Through my conversations with mortgage brokers, and Landmark’s work across the wider home-moving process, I see the same pattern repeatedly. Once a mortgage has been secured, brokers remain tied to a transaction they cannot fully see, or control and put in time chasing information that becomes wasted effort if the transaction falls through.
Landmark’s market research underlines how pervasive this problem has become. Just over one third (35%) of brokers identify a lack of transparency as their biggest challenge, while 44% cite transaction timescales among their leading frustrations and 48% say faster transactions would have the greatest positive impact on their productivity.
With Landmark transaction data finding that the average transaction takes 123 days from offer accepted to completion, and fall-through rates are at around 23.7% according to TwentyCi, brokers can wait months for income that may never materialise. That makes pipelines harder to predict and leaves more time tied up in cases that ultimately do not complete.
Much of this delay reflects a structural problem – essential information and checks are gathered too late. To help brokers act where they can make a difference, we have brought the research findings and practical insight together in a new Broker’s Playbook for Faster Completions.
It sets out five steps brokers can take to help clients prepare earlier and reduce avoidable delays, without taking responsibility for parts of the transaction that sit elsewhere.
1. Encourage sellers to instruct a conveyancer before an offer is accepted
Brokers can use early conversations with selling clients to explain the value of instructing a conveyancer as soon as possible, ideally at listing or decision-in-principle stage. That gives the conveyancer time to work through the necessary information before the pressure of an active chain builds.
This is not about giving brokers or clients additional work; it is about helping clients start important steps earlier. Optimus research found that 89% of sellers would instruct a conveyancer before listing if it improved the process. The playbook provides suggested wording brokers can use for this conversation.
>2. Encourage clients to prepare the contract pack before the chain is moving
>Late or missing information is a major source of disruption in the transaction process. Brokers are not responsible for preparing the contract pack, but they can prompt sellers to gather the documents their conveyancer will need, including certificates, boundary information and relevant leasehold details.
The enquiries stage shows why timing matters. The average time between enquiries being raised and replies being received has doubled since 2007. It now stands at 52 days, compared with 26 days in 2007. Landmark research found that 61% of conveyancers believe receiving property and location data earlier would reduce enquiries or allow them to be raised sooner.
3. Discuss searches and surveys before clients reach an offer stage
On the purchase side, brokers can discuss the timing of searches and surveys before a client reaches an offer stage, then encourage them to act promptly once it is accepted. Earlier searches and surveys allow issues such as flood risk, damp, boundary disputes or planning restrictions to emerge while there is still time to understand and address them.
With research showing that around four in five homebuyers still believe they are the same, brokers can also help clients understand the difference between a lender’s valuation and a survey. There can be a direct benefit for the broker too, with an upfront survey generating up to £135 per case.
4. Get identification and source-of-funds documents ready at the outset
Identity and anti-money laundering checks can slow cases when required information is not ready or clients face repeated requests across the chain. Brokers can help clients prepare by explaining early that identification, source-of-funds evidence and information on gifted deposits or overseas funds may be required.
They can also encourage the use of secure digital verification where this allows verified information to be shared appropriately and reduces repetition.
5. Work with partners that share information and provide clear milestones
Brokers cannot improve transaction times alone, but the partners and platforms they work with can make a difference. Sharing information effectively and providing clear milestones gives everyone greater visibility of progress.
For brokers, that means less time chasing updates, a clearer view of where issues are emerging and more certainty for clients. By choosing partners that support this way of working, brokers can help keep transactions moving without taking responsibility for every stage of the process.
The full Broker’s Playbook for Faster Completions brings these steps together, with ready-to-use client scripts and practical responses to common objections. It is designed to help brokers put these changes into practice, spend less time chasing progress and give clients greater clarity throughout the process.
Many of these ways of working also reflect the direction of travel set out in the government’s forthcoming homebuying and selling reforms, so embedding them now will help brokers prepare for future changes while helping to deliver more predictable completions, better protecting the income sitting in their pipeline today.
The Brokers Playbook can be found here.
