When you’re planning to sell your home, the type of property often plays a major role in the timeframe. For example, houses tend to sell three times faster than flats, which can be frustrating if you’re hoping to sell quickly. But what about maisonettes? They’re not quite houses and they’re not quite flats, falling somewhere in the middle. As a result, you might be wondering how long does it take to sell a maisonette? And when should you put your own home on the market, especially if you want to sell it quickly?
The answer depends on several factors. Some are in your control, while some aren’t.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the timelines when it comes to selling a maisonette and how services like Zapperty’s Sell House Fast can make the process much quicker and speed up your whole selling process.
We’ll also cover how:
- Selling a maisonette can be more challenging than selling a house due to its hybrid nature and leasehold factors and costs.
- Maisonettes often face unique challenges like shared responsibilities and narrower buyer interest, affecting the overall selling timeline.
- What a maisonette is and why it might take longer to sell helps inform effective selling strategies.
What Is a Maisonette?
A maisonette is a self-contained flat that makes up part of a larger building but has a private outdoor entrance. This is unlike a flat, where the front door is usually inside a building (in a corridor) and a house, which can be attached to other houses, such as semi-detached or terraced properties.
Think of a maisonette as a hybrid between a flat and a house. It offers more privacy than a typical apartment or flat, but often comes with the legal structure of a leasehold property due to there still being some communal areas, like gardens, car parks or bin sheds.
Maisonettes can be single-storey or split over two floors (sometimes called ‘duplex maisonettes’). And while they might have some shared spaces, they’re generally favoured over flats for their independence, and often have a lower service charge compared to standard flats.
What Are The Challenges of Selling a Maisonette?
When it comes to selling, maisonettes can face unique challenges:
- Many are leasehold, which means potential buyers will be considering the lease length, service charges and ground rent.
- They often appeal to a narrower buyer pool compared to freehold houses.
- Shared maintenance responsibilities can be a concern for some purchasers.
Average Timeframes for Selling a Property in the UK
The time it takes to sell any home varies by market conditions, location and property type.
From listing to offer accepted
On average, data from Zoopla shows that UK homes receive an offer within 38 days. Houses typically go under offer faster, while flats take a little longer. Maisonettes tend to fall somewhere in between, but lean towards the flat end of the scale.
From offer accepted to completion
Once you’ve accepted an offer, the legal process, known as conveyancing, takes around 12 to 16 weeks. This stage involves property searches, contract preparation and mortgage arrangements, and it’s the point where delays most often occur.
Total timeline
If you sell through a traditional estate agent, you can aim for a five- to nine-month process from first listing to handing over the keys. But, of course, this can vary wildly depending on your individual circumstances.
What Type of Buyer Favours a Maisonette?
Due to their size, maisonettes often attract a smaller pool of buyers as they tend not to be big enough for growing families. That being said, some maisonettes are larger than flats, so they appeal to buyers who want more space, privacy and a ‘house-like’ feel, but without the full price tag of a house.
First-time buyers are a key audience, especially those looking for more square footage or outside space at a price that’s still accessible. Similarly, downsizers, like retirees moving from a larger house, may appreciate the smaller footprint and reduced maintenance, while still maintaining privacy and access to a garden.
Another type of buyer keen on maisonettes are buy-to-let investors, as they’re usually popular with renters, particularly in areas where tenants are looking for pet-friendly or family-friendly properties.
It’s important to remember that maisonettes aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but to the right buyer profile, they can be exactly what’s wanted, which makes targeted marketing essential.
Factors Affecting the Speed of Sale for a Maisonette
While some of the selling process is out of your hands, understanding what affects timing can help you make better decisions.
1. Location and Market Demand
Where your property is matters… a lot. If you’re in a village in the north of England with few transport links, it could take six months or more to find a buyer.. In contrast, in prime areas of London, you may well end up with an offer before the estate agent even has a chance to put up the for sale sign.
2. Property Condition and Presentation
Well-maintained, freshly decorated maisonettes sell faster. Buyers often make snap judgments based on first impressions, so an attractive home with no need for repairs or maintenance can shave weeks off your timeline.
3. Pricing Strategy
Overpricing is one of the most common reasons a property lingers on the market. Setting a realistic asking price from the start attracts serious buyers and helps avoid multiple reductions that make a listing look stale.
4. Chain Complexity
If you’re selling with no onward purchase, or your buyer is paying in cash, the process can be dramatically faster. Cash buyers can sometimes complete in one or two weeks, compared to 12+ weeks in a typical chain.
5. Market Conditions
In 2025, higher interest rates and economic uncertainty are making buyers more cautious, particularly for higher-value properties. That means properties that would have flown off the market a few years ago might take longer today. However, in August 2025, the Bank of England lowered the base rate, which could potentially mean shorter waits into 2026 and beyond.
How to Accelerate the Sale of Your Maisonette
If speed is your priority, here are some proven steps to shorten the timeline:
- Get your documents ready early: Have your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), FENSA certificates (for windows), safety checks and leasehold information prepared before listing. This reduces delays once an offer is made.
- Invest in professional photography: Strong visuals help your listing stand out and generate early interest. Aim to launch your property on portals early in the week to catch active buyers.
- Choose the right agent: Look for estate agents with a proven track record of quick sales in your local area, particularly for maisonettes or similar property types.
- Consider alternative sale routes: If you need to move in weeks rather than months, auctions and cash house buyers can drastically reduce the time to completion. Many homeowners weigh up their options between cash house buyers vs property auctions to decide which route offers a faster and more reliable sale.
Why Zapperty’s ‘Sell House Fast’ Service Helps
Selling a maisonette can be time-consuming through traditional methods, especially if the market isn’t in your favour or you’re not in an area popular with buyers.
With Zapperty’s Sell House Fast service, you can:
- Avoid long property chains that slow down the process
- Skip multiple viewings and negotiations
- Receive a guaranteed offer with the possibility of completion in days, not months
This is especially valuable for maisonette owners who want certainty, whether you’re relocating, dealing with financial pressures, or simply don’t want to wait nearly a year to sell.
Sell Your Maisonette Quickly
In most cases, selling a maisonette through a traditional estate agent takes around five to nine months. But, the actual timeline depends on factors like location, pricing, condition and buyer circumstances. While you can speed up the process with some preparation and smart marketing, the fastest route is often through a specialist quick-sale service.
Key takeaways:
- Average selling timelines for maisonettes can range from five to nine months, influenced by location, market demand and the condition of the property.
- First-time buyers, downsizers and investors are the main demographics interested in maisonettes.
- Effective strategies to expedite the sale include having all documents ready, investing in professional marketing, setting realistic prices and engaging quick-sale services like Zapperty to bypass traditional delays.
If you’re looking for a swift, stress-free sale without the usual delays, sell your home quickly with Zapperty, which can help you secure a fair price and complete in record time.
FAQ’s
1. How long does it take to go under offer?
Most UK properties take five to nine weeks to receive an offer, with maisonettes often leaning towards the higher end of that range.
2. What’s the typical conveyancing timeline?
Conveyancing generally takes 10 to 12 weeks, though it can be shorter for cash buyers or no-chain transactions.
3. Can a maisonette sell faster than this?
Yes. Using an auction or a cash house buying service, completion can happen in one to four weeks.
4. How important is pricing strategy?
Very. Overpricing is one of the main reasons properties fail to sell quickly. Competitive pricing attracts serious buyers early.
