Property Investors Team Up to Tackle Conveyancing "Crisis" as Delays Hit Record High.

Record delays and failed transactions for homebuyers mean the UK property industry must evolve or lose out to other jurisdictions, according to the founder of a new firm established to overhaul the conveyancing process.

Sharpwell Property Law, launched by veteran London property lawyer and investor Tatiana Sharposhnikova, has been set up in response to a growing "crisis" in the sector, with buyers typically facing delays of 19 weeks between offer and completion.

Figures from TwentyEA show the average time to exchange in the UK hit 134 days in 2026 – an all-time high and a 5.9% increase on 2025.

Tatiana said the delays risk undermining buyer confidence at an already challenging time for the market:

"England and Wales have some of the worst delays among comparable nations. Anyone who has seen the effect of these long waits first-hand knows that the system is in crisis.

"For buyers, and particularly for international investors, every additional day of delay leads to spiralling costs and a greater risk of the transaction falling through.

"Conveyancers have a key role to play in bringing this situation under control. The sector must shape up or lose out as buyers pull back and investors look elsewhere."

Perceptions among buyers see conveyancing as slow and outdated. According to a 2025 survey by Santander, one in five said the process was "too long".

Sharpwell highlighted a "fatal three" key issues which are stifling property purchases: poor communication between conveyancers, lenders and agents; a skills shortage in conveyancing; and a lack of ownership between firms involved in the purchase process.

Tatiana explained: "Data shows over half of buyers feel they have to chase their solicitor to get updates on their transaction. That would be unacceptable in any other industry. Relying on emails is part of the problem. Solicitors need to re-learn the art of the phone call.

"Meanwhile, solicitor numbers in residential conveyancing are falling, despite a rise in demand for their services. That means a lack of talent and experience, particularly when it comes to transactions involving overseas clients, bespoke purchase funding or non-UK sources of funds.

"Perhaps most worrying of all, we see a persistent lack of ownership and co-ordination between estate agents, brokers, lenders and solicitors. Lawyers must take responsibility to drive the process forward and prevent the transaction from unnecessarily falling behind.

"This is a reputational crisis not just for solicitors, but the property sector as whole. We need to see delays not as an inevitable and unavoidable part of the process, but as an urgent issue to be rectified."

Tatiana brings more than twenty years' practice in cross-border and high-value property transactions, as well as first-hand experience as a property investor and businesswoman in London and beyond.

She has launched Sharpwell Property Law alongside Ian Boswell, a finance and corporate strategy executive with 30 years' experience leading business acquisitions, mergers and high-level board management across the legal and financial sectors.

Ian commented: "Sharpwell Property Law is all about what we believe good conveyancing should look like, and a direct challenge to what the sector currently provides.

"Our clients are professionals, investors and families making the most consequential financial decisions of their lives. They deserve a solicitor who picks up the phone, who understands their transaction in its full complexity, and who takes personal responsibility for its outcome.

"The sooner the sector wakes up to these issues, the better."