Harla
Research and Sources

Solution slide

The data and methodology behind the four headline figures on the solution slide. Each figure is broken down into its inputs, assumptions, and source material.

Claim 1 — Transaction timeline baseline

16 weeks

Average time to complete a UK commercial property transaction today

What the claim covers

The 16-week figure represents the average elapsed time from agreed heads of terms to legal completion for a standard UK commercial letting or acquisition. It is the baseline against which Harla's 4-week target is measured.

Methodology

UK commercial property transactions involve six sequential workstreams — heads of terms negotiation, solicitor instruction and enquiries, searches and reports, KYC/AML compliance, conditions satisfaction, and completion. These typically run in series because each party waits on others: landlord solicitors wait for occupier KYC, search results delay title responses, and compliance conditions block exchange. The cumulative elapsed time across a standard transaction is 14–20 weeks, with 16 weeks as the commonly cited industry midpoint for straightforward commercial lettings.

Supporting data

Claim 2 — Harla completion time

75% faster

4 weeks to completion versus the 16-week baseline

What the claim covers

Harla's platform targets completion in 4 weeks by running all four workstreams — Agree, Verify, Comply, and Complete — in parallel rather than sequentially. The 75% reduction (12 weeks saved out of 16) is derived from eliminating the serial waiting time between parties, not from making any individual task faster.

Methodology

Under the current sequential model, each party waits for a predecessor: heads of terms must be signed before solicitors are instructed, KYC must clear before exchange, searches must return before title can be approved. Harla starts all workstreams simultaneously at deal inception. KYC/AML is initiated on day one. Standardised heads of terms and boilerplate leases reduce negotiation from 3–4 weeks to days. Searches are ordered at instruction rather than after exchange. The result is that the critical path collapses from 16 weeks (sum of sequential stages) to approximately 4 weeks (the longest single parallel stage).

Supporting data

Claim 3 — Landlord void cost saving

£45.5k

Saved per transaction for landlords by completing in 4 weeks instead of 16

What the claim covers

The £45.5k figure represents the direct void cost avoided by a landlord when a transaction completes 12 weeks earlier than the current average. It does not include indirect costs (agent fees, management overhead, deterioration) or the rental income upside — it is a conservative floor on the saving.

Methodology

The calculation applies the standard void cost model used by institutional property managers: passing rent plus irrecoverable property costs (service charge, business rates, insurance) for each week of void. Harla's 12-week saving is multiplied by a representative weekly void cost for a mid-market UK commercial unit.

Input Value
Representative unit size ~6,000 sq ft
Passing rent (mid-market UK office/retail) ~£32/sq ft/yr ≈ £3,692/wk
Additional irrecoverable costs (rates, insurance) ~£100/wk
Total weekly void cost ~£3,792/wk
Weeks saved (16 → 4) 12 weeks
Total saving £45,504 ≈ £45.5k

Supporting data

Claim 4 — Reduced solicitor costs

~£5.4k

Saving per transaction in reduced solicitor fees

What the claim covers

The ~£5.4k figure represents the reduction in solicitor fees when Harla handles the document preparation, precedent surfacing, and enquiry management that would otherwise be billed at hourly rates. It reflects the portion of solicitor time that is administrative rather than advisory — the work Harla automates.

Methodology

A standard commercial letting instruction to a mid-tier UK law firm typically incurs £7,000–£12,000 in total fees (both sides combined), with a significant proportion attributable to document management, enquiry handling, and condition tracking. Harla automates these tasks, reducing billable hours. The ~£5.4k saving assumes a base fee of approximately £8,000 reduced to approximately £2,600 — with the solicitor retained for advisory and sign-off functions only.

Input Value
Typical solicitor fee (one side, commercial letting) ~£8,000
Proportion attributable to document/enquiry admin ~67%
Fee with Harla (advisory/sign-off only) ~£2,600
Saving per transaction ~£5,400

Supporting data

Source index