Buying house before Land Registry updated?

[dogwoodinthegarden]

Does anyone know how it would work to buy a house before the Land Registry has updated their information about the current owners? I'm interested in a house that hasn't been owned for very long, and the current owners' purchase date/price isn't showing up on the Land Registry yet.

I know it can take up to 2 years to register a sale, so that doesn't seem that unusual to me. But I also read that most mortgage providers won't lend on houses that have been registered with the Land Registry for less than 6 months (from a quick google, it seems like they look at this date rather than the date the sale was completed). I'm not sure how this works with the potential delays in registering a purchase - I can't imagine this is the case, but could that mean it could take up to 2.5 years to be able to sell a house? I know you can expedite the Land Registry process in certain circumstances, but would that then mean I would need to wait another 6 months from that date?

If anyone's experienced something like this, I'd appreciate any advice. I'm interested in the house but I'm unsure about investing time/money if it turns out that I can't get a mortgage due to this, or would need to wait months & months.

It varies depending on the lender. Do you know who you’re using yet? You can look up their requirements on the UK Finance handbook.
The Land Registry will expedite an application if it’s putting a sale at risk. The seller’s solicitor has to apply.

I had to get the Land Registry to expedite an registration recently. They were great about it - and I think it's usually ten working days anyway.

And the new registration would show the actual sale date, so you wouldn't have to wait six months.

Thank you both! This is reassuring to hear and glad to know this is resolvable.