By Jake Stott, Knox Mortgages. Reviewed by an adviser authorised under Fort Advice Bureau, FCA FRN 972730. Published 27 September 2026. Last reviewed 27 September 2026.
A UK mortgage application usually takes 2 to 4 weeks from submitting the full application to receiving a mortgage offer, provided your documents are complete and the valuation is straightforward. The whole purchase, from offer accepted on a property to getting the keys, typically takes 12 to 16 weeks, because the legal work runs alongside and after the mortgage.
Not sure where you stand? Talk it through with a broker.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call. A Knox broker will answer your questions, tell you straight what is realistic for your situation, and explain the next step. No pressure and no sales pitch.
Only need a mortgage in principle? An agreement in principle (also called a mortgage in principle or decision in principle) usually takes 5 to 20 minutes online and lasts 30 to 90 days depending on the lender. Read our agreement in principle guide for which lenders use a soft search, how long each one lasts and what to do if yours is declined.
Below is every stage with realistic ranges, how the timeline changes for remortgages, new builds, buy-to-let and limited company purchases, the delays we see most often and how to fix them, and a week by week example from a real type of case.
How long does a mortgage application take, stage by stage?
The table shows typical ranges for a standard purchase with an employed buyer and a freehold house. The mortgage stages (AIP to offer) sit inside the wider conveyancing timeline, so several run at the same time.
| Stage | Typical time | What happens | What slows it down |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Agreement in principle | Minutes to 2 working days | Lender checks declared income and runs a credit search, usually soft | Manual referral, complex income |
| 2. Offer accepted and full application submitted | 1 to 5 days | Broker gathers documents and submits the case with the chosen product | Missing payslips, statements, deposit evidence |
| 3. Valuation instructed and carried out | 3 to 10 working days | Lender’s surveyor visits or values the property remotely | Access to the property, surveyor availability, rural areas |
| 4. Underwriting | 2 to 10 working days | Underwriter reviews documents, credit file and valuation, may ask questions | Unclear bank statements, self-employed income, referrals |
| 5. Mortgage offer issued | 1 to 5 working days after valuation and underwriting clear | Formal offer sent to you, your broker and your solicitor | Outstanding conditions, down-valuation |
| 6. Conveyancing (searches, enquiries) | 6 to 10 weeks, overlapping stages 2 to 5 | Solicitor runs searches, raises enquiries, reviews the lease if leasehold | Slow local authority searches, chain, leasehold packs |
| 7. Exchange of contracts | When conveyancing is complete | Contracts become legally binding, deposit paid | Chain not ready, final queries |
| 8. Completion | Usually 1 to 2 weeks after exchange | Lender releases funds, you get the keys | Chain timing, agreed completion date |
Totals: 2 to 4 weeks from full application to offer; 12 to 16 weeks from offer accepted to completion on a typical purchase. The HomeOwners Alliance’s 2026 conveyancing guide gives the same 12 to 16 week range, including about 4 weeks for the mortgage.
How long does it take to get a mortgage in principle?
An agreement in principle usually takes minutes. On the lenders’ own websites (checked September 2026), Barclays quotes about 10 minutes, NatWest under 10 minutes, Nationwide around 20 minutes and Skipton about 5 minutes, while Santander and HSBC give an instant or same day decision. Where a broker submits to a specialist lender and the case is referred to a person, allow one to two working days.
How long does a decision in principle last once you have it? Between 30 and 90 days depending on the lender: NatWest and Skipton 30 days, Santander 60 days, Barclays and Nationwide 90 days. If it expires, you get a fresh one, which with most lenders is another soft search.
The AIP is not part of the “application” time in most people’s heads, but it should be done before you view, so the rest of the clock starts the moment your offer is accepted. The full detail, including soft versus hard search by lender, is in our agreement in principle guide.
How long does it take to get a mortgage offer?
Most mortgage offers are issued 2 to 4 weeks after the full application is submitted. Clean, employed cases with a high street lender can come through in 7 to 10 working days. Self-employed, contractor, buy-to-let and specialist cases more often take 3 to 5 weeks.
For a published benchmark, Kensington, a specialist lender, says it aims to “process applications and issue you with a formal offer within 25 working days”, with complex cases taking longer (Kensington application process page, September 2026). High street lenders do not publish service levels to consumers, and their turnaround moves week to week with application volumes. In busy periods, such as after a rate cut, a lender that normally offers in 10 days can take 20.
That is why the choice of lender matters for speed as well as rate. A broker sees which lenders are currently fast and which are backlogged, and can steer a time-critical case accordingly. Once issued, most offers last around six months: Virgin Money and Kensington both quote 180 days for a standard purchase, and Virgin Money gives 210 days on new builds.
After valuation, how long until the mortgage offer?
Usually 2 to 7 working days after the valuation report reaches the lender, if the underwriter has already reviewed your documents. With many lenders the offer is issued within 48 hours of a satisfactory valuation. If the valuation comes back at the purchase price and there are no outstanding underwriting questions, the offer can follow the next working day.
It takes longer when the valuation raises something. A down-valuation means you must renegotiate the price, find a bigger deposit or change the loan amount, which restarts part of the process. A valuer may also flag a retention (money held back until works are done), a need for a specialist report such as a damp, timber or structural survey, or a construction type outside the lender’s criteria. Each can add one to three weeks.
The quickest fix is prevention: tell your broker about anything unusual about the property before the application goes in. Our mortgage valuation guide explains what the valuer checks and what to do if the figure comes in low.
How long does mortgage underwriting take?
Underwriting normally takes 2 to 10 working days once the lender has all your documents. Many straightforward cases are now approved automatically, with an underwriter only checking a handful of items, which is why some offers arrive within a week of application.
Underwriting stretches when the underwriter has to ask questions. Each round of questions adds two to five working days, because the request goes to your broker, then to you, then back to the lender’s queue. Common questions are: explain this large deposit into your account, provide your latest payslip because the one supplied is now out of date, confirm this regular payment, or provide a further year of accounts.
The fix is to answer before they ask. A good broker reads your three months of bank statements and flags anything an underwriter will query, then adds an explanation note at submission. Self-employed applicants should submit their tax calculations and tax year overviews together, and use an accountant’s reference only if the lender asks for it. See our self-employed mortgage guide for the exact documents each lender wants.
How long from mortgage offer to completion?
Typically 4 to 8 weeks from mortgage offer to completion on a purchase, though it can be as short as a week if the legal work has kept pace, or several months in a long chain. The mortgage offer is rarely the bottleneck. The legal work, the chain and the agreed completion date usually are.
After the offer is issued, your solicitor still needs to finish searches, resolve enquiries with the seller’s solicitor, report to you and to the lender, and arrange exchange. Local authority searches are the most common hold up. The HomeOwners Alliance notes a target of 10 days, but some councils take more than 25 working days. Leasehold purchases add time for the management pack.
From exchange to completion is usually 1 to 2 weeks, and can be same day if everyone agrees. Your solicitor requests the mortgage funds from the lender a few days before completion. If your offer is close to expiring, your broker can usually request an extension. For what happens in this phase in detail, see what happens after a mortgage offer.
How long does a first-time buyer mortgage take?
A first-time buyer mortgage usually takes 2 to 4 weeks from application to offer, and 10 to 14 weeks from offer accepted to completion. First-time buyers are often quicker than home movers overall, because there is no property to sell and often no chain beneath them.
Where first-time buyers lose time is documents and deposits. Gifted deposits need a signed gift letter and often the donor’s ID and bank statements. Lifetime ISA withdrawals must be requested through your solicitor, and the ISA provider can take up to a few weeks to release the money, so this should be started as soon as you exchange details with your solicitor. Help from family on the mortgage itself, such as a joint borrower sole proprietor arrangement, adds a further applicant’s documents.
Get your documents together before you start viewing, not after your offer is accepted. See our first-time buyer mortgage guide and the gifted deposit guide for the checklist.
Not sure where you stand? Talk it through with a broker.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call. A Knox broker will answer your questions, tell you straight what is realistic for your situation, and explain the next step. No pressure and no sales pitch.
How do remortgage, new build and buy-to-let timelines compare?
Different transactions follow different clocks. The table below gives realistic ranges from full application to funds released.
| Type of mortgage | Application to offer | Offer to completion | Typical total | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product transfer (same lender) | Same day to 7 days | Switches on your chosen start date | Days | Usually no valuation, no legal work, often no credit check |
| Remortgage (new lender) | 2 to 4 weeks | 2 to 4 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | Free legal work common; no chain; plan up to 6 months ahead |
| First-time buyer purchase | 2 to 4 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 10 to 14 weeks from offer accepted | No sale to wait for |
| Home mover purchase | 2 to 4 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 12 to 20 weeks | Chain above and below |
| New build | 2 to 4 weeks | Depends on build completion | Often 3 to 9 months overall | Longer offer validity; developer deadlines to exchange |
| Buy-to-let (personal name) | 2 to 5 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 8 to 14 weeks | Rental assessment by the valuer; rent cover test |
| Limited company buy-to-let | 3 to 6 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 10 to 16 weeks | Company checks, personal guarantees, legal work for the guarantee |
Ranges reflect Knox case experience in 2026 and will vary by lender workload. They are not lender guarantees.
How long does a remortgage take?
A remortgage to a new lender usually takes 4 to 8 weeks from application to completion. There is no chain, and many remortgage products include free legal work and a free valuation, often a desktop valuation that needs no visit. A product transfer with your current lender can be done in days, because it usually needs no valuation and no solicitor.
The timing that matters is when you start. Most lenders let you secure a new deal around four to six months before your current one ends, and an offer then sits ready for your start date. Start late and you risk rolling onto your lender’s standard variable rate for a month or two while the new mortgage completes.
Remortgages slow down when you are raising extra money (the lender asks what it is for), when the property’s value has changed a lot, or when there is a second charge or a help to buy equity loan to deal with. Our remortgage guide and our comparison of a product transfer versus a remortgage cover which route is faster for you.
How long does a new build or buy-to-let mortgage take?
A new build mortgage is usually approved in 2 to 4 weeks, but completion depends on when the home is finished. Developers often want exchange within about 28 days of reservation, so the application must move quickly, while the build itself may not finish for months. That is why new build offers tend to last longer: Virgin Money gives 210 days on new builds against 180 days on standard purchases. If the build overruns the offer, your broker requests an extension or a new offer. See our new build mortgage guide.
A buy-to-let mortgage in your own name usually takes 2 to 5 weeks to offer. The valuer also gives a rental figure, and the lender tests that rent against its interest cover ratio, so a low rental valuation is the most common delay. A limited company purchase adds company searches, director and shareholder checks, and personal guarantees that each director must sign with independent legal advice, which adds one to two weeks. See our limited company buy-to-let guide.
What causes mortgage delays, and how do you fix them?
Almost every delay we see falls into one of these categories. The good news is that most are fixable before they happen.
| Cause of delay | Typical time lost | How to prevent or fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Missing or out of date documents | 3 to 10 days | Supply 3 months’ payslips, 3 months’ bank statements, ID and deposit proof at submission; refresh payslips monthly |
| Underwriter questions on bank statements | 2 to 5 days per round | Pre-empt with an explanation note for large deposits, transfers and regular payments |
| Deposit source unclear | 1 to 2 weeks | Keep a clear trail; signed gift letter and donor evidence ready before application |
| Valuation access or surveyor backlog | 3 to 10 days | Give the agent’s contact at submission; ask the seller to allow early access |
| Down-valuation | 1 to 3 weeks | Renegotiate the price, increase the deposit, or ask for a reconsideration with comparable sales |
| Self-employed income queries | 1 to 2 weeks | Submit tax calculations and tax year overviews for the right years first time |
| New job or probation | Up to a few weeks | Choose a lender that accepts day one employment with a contract; supply the contract and first payslip |
| Slow local authority searches | 2 to 8 weeks | Instruct your solicitor the day your offer is accepted; ask about search insurance if the lender accepts it |
| Leasehold management pack | 2 to 6 weeks | Ask the seller to order the pack as soon as the sale is agreed |
| Chain problems | Weeks to months | Nothing you control directly; keep your own side ready so you are never the hold up |
What should you do if your mortgage application is taking too long?
First find out exactly where it is. Ask your broker for the case status: submitted, awaiting valuation, valuation received, with underwriter, awaiting documents, or offer pending. Each has a different fix, and “the lender is slow” is rarely the whole story.
- Awaiting valuation: check the valuer has the right access contact and chase the agent.
- With underwriter for more than five working days: your broker can chase the lender’s case team or BDM for an update.
- Awaiting documents: you probably have an outstanding request. Send it the same day.
- Offer issued but no exchange: the hold up is legal or the chain. Chase your solicitor, not the lender.
If a case is genuinely stuck with a lender that is badly backlogged and your purchase is at risk, a broker can sometimes submit to a faster lender in parallel, but only if your credit file can take a second hard search and the new lender will not be put off by it. That is a judgement call to make with an adviser, not a reflex.
Is it faster to apply through a mortgage broker?
Usually, yes, although the lender does the same underwriting either way. A broker speeds things up in three ways: by choosing a lender whose criteria you meet first time, by submitting a complete case so the underwriter has nothing to ask, and by knowing which lenders are currently quick. Declines and re-applications are the biggest time sink in the whole process, and matching the lender properly avoids most of them.
A broker also chases on your behalf through broker-only channels and case managers, which direct customers usually cannot use. At Knox the target is to submit the full application within one working day of receiving your documents. Our comparison of using a broker versus going direct to a bank covers the trade-offs.
Worked timeline: a first-time buyer purchase, week by week
This is an anonymised, illustrative Knox case. Details have been changed.
A couple buying a £235,000 freehold terrace in Salford with a 10% deposit, one employed on a salary and one employed with regular overtime. No chain below them; the seller was buying a new build.
| Week | What happened |
|---|---|
| Week 0 | Discovery call; agreement in principle placed with a lender that counts 100% of regular overtime. Soft search, decision in about 15 minutes. |
| Week 2 | Offer of £235,000 accepted. Solicitor instructed the same day. Documents uploaded to the Knox portal. |
| Week 2 | Full application submitted the next working day with a note explaining a £3,000 transfer from a parent. |
| Week 3 | Valuation carried out on day 6 after submission. Valued at the purchase price. |
| Week 4 | Underwriter asked for the latest payslip because a new month had passed. Sent within two hours. |
| Week 4 | Mortgage offer issued 14 working days after submission. |
| Weeks 4 to 9 | Searches back in week 6. Enquiries resolved. The seller’s new build was delayed, so exchange waited. |
| Week 10 | Exchange of contracts. |
| Week 11 | Completion. Keys collected. |
Total time: 14 working days from application to mortgage offer, and 9 weeks from offer accepted to completion. The mortgage was never the bottleneck. The two things that kept it fast were placing the AIP with a lender whose overtime policy suited them, and pre-explaining the parental transfer so the underwriter had one question instead of three.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a mortgage application take in the UK?
Typically 2 to 4 weeks from full application to mortgage offer, and 12 to 16 weeks from offer accepted to completion on a purchase. Simple employed cases can reach offer in 7 to 10 working days. Self-employed, buy-to-let and specialist cases more often take 3 to 5 weeks to offer.
How long does it take to get a mortgage in principle?
Usually 5 to 20 minutes online. Barclays quotes about 10 minutes, Nationwide around 20 minutes and Skipton about 5 minutes, while Santander and HSBC give an instant or same day decision. A broker referral to a specialist lender can take one to two working days.
How long does a decision in principle last?
Between 30 and 90 days depending on the lender. NatWest and Skipton give 30 days, Santander 60 days, and Barclays and Nationwide 90 days (checked September 2026). You can usually get a new one on another soft search if it expires.
After valuation, how long does it take to get a mortgage offer?
Usually 2 to 7 working days, and often within 48 hours if the underwriter has already cleared your documents. A down-valuation, a retention or a request for a specialist survey can add one to three weeks while the issue is resolved.
How long does it take from mortgage offer to completion?
Typically 4 to 8 weeks on a purchase, depending on the legal work and the chain. Exchange to completion itself is usually 1 to 2 weeks. On a remortgage, completion often follows 2 to 4 weeks after the offer, timed to your current deal ending.
Can I get a mortgage in 2 weeks?
A mortgage offer in 2 weeks is achievable for a straightforward case with complete documents and a lender that is not backlogged. Completing a purchase in 2 weeks is rare, because searches and the legal work usually take longer. Cash-like speed normally needs bridging finance instead.
How long does a mortgage offer last?
Usually around six months. Virgin Money and Kensington quote 180 days for a standard purchase, and Virgin Money gives 210 days on new builds. If your purchase runs past the expiry date, your broker can request an extension or a fresh offer.
Does a remortgage take as long as a purchase?
No. A remortgage to a new lender usually takes 4 to 8 weeks in total because there is no chain and legal work is simpler. A product transfer with your current lender can be done in days. Start four to six months before your deal ends.
Want your application moving from day one? Book a free, no-obligation discovery call and we will tell you exactly which documents to gather and which lenders are turning cases around fastest right now.
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Knox Mortgages is a trading style of Fort Advice Bureau which is regulated and authorised by the FCA to conduct Mortgage and Protection business, FRN: 972730
Not sure where you stand? Talk it through with a broker.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call. A Knox broker will answer your questions, tell you straight what is realistic for your situation, and explain the next step. No pressure and no sales pitch.