TL;DR: Most dental practice transactions take six to nine months, but many run longer. The timeline depends on seller preparation, third-party responsiveness (especially landlords), and external processes like CQC approval (up to 16 weeks) and NHS contract transfers (minimum 28 days after exchange).
Timeline Overview:
- Typical timeframe: 6-9 months from heads of terms to completion
- Main delay factors: unprepared sellers, slow third-party landlords, CQC processing times
- Fastest transactions: private practices with no NHS involvement and minimal third parties
When dentists ask me how long does it take to buy or sell a dental practice, I give them a ballpark figure: six to nine months.
Then I tell them it often takes longer. Not pessimism. Just honesty.
The timeline for buying or selling a dental practice depends on so many variables that predicting an exact completion date becomes almost impossible.
Here’s what happens during those months, and why some transactions sail through whilst others stretch well beyond a year.
For a step-by-step overview of the entire legal process when buying a dental practice, from offer through to completion, see Buying a Dental Practice: A Legal Guide From Offer to Completion.
You can see the most common reasons transactions overrun in this guide on Why Dental Practice Sales Take Longer Than Expected.
What Happens From Heads of Terms to Completion?
Once you accept an offer, the legal process begins. Heads of terms are circulated and agreed between parties.
After that, two things kick off at the same time:
- The CQC process starts
- The Buyer’s solicitor sends over their due diligence questionnaire
Due diligence is like looking under the bonnet of a car before you buy it. The questionnaire is comprehensive, asking detailed questions about the practice and the property. Once those answers come back, property searches get ordered and contact is made with any third-party landlord (if that hasn’t already happened).
Then everything starts moving at once:
- CQC process continues
- Finance arrangements progress (valuations get booked in)
- Transaction documents are drafted and negotiated
- Further due diligence is provided
- Further enquiries are raised and answered
- Property elements progress
Bottom line: Multiple workstreams run in parallel, which is why tracking progress feels complex.
What Has to Happen in Sequence?
Most elements of a dental practice transaction happen at the same time.
But not everything.
Two critical steps must happen in order:
- NHS contracts: These cannot be varied or transferred until CQC is dealt with
- Bank reporting: The bank cannot be fully reported to until the due diligence exercise is completed and the property is sorted (lease agreements, etc.)
For NHS transactions, you’re looking at an additional 28 days’ notice to vary the NHS contract. NHS England won’t add buyers as partners until CQC has indicated approval of their application.
Everything else? It overlaps.
Bottom line: CQC approval and NHS contract transfers are your sequential bottlenecks. Everything else runs in parallel.
Why Does It Take So Long to Buy or Sell a Dental Practice?
If most things run in parallel, why does a typical transaction still take six to nine months?
The answer is in the detail work.
The turnaround of due diligence documents (their review, further enquiries, and replies) is a long process. In practice, due diligence commonly takes around 60 to 90 days, and often longer when sellers underestimate the time required to obtain information.
Here’s a common scenario: A fire risk assessment is out of date. You might not spot this until the first round of due diligence is reviewed, already two months into the transaction. Then another one needs to be booked in, carried out, the report generated, and reviewed by the buyer’s solicitor.
Third-party landlords take time dealing with matters and responding, particularly where consent, extensions or new Leases are required, see The Lease Terms That Kill Dental Practice Sales.
The CQC process? Once submitted, applications take up to 16 weeks. But that’s only after buyers and sellers obtain up to date DBS certificates. So the full CQC process might take up to 20 weeks.
Even when everything goes smoothly, you’re dealing with external timelines you don’t control.
Bottom line: The six to nine month timeline reflects cumulative waiting periods for due diligence reviews, CQC processing, and third-party responses, not the speed of legal work itself.
Which Transaction Structures Complete Faster?
Transactions with third-party landlords generally take longer. A private practice with no NHS involvement tends to be quicker.
Basic rule: fewer third parties typically mean faster completion.
Asset purchases typically involve fewer historic financial issues, require less accountant input, and result in shorter sale agreements with less to negotiate. But the CQC process is quicker for a share purchase.
The structure matters, but responsiveness matters more.
The structural differences between asset purchases and share purchases (and how each affect complexity and timing) are explained in more detail in Asset Purchase vs Share Purchase: What Dentists Really Need to Know.
How quickly each party (and any third parties) deals with things determines your timeline. If you have a third-party landlord but they’re quick at responding, everything moves faster. If they’re slow, that becomes your bottleneck.
Bottom line: Transaction structure provides a baseline, but responsiveness from all parties (especially third-party landlords) determines whether you hit six months or stretch to twelve.
What Makes the Biggest Difference to Timeline?
When I look back at transactions that hit the six to nine month mark versus ones that stretched to a year or more, there’s one telling difference.
The sellers were prepared.
Prepared sellers who have everything ready are genuinely quicker than those who haven’t thought about it and only start looking for documents once the due diligence questionnaire arrives. They then find they have lots to sort out.
The time saved? Months.
Whether that’s organising due diligence early or getting agreement from a third-party landlord to extend a lease (or getting it extended before the sale), preparation makes the difference between a smooth transaction and one that drags.
Bottom line: Seller preparation is the single most controllable factor affecting transaction speed.
When Should Sellers Start Preparing?
If you want to hit that six to nine month timeline rather than stretching beyond it, start preparing early.
But with third-party landlords, you might need to start even earlier, particularly if you need to get the lease extended. Those negotiations add significant time if you leave them until after heads of terms are agreed.
Bottom line: Start document preparation six months ahead. Start lease negotiations with landlords even earlier.
How Do You Know If You’re On Track?
Three months into a transaction, clients often ask me: “Are we on track?”
It becomes difficult to give concrete answers because there are so many variables. But you tend to get an idea broadly how things will pan out based on responsiveness.
If parties are responding quickly, if third parties are engaged, if documents are coming through without delays, those are good signs. If you’re chasing for information or waiting weeks for responses, that tells you something different.
The timeline isn’t about the legal process alone. It’s about how all the moving parts (and the people behind them) come together.
Understanding that helps you plan better, manage your expectations, and recognise what you control versus what you simply have to wait for.
Bottom line: Responsiveness from all parties is your best indicator of whether you’ll hit your target timeline.
Common Questions About Transaction Timelines
What’s the shortest time a dental practice transaction takes?
The fastest transactions (typically private practices with no NHS involvement and no third-party landlords) can complete in 6 months. These benefit from fewer external dependencies and highly prepared sellers.
Why do some transactions take over a year?
Extended timelines usually result from unprepared sellers, slow third-party landlords, complications during due diligence (like discovering outdated compliance documents), or delays in CQC processing. Each delay compounds when multiple issues occur.
Do asset purchases or share purchases complete faster?
Neither is consistently faster. Asset purchases have simpler documentation but slower CQC processes. Share purchases have quicker CQC approval but more complex documentation and greater accountant involvement. Responsiveness matters more than structure.
How long does the CQC approval process take?
Once submitted, CQC applications take up to 16 weeks. But you need up to date DBS certificates before submission, so the full process takes up to 20 weeks. For share purchases, the process is shorter because the existing CQC registration continues.
What documents should sellers prepare in advance?
Key documents include: up to date compliance certificates (fire risk assessments, health and safety documentation), financial records (last three years), employment contracts, equipment lists, supplier agreements, lease documents, and NHS contract details. Having these ready when due diligence starts saves months.
How does having a third-party landlord affect timing?
Third-party landlords add time because their solicitors need to review and approve lease assignments or extensions. Response times vary widely. If lease extensions are needed, start negotiations before putting the practice on the market to avoid delays during the transaction.
What’s the minimum notice period for NHS practice transactions?
NHS England requires 28 days’ notice between exchange and completion. The NHS contract cannot transfer until CQC has indicated approval of the buyer’s application, so CQC processing time must be factored in before this 28 day period begins.
What happens if due diligence reveals problems?
Problems found during due diligence (outdated certificates, missing documentation, compliance gaps) must be resolved before proceeding. This means booking assessments, obtaining new certificates, and having them reviewed. Each issue adds weeks or months depending on availability and complexity.
Key Takeaways
- Most dental practice transactions take six to nine months, but many extend beyond this timeframe
- The timeline depends more on seller preparation and third-party responsiveness than on the legal work itself
- CQC approval takes up to 16 weeks and NHS contracts require a minimum 28 days before the NHS contract can be varied
- Most transaction elements run in parallel, but NHS contract transfers and bank reporting must happen sequentially after CQC approval and due diligence completion
- Transactions with fewer third parties (especially landlords) and no NHS involvement typically complete faster
- Prepared sellers who organise documents and address lease issues six months ahead save months on the overall timeline
- Responsiveness from all parties is the best indicator of whether you’ll meet your target completion date