Barclays: biggest issues facing home movers
Barclays: biggest issues facing home movers
Nearly half of buyers in a property chain experienced delays or a fall-through in 2025 — and the extra costs can be eye-opening.
When you embark on the process of buying a home, a little trepidation is inevitable. Is this the right home? What will it cost to make it your own? Will the neighbours be friendly? These are all questions you can answer once you have the keys on completion day.
Before that, there are the concerns that come with the transaction itself: what problems will the survey throw up? What additional legal steps might be needed? Will you be gazumped — or gazundered? And will the whole thing fall through before you can exchange contracts?
These are all valid worries, and they have been given fresh weight by the latest Property Insights Report from Barclays.
The scale of the property chain problem
Barclays’ data shows that around a third of those buying or selling a home in 2025 were part of a property chain — where the buyer is reliant on the sale of their current home, and the seller is reliant on that transaction to fund their next purchase. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link: one problem anywhere along it and the whole thing can unravel.
Of those who were part of a chain, almost half — 46% — experienced some form of delay or fall-through as a direct result. Whether caused by a buyer or seller pulling out, a gazumping (a higher offer accepted after yours) or gazundering (a last-minute reduction in the agreed price), the consequences can be significant.
What it costs when things go wrong
The average budget set aside for moving costs — conveyancing, surveys and so on — among those surveyed was £4,954. But when a transaction is delayed or falls through entirely, costs tend to rise sharply. Survey fees become wasted money, and conveyancing may need to restart from scratch.
For those who experienced a fall-through, an average of £2,127 in additional costs was needed — almost half the original budget again.
Breaking down the causes, 22% of fall-throughs were attributed to a buyer or seller pulling out and breaking the chain. A further 13% said they had been gazumped, while 11% had experienced gazundering — both of which remain legal in England.
How buyers and sellers are responding
The experience has left its mark. Some 28% of those affected said they would not consider moving again for a long while, citing the stress and unexpected costs involved. A further 15% said they would actively seek out buyers who could proceed immediately, or limit their sale to first-time buyers — eliminating the chain risk altogether.
How Best Value Conveyancing can help protect your move
However you approach your next sale or purchase, keeping control of your legal costs is important — particularly when the risk of delays is real. Best Value Conveyancing provides a fixed-price service with all standard disbursements quoted up front, so there are no surprises. Our panel of solicitors is focused on keeping your transaction moving as efficiently as possible.
We also offer a no completion, no fee guarantee — so if your sale or purchase falls through, even as a result of gazumping, you will not be charged.
Call us on 0800 038 7007 to get started, or use our online quote tool for an instant fixed-price estimate.
