Survey issues behind more than a quarter of failed house sales in Q2 – Quick Move Now – The Intermediary
Quick Move Now found that the proportion of UK property sales falling through declined from 24.4% in the first half of 2025 to 23.4% over the same period this year.
Survey issues accounted for more than a quarter of failed house sales during the second quarter of 2026, while mortgage and lending problems remained the biggest cause of transactions collapsing, according to Quick Move Now.
The property buying company published its data following TwentyCi’s latest Property & Homemover Report, which found that the proportion of UK property sales falling through declined from 24.4% in the first half of 2025 to 23.4% over the same period this year.
Quick Move Now’s analysis, which tracks the reasons behind failed transactions, found that buyer mortgage or lending issues accounted for 33% of all fall-throughs in Q2.
Survey-related issues were the second most common cause at 27%, followed by chain breaks, changes in buyers’ circumstances and legal issues, each accounting for 13% of failed sales.
The company said the findings suggest buyers remain committed once they agree a purchase, with gazumping and buyers changing their minds notably absent from the main reasons for transactions collapsing.
Danny Luke, chief executive officer at Quick Move Now, said: “TwentyCi’s figures tell us fewer sales are falling through, but our data explains why. Right now, it isn’t buyers getting cold feet or losing out to a higher bidder; it’s the fundamentals.
“A third of our failed sales come down to buyers simply not being able to get a mortgage over the line, and more than a quarter fall over once a survey has been done.”
He added: “That’s a good reminder for sellers: a sale is only as strong as the price it’s built on.
“Homes that are priced sensibly from the outset, in line with what they’re realistically worth, are far less likely to run into problems once a survey or valuation happens.
“Getting that right at the start is still the single biggest thing a seller can do to make sure their sale actually completes.”
