New group aims to cut costly bureaucratic delays to house sales

Conveyancing the sale and purchase of a property is usually carried by the legal profession to ensure everything is legally watertight. The process can take up to 20 weeks to complete.

Homebuyers are facing costly and unnecessary delays going through conveyancing and probate, the Government has said, as a new body set up to reduce this process to eight weeks held its first meeting.

The Housing for All Conveyancing and Probate Implementation Group, made up of the banks, the Courts Service, surveyors, and the consumer watchdog, aims to prevent homes lying empty due to being caught up in lengthy and inefficient bureaucratic processes.