How long does it take to sell a business? For many UK SME sales run through a proper marketing process, a realistic expectation is several months, and it’s common for deals to take around six to twelve months depending on preparation, buyer fit, due diligence and legal complexity.
This article breaks the timeline down stage by stage, explains what usually slows deals down, and shows what you can do to keep momentum without compromising confidentiality.
How long does it take to sell a business?
Most owners underestimate how many moving parts sit between “I’m ready to sell” and “the money is in the bank”. Even when you find a buyer quickly, the deal still has to survive heads of terms, due diligence and legal completion.
A sensible planning range for many UK sales is around six to twelve months. One reason is that legal due diligence can take time, sometimes several months, especially where contracts, property, IP, or corporate structure need careful checking.
If you want a clearer way to plan, think in stages.
Typical business sale timeline by stage
The ranges below reflect what we typically see across most UK SME sales that follow a structured process: confidential marketing, buyer qualification, heads of terms, full due diligence, and legal completion.
Preparation (4-8 weeks) comes first. This is when you get financials, contracts, and documentation into buyer-ready shape. The better organised your records are from the start, the faster this phase moves. Clean numbers and clear ownership structure can cut weeks off this stage.
Finding a buyer (2-4 months) involves confidential marketing, initial conversations, and qualifying serious interest. Time here depends heavily on buyer fit and how well your business is positioned. Strong buyer-fit and fast response times keep momentum high.
Agreeing terms (2-6 weeks) is the negotiation phase where offers come in and you settle on heads of terms. This moves quickest when both sides have realistic expectations and a clear deal structure in mind.
Due diligence (2-3+ months) is where the buyer verifies everything: financials, legal position, commercial arrangements, and operations. This is often the longest and most intensive stage. A prepared data room, quick answers to queries, and no surprises can shave weeks or even months off this phase.
Legal completion (4-8 weeks) covers final legal documents, funding arrangements, and the actual completion. Prompt solicitors, a clean legal position, and aligned timelines between all parties keep this stage tight.
Add it all together, and you’re looking at roughly six to twelve months from preparation through to money in the bank—assuming things move reasonably smoothly and there are no major complications along the way.
These stage ranges align with common UK guidance that separates buyer search (months) from due diligence and legal completion (often weeks to months depending on complexity).
What stage takes the longest?
For many owners, the longest stage is either finding the right buyer or getting through due diligence and legal. Both can take time, but for different reasons.
Finding the right buyer depends on demand, affordability, and fit. Due diligence and legal work depends on document quality, responsiveness, and how complicated the deal is.
Due diligence often becomes the most intense phase because it expands beyond financials into contracts, compliance, customer risks, staff matters, property, and sometimes tax.
What makes a business sale quicker?
Some sales do complete quickly, but it usually happens for predictable reasons. The fastest deals tend to share the same traits.
The business is genuinely buyer-ready. Accounts are current, management information is credible, contracts are easy to locate, and ownership is clear. That removes friction before the buyer’s questions start.
The buyer is highly qualified. A qualified buyer has decision-making authority and a credible funding route. When funding is vague or conditional, timelines drift.
Confidentiality is well managed. A staged approach with an NDA lets serious buyers progress without unsettling staff or customers. The Institute of Directors notes that due diligence and legal checks shape completion timing, and those stages move faster when groundwork is already in place.
Responses are fast and organised. In due diligence, speed often equals confidence. Quick, complete answers reduce the buyer’s uncertainty and minimise renegotiation risk.
What usually slows a sale down?
Most delays come from the same repeat issues. If you tackle them early, you improve the odds of staying within a sensible planning range.
Missing or messy documentation is the classic slow-down. Buyers ask for supporting documents, and the seller spends weeks gathering them. The fix is to build a basic data room early, even if it is a structured folder system.
Unresolved legal or operational issues also cause delays. Disputes, unclear contract terms, informal arrangements, or missing consents tend to surface during legal diligence and can stall progress. Legal due diligence can take several months in some cases, particularly where issues require deeper checks or negotiation.
Deal structure complexity can add time. Earn-outs, deferred consideration, property issues, or multiple shareholders increase the number of moving parts. More moving parts means more negotiation and more conditions to satisfy.
Conflicting expectations can stretch a process. If the owner expects a quick sale at a premium price but buyer appetite does not match, you often see repeated offer rounds that never convert into heads of terms.
Slow stakeholders can also be a factor. Solicitors, accountants, lenders, landlords, and sometimes family shareholders all affect timelines. Even if you move quickly, the wider chain can introduce delays.
When do you actually get paid?
You typically get paid at completion, when legal documents are finalised and funds transfer. That is the point most owners mean when they say ‘the sale is done’.
If the deal includes deferred payments or earn-outs, you may receive part of the value later. That can be over months or years, depending on conditions and performance.
So it helps to plan for two timelines. One is time to completion, and the other is time to full proceeds.
A practical way to reduce delays, without cutting corners
If you want a quicker sale, avoid looking for shortcuts. Instead, focus on reducing the buyer’s need to ask questions in the first place.
How this fits into a broker-led process
A broker-led route usually aims to keep the process tight and controlled. That means confidential marketing, buyer screening, and a clear path from NDA through to heads of terms.
It also means managing due diligence like a project. Information flow is staged and organised, which helps keep momentum and reduces avoidable rework.
You can read Stonebrook’s overview of this approach at our sell a company page. For a confidentiality-first starting point, learn more about using an NDA step before sharing sensitive detail.