It’s completely understandable to want to minimize time off work when you’re buying a home. Planning a move around a long weekend feels efficient, and on paper, a Friday closing seems like the easiest way to make that happen. Weekends are for personal time, and moving is personal.
The issue is that it adds unnecessary risk. Not because anyone expects things to go wrong, but because if something does go wrong, there’s very little room to fix it before offices close for the weekend.
This isn’t theoretical. We’ve lived it, and it’s one of those lessons that sticks with you.
What Happens on Closing Day
Behind the scenes, closing day is a coordinated sequence of steps involving lawyers, lenders, and government systems, whether or not you’re physically moving that day.
Assuming all prior due diligence has been completed, the lender releases mortgage funds to the buyer’s lawyer on the day of closing. Those funds, combined with the buyer’s certified down payment, are then forwarded to the seller’s lawyer. Today, this happens electronically through secure transfer systems rather than physical bank drafts.
Once the seller’s lawyer confirms receipt of funds, keys can be released and ownership documents finalized. The buyer’s lawyer registers the transfer and mortgage with the Land Registry Office, pays the required land transfer tax and fees, and contacts the buyer to arrange delivery of the keys.
All of this has to happen within a very specific window.
Why Friday Closings Carry More Risk
Ask any real estate law office and they’ll tell you the same thing: Fridays are typically the busiest closing days of the week.
That alone isn’t a problem. The issue is that lawyers are dependent on lenders and government offices that operate on strict schedules. The Land Registry Office closes at 5:00 pm. Lending departments shut down when they shut down. If someone submits something beyond that cutoff, the transaction doesn’t roll forward until the next business day.
When that next business day is Monday, the consequences can be significant.
It’s inconvenient when this happens mid-week, when lawyers can regroup the next morning. It’s far more disruptive when a deal is delayed late on a Friday, especially if a buyer has already vacated their previous home or scheduled a moving truck. A delay of even one business day can create expensive and stressful complications.
This doesn’t happen often. However, it’s not unreasonably paranoid to protect yourself from the possibility of something going wrong. There are three major reasons for this:
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Law offices handle multiple transactions each day, and unexpected issues or staff absences can cause delays.
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Electronic systems, while mostly reliable, are not immune to outages.
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In rare cases, issues between parties, such as unresolved legal matters, may prevent completion before the deadline.
The 5:00 pm deadline is unforgiving. What doesn’t happen by then doesn’t happen that day.
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A lot of this risk can be reduced, or eliminated entirely, by separating closing day from moving day and avoiding end-of-week closings where possible. In some situations, short-term bridge financing can provide flexibility and peace of mind.
Choosing a Monday to Thursday closing (if at all possible) simply gives everyone more room to deal with issues if something runs late.
Updated December 2025
