"The much-awaited autumn statement is definitely contributing to this caution, as speculation and anticipation gather pace. This seems to have caused the usual Christmas slowdown to start earlier this year."
- Danny Luke - Quick Move Now
A quarter of property sales fell through before completion in the third quarter of the year, according to new data from Quick Move Now.
The figures show that buyer and lender caution continue to dominate as key reasons behind failed sales.
Reasons for failed property sales:
11% of transactions collapsed because the buyer changed their mind about the property or experienced a change in personal circumstances
7% were affected by buyers struggling to secure a mortgage
3% fell through following a property survey
1% were impacted by down valuations
1% resulted from chain breaks
1% were due to legal issues uncovered during conveyancing
1% cited other factors
“Sale volumes continue to be resilient, but buyer and lender caution remain,” said Danny Luke, Quick Move Now’s managing director. “We're seeing this caution play out in the reasons for failed property sales, with buyers less willing to take a chance on a property they're not 100% about or where issues come to light during the property survey or conveyancing process.”
Luke explained that lender caution is also having a noticeable effect. “We're also seeing caution from lenders, with 7% of property sales being impacted by the buyer having difficulty securing a mortgage and a further 1% of sales falling through due to down valuation,” he noted.
He added that wider economic uncertainty is influencing market behaviour. “The much-awaited autumn statement is definitely contributing to this caution, as speculation and anticipation gather pace. This seems to have caused the usual Christmas slowdown to start earlier this year. What 2026 holds for the property market will very much depend on what materialises in the budget announcement.”
