Leasehold bottlenecks leave buyers and sellers waiting longer to complete
Original Article Summary
Conveyancing delays push time to exchange contracts past 100 days
PropMatch Curated Analysis
Leasehold property transactions now take an average of 155 days to reach exchange versus 97 days for freehold — a record 58-day gap — with leasehold fall-through rates at 43% compared to 36% for freehold, driven by legal complexity and managing agent delays. These trends directly increase risk exposure and capital lock-up periods for leasehold investors.
Investor Relevance
For landlords, asset managers, and developers holding or acquiring leasehold assets (particularly flats in London and urban centres), these metrics signal materially higher transaction risk, longer capital commitment periods, and greater exposure to mortgage rate and price movements during extended completion windows. Exit planning and portfolio liquidity assumptions should be revised accordingly.
Original Source:
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