The collapse of property chains is adding eye-watering costs to homebuyers, new research has found. A chain is when when either buyers, sellers, or both, have a home they need to sell before buying a new one, or moving out.
Given how expensive property is, particularly in the UK, this is incredibly common. But chains can be risky due to the need for one or both of the parties to sell their existing homes at a price they can accept. This can take a long time, and sellers may find they can’t sell their property at all, even after putting forward an accepted offer or accepting one themselves. A survey of 2,000 people for Barclays has found that the break down of these arrangements can add thousands of pounds to buyers’ costs.
The survey found around that nearly a third (32%) of people who bought or sold a home in the last three years were part of a property chain, and 46% in this group experienced delays or transaction breakdowns due to chain-related issues.
Those who had problems or a breakdown of their chain said they forked out an extra £2,127 on average. Extra costs they cited included “wasted” surveys or additional time needed from solicitors.
Among people whose property purchase or sale had collapsed over this period, some said they had been “gazumped”, an informal term used to describe when a seller accepts a higher offer from a new buyer at the last minute.
Others said they had been “gazundered”, which refers to when a buyer lowers their offer late on in a bid to get a cheaper price, often causing the transaction to collapse.
Some admitted to attempting one of these tactics themselves, resulting in the sale falling through, the Press Association reported.
The bank’s mortgage data indicates the average UK deposit in January was £59,057. It was slightly higher among first-time buyers (£62,272).
Jatin Patel, head of mortgages, savings and insurance at Barclays, said: “Movers often face battles on two fronts as the abundance of long property chains adds acute stress into the process.”
Julien Lafargue, chief market strategist at Barclays, said: “In addition to frictions in the process, the UK housing market has also to contend with a mixed macroeconomic picture. Growth slowed in the second half of 2025 and the UK labour market is still softening.
“That said, the consumer remains broadly resilient, suggesting that growth could rebound in 2026.”
Barclays used its own mortgage data in addtion to the survey of 2,000 people across the UK in January and February which was carried out by polling firm Opinium Research.