HOMEOWNERS looking to sell their property have been warned it will take around 15 weeks to settle a deal.

Figures from house buying firm Property Solvers have revealed "surprising" delays which are worst for property owners in areas such as Affetside, where delays can be as long as 17 weeks.

Properties falling within postcodes starting with BL3 and BL4 were fastest selling, with 109 homes in these areas taking 14 weeks to sell on average.

The data tracks the moment a property is listed on the UK’s largest property portal Rightmove to the point it’s marked as officially ‘sold’ with the HM Land Registry.

Property Solvers co-founder, Ruban Selvanayagam, said: “Although there are some natural delays to be expected, it’s surprising that it takes so long for house sales to go through – especially in the digital age we live in.

“Whilst it’s true that the estate agency, conveyancing and mortgage industries continue to embrace the benefits of tech, much work needs to be done to overcome the friction across house sale chains.”