To move before Christmas 2026, your sale has to complete by Thursday 24 December, the last working day before the bank holidays. On average, getting from an agreed sale to completion takes much longer than the time left: around 120 days on the government's figures, and 171 days in the East of England, which includes Cambridge, on Rightmove's August 2026 data. Counting back from Christmas Eve, an average sale would have needed to be agreed in July or August.
If your sale was agreed in the summer and is progressing well, Christmas is realistic. If you are only putting your home on the market now, it is very unlikely, and a January or spring completion is the sensible plan. A sale agreed in October, or early November at the latest, can still make it, but only with a short chain, a buyer whose mortgage is ready and paperwork that moves quickly.
The bank holidays in England and Wales over Christmas 2026 and New Year are:
Christmas Eve (Thursday 24 December) and New Year's Eve (Thursday 31 December) are not bank holidays, so they are normal working days. That leaves Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December as working days between Christmas and New Year, and the first working day of 2027 is Monday 4 January.
This matters because completion money is normally sent through CHAPS, the Bank of England's same-day payment system. The Bank says CHAPS is commonly used by solicitors and conveyancers to complete property transactions, and is usually open from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank or public holidays in England and Wales. Customer payments must be submitted by 5.40pm, and individual banks set their own, often earlier, same-day cut-offs for customers. If a completion planned for Christmas Eve slips, the next day money can move through CHAPS is Tuesday 29 December.
Scotland has a different legal process and an extra bank holiday on Monday 4 January 2027. This guide covers England and Wales.
The published averages all point to several months:
Averages hide a wide range. Rightmove names chain length, searches and leasehold complexity as common causes of individual delays, alongside high conveyancer caseloads. It also found that 23% of transactions initially fall through. For a stage-by-stage explanation, see our guide to how long solicitors take to process a house sale.
The government's roadmap plans upfront "sales packs" and more binding contracts, but the legislation is planned for later in this Parliament, so neither will help a move this Christmas.
Completion is the day the money moves, the seller moves out and the buyer gets the keys. Christmas Eve is technically possible, but it leaves no room for a delay anywhere in the chain. Aiming for the week of 14 December or earlier gives you a few working days to absorb a hold-up and time to move in before the holiday.
Citizens Advice says completion usually takes place about four weeks after exchange of contracts, although it can be earlier. Working to that gap, you would want to exchange by around 26 November for a Christmas Eve completion, or by mid-November if you are aiming for the week of 14 December. A shorter gap is possible if everyone in the chain agrees, but it leaves less time to book removals and arrange money.
Before exchange can happen, Citizens Advice lists what normally needs to be in place: the solicitors are satisfied with all the enquiries, any survey report has been received and acted on, the buyer has a formal mortgage offer, the deposit (often 10% of the price) is arranged, and the completion date has been agreed.
Counting back the averages from 24 December: 120 days points to a sale agreed by late August, 154 days to late July and 171 days to early July. From mid-October there are only around ten weeks left, well under half the East of England average. That does not make it impossible, but your sale would need to be much quicker than typical.
If you have agreed a sale recently and still want to move before Christmas, these are the conditions that make it achievable:
If you are putting your home on the market in October or November, preparation still pays off, even if the realistic target is the new year. Set the right asking price by booking a valuation, order your Energy Performance Certificate (GOV.UK says you must order one for buyers before you market your home), gather the paperwork listed above and instruct a solicitor or conveyancer before you accept an offer, so the contract pack can go out as soon as a sale is agreed.
When offers come in, the buyer's position matters as much as the price if timing is important to you. Ask whether they have a property to sell, whether that sale is agreed and how far they are with their mortgage. An offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until exchange, so a slightly lower offer from a buyer who can proceed quickly may suit you better than a higher one at the bottom of a long chain.
Exchange is the point of no return. GOV.UK says the agreement to sell and buy becomes legally binding once contracts are exchanged, and usually neither side can pull out without paying compensation. The completion date is written into the contract, so once you exchange with a Christmas completion date, everyone in the chain is committed to it.
On completion day the buyer's solicitor sends the money, your solicitor pays off your mortgage and the agreed fees, and you hand over the keys. Because CHAPS runs only on working days, and your bank's own same-day cut-off can be several hours before the scheme's 5.40pm deadline, a late start anywhere in a chain eats into a short window. If you are sending your deposit or balance to your conveyancer by an ordinary bank transfer, do it well ahead: Faster Payments runs day and night, but Pay.UK says the banks offering it set their own limits, and some also cap how much you can send in a day. Our guide to what happens on completion day covers the day in more detail, and it is worth checking early that every solicitor in the chain will be working on your chosen date.
Book a removal firm as soon as you have a likely completion date, even if it is provisional. Ask whether they work on Christmas Eve and between Christmas and New Year, what happens if your completion date moves, and whether they offer storage if you need to move out before you can move in. Get the booking and cancellation terms in writing.
If you are also buying, Citizens Advice says buildings insurance should be in place from exchange, because the buyer is responsible for the property from that point, and suggests arranging utilities and final meter readings after exchange.
For most people starting now, this is the realistic plan, and agreeing a January target early takes the pressure off the whole chain. Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December are also working days if everyone is available.
If the legal work is ready but the move is not, you can exchange in December with a completion date in January. Both sides then have a legally binding deal over the holiday, with the move itself after Christmas. The completion date is agreed before exchange, and in a chain every link has to work to the same date.
A rent back means the buyer lets the property back to you for a period after completion. Take legal advice before agreeing to one. Since 1 May 2026, GOV.UK says new private tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies that cannot have an end date. A landlord needs a legal reason, with in many cases 4 months' notice, to end one, and a landlord who wants to move in or sell cannot evict for that reason within the first 12 months of a tenancy. If a rent back is a tenancy, a buyer could not rely on getting the property back after a few weeks. Whether a particular arrangement would be a tenancy or could be set up as a licence depends on the facts, so both solicitors need to advise before anything is agreed. A buyer with a mortgage must also get the lender's permission to rent the property out, and lenders normally make vacant possession on completion a condition of the loan, so many will not agree.
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Speak to your solicitor or licensed conveyancer, and a mortgage adviser if you are borrowing, about your own move.
Thursday 24 December 2026 is the last working day before the Christmas bank holidays, and CHAPS, the system used for completion money, is open that day. Completing a week or more earlier leaves room for delays.
It is unlikely. Rightmove's August 2026 figures show 66 days to find a buyer and 171 days from sale agreed to completion in the East of England, far longer than the time left. It is only realistic with a quick sale to a buyer with no chain and finance ready.
Yes. Neither is a bank holiday in 2026, so both are working days for CHAPS. Check that both solicitors, your lender and everyone in the chain will be working, as a delay on Christmas Eve pushes completion to Tuesday 29 December at the earliest.
Citizens Advice says completion usually happens about four weeks after exchange, although it can be earlier. The completion date is agreed before exchange, so the gap can be shorter or longer if both sides, and anyone else in the chain, agree.
In England and Wales: Friday 25 December (Christmas Day), Monday 28 December (Boxing Day substitute day, as 26 December is a Saturday) and Friday 1 January 2027 (New Year's Day).
