Recent research by Moverly shows that the average turnaround time for a local authority search in England and Wales has fallen by four days since the start of 2023.
However, more than half of local authorities saw waiting times increase, with some areas experiencing delays of up to 26 days.
The average time for a search now stands at 11 days across 344 local authorities.
Buyers and sellers in St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council and the London Borough of Hackney face the longest waits, averaging 51 days.
In contrast, 75 local authorities, including Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and City of York Council, report turnaround times of less than 10 days.
Although the overall average has improved, many districts like East Lindsey District Council and the London Borough of Islington have seen increases of 26 days since January 2023.
Gloucester City Council reduced its waiting time from 177 days to just 11 days, a decrease of 166 days.
Others, like Oxford City Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, achieved reductions of 46 and 44 days, respectively.
Gemma Young, CEO of Moverly, said: “We can see from the data that homebuyers are facing a genuine postcode lottery when it comes to how long they’re being forced to wait for Local Authority Searches to be completed.
“Some buyers are getting them back in 48 hours while others are waiting for well over a month. And when buyers are being held up, so too are sellers.
“In fact, the provision of ‘Material Information’ is a relatively new legal requirement for home sellers and estate agents and it’s required at the point of marketing a home.”
Young added: “This new regulation was designed to help the industry streamline selling timelines by priming it for the legal process ahead of time, providing a greater depth of information on a property beyond previously required information such as an Energy Performance Certificates.
“This information also means that buyers have more instant access to the vital information they need to make a decision, negating the need for them to have to go and find the information for themselves.
“So both parties benefit from greater transparency and a quicker home selling timeline.”
