Buyers changing their minds has become the biggest cause of property sales falling through, accounting for more than a third of failed transactions, according to new research.

Figures from Quick Move Now show that 37.5% of sales that collapsed during the third quarter of 2026 did so because buyers pulled out.

Mortgage problems accounted for a further 18.75%, while attempts to renegotiate the agreed price caused another 6.25% of failed transactions.

Together, these three factors accounted for 62.5% of fall-throughs in the company’s data.

The findings come as property transactions take longer to complete, leaving buyers and sellers facing months of uncertainty.

One in eight sales collapses blamed on delays

Quick Move Now analysed the reasons behind failed transactions across its own portfolio.

Survey problems and slow sales progression each accounted for 12.5% of fall-throughs.

Chain breaks, legal issues and attempts to renegotiate prices each represented 6.25%.

Mortgage-related failures fell from 33% in the second quarter to 18.75% in Q3.

Survey issues also declined from 27% in the previous quarter to 12.5%.

However, slow progression remains a concern for agents, particularly as the time between agreeing a sale and exchanging contracts continues to increase.

Transactions now taking 127 days to exchange

Separate figures from TwentyCi show that the average time between sale agreed and exchange has reached 127 days so far in 2026.

That is four days longer than in 2025 and means transactions now take more than four months to reach exchange.

TwentyCi’s Q3 2026 Property & Homemover Report also recorded a 6.4% annual decline in fall-through volumes.

Property withdrawals fell by 2.4% over the same period.

However, the wider market showed signs of slowing. Sales agreed dropped 6% year-on-year, while exchanges declined by 0.5%.

The figures suggest fewer transactions are collapsing overall, even as the sales process becomes more drawn out.

Buyers have months to get cold feet

Quick Move Now chief executive Danny Luke said the length of the conveyancing process leaves transactions vulnerable to changing circumstances.

“In England and Wales, an agreed sale is little more than a handshake until contracts are exchanged, and our Q3 data shows how fragile that handshake can be,” he said.

“More than a third of the sales that collapsed did so simply because the buyer changed their mind, often after months of the seller paying for surveys, solicitors and planning their next move.

“With the process now taking more than four months from the sale being agreed to exchange, buyers have plenty of time to get cold feet as economic uncertainty and rising mortgage rates weigh on confidence.

“Anything that speeds up transactions and gives both sides more certainty earlier would make a real difference to the thousands of people whose moves fall apart every quarter.”

The findings highlight the challenge agents face in keeping transactions together during lengthy sales processes.

However, Quick Move Now’s breakdown covers its own portfolio rather than all UK property transactions. The company did not disclose the number of failed sales behind its percentages.

Its figures therefore offer an indication of why transactions collapse, rather than a definitive picture of the wider market.