do this before they even book a viewing
It is not a legal requirement, and you do not technically need one to book a viewing. But a Mortgage in Principle has become the standard first step for buyers who are genuinely ready to move, and there is a straightforward reason why. According to Rightmove's research of nearly 1,000 buyers conducted in June 2025, just under three quarters of people said they wanted to know what their budget would be before they started searching for their next home. A Mortgage in Principle is how that question gets a specific, lender-verified answer.

What a Mortgage in Principle actually is
A Mortgage in Principle, also referred to as an Agreement in Principle, Decision in Principle, or Mortgage Promise depending on the lender, is a personalised statement from a mortgage lender showing how much they may be willing to lend based on the information you have provided. It is not a formal mortgage offer and it does not guarantee that a mortgage will be granted, but it reflects an initial assessment of your financial position and produces a realistic borrowing figure you can plan around.

Combined with your available deposit, it gives you a clear sense of the price range you can search within. A buyer who knows their realistic ceiling is making better use of their time at every stage of the search.

How long it takes and what it costs
Rightmove's guide notes that completing an online Mortgage in Principle application typically takes around ten minutes. Once submitted, the lender's decision is usually generated within seconds. The process is free in most cases when done online, though some brokers may charge a fee for their services, so it is worth checking in advance.

A Mortgage in Principle is typically valid for up to 90 days, though this varies by lender. If it expires before you have found a property, you will need to apply again, and the result may differ due to any changes in your circumstances or the lender's criteria.

The credit check question
Most lenders use a soft credit check when issuing a Mortgage in Principle. A soft check is not recorded on your credit file and does not affect your credit score, even if you apply to multiple lenders. Some lenders use a hard check, which does leave a footprint. Rightmove's guide advises checking which approach your chosen lender uses before applying, since multiple hard checks in a short period can have a cumulative effect on your credit score.

When you move on to a full mortgage application following an accepted offer, soft checks from the earlier stage typically convert to hard checks at that point.

Why sellers and agents value it
Having a Mortgage in Principle in place before making an offer signals to both the selling agent and the vendor that you are financially prepared and in a position to proceed. In a market where sellers are assessing not just the offer figure but the credibility and reliability of the buyer behind it, this matters. A buyer who can confirm they have a Mortgage in Principle in place, alongside the name of a broker or lender they are working with, is a more straightforward proposition to accept than one whose financial position is entirely unverified.

A single Mortgage in Principle can be used for multiple properties while it remains valid. It does not commit you to the lender who issued it. If a better product becomes available or your search takes you to a different price range, you are free to apply elsewhere.

Talk to our team about finding your next home

Renewing a tenancy under the new rules: What actually happens now
For landlords who have managed properties under the assured shorthold tenancy framework for any length of time, the annual or biennial renewal conversation was a routine part of the job. Did you want to offer a new fixed term? Would the tenant prefer to continue rolling monthly? Was this the right moment to review the rent?

That process has now changed. For most private rented sector tenancies, fixed-term renewals have been replaced by a continuing periodic tenancy structure. Understanding what has replaced the old renewal process, and what a landlord actually needs to do when a tenancy reaches what would previously have been its end date, is one of the most practical changes to understand in the post-May 2026 landscape.

What happened on 1 May 2026
From 1 May 2026, most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically moved into the new assured periodic tenancy framework. Tenancies where valid possession proceedings had already started may be subject to different transitional rules. For the majority of landlords, however, the change happened automatically and did not require a new tenancy agreement to be signed.

The conversion did not create a new tenancy. Landlords did not need to treat the change as a new letting or automatically replace existing written tenancy agreements. Where tenants already had a written agreement, landlords generally did not need to reissue the agreement solely because of the transition.

Landlords were required to provide existing tenants with the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet within the relevant timeframe. For written tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026, the Information Sheet explained how the new rules affected the existing tenancy.

What renewal now looks like
When a tenancy reaches the date that would previously have been its fixed-term end point, nothing automatically happens. The tenancy does not expire, and there is no requirement for either party to sign a new fixed-term agreement.

The assured periodic tenancy simply continues from one rental period to the next until it is ended through the appropriate legal process or changed by agreement between the landlord and tenant.

This means there is no traditional renewal conversation in the old sense. Landlords cannot offer a new fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy, as the previous renewal model no longer applies to most private rented sector tenancies.

Instead, landlords should focus on maintaining the tenancy correctly, ensuring compliance obligations remain up to date, and following the correct process if any changes, such as rent adjustments or possession action, are required.

What to do about rent at the point of what used to be renewal
The point at which landlords previously reviewed a tenancy was often when they considered increasing the rent. That process has changed significantly.

Rent review clauses contained in previous tenancy agreements can no longer be relied upon to increase rent after 1 May 2026. Any landlord-led rent increase must follow the statutory Section 13 process. This means clauses linked to CPI, RPI or fixed annual percentage increases no longer provide a valid route for increasing rent under the new framework.

The correct process is to use Form 4A, the prescribed government form for proposing a new rent. The notice must set out the proposed increase and give the tenant at least two months' notice before the new rent can take effect. Rent can generally only be increased once every 12 months.

Landlords should ensure the notice is completed correctly and served in accordance with the legal requirements. A rent increase cannot simply be introduced through an informal conversation or by relying on an outdated rent review clause.

The practical shift in thinking
The biggest change is not the day-to-day relationship between landlords and tenants. It is the removal of the old renewal point from the tenancy lifecycle.

There is no automatic expiry date, no requirement to negotiate a new fixed term, and no renewal agreement to sign. Instead, the tenancy continues as a periodic arrangement, with landlords managing it through ongoing compliance, communication and the correct statutory processes when changes are needed.

Understanding this shift helps landlords avoid relying on outdated renewal practices and ensures their tenancy management approach reflects the current legal framework.

Talk to our lettings team about managing your tenancies