It takes 216 days to move house in Britain: This is where sellers face the longest wait

It takes the average seller 216 days to move home across Britain, data from Rightmove shows. A seller will typically spend 62 days finding a buyer and another 154 days to go from accepting their buyer's offer to moving in to their own new home, according to property website Rightmove. This is the highest since its records began. Flats are the slowest type of property to complete, at 169 days, while terrace and semi-detached houses take 149 days. Delays can be caused by different factors such as searches throwing up issues with the property, or issues with another transaction in the property chain. But Rightmove said over-worked lawyers were also holding things up. 'Conveyancers and other stakeholders [are] managing increasingly high caseloads, navigating what is a fragmented and manual moving process,' it said. Slow: Rightmove said conveyancers had high caseloads, triggering delays in completionLondon home moves take the longest . Sellers and buyers in London face the longest wait times before completing a move. There, it takes 70 days to find a buyer on average and then 174 days, or nearly six months to go from agreeing a sale to completing a move, Rightmove said - a total of 244 days or eight months. Movers in the East of England face the second highest moving times in Britain. In the East of England it takes 66 days to find a buyer and 171 days from agreeing a sale to completing the purchase. Johan Svanstrom, Rightmove’s chief executive, said: 'A healthy housing market depends on people being able to move home easily and with certainty. 'However, the entire home-moving process currently takes more than seven months on average, making this the longest summer wait on record.' How long it takes to sell and move home Area Time to find a buyer (days) Time to complete the purchase (days) Total time to move home on average (days) London 70 174 244 East of England 66 171 237 South East 67 170 237 South West 69 164 233 Wales 66 155 221 Great Britain 62 154 216 West Midlands 62 153 215 North West 57 152 209 East Midlands 68 150 218 Yorkshire and The Humber 62 145 207 North East 53 141 194 Scotland 29 98 127 Sluggish completions also are rife in the South East of England, where it takes 170 days from a sale being agreed and the sale completing. Add in 67 days for a seller to find a buyer for their home and the total timeframe is 237 days, more than seven months. The South West of England is the fourth slowest region for property completion times, at 164 days from the time a sale is agreed to completion. Add in another 69 days on average to find a buyer and the total is 233 days. The North East of England was found to be the fastest region in England to move. In that region, where property prices are often more affordable, it typically takes a seller 53 days to find a buyer. The timeframe for an offer being accepted to completion is generally around 141 days, Rightmove said, so 194 days or just over six months in total.Scotland is the fastest part of Britain to complete a move, at 98 days from the time an offer is accepted to completion. On average, it takes sellers just 29 days to find a buyer for their home in Scotland. The total time taken to move is around 127 days, or just over four months. Delays: Sluggish completions also are rife in the South East of England (including Folkestone, pictured) where it takes 170 days once a buyer has been foundScotland's legal processes for selling residential property differ from those in England and Wales. 'This includes greater use of upfront information, Home Reports and earlier certainty for buyers and sellers', Rightmove said. There is an estimated £205billion in residential property value currently for sale on Rightmove, from which there are mortgages, services, fees and potential home-upgrade work opportunities once the properties complete, it said. Svanstrom said: 'An average 154 day wait to complete the transaction process itself is simply far too long. 'Rightmove data shows that in some parts of the country the delays are even more significant. 'Housing mobility is closely linked to economic growth. We believe greater digitisation of moving journey processes, stronger information standards and transparency to all stakeholders is key.'Clackmannanshire in Scotland is the fastest area to completePeople wanting to move quickly should head to Clackmannanshire in Scotland, where it takes 76 days to complete the legal process of buying a home. Angus in Scotland is also quick, with the time taken to complete a property purchase at 77 days.Purchases in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland also typically take 77 days. Brad Fordham, head of mortgage distribution and underwriting at NatWest Group said: 'The Rightmove figures released today show we need to reduce the time it takes people to move house in the UK. 'Delays within the conveyancing journey cause emotional distress and real financial costs for our customers. 'We believe that widespread adoption of digital technology is the fastest way the industry can accelerate the home ownership journey.'Change is on the cards Last month, Labour announced proposals aimed at modernising the home-buying process in England and Wales after years of criticism over delays, gazumping and transactions collapsing.Around one in three agreed sales fail to complete before exchange, official figures show, often leaving buyers and sellers out of pocket after paying for surveys, legal work and mortgage costs.A central part of the reforms is the wider use of reservation agreements, under which buyers and sellers each pay a reservation fee and agree to progress the sale within a set timeframe. If they pull out, they will lose money. The agreements are intended to encourage both sides to stick to the transaction by giving them a financial stake in completing the deal.Ministers also want more information about a property to be available before it is listed for sale, allowing buyers to make better informed decisions from the outset. Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have shot up again due to inflation triggered by the conflict with Iran reversing hopes that the Bank of England would cut rates. This means those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs.That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice, whether you are a first-time buyer, home owner or buy-to-let landlord.This is Money's partner L&C can help you with its fee-free mortgage service.> Compare mortgage rates> Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C.This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit.You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes.If you’re ready to find your next mortgage, why not use This is Money and L&C’s online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000’s of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.> Find your best mortgage deal with This is Money and L&C Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.