The Unfortunate Truth About Moving Home
We’ve collected thousands of real home-moving complaints and horror stories from everyone involved in the home buying process. These are the frustrations, losses, headaches and awful scams that happen in the current system. Read the posts to educate yourself - as forewarned is forearmed!
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Wall of Complaints and Bad Experiences
A live picture of where property transactions keep breaking down across the UK.
This wall brings together real experiences from home movers, professionals and others involved in buying and selling property. By sharing what happened, contributors help expose problems many agents, solicitors and service providers still underestimate, giving consumers, journalists, researchers and the people trying to fix the system clearer evidence of the scale, patterns and pressure points that need attention.
Delay
I accepted an offer on my apartment in July 2025
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer complains their solicitor ignored issues flagged in the survey, including damp and structural movement.
Hidden info
Willans cite cases where sellers ticked ‘no’ to neighbour disputes on the TA6 even though there was a long history of rows – buyers later claimed compensation for misrepresentation.
The same article quotes a buyer who found multiple homes listed as ‘for sale’ that were already under offer – a tactic he believes was used to pull in more applicants.
Poor communication
poor communication
Claims emails went unanswered and the portal wasn’t updated, forcing constant phone chasing.
Hidden info
Another thread talked about £6,000-a-year service charges on a £400k flat, with people saying it would be incredibly hard to resell and that they’d run a mile from that development.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A buyer describes nearly losing a six-figure deposit right before completion after an email containing solicitor bank details was allegedly intercepted and swapped for scam details.
Delay
Mid-transaction: long delays, inconsistent updates, and being asked to review documents that hadn’t been sent.
We walked away when the gas engineer condemned the boiler; the sellers wouldn’t budge on price and we didn’t want to move children into a risky home.
Delay
I’m terrified of putting the house back on the market because the last two buyers have walked away after survey – I’m just waiting to be ‘shafted’ again.
fraud
Despite repeated regulatory warnings about email payment fraud, our conveyancer sent our bank details without any security checks or verbal confirmation step. We later learned those basic safeguards are now widely recommended good practice.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
With our first estate agent, communication basically stopped once the ‘sold’ board went up. Four months later the sale collapsed and we had to start again.
The condition rating didn’t match reality after major refurbishment, and it undermined confidence in the mortgage process.
Posters swap stories of new-build flats that shed value fast and then sit on the market while owners are stuck paying high charges.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
My previous purchase collapsed after searches and the solicitor charged me the full amount again for the new one.
Delay
One reviewer says their high street estate agent did nothing for six months – no real progression, no updates – and they only realised how bad it was after switching to a different company.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Chasing my conveyancer daily; still waiting for basic paperwork to begin. 12-week target shot.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. following the February 2026 intervention.
Delay
The lender insisted on re-running affordability twice due to ‘system errors’. Each delay pushed us closer to losing the house.
Financial loss
financial loss
The insurer quietly excluded subsidence from our renewal; when the buyer’s solicitor looked at our policy they insisted on expensive new cover before completion.
Eight month delay
Mortgage offer risk
Poor service
First time buyer says the transaction took almost eight months and only exchanged the day before the mortgage offer expired after sustained chasing of solicitors.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
A buyer says the estate agent handling a previously failed sale “blatantly lied” and they only discovered late on that the extension had no building control sign-off — the reason the earlier sale collapsed.
new build
reservation agreement
developer pressure
buyer risk
New-build buyer asks whether a reservation agreement signed in January 2025 can be enforced after the developer tries to rely on it despite communication issues.
Delay
They say many disputes reach the tribunal when leaseholders feel charges are unreasonable or poorly explained, which can itself delay sales.
Financial loss
financial loss
Leaseholders saddled with cladding bills say they face thousands in costs they were never warned about.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Guidance for home sellers highlights that hiding or glossing over major costs can amount to mis-selling under consumer law.
The conveyancer failed to identify that the property was in a flood-risk zone requiring specialist insurance. Our lender refused to proceed three days before exchange.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say they’re trapped in a flat they can’t afford and can’t sell, with their life plans on hold because nobody wants to take on the charges.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d already spent hundreds on legal work and surveys and were left wondering if they could face the process again.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
One MSE user considered suing after their sale fell through right before completion, but was warned that legal action is slow, expensive and rarely fixes the emotional damage.
Hidden info
On a first-time buyer group, someone discovered their flat’s service charge had more than tripled from £60 to over £200 a month, and was told it might now be hard to sell without cutting the price.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A law firm notes that if a new-build is delayed past your mortgage expiry date, you may have to reapply and pay extra application fees just to keep the purchase alive.
recommended solicitor
referral fee
poor communication
estate agent complaint
Seller review of Purplebricks alleges recommended solicitors are slow and says referral fees are being quietly pocketed, alongside complaints about poor service.
Fall-through risk
The whole experience of having a sale fall through has made us wary of the entire system; we’re putting off moving again for as long as we can.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Overcharged… constant communication via post… letters not received… told them to email.”
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer says poor communication and service left them regretting the choice of branch.
Roof leak
Late discovery
Renegotiation
Buyer says a roof leak was discovered in the loft late in the process despite no disclosure, leaving them torn between renegotiating repairs and risking the seller pulling out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The sale of our property just nearly fell through due to a Connells survey.
Financial loss
financial loss
Santander research reported in The Times describes the home-buying process as ‘antiquated’, saying more than 500,000 transactions collapse each year and buyers collectively lose hundreds of millions in sunk costs.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Paid premium package (£1,499); later told it only covered six months and had expired after buyer issues.
They admit the flat itself is fine, but the rising charges feel like a trap that future buyers will see straight away in the management pack.
Hidden info
I’m selling my flat largely to escape ever-increasing service charges; in the end it’s the building that’s trapping me, not the mortgage.
Delay
Our conveyancer never clearly explained that we’d be responsible for insuring the property from exchange, which nearly delayed things when the lender checked the policy details.
Hidden info
I bought a two-bed flat and was told the service charge was about £60 a month; it’s now £180 and I feel completely misinformed about what I was committing to.
Eight month delay
Renegotiation
Stalled purchase
Buyer says they had an offer accepted in September 2025 but by May 2026 still had not completed, and now wants to renegotiate after months of delay.
Poor communication
poor communication
Vendor says poor communication and terrible service after signing the initial agreement left them no choice but to complain.
Fall-through risk
Because of cladding paperwork problems we’ve had one sale fall through and another buyer walk away, leaving us stuck paying a mortgage on a flat nobody wants.
Hosted viewings unavailable for 24 days; complaint ended in a token refund offer.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
At 73 I found myself effectively homeless because my buyers’ solicitors disappeared; the sale collapsed and I’d already moved out of my home.
We’ve reported serious disrepair and mould for years and nothing’s been done. The house is barely habitable, but councils almost never prosecute landlords so they just carry on.
Financial loss
financial loss
Avoid at all cost! … valued my property nil, completely sabotaged my application.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through after six months because the buyer’s lender decided the flat was ‘unmortgageable’ due to cladding, something nobody mentioned at viewing stage.
Financial loss
financial loss
They increasingly advise buyers who only discover the dispute after completion and want to know if they can claim back losses.
We were hit with an HMO ‘zero value’ type outcome repeatedly and had to switch approach to keep deals moving.
Booked several viewings as a cash buyer and the estate agent never turned up or called. I had to chase them and was told it was a mix-up.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
I sent my deposit and the lender’s money to PM Law, we had already exchanged and were due to complete yesterday. I woke up to discover their phones were disconnected and completion wasn’t happening. I’ve got all my money tied up and no idea what happens next.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
They say clients are left chasing updates and get hit with unexpected costs, even when the deal eventually goes through.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say poor communication and lack of UK-law knowledge led to confusion, mistakes and a feeling that nobody had ownership of the transaction.
our mortgage offer expires in mid December
Poor communication
poor communication
Kallars page includes low-star 2026 reviews where reviewers would not recommend the agency.
Financial loss
financial loss
A user asked whether they could re-use searches from a previous failed purchase on a nearby house, saying they were already down hundreds of pounds from the first one collapsing.
We booked removals, took the children out of school for moving day and cleared our old house. Because the PM Law firm in our chain shut overnight, we spent that night on friends’ sofas with no idea when we’d have a home again.
Hidden info
Even if they price the flat aggressively, they worry buyers will run a mile once their solicitor points out the service charge history.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says their mortgage valuation came in twenty thousand lower than the agreed price, the survey listed damp and roof issues, but the seller refused to negotiate at all and the estate agent just told them to find more money.
Despite clear comparable sales, the valuation came back lower and created a mortgage gap we had to fight to resolve.
referral commission
estate agent perspective
solicitor referral fee
broker referral fee
Estate agent commenting from inside the industry says referral commission between agents, surveyors, solicitors and mortgage advisers should be banned, saying daily referral-fee approaches happen.
HousePriceCrash users complain that surveyors are down-valuing homes by around ten percent as standard, effectively hiking the deposit buyers need to find.
3-6 week delay
leasehold transaction
client frustration
administration cost
exchange delay
poor communication
A CILEX conveyancing lawyer says she repeatedly encounters leasehold transactions where the mortgage offer, survey, searches and most enquiries are complete but everyone then waits another three to six weeks for a management pack. She says conveyancers must repeatedly explain and apologise to clients for a delay outside the legal work, while management-pack and administration charges can run to hundreds of pounds.
A PM Property Lawyers review warns to ‘avoid like the plague’, complaining of very poor competence and communication that dragged out the whole conveyancing process.
Another r/HousingUK post tells of a house down-valued by £170,000; when the sellers refused to renegotiate, the buyer simply walked away.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
New Homes Law reviewer says months of conveyancing delays caused their onward purchase to fall through.
Financial loss
financial loss
MoneySavingExpert users share stories of down valuations where surveyors shave tens of thousands off agreed prices because local comparables haven’t caught up.
Poor communication
poor communication
I was ready to pull out because I genuinely thought my solicitor had vanished.
Auction risk
Tenancy issue
Legal pack
Buyer says a rental property purchase involved a legal pack warning that the seller would not guarantee vacant possession or provide tenancy agreements, creating serious occupation risk at auction.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud warns criminals hack email chains between buyers/sellers and solicitors/agents and send spoof emails on completion day claiming bank details have changed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another MSE user says their house sale fell through the day after the stamp duty holiday ended because their buyer’s buyer pulled out without explanation.
Hidden info
Knowing a deal had already failed once because of the survey made us suspicious there were serious hidden problems, even though we loved the house.
Financial loss
financial loss
As of today, I still have not received my refund.
Poor communication
poor communication
My solicitor uses only email but doesn’t check their inbox. If I ring I get told ‘we will email you’ but I don’t get one.
Delay
It took them 5 months after instruction to send initial enquiries.
Property marketing failed: sign/visibility issues and poor follow-up meant wasted time and lost momentum.
They suggest keeping a close eye on the expiry date and pushing everyone in the chain to work towards it, rather than assuming it can be extended easily.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We were told the buyer had walked away due to our solicitor’s delays, but the firm still insisted on charging almost the full fee even though we never completed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Local agents reportedly tell them it’s the high ongoing costs that put buyers off – not necessarily the asking price itself.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Another leaseholder on MoneySavingExpert is begging for help after service charges on their flat ballooned, saying they can barely afford to stay and are scared it’s now unsellable.
Financial loss
financial loss
A leaseholder said a simple request to pay in instalments was refused and escalated into extra charges and debt collection fees.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We listed our house, got an offer and then watched the sale crumble. We were back on the market ranting about the whole thing just weeks later.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Another Guardian piece profiles residents facing service charges up to £8,000 a year and planning legal action because their ‘affordable’ homes have become unaffordable.
Delay
Buyer’s solicitor has barely replied for two months. Everyone is ready, but we still don’t have an exchange date.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Conveyancing fraud has left families unable to complete while still being liable for rent and fees.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The Times reports a family who have spent £43,000 on service charges and council tax while failing for five years to sell a retirement flat.
Poor communication
poor communication
Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. The problem was communication during a live property transaction.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
We felt completely stuck in limbo because our agent gave us no clear plan or communication about the sale.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through the day before we were supposed to complete – one phone call and months of planning, surveys and legal work just vanished.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They needed the money to move on but were stuck deciding whether to keep waiting politely or escalate into a formal complaint.
Delay
Now today 9 month after the sale it has came to light they haven’t updated the land registry which is now affecting my ability to let the properly out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Some house sales don't happen, sad but things happen
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller questions whether the buyer has even instructed a solicitor after progress appears to stall after offer acceptance.
Delay
“Huge amount of stress… delaying the sale and causing uncertainty.”
Delay
Spent nearly an hour stuck in a queue trying to reach the mortgage team. No urgency, no support — just wasted time when deadlines matter.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says their solicitor brushed off concerns about a shared septic tank and only after exchange did they learn it failed current rules and would need an expensive new treatment plant.
Delay
Our sale was held up because the freeholder’s managing agent took nearly six weeks to answer basic pre-sale enquiries.
Financial loss
financial loss
We had two buyers in a row pull out after seeing the lease only had 71 years remaining; no one had mentioned how expensive extending it could be.
My solicitor says the buyer’s solicitor hasn’t even contacted Barclays yet
Hidden info
A Times piece on retirement flats showed one family spending over £43,000 on service charges and council tax while they struggled for years to sell their late mother’s apartment.
Financial loss
financial loss
They were first-time buyers and we think they just got carried away and offered more than they were comfortable with, then panicked and walked away.
Hidden info
Ground rent rules are unfair — lenders got nervous when they saw doubling clauses that weren’t clear in the purchase packs.
The market is so flat that even good, well-presented houses just sit there, leaving chains stuck and sellers in limbo.
Delay
On MSE, a buyer says their ‘new build long stop’ has come and gone with no completion, leaving them stuck waiting while the developer keeps pushing dates back.
conditional selling
affordability appointment
viewing restriction
buyer pressure
Buyer reports an estate agent would not show properties unless they booked an affordability appointment, raising conditional-selling concerns.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers pulled out four days before exchange. The property opposite came on the market later and we ended up buying that instead – in better condition.
The Legal Ombudsman’s 2023/24 annual data shows residential conveyancing accounts for about a third of all new complaints they accept.
The whole idea that searches can be ‘sold on’ between buyers just underlines how messy and confusing the conveyancing process is in England.
The valuation came in well below the agreed price and the buyer’s broker said the only option was a big reduction; when we said no, they walked away.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Completion has been ‘next week’ for ages. Our conveyancer hardly answers calls or emails and I’m terrified the purchase will fall through.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say many buyers only discover the full picture after moving in, when unmentioned problems start to cost serious money.
An MSE poster worries that their perpetually loud, rude neighbours are putting viewers off and says the house will only sell at a hefty discount.
Delay
Completion chaos and long delays created serious mortgage timing pressure for the sellers.
Delay
When we tried to resurrect the purchase a few months later, we were told the original mortgage offer had expired and we’d have to start again from scratch.
modern auction
reservation agreement
survey cost
conveyancing cost
Buyer asks whether survey and conveyancing costs can be recovered after a modern method of auction transaction fails, highlighting risk around reservation agreements and sunk costs.
I watched a whole chain fall apart when the buyer’s mortgage offer expired just before exchange; without a valid offer they simply couldn’t proceed.
Delay
Seller says their solicitor refuses to call the buyer’s solicitor and insists everything must be by email, causing huge delays.
We discovered by accident that our buyer had already withdrawn when we saw our own house listed as ‘available’ again on a portal before the agent even called us.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Our agent did nothing apart from list the house online and put up a sign. They never followed up leads and ignored emails for weeks while the property sat empty.
Hidden info
Ground rent terms looked small at first, but the doubling clause made the flat borderline unmortgageable once our lender saw the detail.
Hidden info
We’ve been trying to sell our tenanted leasehold flat on and off since 2021. High service charges and a saturated local market mean almost no serious interest.
Poor communication
poor communication
They also say their solicitor won’t really ‘advise’ when they question the risks, leaving them feeling exposed at the point everything matters most.
Financial loss
financial loss
After documenting over £2,000 in direct costs... they initially offered... £250 compensation
“I was promised an excellent service… I would avoid the entire firm.”
Other Connells reviewers complain that surveyors lack local knowledge and that low valuations have wrecked their purchase or remortgage plans.
Hidden info
Another MSE user said they’d walked away from a flat purchase after discovering the service charge could be increased at the freeholder’s discretion with no meaningful limit.
Financial loss
financial loss
Claims the site impersonates Land Registry and targets bereaved people searching for deeds.
We sold our family home and moved out with the children expecting to complete on the new place the same day. Because our conveyancer was one of the PM Law firms, completion never happened and we’re now sharing one room in a relative’s house.
They did not respond even to a solicitor's letter, which tells you everything about their attitude.
Delay
A family received post suggesting the property might still be registered to the previous owner months after purchase, triggering alarm.
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer on r/HousingUK says their solicitor ‘never gives any updates’ – emails go unanswered and they have no idea if searches have even been requested.
Delay
The solicitor charged us for searches twice after misplacing the originals. They insisted it was unavoidable even though the delay was their own fault.
offer not passed on
broker verification
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer says an estate agent refused to pass on their offer until the agent spoke to their mortgage broker, then imposed a same-day deadline despite the broker being unavailable.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The advice everywhere is to look very closely at lease length and ongoing service costs, or you risk being stuck with something buyers keep walking away from.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our conveyancer ignored emails from the developer’s solicitor, causing us to lose our reserved new-build plot. The builder refused to extend the deadline.
Financial loss
financial loss
Despite big price cuts, the flat is still unsold, and exit fees mean they’ll lose a chunk of the inheritance even if a buyer eventually appears.
Incorrect listing
Tenure
Leasehold surprise
Buyer says both the vendor and estate agent said the house was freehold before the offer, but conveyancing revealed it was actually leasehold and therefore more complex.
The buyer isn’t responding much, and my estate agent is not helpful
Hidden info
Failure to disclose key details can be an unfair trading practice under consumer law, with serious penalties for agents.
Delay
The solicitor failed to recognise a shared drive maintenance agreement was missing. The lender demanded it at the last minute, delaying the entire chain while a deed was drafted.
The whole process of buying a house has been painful and this is largely down to our solicitor.
Hidden info
Sold.co’s own guidance on neighbour disputes says properties with an ongoing row next door are simply ‘less valuable’ because buyers have to take on the hassle.
Delay
How long is it currently taking Land Registry? I bought my house 15 weeks ago and my title still has not been updated. It was a straightforward purchase with no complications, so I do not understand why it is taking so long.
Hidden info
Hearing that a property has already been under offer and fallen through makes you wonder what the survey or searches turned up that you’re not being told.
Service felt inconsistent compared with prior experience—left us disappointed mid mortgage journey.
“No one knew the complaints process.”
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says the conveyancing service showed little regard for the needs of a 91-year-old client during a house purchase.
Delay
Sale hindered because seller’s side couldn’t get timely replies from buyer’s conveyancer to keep deadlines.
Fall-through risk
Many examples involve buyers and sellers who didn’t realise how badly their matter was drifting until deadlines were missed and transactions collapsed.
We were interested in buying with tenants in situ but the lack of proper inventory and deposit protection made it feel like a legal minefield, so we walked away.
Hidden info
A Guardian investigation into ‘affordable’ homes says some shared-ownership residents have seen service charges increase by up to 400%, leaving them effectively trapped.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The council lost the first search request and mis-processed the second; after three months of chasing we decided the universe was telling us to walk away.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through because the leasehold dispute with the management company hadn’t been resolved and the buyers didn’t want to inherit the fight.
Delay
Our sale was delayed for months because the buyers’ broker had put them with a lender that wouldn’t accept the flat’s construction type.
The buyer couldn’t understand how three estate agents thought the price was reasonable while the surveyor saw it as significantly over-valued.
Delay
Citizens Advice more or less shrugged and said buyers can change their mind right up to exchange, which is maddening when you’ve spent months cooperating in good faith.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Client says poor communication and very slow service made the moving process stressful, frustrating and upsetting.
Delay
This company should be shut down. Iv been waiting nearly 8 months now to complete a simple, no problems house purchase.
We agreed a sale and the buyer’s surveyor claimed there was dry rot in the loft; a second survey found nothing, but the buyer had already walked away and the chain was dead.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Facebook group poster says their buyer’s DC Law conveyancers caused repeated failed exchanges and missed completion dates.
Hidden info
A Sun article followed a couple whose service charge rocketed from under £3,000 to £7,500 a year; they’ve slashed the asking price but still struggle to find a buyer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Times summary of the same Santander report says roughly one in three transactions still fail after an offer is accepted, largely due to delays and issues uncovered late in the process.
Hidden info
Potential buyers walk away as soon as they learn service charges are higher than the council tax; we’ve had offers collapse for that reason alone.
Signed deed of variation promised ‘shortly’—then no progress and no proper responses.
Poor communication
poor communication
Vendor says Purplebricks failed to install a For Sale sign and gave repeated excuses while the property was on the market.
Poor communication
No updates
Conveyancing delay
poor communication
Buyer says their conveyancer left them in the dark for around a month after searches, with no meaningful updates while enquiries were supposedly being raised.
Buyer says they were brushed off and blocked from viewings/offer discussions after refusing the agent’s mortgage broker.
A Webuyanyhome guide says nuisance neighbours can sabotage a sale by putting washing out during viewings, making noise or even warning buyers not to move in.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
“Constant delays… risk of unnecessary stamp duty costs.”
Hidden info
They specialise in buying ‘hard to sell’ flats hit by cladding, insurance hikes and inflated service charges – the stuff that makes normal buyers and lenders walk away.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Felt the whole purchase was made painful by slow responses and constant delaying.
Poor communication
poor communication
Consistently sat on our case with no action... lied about what work had been done... rarely responded.
Forum user says their conveyancing solicitors kept cashing cheques and progressing a purchase even though they knew the user’s own house hadn’t sold.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
On ReviewSolicitors, a client of Bates Solicitors says nearly three years dealing with a family estate has been ‘painful’, with poor communication, delays in even simple tasks and calculation errors that caused extra hassle.
Hidden info
Eric Robinson Solicitors explain that failing to disclose an ongoing dispute with neighbours could count as misrepresentation and land you with a big compensation bill after completion.
Financial loss
financial loss
The conveyancer assured us the property was freehold, but it was actually leasehold with 63 years remaining. The oversight meant we had to withdraw, losing survey and legal fees.
Financial loss
financial loss
The seller we were buying from turned out not to own the house. We lost hundreds in fees.
Mortgage declined
New lender
Purchase risk
Buyer says a mortgage was declined and they are now worried whether the decline will affect applying with another bank and delay or jeopardise the purchase.
Delay
Total garbage... only got us a single viewing in 6 months.
We’ve been told the SRA now controls client accounts, but as sellers we still don’t know where our completion monies are or how to get them.
Financial loss
financial loss
“Offered £50 compensation… adds salt to the injury.”
Delay
Fall-through risk
The chain collapsed three days before completion; in Scotland that meant no penalties, but months of stress and starting over with a new buyer.
A Singletrack forum post tells of a sale agreed at £5k over asking, only for the surveyor to down-value by £10k and throw the whole deal into doubt.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our chain collapsed after five months when the top property fell through; nobody seemed to have a backup plan and we had to start completely from scratch.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The HomeOwners Alliance lists ‘delayed or unclear communication’ as one of the most common reasons people end up formally complaining about their conveyancer.
Poor communication
poor communication
Northwood reviewer says a previous agent experience left them in an awful position and they would seriously consider alternatives.
Financial loss
financial loss
We were charged for search fees twice because the solicitor misplaced the initial results. The firm refused a refund, claiming it was an 'administrative mishap'.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One buyer wrote on r/HousingUK that their purchase fell through because the lender’s surveyor down-valued the property and the seller refused to budge on price.
Listing errors
Unauthorised listing
Material information
Seller says an estate agent put a Yopa advert live without authorisation while room sizes and other details were still wrong, despite the seller pointing out errors.
A surveyor spent only minutes inside, refused to properly inspect key areas, then reported serious damp issues anyway.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
fraud
Very disappointed and feeling scammed… promised refund if the sale fell through.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. The complaint was about poor handling rather than a general advice question.
Buyer silence
Solicitor blame
No visibility
poor communication
Seller reports that their buyer blamed a solicitor for delay, but forum discussion highlights how buyers can stall for weeks while sellers have little visibility of whether the solicitor or buyer is actually responsible.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Another account says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
“My file hadn’t even been updated 50 days in.”
Hidden info
A first-time buyer group post says the service charge on their flat tripled from £60 to £180 a month – far more than they understood when they bought.
Delay
The sale eventually completed, but only after extra months of delay and a lot of unnecessary stress.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says a lender-panel surveyor report was so alarmist that their sale nearly collapsed, triggering renegotiations and delays.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I had the same experience as a buyer. Sale collapsed and the solicitor still invoiced me £1,000.
Estate agents are warning that multiple chains have at least one PM Law-linked firm in them, multiplying the risk that a single collapse could create dozens of failed sales.
We’d paid for searches and surveys before anyone mentioned that some lenders simply won’t touch that type of construction at all.
If I answer ‘yes’ to having subsidence or insurance refusals I can’t even get online quotes, but if I answer ‘no’ I’m terrified a future claim will be rejected for non-disclosure.
They feel misled by the original figures and trapped in a place where rising charges and a nasty lease clause could scare off any future buyer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Found out through someone else that the chain had collapsed; the lack of transparency meant weeks of wasted time and momentum.
Hidden info
Nobody had mentioned the flood history in the listing and it wasn’t obvious until we paid for environmental reports.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Review says Purplebricks made empty promises and caused a stressful sales process, with repeated communication failures and poor basic service.
conditional selling
in-house broker
offer handling
buyer pressure
bad practice
Buyer says they are convinced an estate agent buried their offer because they refused to use the agent's in-house broker, describing repeated pressure calls after they said no.
Poor communication
poor communication
I would give zero stars if I could.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
One affected mover says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We were renting in a new area, paying a mortgage on an empty house and a huge removals bill, all because the sale collapsed after we’d already left.
Hidden info
Commenters reply that buyers are understandably wary of taking on a flat where service charges can jump by thousands in a single year.
Poor communication
poor communication
We paid for a search and expected the results. Our solicitor didn’t send them until after we cancelled the deal.
Hidden info
One leaseholder forum user reports a sudden £6,000 heating and gas bill on top of day-to-day service charges, with little explanation from the managing agent.
Whitegates explain that when a surveyor values a property below the agreed price, the buyer may have to find a bigger deposit or the deal can fall apart.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the firm didn’t answer emails, the portal wasn’t updated, and they had to chase by phone constantly while the sale went nowhere.
Poor communication
poor communication
Chasing for updates felt like a full-time job – emails ignored, calls not returned, and then a casual ‘oh, yes, I’ll order that today’.
Fall-through risk
Delay
fall through
Buyer facing seller threats to pull out says solicitor delays and unresolved fire-safety/building-height enquiries are blocking exchange.
Financial loss
financial loss
Frettens LLP has a one-star ReviewSolicitors comment saying communication was poor, the work was overpriced and invoices felt out of proportion to what was actually done.
They tried to challenge what they saw as obvious errors but were effectively told only the lender could complain, leaving them feeling fobbed off and powerless.
Poor communication
poor communication
Property for sale: poor feedback and ‘always in a meeting’ — seller can’t get hold of the right person.
Poor communication
poor communication
The surveyor left without even saying they were finished—basic professionalism missing, and it made the whole process harder.
Fall-through risk
fall through
After our original sale collapsed, our previous agent’s only idea was to shove us into a low-reserve auction, then asked for another huge price cut when that didn’t work either.
They argue that better updates alone would ease much of the anxiety that currently pushes people to complain about their conveyancer.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Between our sale and our daughter’s sale both collapsing, plus other family problems, it honestly feels like life has been on hold for months.
Poor communication
poor communication
AVOID, AVOID AVOID!!!! No communication with myself or vendor's Solicitors at all. No work done on the file.
Financial loss
financial loss
The article notes that insurers may load premiums heavily or even refuse cover after a flood, making the property harder to sell and more expensive to own.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Shocked to be basically 'scammed' by this firm.
The landlord has decided to sell and we’re getting multiple viewings a week. I’ve been kicked out of my own home so strangers can look round and it feels like harassment at this point.
Delay
Buyer accepted a short chain with no mortgages but says delays before exchange are now raising concerns about accountability.
Poor communication
poor communication
The seller says the buyer isn’t responding much and their estate agent ‘is not helpful’, so it feels like the sale is being sabotaged by silence.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
They say if they’d known the reason the last sale collapsed, they would have walked away before spending money and getting emotionally committed.
Paid a large fee expecting a smooth mortgage and insurance setup, but advisers kept changing without handover, the lender wasn’t responded to, and insurance arrangements were wrong or not put in place.
Hidden info
They quote stats that around 60% of Britons have had some kind of neighbour dispute, and many say they’d think twice about buying next to one.
Hidden info
They stress that full disclosure of right-of-way issues is essential, because if buyers discover hidden problems later they could sue or even try to unwind the sale.
Hidden info
Says high charges on leaseholds don’t match service; described as extortionate.
A high flood-risk rating sent our insurance quote through the roof and we realised we couldn’t afford the combined mortgage and premium, so we pulled out.
Hidden info
Buyer says the agent marketed a property as having no onward chain, but later they discovered that wasn’t true after spending on surveys and conveyancing.
Poor communication
poor communication
An architect and builder came to look at a house we are buying, said our original plan might not work, and have basically ghosted us since. If it can't be done we can't buy, but we are stuck because we don't own the house yet.
Delay
They felt powerless watching weeks go by with no progress, wondering if the whole thing would be lost because one lawyer wouldn’t pick up emails.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
I only had 2 offers both fell though one kept me holding on for 6 months…
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Facebook post from an accidental landlord says their sale fell through two days before they moved abroad, so they ended up letting the house rather than selling it.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
City of London Police reported 143 conveyancing-fraud cases to Action Fraud (Apr 2024–Mar 2025) with £11.7m in losses, highlighting how big these scams can be during property transactions.
Down valuation
Mortgage valuation
Finance risk
Buyer says a mortgage valuation rejected the property after the broker had to try other lenders while highlighting the issue, creating uncertainty around whether finance could be secured.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer pulled out due to long timescales and difficulty getting responses between firms.
Our chain has six properties and one link used a PM Law brand. All six families now face the risk of being homeless or losing deposits if contracts can’t be honoured in time.
Financial loss
financial loss
Homeowner says the warranty felt pointless because every issue raised was refused or deflected, even when problems persisted.
Hidden info
The HomeOwners Alliance notes that average service charges for flats hit around £2,300 in 2024, up 11% in a year – and that this is now putting buyers off.
Hidden info
Another leaseholder says they feel ripped off by a £4,300 London service charge – and that a colleague’s £10k bill has made their place practically unsellable.
Delay
Our mortgage offer expired because the legal work dragged on for months; by the time we got to exchange the new rate was hundreds more a month.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Broker claimed a buy-to-let mortgage was arranged, took money, and then nothing progressed. Looked and felt like a scam operation.
Delay
My house has had five offers from five viewings in just two weeks, but several offers are the same price. All buyers are first time buyers. I do not know how to choose between multiple identical offers.
Fall-through risk
Delay
fall through
Seller has doubts about whether the buyer is financially ready because the sale has not moved toward exchange as expected.
Fall-through risk
The solicitor failed to disclose to us that the seller had refused to answer certain enquiries. We only learned this when we reviewed the file with a new firm after the deal collapsed.
Delay
We’d accepted an offer from an investor but after months of silence their solicitor suddenly said they no longer wanted another rental; the sale just died.
I’m mid-purchase with one of the PM Law conveyancing brands and can’t reach anyone about my client funds or documents. The SRA statement so far is just a holding message, with no meaningful reassurance for those of us stuck in transactions that are now in limbo.
Hidden info
Campaigners say many leaseholders were tempted in by low initial estimates without clear warning that charges could later soar.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
“Delay is built into the system… within a day the whole chain collapsed.”
An estate agent told us bluntly that if our transaction can’t be rescued quickly, they’ll have to remarket the property and we’ll need to reapply for a mortgage from scratch.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
On MoneySavingExpert, a seller says their buyers’ solicitors passed the file around the firm and went two months with no work done at all, until everyone was ready to exchange – then the buyer simply vanished.
Delay
Once you’ve had one sale collapse, every delay – a missing search, a slow response – feels like the moment the whole thing might unravel again.
Delay
Buyer says their solicitor keeps blaming ‘missing paperwork’ but won’t specify what’s missing, delaying exchange indefinitely.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Our buyers asked for a huge reduction the day before exchange, threatening to walk away; we refused on principle and they actually did walk.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers pulled out after six months in the chain, saying the whole thing was taking too long – we’d already mentally moved out and then had to start from zero again.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Survey flagged serious structural movement and other major issues. Buyer felt trapped after paying around £700 and feared the deal collapsing.
Poor communication
poor communication
I had to threaten to complain before anyone from the firm finally called me back.
Hidden info
We only found out about historic boundary disputes with the neighbour after our buyer’s solicitor raised it; they walked away immediately.
The agent had a long sole-agency tie-in and we felt trapped with a team who hadn’t managed to get the first sale over the line.
Financial loss
financial loss
A Financial Ombudsman case study shows an insurer rejecting a subsidence claim by arguing the damage happened before the policy started, leaving the homeowner with a damaged house and no payout.
Delay
Iv been waiting nearly 8 months now to complete... Awful communication, constantly lied too.
Delay
We are mid property transaction and the service is worse than useless. Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies.
Delay
Buyer's solicitor has gone quiet for over two weeks, causing the seller to panic that the chain will collapse.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Campaigners say buyers were lured in with low initial estimates and only later discovered the true cost of living there.
Delay
I keep refreshing Rightmove wondering how we’re meant to find a new buyer in two weeks just to keep our onward purchase alive.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were due to exchange this week, with completion set for Friday. Instead we’ve learned via social media that our conveyancing firm has closed and we’re facing the real possibility of the buyer walking away.
Delay
They contrast months of stagnation with the traditional agent against a much faster sale once they switched, highlighting how weak progression leaves chains vulnerable to collapse.
We now have formal complaint letters and council reports that should clearly have been disclosed before we committed our life savings.
Delay
Unacceptable delays, inaccurate paperwork, slow follow-ups, no sense of urgency
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Gransnet, a widow said her sale fell through twice during Covid, delaying her plans to move back near friends and leaving her stuck and grieving in the old house.
A separate thread shows a buyer whose mortgage offer expires in five days and they still haven’t exchanged – they feel the whole move hangs on one date.
The redemption/settlement figure on an equity release product was described as spiralling, leaving people feeling trapped.
Delay
Our flat has been on the market for months with hardly any interest. Shared ownership places like ours seem especially hard to sell right now.
They warn that failing to mention a serious dispute can be treated as misrepresentation, giving the buyer grounds to claim compensation later.
Feedback was always that buyers loved the house but were put off by being next to flats and the parking situation, even at a price below recent comparables.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline.
In ‘Neighbour threatening to try and complicate sale’, a seller feels their neighbour is almost blackmailing them by threatening to complain to the council if they don’t get their way.
Delay
Both buyer and seller were told they would have to pay a marketing fee if the house did not sell. Months later the property was still unsold and they were still being chased for payment.
Poor communication
poor communication
On two occasions we have been told things have been done (over the phone) when in fact several days later we get the notification to tell us they have only just been completed.
Buyer notes last-minute disruption close to exchange — conditional mortgage discovered too late.
Leasehold campaigners in a Facebook group describe having a sale collapse days before exchange when the managing agent invalidated all the EWS1 cladding certificates for the block.
A LegalAdviceUK poster said their house sale was on the verge of falling through because the seller’s solicitor was so slow that everyone else in the chain was losing patience.
We’re in limbo: campaigning with the MP and media, but in the meantime our lives are on hold because nobody wants to buy into this mess.
fraud
A reviewer says a non-official ‘Land Registry’ site charged far more than the government service for the same document.
Hidden info
Carter Bells Solicitors say neighbour rows are more common than people think and can take ‘an age’ to resolve, meaning sellers often have to move while the dispute is still live.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller says the agent provided little proactive marketing and appeared to demand extra money for basic follow-through.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Mumsnet user said their sale fell through about six weeks in, just after survey, and the buyers wouldn’t even say why – they simply disappeared via their solicitor.
An equity release referral left us warning others—felt like a bad outcome and poor handling of a sensitive finance product.
Hidden info
A buyer alleges an estate agent failed to disclose a severe flood risk until their solicitors raised it close to completion, after they’d already spent thousands and given notice to their landlord.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another ReviewSolicitors page shows a reviewer calling Harrisons Thames Valley Solicitors ‘poor communication, slow to act and completely unprofessional’.
Hidden info
They say some buyers only realise at resale that lenders and purchasers treat uncapped estate charges as a major red flag.
Delay
First-time buyers from Spain say they made an offer in March but still have no exchange date despite signing mortgage paperwork weeks earlier.
We’re stuck wondering whether to start again with another buyer or gamble on them fixing their finance before everyone in the chain walks away.
purchase delay
buyer frustration
seller frustration
chain delay
capacity problem
poor communication
A conveyancing consultant, while personally buying and selling, reports that his own sale was ready but his purchase was still waiting for contract papers around a week and a half after the memorandum of sale. He says the seller's solicitors had title documents and protocol forms but had not issued the pack, and argues that panel-manager structures, high caseloads and referral-fee models can create avoidable delay.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Readers report paying removal companies twice and covering hotel stays due to delayed mortgage funds.
They describe being in limbo while residents contact MPs and the media, with no guarantee anything will change.
Years of poor maintenance effectively blocked us from becoming owners because no lender would accept the condition of the property.
Delay
We have been in the process for 8 months because our solicitor is dragging his feet. Enquiries sent to him in June still are not properly answered and everyone involved is complaining he never replies.
Sale marketing ‘nothing done at all’ then refund chase — vendor warns not to pay upfront.
User says they ordered title documents from a site that looked official, then learned it was a paid third-party service and struggled to get support.
Hidden info
A follow-up investigation accuses housing associations of mis-selling ‘affordable’ homes where service charges later rise by hundreds of percent.
Santander estimate more than half a million transactions collapse each year because of our antiquated homebuying system.
The solicitor incorrectly advised us that planning permission wasn't required for a rear extension noted on the property. After exchange, the council issued an enforcement notice.
In ‘Has my mortgage broker been negligent?’, an MSE user says their broker didn’t warn them about key affordability issues, leaving them with a mortgage offer that later fell apart.
Adviser filled in our application wrongly—entered incorrect income and deposit. Lender declined and we had to restart the whole process.
Delay
On r/HousingUK, another thread titled ‘Why are conveyancers so slow?’ has buyers complaining that even straightforward queries seem to take weeks to answer.
Delay
Buyer alleges weeks were lost because the firm delayed basic admin tasks like logging documents and updating the portal.
Hidden info
Delay
Buyer worries the solicitor may need to review survey issues before completion, adding more friction to a probate purchase.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says their sale fell through after the company took around six weeks to answer a solicitor enquiry needed to proceed.
Delay
“This company should be shut down… nearly 8 months… simple house purchase.”
Delay
Reviewer believes their case would have been delayed by at least another month without their own chasing.
I purchased a flat in London in 2013 with 103 years left on the lease and proper title deeds. It has now been announced that I only have 71 years left instead of 92. I feel completely shocked and do not know what to do or how this can be right, and I am starting to feel that even Land Registry is biased.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Even though our initial sale fell through, the law firm still charged the full quoted fee and didn’t reduce anything despite the extra time and stress we went through.
We did everything on time but you can’t complete a sale when the management company just sits on emails and ignores reminders.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our original sale fell through and the auction service an agent pushed us into wanted the reserve set 20% below market value, which felt like fire-selling our home out of desperation.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Deed of variation promised ‘shortly’, then slow follow-ups with repeated chasing required.
regulatory review
conditional selling
in-house services
referral arrangements
Legal Futures reports the CLC's 2026 referral-fee review had begun after concerns about conditional selling and incentives to direct buyers toward in-house conveyancing.
Down-valued the property by a huge amount during a remortgage despite other indicators being much higher. It derailed borrowing plans.
Fall-through risk
A reviewer says their sale nearly collapsed and they felt forced to repeatedly check and correct the legal work themselves.
They say moving house is one of the most stressful life events and I agree. Trying to get solicitors to actually do what they are paid for is horrendous; if I behaved like them I would be sacked.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says the agency seemed unable or unwilling to explain matters clearly when questions arose.
Financial loss
financial loss
Every time a sale falls through, you’re just throwing survey and legal money down the drain; after our second collapse we started to question the whole system.
Delay
Poor communication
Mortgage issue
poor communication
Buyer says their mortgage broker promised an application would be submitted on Thursday, then Friday, but a week later the broker still had not confirmed submission and stopped responding properly.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
The first sale fell through after our solicitor took weeks to answer emails and a full month to send the report once searches were back.
Financial loss
financial loss
Even if the asking price is tempting, big annual fees and vague wording about increases can knock thousands off what buyers are willing to offer.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Despite paying Gaddes Noble in full, including a duplicated £300 fee, our case dragged on with missing paperwork, excuses about Covid and the Land Registry that turned out not to be true.
Delay
I’m meant to be moving in with my partner once his house sale completes, but his solicitor is one of the PM Law firms. With the closure, the sale has stalled and we have no idea when—if ever—it will finish.
Our solicitor explained that once you’ve exchanged, a failed completion is technically a breach of contract – but that doesn’t magically undo the stress of being left in limbo on moving day.
Delay
Near exchange but buyer’s solicitor won’t respond to emails; sale has already dragged on for months.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One Reddit user asked how to stop their sale falling through for a third time, after two buyers had already pulled out and they were emotionally shattered.
Financial loss
financial loss
They warn that when a sale falls through, both buyers and sellers can lose thousands in fees and deposits, and sometimes have to fight just to get their own money back.
“My conveyancer advised the property was not registered in my name.”
The flat is lovely but I’m worried I’ve basically bought something that will be hard to shift because of the rising charges in the small print.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer describes being stuck for weeks with no clear answers while their conveyancer appeared disengaged.
Delay
Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies… mid property transaction.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
On ReviewSolicitors, a Gilson Gray client says communication was ‘appalling’, with questions ignored for months and phone calls never answered.
Hidden info
Cunningtons highlight misrepresentation claims over hidden disputes, flooding and missing planning consents, all of which can derail sales or trigger compensation claims.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another account says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Our buyers pulled out after their broker finally admitted he’d put them with the wrong lender for our property type, and their new bank wouldn’t lend enough.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On r/HousingUK someone wrote that their seller used Taylor Rose and the conveyancing was so chaotic and unresponsive that they were actually relieved when the sale fell through.
in-house broker
kickback concern
offer pressure
conditional selling
Buyer says an estate agent insisted they speak to the agent's broker before proceeding, prompting discussion about kickbacks and whether the process disadvantaged independent buyers.
7 days before completion… seller couldn’t move out because the next property was tenanted.
Delay
The estate agent had been talking about survey quotes for weeks but nobody had even asked us to fill in the property information form, which shows how disjointed the whole process can be.
Hidden info
The management pack revealed pending major works that would add thousands to the service charge, but this had never been mentioned in any of the marketing.
Our solicitor never explained what ‘subject to contract’ really meant; we assumed it was all done, then watched the buyers walk away with no penalty.
Financial loss
financial loss
The last-minute gazundering attempt left us with no sale, no new home and a big stack of invoices from surveyors and solicitors.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They explain they’ve been paying rent in one place and half a mortgage on another and now face even more months of double housing costs.
Financial loss
financial loss
Some solicitors will waive fees if a deal collapses and you stick with them, but others bill you for every failed attempt on top of the stress.
Hidden info
On Property118, a leaseholder fears their aggressive freeholder is deliberately hiking service charges to make flats unsellable except to them.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Financial loss
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Delay
We’re in limbo because the management company is dragging its feet over paperwork and no one seems to be pushing them.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
By the time the chain finally collapsed, we’d spent thousands on surveys, searches, arrangement fees and rent on a temporary place.
Fall-through risk
Financial loss
financial loss
fall through
Seller says their buyer pulled out after months of delay, leaving them questioning how the process can still allow a sale to collapse so late in 2026.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through after the solicitor sent the wrong draft contract twice and then went on holiday without telling anyone.
Poor communication
Financial loss
financial loss
poor communication
Agent review platform describes a 2026 complaint about poor service and billing after a cancelled subscription, showing frustration with property-industry supplier conduct.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Buyer says incorrect deposit and funds requests kept being made, making it feel as if the conveyancing file had not been properly reviewed.
One commenter points out that if the buyer later discovers you lied about a dispute, you could face a claim for compensation on top of losing goodwill.
Financial loss
financial loss
We paid for a level 3 survey and an extra valuation. The surveyor simply agreed with the price we were paying even though there are very few comparable properties and the house needs a lot of work. We now feel we overpaid and the valuation was meaningless.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
It’s maddening that a freeholder’s slow response to basic questions can destroy a sale and leave the owners out of pocket through no fault of their own.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Our chain finally collapsed when the buyer at the top decided they were no longer comfortable borrowing so much with interest rates rising.
Delay
“Buying and selling should take 3–4 months. 12 months for ours.”
Many can’t sell because lenders won’t touch the building while fire risks, mould and unfinished remedial work hang over the whole development.
conveyancer choice
referral fee concern
estate agent pressure
conflict of interest
Buyer says an estate agent warned them against their chosen conveyancer, with discussion raising concern about referral-fee incentives and whether recommendations are independent.
I had to push them to negotiate properly instead of just telling me to accept a rock-bottom offer so they could bank their commission and move on.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We received a large inheritance specifically to buy a home, but the house purchase fell through and the money ended up sitting in savings instead of getting us moved.
Hidden info
Some shared-ownership residents report service charges of up to £8,000 a year, far higher than what they were originally told to expect.
Boundary discrepancy
Title plan
Resale issue
Buyer says they found extra garden land beyond the title shape after clearing overgrowth and now worries the boundary discrepancy could be contested by neighbours during a future sale.
Delay
In ‘Why is my buyer’s mortgage offer taking so long?’, an MSE seller says they’ve heard “it should be out tomorrow” repeated for weeks while the lender keeps asking for more documents.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another Mumsnetter said their house sale fell through twice and they were back on the market while the property they wanted to buy waited in limbo for them.
Fall-through risk
We’d lost and then re-gained the same house twice; by the time the chain finally collapsed again, we were just exhausted and fed up with the whole system.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Consumer guidance warns that legal firms can be liable where their own error causes a missed committed completion date.
Financial loss
financial loss
The seller refused to budge, so we walked away having spent hundreds on fees just to learn the true condition.
estate-agent referral
inflated conveyancing fee
poor communication
transaction risk
Muve reviewer says an inflated conveyancing fee was admitted to have resulted from an estate-agent referral they did not request, alongside serious delays and ignored chasers.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Financial loss
financial loss
They warned others that if your buyer’s mortgage offer runs out, you can easily lose not just the buyer but your onward purchase and all your upfront fees.
The agent pushed us toward a house-buying company that offered far below market value after our open-market sale fell apart.
Hidden info
Bettermove’s guide on neighbour rows says you *can* sell with a dispute, but many buyers will either walk away or push for a much lower price once they know.
Complaint/redress
Poor service
Legal Ombudsman decision data for 2025/26 shows published final decisions continue to include legal service complaints, giving a formal route for dissatisfied conveyancing clients.
The mortgage experience was so bad the lender agreed to compensation. The customer said they’d leave as soon as the fixed period ends.
Hidden info
Delay
House sale is stuck because an unregistered lease/freehold issue has emerged years after the original conveyancing work was done.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The conveyancer couldn’t explain clearly which fees were recoverable if the sale collapsed; unsurprisingly, when it did collapse, we recovered nothing.
Payment dispute
Seller solicitor
Managing agent
Buyer says they paid their share of estate maintenance fees through solicitors before completion, but months later the managing agent still chased them for payment because the seller solicitor did not respond.
Delay
In the end it wasn’t a single big problem, just a thousand tiny delays from different firms that pushed us past our mortgage expiry date.
buyer pressure
independent survey
estate agent conduct
transaction pressure
Buyer says an estate agent got aggressive after they booked an independent survey, raising concern about pressure tactics during the buying process.
Hidden info
In a first-time buyer Facebook group, one flat owner says they were misled about charges going from £60 to around £180 a month; they now worry they’ll have to sell at a loss to escape.
Poor communication
poor communication
Agent ignored emails for days even when offers and deadlines were on the table.
They now feel completely misled, stuck living next to someone the previous owner apparently ‘absolutely hated’ but never mentioned during viewings.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
They stress that the TA6 is part of the contract, so glossing over noise, harassment or boundary rows can end in costly legal battles.
Delay
We thought we were on the verge of exchange weeks ago, but the date keeps getting pushed back for ‘one reason or another’.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
My mortgage offer was approved, but I still feel sick every time there’s a delay; our last purchase fell through right at completion stage.
Fall-through risk
Two houses we tried to buy went straight back on the market the day the sales collapsed, with the agents brushing off the stress they’d caused us.
Poor communication
poor communication
Review says an estate agent’s poor communication at the beginning of a transaction created a negative early experience, even though the process later improved.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
It underlines how often home movers feel left chasing updates, unclear about timescales and worried their transaction might quietly stall or collapse.
Poor communication
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. following the February 2026 intervention.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
My leasehold has turned into a financial drain – between service costs and restrictions, it feels like we never saw the full picture upfront.
Fall-through risk
On Trustpilot, a review of The Mortgage Lender describes an urgent deadline to get a mortgage offer issued before a chain collapsed, with the case handler turning it around in two days.
Delay
A mortgage broker’s Trustpilot reviews mention chains taking over five months to complete, even when the mortgage side ran smoothly, because of slow legal work further along the chain.
Fall-through risk
After four collapsed chains in a row, I feel like the English system encourages people to make promises they can walk away from without consequence.
Delay
Offer accepted at the end of November and by July we still hadn’t exchanged. The whole chain has been held hostage by delays.
Poor communication
poor communication
They describe missed timescales and difficulty getting through to the solicitor, with calls and emails often not returned when promised.
Delay
Leasehold
Leasehold purchase is held up by linked parking and lease issues that make the transaction less straightforward than expected.
Hidden info
A simple mapping error between the Land Registry plan and what was actually fenced meant we’d either have to give up part of the garden or give up the house; we chose to walk away.
Hidden info
An industry article reminds sellers they must be ready to provide lease details, restrictions and charges or risk breaching regulations.
Our conveyancer failed to advise that the private drainage system was unregistered and non-compliant. We only found out when a specialist quoted thousands for emergency work.
avoid estate agent
direct sale
fees
seller choice
Seller asks how to sell without an estate agent, reflecting a desire to avoid agent-led costs and referral-driven processes.
Hidden info
We are buying our dream home but the survey found that the neighbour's trees are damaging an outbuilding on the boundary wall. The estate agent is minimising the issue and suggesting the sellers will not fix it, which feels like pressure to proceed regardless.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
If they’d been honest from the start the whole saga could have been avoided – instead we wasted months and legal fees on a deal that was never real.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
We sent several small transfers thinking they were to our solicitor. They were all going to scammers.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The retirement flat seemed like a sensible investment, but high service charges and exit fees have made it unbelievably hard to sell on.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
After our third chain collapse in two years, each for a different reason further up the ladder, we’d spent more on fees than we’d saved for furniture.
Financial loss
financial loss
In the same Reddit thread, another person said their purchase fell apart when the surveyor reported structural movement and the lender refused to lend without expensive remedial works.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They say too many firms still fail to explain costs clearly or manage expectations, especially when third-party delays threaten a purchase deadline.
Another Ombudsman case about subsidence shows an insurer refusing to fund preventative stabilisation work until the service intervened and ruled the policy should cover it.
Financial loss
financial loss
We want to buy a house but the agent or auction company wants 6500 pounds upfront because the house is going to auction. The house has a serious internal wet wall issue and we would only get a survey after paying the fee. We were told we would not get the money back if the report is bad.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe being devastated after paying for searches, legal work and removals planning, only to see months of preparation vanish overnight.
The whole process feels like a lottery – you can do everything right and still lose the sale because someone else in the chain panics or can’t get a mortgage.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’ve slashed the asking price by tens of thousands, but high charges and exit fees make buyers wary and the flat still hasn’t sold.
Hidden info
BLB Solicitors emphasise that the TA6 requires sellers to disclose complaints or anything that might lead to a future neighbour dispute, not just full-blown court cases.
Mortgage issue
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says they applied for a mortgage but a small historic default caused major problems, leaving them unable to get approval despite the default being only 37 pounds.
Delay
Our solicitor sat on the local search request for weeks; by the time it finally came back, the sellers had lost patience and put the house back on the market.
Financial loss
financial loss
Leaseholder alleges the company gave incorrect info during a payment call and then refused to correct/refund the mistake.
Delay
We were due to complete with a PM Law firm acting in our chain and now everything has stalled. Agents, buyers and sellers are all waiting on news about files and funds that are locked behind closed offices and an ongoing investigation.
Leaseholders allege the agent would not provide proof of buildings insurance, forcing a change of managing agent and escalating dispute.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We discovered on the day of exchange that our lender wouldn’t draw down until an obscure wording in the lease was amended, which added weeks and cost us the buyer.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says a survey report spooked their buyer, who backed out after reading it, despite the seller disputing the findings.
Hidden info
One commenter said they’d only touch a flat where service charges are low and stable – anything else risks trapping you in a property with a shrinking buyer pool.
Hidden info
I actually pulled out of the purchase on the day I was due to exchange… high risk flood area… same day.
Delay
Our sale stalled because the solicitor failed to respond to a simple enquiry about a historical indemnity policy. They later admitted it was 'buried in their inbox.'
Financial loss
financial loss
Our surveyor wildly overestimated the cost of some minor damp and movement; the buyers panicked and demanded a huge discount we simply couldn’t afford.
Delay
The solicitor acted as if the sale was progressing but had never opened the management pack. Three weeks later we learned they had not even downloaded it from the portal.
We used John M Lewis & Co for conveyancing before they were linked in news reports to the PM Law group. When our first solicitor mishandled things we almost lodged a formal complaint before another stepped in to sort it out.
Poor communication
poor communication
We instructed Gaddes Noble after a bereavement to sell my gran’s house. They requested deeds and searched the wrong property, ignored calls and emails and added to the stress at every stage.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We’d already moved out when our sale collapsed and ended up paying mortgage and rent on two properties while trying to find another buyer.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another account says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. after the PM Law group closure.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
“The amount of delays, no communication and me chasing them is unacceptable.”
Poor communication
poor communication
As a Butterworths client we were never clearly told they’d been absorbed into the PM Group. Only when the closure hit the news did we realise our wills and documents were locked away with no response to our emails.
Poor service
Buyer lost
No communication
Seller says their own solicitors were atrocious, initially caused delays that contributed to a previous buyer dropping out, and generally refused to communicate properly.
Poor communication
poor communication
My solicitor refuses to send me copies of communications with the buyer’s side. I feel I have no control or visibility.
Delay
I am trying to agree a completion date but my removals company can only do one date in November and that is the day before my buyer’s mortgage offer expires. Exchange is likely one to two weeks before completion and the buyers cannot renew their offer. They are very nervous that completion is only one day before expiry and want me to change the date, but I have already used the packing boxes and I am worried everything could fall apart at the last minute.
Solicitor instructed junior staff to handle the case, resulting in mistakes and lost emails.
Delay
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyer says leasehold restrictions, uncontrolled service charges and unresponsive solicitors turned the purchase into an overwhelming five-month ordeal.
Delay
Four months after accepting an offer, our buyer's mortgage lender has suddenly requested a radon report before issuing the offer. The rest of the chain is ready to exchange.
Firm collapse
Delay
SRA guidance explains that once a solicitor’s firm is closed by intervention it can no longer act for clients, leaving urgent ongoing matters needing new arrangements.
It’s frustrating that when a sale collapses you rarely get a straight answer; as the seller you are just told the buyer has withdrawn and you’re left guessing what put them off.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale collapsed on the day of exchange because the buyer’s solicitor suddenly noticed the leasehold interest wasn’t properly registered on the freehold title, something nobody had picked up in months of conveyancing.
Last minute collapse
Exchange risk
Emotional stress
fall through
Seller says a buyer pulled out a day before exchange after months of progress, leaving the seller angry at how easily a transaction can collapse so late in the process.
Financial loss
financial loss
A reviewer says a site’s ‘Land Registry’ positioning caused them to overpay for something available cheaply via government.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
They say the bank told them they’d seen the same scam recently and stopped it in time — and they could have lost a six-figure sum at the point of completion.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
The buyer pulled out once they realised the cladding and safety works would be passed onto leaseholders through service charges; nobody had explained that clearly at viewing.
Buyer pulled out
Survey dispute
Wasted money
financial loss
fall through
Seller says a buyer pulled out after months and then returned with a reduced offer 50,000 pounds lower, forcing the seller to take the property off the market and pay for their own structural engineer report.
Abysmal and shocking service: if they treated buyers properly they might finally get some genuine positive reviews.
On Trustpilot, a Pattinson customer said their initial buyer dropped out and they felt pushed into an auction at a heavily discounted reserve, only for that route to fail as well.
Overstated value to win instruction, then kept pushing reductions with poor follow-through.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say this cautious approach fuels fall-throughs when sellers refuse to drop to the survey figure and buyers can’t stretch further.
Hidden info
The piece warned that doubling ground rents and steep service charges can put buyers off and even make mortgages harder to obtain on some flats.
Our conveyancer did not explain how the complex ground rent review worked in the lease. When a broker later reviewed it, they warned that future rises could make the flat effectively unmortgageable.
viewing blocked
in-house broker
offer preference
conditional selling
Buyer says an estate agent required a broker call before viewings and implied the seller might be advised to prefer buyers using the in-house broker.
“Land Registry can take time… should she be worried?”
If someone had clearly outlined the indemnity option earlier, we might have saved the sale instead of losing the buyer over a relatively minor legal defect.
Delay
Systemic issue
Industry article says the average property transaction now takes around 123 days, highlighting how slow legal processes test buyers and sellers.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
The communication was so bad I felt they didn’t care whether my house actually sold or not – they’d been paid anyway, even though the sale had collapsed.
Hidden info
Another seller says buyers keep backing out of their leasehold sale as soon as they see the £3–6k annual service charges in the paperwork.
Delay
Our buyers are using this shambolic firm… month 6… no chain.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Our buyer had the draft contract for nearly two weeks then suddenly told the estate agent he didn’t want the house anymore, no explanation, and didn’t even bother telling our solicitor until the next day.
Solicitor repeatedly loses documents, forcing the buyer to resend the same ID and bank statements several times.
One judge effectively said the only way to resolve the dispute was to force the sale of her home, which shows how catastrophic neighbour fights over boundaries can become.
Solicitor did not inform the buyer about a bankruptcy restriction on the title until days before exchange.
Fall-through risk
The previous sale on the house collapsed after the buyer’s lender down-valued it; we had the same problem and couldn’t bridge the gap either.
Santander reckons more than half a million transactions collapse in England and Wales every year thanks to our antiquated homebuying process.
Hidden info
They said it felt like signing up to an open-ended liability, and they didn’t want to end up with a flat that would be hard to sell on for the same reason.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Another buyer only discovered they were scammed when the real solicitor chased for payment.
Hidden info
On r/HousingUK, someone calls a £4,300 London service charge ‘unregulated and vile’, claiming a colleague’s flat became unsellable after charges hit £10,000 a year.
Delay
We had multiple false starts with buyers, but our conveyancer continued to chase the other solicitors and keep us updated so the third attempt finally completed.
Hidden info
They’re unsure whether they’ve already signed anything that legally locks them into buying and what penalties they might face if they walk away.
broker issue
conditional mortgage
failed transaction
conveyancer failure
Seller reports a buyer's mortgage was conditional on a separate release that had not been resolved, causing the transaction to fail after the buyer's broker and conveyancer had allowed it to progress.
Delay
Our flat has been on the market for five months with only occasional viewings despite lowering the price by 23k. We are close to negative equity and cannot afford to reduce the price further. We are worried the flat will never sell.
financial loss
Home mover / consumer reports a property transaction problem involving £20,000, linked to financial loss.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
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Financial loss
financial loss
Another poster in the same thread described two sales collapsing before they finally found a buyer, saying they had ‘no idea how people cope’ with the stress.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyers in the support group talk about having their life savings locked away while still paying rent or a previous mortgage, burning through emergency funds each week this drags on.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says a chain-free sale ran for roughly six months with minimal progress until the buyer finally withdrew.
Delay
Trying to settle a lifetime mortgage after bereavement felt like an endless loop of requests and delays, with no clear resolution.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our estate agent never called unprompted; every update came only after chasing.
Delay
Chain-free buyer says they are three months into the purchase and still have not exchanged.
Tenancy pressure
Contract issue
Sale with tenant
Tenant says an estate agent claimed they had lost the tenancy contract during a sale and pushed the tenant to sign a new agreement with a clause that could make eviction easier.
A Legal Ombudsman case study described a conveyancing firm that repeatedly failed to update a client about a buyer’s intentions; by the time they realised the sale was in trouble, it had already fallen through.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
An MSE poster nearly at exchange is told someone in the chain has let their mortgage offer expire – nobody had spotted the date until the last moment.
Financial loss
financial loss
Complaint about upfront commission ‘incentive’ pressure and lack of proactive communication when selling.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our conveyancer barely replied to anyone; agents and the other side complained they couldn’t get answers, and eventually the buyers walked.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They highlight buyers and sellers left in limbo when key dates slip, with nobody clearly owning the delay or explaining what is going wrong.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through after the buyer’s surveyor flagged ‘damp issues’ everywhere. It feels like surveyors go nuclear so buyers panic and walk rather than negotiate.
Fall-through risk
Our first buyer pulled out, the second couldn’t get a mortgage, and the third tried to gazunder us at the last minute; every step felt fragile.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A service-charge article points out that high annual fees can seriously shrink the buyer pool; lots of people simply will not touch a flat where the running costs eat half their disposable income.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out after seven weeks, right after their survey, and never gave a clear reason. We were first-time sellers and had no idea this happened so often.
Hidden info
He said buyers wouldn’t touch the flat because of the service-charge liability and management issues attached to it.
in-house broker
duplicate affordability checks
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer reports odd affordability checks and pressure to use an in-house broker despite already having their own broker, with commenters warning this resembles conditional selling.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller says a searches/title issue about land ownership triggered an adverse possession application, and they already lost one buyer and wasted fees on a property they wanted.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d finished searches, survey and enquiries, ready to move, and then found out we’d pay about £17k more because the chain couldn’t hit the tax deadline.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says they had to contact solicitors and the buyer themselves because the agent handled the sale so badly.
Delay
Leasehold issue
Buyer of a leasehold property reports hold-ups around lease and parking arrangements, with progress dependent on solicitors and third-party lease paperwork.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One poster said they’d had multiple failed buyers on the same property, each collapse triggered by a different problem: survey, mortgage, then a change of heart.
Mortgage delay
Rate increase
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says a mortgage adviser delayed the mortgage application for three weeks by saying it had been submitted before holiday when it had not, leading to a worse interest rate.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says their sale is taking too long and the conveyancer leaving the firm left the file without proper handling.
Hidden info
Our housing association massively underestimated future service charges, so when bills quadrupled we found ourselves stuck with a home we couldn’t sell.
Delay
We completed on a freehold purchase but HM Land Registry still has not updated the registration around eight months later. Our solicitor says the application is in but nothing is moving and we do not know whether this delay is normal or how to escalate it.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Banks report a rise in conveyancing fraud, with buyers losing their entire deposit before completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
We had to ditch the cheap panel conveyancer because they were impossible to contact, and by then the chain had already fallen apart.
Poor communication
poor communication
Having a broker platform that actually chased things and kept us informed made a huge difference compared with the radio silence we’d had previously.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert poster said clients with riverside flats were already struggling to sell a decade ago because service charges got so high that buyers simply weren’t interested.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Weeks of silence on enquiries — we asked for status, got none. The lack of information is the worst part.
Financial loss
financial loss
They advise keeping a clear paper trail of what’s happened, because serious long-running disputes can knock a significant amount off the sale price.
They say agents should properly check how secure a buyer’s position is – chains, finance and timescales – instead of just declaring ‘sale agreed’.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The Legal Ombudsman’s residential conveyancing report notes that delay and poor cost information together account for a large share of complaints they see.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Our solicitor took so long and communicated so little that the whole chain collapsed, leaving us feeling ignored and completely in the dark.
Delay
We were told our complaint would be handled under the firm's internal procedure and that someone would respond within 28 days. Three months later nothing had happened, and we had to escalate straight to the Ombudsman.
Hidden info
The conveyancer used a generic template report on title that did not refer to several obvious issues specific to our property. A second opinion highlighted missing explanations about covenants, access and service charge exposure.
Financial loss
financial loss
Paid and got nothing; now trying a bank chargeback because the firm won’t engage.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our solicitor misfiled our ID verification forms and asked us to repeat the entire onboarding process two weeks before completion. The mistake cost us our removal slot.
Hidden info
The same piece quotes Hamptons saying rising service charges are now a major factor slowing sales of leasehold flats.
Hidden info
Eric Robinson Solicitors define neighbour disputes as anything that causes ongoing distress or frustration, from overgrown hedges to regular noise – and remind sellers these issues must be declared.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed when the seller at the top was refused buildings insurance due to a history of subsidence claims on that postcode.
non-refundable deposit
reservation terms
buyer risk
modern auction
Buyer says they are being asked to accept terms requiring 5% of the purchase price to become non-refundable if the sale fails for any reason, raising concern about one-sided risk.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We had a horrendous buyer, a collapsed sale and then a bill that looked more like a penalty than a fair reflection of work done.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. The problem was communication during a live property transaction.
Lease extension: paid a non-returnable deposit with an expected timeline, but progress afterwards felt unclear and slow.
Financial loss
financial loss
The reviewer tells others to avoid them ‘for your own sanity’, feeling stuck and unable to move forward with the extension.
“I was told I couldn’t relist the property.”
Financial loss
financial loss
Received an unexpected invoice just to ‘open a file’ after requesting quotes elsewhere; it felt like a surprise charge trap.
Delay
A Reddit post titled ‘Frustrated with UK conveyancing delays’ describes a supposedly simple, no-chain purchase dragging past four and a half months because of ‘searches’.
Poor communication
poor communication
ReviewSolicitors listing includes an 'avoid at all costs' warning for Simply Conveyancing in relation to a property law matter.
Poor communication
poor communication
Townends Estate Agents are called ‘the worst agent ever’ in one Trustpilot review, with the reviewer complaining about rudeness and very poor communication from staff.
Hidden info
We were told the house had ‘no issues’, then discovered in the searches that there were historic enforcement notices and a flood risk nobody had mentioned.
Estate agent / letting agent reports: Estate Agent incompetence, Form 6A (Section 21), and backdated contract issues.
Hidden info
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says Property Perspective misled them into accepting an offer and believing the sale was progressing.
They say buyers can justifiably walk away or seek compensation if they later discover a paper trail of complaints that wasn’t mentioned.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They’re now stuck with the same lawyer on their new purchase and feel like everything is dragging because emails take weeks to get answered.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
When the first sale fell through after months, we expected the agent to lose interest. Instead, they lined up a second sale and got it over the line in ten weeks.
A subsidence claims advice site lists common reasons insurers reject property damage claims, from alleged pre-existing damage to technical policy wording that ordinary homeowners struggle to understand.
A Trustpilot reviewer for British Homebuyers says their high street estate agent produced ‘no progression’ on their sale, which pushed them to look for an alternative route to sell.
Delay
Our solicitor submitted the wrong version of the TR1 form to the other side, resulting in the need for new signatures and delaying completion by over a week.
Financial loss
financial loss
A first-time buyer says an estate agent suggested paying a £1,000 “reservation fee” so somebody else doesn’t take the property — but when they later couldn’t secure a mortgage, the contract said the fee was non-refundable.
An MSE user planning to rely on their parents’ house sale for a deposit worries that if that sale falls through, they’ll have to retract their own offer and disappoint everyone up the chain.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
As a first time buyer my solicitor did not flag anything from the searches, even when there was an issue that could affect the mortgage or insurance. I only found out about the implications myself before exchange and feel the solicitor has not been useful at all.
Referral fees
Pressure tactics
Misleading information
Industry news comment highlights conditional selling concerns, saying buyers can feel their hands are tied when referral income and sales pressure are not transparent.
“Very aggressively asking me to pay £3K… asked to view… refused.”
Hidden info
On r/HousingUK someone said you can start with a flat that has a modest £50 service charge and £100 ground rent, only to watch a new freeholder hike both to the point the flat becomes almost unsellable.
The seller contrasts this with previous experiences where agents did little more than stick the listing online and hope for the best.
Delay
In ‘Completion date changed’, another MSE user says they had a written completion date agreed for their purchase, only for the seller’s side to suddenly move it two weeks later.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Another Reddit post, ‘Delay on completion, no communication from buyers’, shows a first-time seller stuck in limbo waiting for their buyer’s side to give any firm date.
Hidden info
Lease length and charges unclear — we had to renegotiate late when we discovered short lease and rising charges.
An advice site warns that a history of subsidence makes it harder for buyers to get buildings insurance, which in turn can wreck mortgage applications at the last moment.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out after a survey that felt wildly inaccurate, including basic safety items allegedly missing that were plainly there.
Memorandum of sale
Delay
Broker dependency
Buyer says an estate agent would not issue a memorandum of sale three weeks after offer acceptance because they were waiting for mortgage adviser and panel confirmation, delaying the process before solicitors could properly start.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d already paid for legal work and paperwork and were left none the wiser about what scared the buyer off in the report.
She blamed slow, uncooperative solicitors on both sides for letting the chain drift until buyers lost patience and dropped out.
Hidden info
A buyer notes their solicitor never discussed the ground rent escalation at all, which they now see as a serious oversight.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our first purchase fell through when the bank rejected the property after valuation; we’d already paid the full survey and legal fees.
Every time a surveyor knocks it down, another buyer disappears and we’re left wondering if the price will ever be ‘good enough’.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says the estate agent used emotional pressure after a survey revealed roof repairs, including telling a single mother she was denying her children the chance to own a property if she did not proceed.
Professional negligence
Legal complaint
Conveyancing issue
User raises possible conveyancing professional negligence after a property transaction issue, showing concern that legal advice or process failures may have caused loss.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They describe expired offers as a ‘domino effect’ risk – one missed deadline can destabilise everyone up and down the chain.
Delay
Stuck waiting on management-company solicitors, and our purchase is now eight weeks behind schedule.
I completed on a property at the start of October and only now have my solicitors sent a mortgage deed for me to sign. I have already raised several errors with them and from what I can see this deed should have been signed before completion.
Financial loss
financial loss
Their management service seems designed to do the bare minimum while letting others bear the cost.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re devastated – there’s virtually no chance of getting a new offer that fast and it feels like we’re about to lose the house we were buying.
Delay
We were about to put in an offer on another property when our buyer backed out after four weeks, leaving us completely gutted and back at square one.
The seller tried to charge extra for built-in white goods and even the garden shed; that petty behaviour made us question what else we’d have to fight over.
They recommend doing the legwork on insurers in advance, otherwise you risk a sale falling through just because buyers panic when comparison sites decline to quote.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
The agent never mentioned the house had subsidence or that a previous sale collapsed over it. Buyers can easily waste £500–£1,000 on surveys before discovering what the seller already knows.
They specialise in ‘hard to sell’ flats where cladding, insurance and service-charge problems scare away normal buyers and mainstream lenders.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
They highlight case studies where a lack of clear updates on delays left buyers and sellers blindsided when transactions failed or costs escalated.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We were warned that if we didn’t find a new buyer in two weeks, we’d lose our onward purchase and thousands in fees we’d already paid.
Hidden info
A Mumsnet user with a London flat reports annual service charges of £3,000–£6,000, one year hitting £10,000, and says the property is practically impossible to sell.
Delay
“Waiting nearly 8 months to complete a simple house purchase.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
A second valuation came back £30k lower than an earlier one, risking the deal. The buyer said it created problems they didn’t need.
Delay
This is holding up the sale of my property
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through after the buyer’s survey flagged ‘rising damp everywhere’. We’ve lived here ten years with no issues and it still killed the deal instantly.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our children have started at the new school near the house we’re buying, but we’re still sleeping at a relative’s place because our completion money is stuck with a law firm that’s shut down.
A ReviewSolicitors complaint about Fishers Solicitors says communication was poor and mistakes were made, leaving the client very dissatisfied with how the conveyancing was handled.
Delay
Our buyer’s solicitor insisted on waiting for a full local search instead of using search insurance; by the time it finally came back, they’d changed their mind about the house.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We’ve had to pay for emergency storage and last-minute removals twice now because completion dates kept slipping and then our PM Law firm collapsed entirely.
Fall-through risk
fall through
British Homebuyers have reviews from sellers whose first sale with a local agent fell through; once they moved, BHB quickly found another buyer and kept the deal together.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Guides warn that high service charges shrink your buyer pool because people look beyond price and fixate on the ongoing cost of running the flat.
Poor communication
poor communication
The Ombudsman says typical subsidence complaints include claims being rejected, repairs taking too long, poor communication and homeowners being unhappy with the standard of remedial work.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Our mortgage broker charged the full fee even though the chain collapsed and we never got the house.
Delay
Mortgage issue
Buyer says a lender took so long with approval that they described it as the longest process they had experienced, with the application submitted through brokers and prolonged underwriting creating stress.
Financial loss
financial loss
It’s soul-destroying to keep paying mortgage, bills and legal fees while chains keep collapsing around you.
Delay
Our sale went quickly, but the buyers’ solicitor still hasn’t got the LPE1 from the management company and it’s holding everything up.
Our sale failed because the buyer’s lender didn’t like something in the searches and we never really got a clear explanation of what the issue was.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says they could not speak to the solicitor handling the file for around nine weeks and had to keep chasing for basic updates.
Delay
Hidden info
Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed.
Hidden info
JBear Properties note that average service charges rose around 11% in a year, widening the gap between what flat and house owners can achieve when they sell.
Boundary issue
Agent pressure
Outbuilding damage
Buyer says the neighbour's trees were damaging an outbuilding on the boundary and the estate agent minimised the issue while suggesting the sellers would not fix it.
Buyer believes an estate agent lied about speaking to the seller, rejecting their first offer within minutes, then going silent for days when they increased it, leaving them feeling manipulated and mistrustful.
Delay
Incredibly slow start to conveyancing process: a month in and we’ve had no contact from the seller’s solicitor yet.
Mortgage offer expired; all they managed was searches and silence.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our flat sale collapsed when we found out, just before exchange, that the managing agent had invalidated all EWS1 forms and the buyer’s lender refused to proceed.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer of GD Property Solicitors says communication was poor, with emails going unanswered or being replied to only after long delays, leaving them unsure what stage their case had reached.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
poor communication
Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront.
Seller says their solicitor lost the signed TR1 form and blamed the postal service despite never having posted it.
Reviews of the Property Ombudsman itself include landlords saying their complaints about agents took a year or more to be dismissed, leaving them feeling the system doesn’t protect them either.
Delay
Our first-time buyer mortgage offer has an expiry date and most of the time has already been eaten up by delays. Now our PM Property Lawyers firm has shut, we’re terrified the offer will lapse before a new solicitor even gets the file.
Hidden info
Estate agents told us the ground rent ‘issue’ had been fixed, but the updated terms still looked risky once our solicitor explained them.
Poor communication
poor communication
The reviewer says emails were ignored and the online portal didn’t reflect reality, leaving them feeling the transaction was unmanaged.
Poor communication
poor communication
Portal/communications blamed: buyers and sellers left chasing basic updates to keep the chain alive.
Poor communication
poor communication
House sale and onward purchase client says communication was poor from the start and emails often went unanswered.
By the time we finally moved, we’d lost all faith in the system and were just relieved not to be starting from scratch again.
Delay
Every time I call they say the same: “We’re just waiting on the other side”. My removal van is booked and I’m stressed sick.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Three separate chains collapsed for different reasons and every time we had already paid survey, searches and legal fees which we never got back.
Delay
We are first time buyers and had an offer accepted on 30 October. A week after instructing solicitors I rang for an update and was told the person listed as our solicitor is not actually acting and the real one is on annual leave. His secretary will not accept calls or reply to emails. Our broker also called in sick so our mortgage application has been delayed and we are worried the sellers will think we are dragging our feet.
iamsold
modern auction
non-refundable reservation fee
buyer risk
Buyer says they cannot proceed through iamsold modern method of auction because of the non-refundable reservation fee and the property's history of survey-killed sales.
Our chain broke after the buyer decided they didn’t want a leasehold house, even though that was obvious from the listing; their mortgage offer expiry became the excuse.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client describes a stressful property purchase where responses were dismissive and support felt absent.
Poor communication
poor communication
I complained that my conveyancer never returned calls; by the time the firm apologised, the chain had already fallen apart.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A 2025 article says the Legal Ombudsman now stresses that even if delays come from lenders or local authorities, law firms must still keep clients updated and explain what’s happening.
A buyer says completion was blocked because a managing agent didn’t provide the required leasehold pack despite multiple chasers.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
“Sale fell through… cost me thousands… they kept the deposit from the buyer.”
Our conveyancer didn’t spot that the right-of-way to the parking space wasn’t properly registered; the buyers’ solicitor raised it late and everything ground to a halt.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I was only weeks away from completing on my first home when my seller’s solicitor, part of the PM Law group, suddenly collapsed. Months of work, money and planning are all hanging in the balance because the firm vanished without any proper handover.
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer complains of lack of transparency from the outset when dealing with TLC Estate Agents.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A poster lists ‘classic estate agent lines’ like minimising service charges or blaming the previous collapse entirely on the buyer — implying key costs and reasons are often glossed over.
They worry that future buyers will take one look at the bill and either demand a big discount or walk away altogether.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our whole life was packed into a removal lorry when the buyers suddenly backed out; I’d already moved 300 miles with four kids and a business to restart.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were eight weeks into selling and buying when our buyer pulled out for ‘personal reasons’; the agent on our onward purchase gave us two weeks to find someone new.
Delay
Hidden info
A further complaint summary notes Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. after the PM Law group closure.
Hidden info
Delay
Buyer says delays before exchange felt unnecessary because important information appeared to be held back until late in the process.
A Sheffield Forum thread on gazumping notes that the only real ‘protection’ is to keep bidding or move on – until exchange, both sides are exposed to last-minute changes.
Delay
A separate Times article reports that average transaction times are now close to 200 days and that many buyers describe the legal process as confusing and slow, with solicitors hard to reach.
Delay
Survey was arranged via a lender panel, but booking and communication were chaotic. The customer said it added avoidable mortgage delay.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our house sale in Scotland fell apart, but at least we received a £10,000 settlement; the downside was having to sell for less in a rush the second time.
Hidden info
BLB Solicitors remind sellers that any neighbour dispute – even historic – must be disclosed, because buyers will understandably think twice about living next to trouble.
Hidden info
The HomeOwners Alliance say retirement flats can be nightmare to sell on because service charges creep up over time until they look eye-watering to new buyers.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers’ buyers dropped out two days before we were meant to exchange – we got the dreaded email saying the ‘bottom of the chain has collapsed’.
On our first purchase attempt the lender pulled the mortgage after a change in policy; we’d already paid for survey and legal work.
Poor communication
poor communication
The Ombudsman found that the poor communication left the client confused, out of pocket and unsure what had actually gone wrong until it was too late to rescue the sale.
Too many people are just told ‘it didn’t work out’, when they actually need detailed reasons to avoid repeating the same nightmare on the next attempt.
Financial loss
financial loss
They expected a reduction after the collapse, but instead got a bill that didn’t reflect the stress or the fact the sale never actually completed.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our purchase fell through one day before exchange and I’m still over a thousand pounds out of pocket from surveys, searches and broker fees.
Hidden info
Mumsnet has posts from people saying their flat is ‘impossible to sell’ because abnormally high service charges scare buyers off the moment they read the figures.
Poor communication
poor communication
We discovered our solicitor wasn't cc’ing us into emails with the other side. We asked why. No answer.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Process dragged on for months with radio silence and a clunky online portal.
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer says their own solicitors ignore calls and emails despite knowing they have a hard deadline to move out, leaving them panicking with no idea where the transaction stands.
The sellers pulled out days before exchange, after I’d flown back to the UK and paid for a survey that even missed obvious cracks I’d filmed at the viewing.
Hidden info
They stress that being upfront about disputes is essential, even though doing so may slow the sale or reduce the price.
financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Hidden info
They admit they didn’t fully grasp the leasehold pack at purchase and now feel misinformed about what the charges would become.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
The typical fall-through now costs movers around £3,400 in wasted fees.
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication and customer service.
Cold call about “your life insurance” without clearly identifying themselves—unwanted and intrusive.
We have done everything we need to do... but also no one seems to have any idea when these may be resolved and I have zero idea of a timescale.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. The experience left the poster feeling the agent had not acted professionally.
They see buyers who moved in, discovered serious neighbour problems and only then learned the seller had ticked ‘no disputes’.
Probate delay
No transparency
Transaction stalled
Buyer says a house purchase had not really started after months because the vendor's solicitor handling probate and conveyancing dodged repeated requests for basic probate information.
Hidden info
Several prospective buyers said point-blank that the service fee made the numbers unworkable compared with similar flats, so they walked away.
Hidden info
They now feel misinformed, realising the ongoing charges dramatically change what they can afford each month.
Delay
HS Conveyancing reviewer says they are still having issues nearly 12 months after completion.
Hidden info
She felt the story about a previous sale collapsing ‘for no reason’ didn’t add up and suspected there were undisclosed problems the sellers weren’t being honest about.
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication. Dragged out the whole conveyancing process to the exasperation of my lender.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Scammers created a fake law firm website so the buyer unknowingly sent their full house deposit to criminals.
Delay
An MSE thread titled ‘Buyer taking too long with conveyancing’ describes 14 weeks of queries from the buyer’s solicitor and a lender using its own lawyer, generating even more requirements.
Hidden info
We bailed on a purchase when we heard the sellers were in an ongoing row with the downstairs neighbour about noise; we didn’t want to inherit that stress.
Hidden info
One forum user said service charges on their flat rose from £60 to £180 a month, and they now worry it will be very hard to sell without taking a big hit on price.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Yopa review site lists repeated complaints like ‘house sale fell through’, buyers that weren’t properly checked out and poor advice on which solicitors to use.
Financial loss
financial loss
One commenter said reading about failed sales on HousingUK made them realise how extreme the stress can be when your home move falls apart.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The Law Society says residential conveyancing makes up about a quarter of the Legal Ombudsman’s caseload, with delay, failure to progress and poor communication top of the list.
A Trustpilot reviewer complains about an auction-selling service recommended after a failed sale; they say they were pressured to price 20% below market and then urged to drop it even further with promises it would sell immediately.
The chain broke twice on our commercial sale and by the time a serious buyer came along, our original mortgage offer had long since expired.
Delay
We spent months on a shared-ownership flat before being told the legal title wasn’t in order; our buyers’ lender refused to proceed and they pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
The same report includes examples where solicitors failed to follow instructions or give proper advice, causing serious financial loss and long-running disputes.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says an estate agent would not go ahead with a viewing despite an AIP being provided, insisting on lender confirmation and suggesting use of the estate agent's own broker.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Sale for seller collapsed — review alleges they weren’t told for weeks that the sale had failed.
Seller says their conveyancer repeatedly sent incorrect contract papers, missed key lender conditions and had to redo work several times, causing the buyer to lose patience and almost pull out of the purchase.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
The buyer says the down-valuations and collapsed sales have left them feeling totally broken by the current market.
Financial loss
financial loss
The housing minister called property management a wild west where leaseholders face unfair charges.
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication was terrible; I constantly had to chase for any kind of update.
Delay
Seller threatened to pull out because conveyancing ‘dragged’; poster later complained and received compensation.
Connells
in-house broker
viewing restriction
conditional selling
Buyer says Connells would not arrange viewings unless they used the in-house mortgage broker, mirroring wider concerns raised around corporate estate agency practices.
They highlight how often buyers first learn of historic feuds only after they’ve moved in and started receiving aggressive letters or noise complaints.
A second valuation demanded by the lender came back radically lower than the first, causing our mortgage rate to jump significantly.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says England’s house-buying process is ‘broken’, citing poor communication from both estate agent and solicitor.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“This is holding up the sale… I am worried they may withdraw.”
Survey report allegedly undervalued a home substantially after a very short visit, causing mortgage problems.
The constant uncertainty around our rental sale meant we couldn’t plan repairs or new investments. Everything hinged on buyers we’d never even met.
They contrasted the experience with the previous agent, who they felt had just put it online and hoped for the best rather than actively managing the sale.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The reviewer says they’re considering legal action because the delays cost them a buyer and wasted months of time.
Fall-through risk
The mortgage in principle looked fine until full underwriting; then the lender suddenly decided my overtime couldn’t be counted and the whole purchase collapsed.
Delay
A Mumsnet thread listed all the usual reasons sales collapse – survey results, scary searches, down-valuations, buyers losing their mortgage or just changing their mind after months of waiting.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says solicitors are chasing the vendor’s solicitor but the UK process feels painfully slow compared with expectations.
Poor communication
poor communication
We instructed an online-only agent who were great at listing the house but useless once we went ‘under offer’ – no chain chasing, no updates, nothing.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller claims an estate agent misrepresented an offer and then used aggressive pressure around fees and an abortive sale, leaving them feeling forced into a bad position.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Every update was just 'waiting on the other side' with no meaningful detail.
Delay
Hidden info
Seller discovers a title/freehold problem only when trying to sell, creating fresh legal work and uncertainty in the transaction.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed because someone further up pulled out, and we still had to pay for surveys and searches on a house we never got.
Financial loss
financial loss
A forum user describes paying an invoice that later turned out to have been intercepted and altered with different bank details — a reminder of how easily ‘trusted’ payments get diverted.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyers pulled out after a survey that we believe was inaccurate, with basic items seemingly missed or misreported. The chain collapsed because of it.
Fire safety
Unexpected bill
Leasehold cost
Buyer says a flat purchase revealed a 4,500 pound fire safety charge due shortly after completion, with unclear works and an already neglected property needing repairs.
Tried to get a mortgage redemption statement online but kept getting logged out and the process was unusable. What should be simple turned into a time-waster.
Delay
Hidden info
After three months of delays… told the purchase required full cash due to missing certifications.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our solicitor vanished off the radar just when we needed to complete before the mortgage deadline, and we nearly lost the house as a result.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Weeks of silence: complaints unanswered, calls go nowhere, and the move is stuck waiting for responses.
A mortgage advice article warns that when an offer expires mid-transaction, it can knock over multiple linked sales and cause a chain to collapse completely.
Seriously harmful estate management: my complaints were met with contempt and I was blamed for their failures.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our contract with the estate agent was ending just as the sale collapsed; we’d already lost six months and now had two weeks to find a new buyer or lose our onward purchase.
Hidden info
The flat’s sale history showed previous attempts falling through over service charge concerns; our surveyor flagged the same risks and we pulled out too.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale collapsed the day after the stamp duty holiday ended because our buyer’s buyer pulled out with a one-line ‘sorry’ from their solicitor.
The lender’s surveyor misidentified a hairline crack as structural movement; our buyers pulled out and refused to share the report so we could challenge it.
Hidden info
Our buyers got cold feet when they saw how high the service charge could go in future; their solicitor advised them to pull out.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We accepted a bit less on price because after one failed sale we just couldn’t face going through months of uncertainty again.
A Times report described a man whose neighbour sent misleading emails to potential buyers about a strip of land, effectively blackmailing him and making his multimillion-pound home unsellable for a period.
“Letter delivered about a charging order… still registered in previous owner’s name.”
Analysts say these rising charges are slowing down flat sales because buyers factor the annual bill into affordability and often walk away.
How this company has more than one star is baffling!!
Delay
Buyer alleges their conveyancer failed to send initial enquiries for months after instruction.
Hidden info
Our agent never explained why the previous sale had fallen through; only later did we learn about serious issues that should have been disclosed from the outset.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
We did not get a drain survey and the surveyor failed to spot cracks and movement caused by a collapsed drain. Now that we know the drain has collapsed, we want to understand where we stand legally.
Delay
This company should be shut down… nearly 8 months… no problems purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
Try to get you to pay extra £500 commission as an 'incentive' for them to do their job.
They advise keeping a detailed record of every call and email because you may need evidence if you escalate to the Legal Ombudsman.
Poor communication
poor communication
They said having an agent who actually picked up the phone and calmed them down made a huge difference compared with previous experiences.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
They review the TA6, marketing and correspondence to show how misleading statements lured buyers into chains that later collapsed or left them out of pocket.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Just about lost our buyers but thankfully things fell into place after about 9 months.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
By the time our second purchase fell through we’d already paid a mortgage broker fee, survey and solicitors twice, with nothing to show for it.
We were told completion funds had been sent, but the bank confirmed nothing had been transferred. The solicitor later admitted they had forgotten to authorise the payment.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Cost me thousands of pounds, sale fell through, they kept the deposit from the buyer.
Delay
They describe the system as paper-based, slow and overly complex, with average transactions taking around 200 days from offer to completion.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Digital Spy has threads where people say they’re ‘so stressed’ after sales collapse, wondering if the next buyer will stick around any longer.
Financial loss
financial loss
On MoneySavingExpert, someone explains a whole chain was put at risk when a first-time buyer’s mortgage offer quietly expired just before exchange.
Gaddes Noble took over two years to complete a simple conveyancing matter and still failed to secure legal title. Documents were lost, excuses made and we felt pushed from one unqualified person to another.
Delay
On ReviewSolicitors, a GloverPriest client says buying their first property was a poor experience, with constant delays, very few responses and even lost documents.
Poor communication
Repairs/building issues
poor communication
Buyer says a property management failure left someone in mould-filled unsafe conditions for months, with poor communication around the ongoing concerns.
Poor communication
poor communication
They sent one line emails with no explanation and then disappeared again.
conditional selling
in-house broker
recommended conveyancer
Panorama
BBC Panorama-related report says the investigation raised concerns about buyers being pressured to use in-house mortgage and conveyancing services.
Mortgage issue
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer says they had a mortgage offer approved, but the seller pulled out only four days later, leaving them with a mortgage offer tied to a purchase that had already collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
They said the real pain is psychological – doing the whole mortgage application process twice because somebody else changed their mind.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Was passed from team to team and due to their incompetence my buyer pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
One leaseholder described being billed over a hundred pounds for simple jobs like changing light bulbs, saying inflated charges and slow repairs were turning their home into a financial trap.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our bank pulled the mortgage after all the searches and surveys were done. Someone in the group said banks shouldn’t be allowed to do that without at least covering buyers’ expenses.
Poor communication
poor communication
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication... to the exasperation of my lender and the seller’s solicitor.
Hidden info
Sale attempted but fell apart due to critical information not being disclosed upfront.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The Times reported families losing tens of thousands trying to sell retirement flats – high service charges and exit fees mean years of council tax and charges on empty properties.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A poster calls a ‘reservation agreement’ product a “complete scam and unfit for purpose”, saying it was sold as protection against buyers pulling out, but left them feeling mocked by the outcome.
They say buyers are understandably wary of inheriting an ongoing feud next door – it can lengthen the sale and seriously reduce what the property is worth.
Buyer reported that their solicitor failed to verify crucial planning documents and only noticed after exchange.
Delay
Poor communication
Land Registry
poor communication
Homeowner says their conveyancer spent six months sending different forms to Land Registry, both rejected, while repeatedly saying they were negotiating or waiting to hear back.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Service described as ‘appalling’; slow chasing, ignored instructions, and it cost them money.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The Law Gazette reports that nearly half of complaints to the Legal Ombudsman involve poor communication and delay, with conveyancing a repeat offender.
Financial loss
financial loss
One poster points out that while searches can sometimes be reassigned, buyers usually still foot repeated legal bills every time a transaction collapses.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their flat sale collapsed after the company took weeks to answer a key enquiry needed to proceed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re buying a house where the last sale fell through because of damp. The seller already has a £10k quote for works and everyone is nervous the whole thing will collapse again.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We’d planned everything around completing before the stamp duty deadline. When the chain broke the day after, we were left paying higher tax and facing a collapsed sale at the same time.
Hidden info
Delay
Buyer says important information feels withheld and delays have made a supposedly straightforward short chain increasingly frustrating.
Hidden info
Another Reddit user complained that service charges in London new builds are outrageous and predicted many of these flats will be very hard to sell in future.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
On a motorbike forum, a seller said their sale fell through because the buyers only noticed two months in that the house had no driveway and needed obvious updates.
Hidden info
We justified the service charge when we moved in, but years later it’s higher and our flat just isn’t shifting – it feels like we’ve paid to make our own home harder to sell.
Poor communication
poor communication
“No sense of urgency… forced to chase all the time.”
Poor communication
poor communication
you have to chase them by phone because they do not answer emails.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our flat sale fell through when we discovered the RTM company hadn’t been set up properly and the buyer’s solicitor raised serious concerns about who controlled the building.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
They describe the weeks after the fall-through as ‘very stressful’, with constant fear the rest of the chain would collapse before a replacement buyer was found.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re cash buyers and had already transferred the full purchase price when our PM Law solicitor disappeared from contact. Now the money, the keys and the title are all in limbo and nobody can tell us when this will be fixed.
We’re in a leasehold block with endless management issues – missed maintenance, unanswered emails, random extra charges. Our solicitor warned it could put buyers off completely when we come to sell.
Fall-through risk
Our buyer pulled out because our solicitors weren’t doing their job; every time the agent chased, they complained the lawyer never returned calls.
Poor communication
poor communication
Valerie Holmes Law has been promoted as part of the PM group, but some online reviewers mention shaky starts and communication issues before things eventually got back on track.
We were gazumped after having our offer accepted and paying for searches; the sellers took a higher bid and we were left out of pocket with nothing to show for it.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. after the PM Law group closure.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We’ve now had two purchases fall through, each costing around £2–3k in fees – £5,000 gone and a year of our lives wasted.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Brokers call the situation ‘chaos’, saying buyers suddenly face five-figure shortfalls or have to walk away after months of work.
HousePriceCrash posters complain that surveyors are routinely down-valuing homes in some areas, effectively preventing buyers from borrowing enough to pay the agreed price.
Financial loss
financial loss
They point out that as well as losing their finance, buyers may incur extra legal and valuation fees and face higher interest rates when reapplying, all because timelines drifted.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller dealing with probate says they’d already paid for searches, struggled to get written updates, and felt left in the dark for weeks.
Hidden info
A Times story described a family who’ve spent over £43,000 on service charges and council tax trying for years to sell their late mother’s retirement flat.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
After our buyer pulled out just before exchange we discovered we weren’t insured, so all the upfront survey and legal costs were money down the drain.
Hidden info
Leasehold reform articles talk about how opaque service charges and ground rents have left millions of flat owners feeling trapped and worried their homes will be hard to sell on.
I feel like I’m one admin error away from homelessness. My tenancy is ending, my purchase is frozen with a PM Law brand, and nobody can tell me when I’ll actually have a home to move into.
A leaseholder on a legal forum says charges in their block became ‘untenable’ after fire-safety issues were discovered and the building failed an EWS1 assessment.
Mortgage adviser pushed us into a product that wasn’t even available. When the lender refused it, they blamed us for ‘choosing too slowly’.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Our buyers’ solicitor was so slow that my agent warned the sale might fall through – months passed before they sent even basic enquiries across.
Delay
Someone using Bates Solicitors to deal with a family estate says nearly three years of handling has been ‘painful’, citing lack of communication, delays on simple tasks and calculation errors.
Delay
A solicitor allegedly sent the wrong contract pack twice, delaying the entire chain by weeks.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Our sale and purchase at risk because nobody will reply.”
Financial loss
financial loss
They explain that when offers lapse, buyers can lose both the deal and the money already spent on legal work and valuations.
Delay
Our chain-free sale dragged on for months; the conveyancers were so slow and unresponsive that the buyer eventually pulled out altogether.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One Trustpilot review for DSB Estate Agents said their sale fell through three times before it finally completed on the fourth attempt because buyers kept changing their minds.
They recommend running from any firm that is hard to contact at the enquiry stage, as that often foreshadows problems later in the transaction.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d already paid removals, searches and legal fees when the buyers walked away on completion day, leaving us with nothing and no comeback.
We’re staying in short-term accommodation while we wait for a new firm to be appointed. The whole point of lining up sale and purchase for the same day was to avoid this exact ‘between homes’ situation.
The agent probably over-priced it and it needs rewiring and other work. Buyers seem unwilling to take on a ‘doer-upper’ at that level.
The estate agent used WhatsApp to tell us a random completion date that our solicitor had never heard of. It caused chaos with removals and time off work.
A Mumsnet user said their house sale has fallen through three times because buyers weren’t sure what they wanted – she begged people not to offer unless they’re genuinely committed.
Felt like the default outcome was to down-value, regardless of evidence. It caused stress and threatened the mortgage offer.
Poor communication
poor communication
After terrible experiences with a previous solicitor and the housing association, having someone actually return calls and push the transaction forward was a relief.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
After submitting an offer and returning to view the house again, we found cracked windows inside and out, damp upstairs and downstairs, patched repairs everywhere, and bubbling wallpaper. I am worried about repair costs and unsure whether to proceed with a survey.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. The experience left the poster feeling the agent had not acted professionally.
We discovered after instructing solicitors that the loft conversion had no building regs sign-off; our lender refused to lend and the deal died.
The homebuyer report read like a shopping list of problems, from roof issues to electrics, and our lender insisted on retention conditions we couldn’t meet.
Financial loss
financial loss
Spent ages feeding all our details, then it turned into a hard sell for life insurance. Felt like a waste of time rather than real mortgage advice.
“Forced into visiting their in-house mortgage advisor.”
Financial loss
financial loss
We had to go back to the market twice after buyers pulled out, and the whole process was so stressful it made us consider giving up on moving altogether.
Hidden info
NetLawman warn that unresolved neighbour disputes can put buyers off completely or force heavy discounts, especially when rows have already escalated into legal action.
Delay
Seller complains the other side’s solicitor held everything up for around six weeks before exchange and completion suddenly moved at speed.
Financial loss
financial loss
We lost our buyer because they decided they’d overstretched themselves and could no longer afford the offer they’d made in all the excitement.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller says their estate agent pushed the ‘modern method of auction’ with claims of no legal or estate agency fees (buyer pays via reservation fee), but they felt it sounded too good to be true and confusing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In another MSE thread, someone said their sale fell through after survey and they were left deciding whether to fix issues or accept a lower offer from the next buyer.
Buyer discovered a conditional mortgage just before exchange — chain chaos and collapse risk.
Delay
The process took nearly 200 days, and by the time surveys and legal checks were done, one buyer further up the chain had already dropped out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One poster said their house sale fell through a week before completion and they ended up suing the buyers for breach of contract to recover some of their losses.
They note that even ‘resolved’ disputes can scare buyers if there’s a recorded history with the council or police.
We have a mortgaged house with no insurance and untreated subsidence. Every insurer we approach refuses cover and I don’t see how we can ever sell in this state.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The property was marketed as ‘no onward chain’ to secure a quick offer, but later turned out not to be true—costing the buyer dearly.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I’m so stressed – the sale fell through and I feel like we’re stuck in limbo, unsure whether to relist, rent or just give up.
Financial loss
financial loss
Two valuations cost nearly £2k and the reports were described as copy-paste. The customer felt they paid a fortune for low-quality work.
Poor communication
poor communication
Hedleys client says portal messages were rarely answered and only after significant delays.
Hidden info
fraud
A housepricecrash.co.uk thread bluntly says ‘service charges will make your flat hard to impossible to sell’ and calls leasehold a scam.
Poor communication
poor communication
One affected mover says Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We had to pay two sets of mortgage product fees because the first house fell through, which wiped out a big chunk of our savings.
The buyer’s mortgage offer was due to expire and with no completion date in sight, everyone up the chain ended up back at square one.
Poor communication
poor communication
Massively undervalued the property I am purchasing by £12k which caused a lot of stress, and wasted time.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our chain broke after nearly a year of stress; the buyers at the bottom walked away over a roof issue and our dream house went back on the market on Christmas Eve.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Another buyer in the same thread describes everyone in the chain throwing extra money at solicitors and working late nights to hit a hard mortgage deadline.
Financial loss
financial loss
After the first collapse we had to endure more viewings, more negotiations and more paperwork. It felt like living through the same nightmare twice.
Poor communication
poor communication
A recent Legal Ombudsman data release shows residential conveyancing still tops the list of most-complained-about legal areas, with poor communication a leading issue.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d already paid survey, searches and legal fees and felt that, for that much money, someone should at least tell them what actually went wrong.
in-house broker
offer pressure
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer says an estate agent insisted they speak with the agency's in-house mortgage broker before the offer could be financially qualified.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reported aggressive chasing from a branch after using another agent; felt harassed.
Delay
The conveyancer waited until the file had gone cold to send their invoice for a failed sale, ignoring how their delays had contributed to the collapse.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says they withdrew from Purplebricks after zero communication and moved to another agent.
Financial loss
financial loss
We had to pay for a second opinion just to prove the house wasn’t falling down, and by then the original buyers had gone.
We pulled out of a house because of subsidence, but later found the estate agent telling another buyer that the sale had fallen through for completely different reasons.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller on GetAgent said their sale unfortunately fell through near completion, but their new agent quickly found another buyer and kept them better informed throughout.
Poor communication
poor communication
“It is impossible to speak to someone directly.”
They worry the high charges and lack of maintenance are systematically undermining the property’s value.
They misread the seller’s TA6 and failed to notice the property had an unresolved insurance claim. Our lender refused to proceed once the issue finally surfaced.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our survey found an issue that will cost a significant amount to fix and I want to renegotiate the price, but the estate agent refuses to discuss it and is acting like it is wrong to even ask.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Even then, the rest of the move was a slog of chasing solicitors and waiting on paperwork – it feels like the whole system is built on delay.
Hidden info
Leaseholder says they made numerous calls just to sort out service charge arrangements and still lacked promised documents.
Delay
Angela Viney accepted our purchase, delayed for weeks then finally admitted they weren’t taking on instructions. They’d wasted two months and left us scrambling to find another solicitor.
Financial loss
financial loss
YesCanDo Money explain that if you can’t complete before your offer ends, you may have to reapply at worse rates, which can kill a purchase that just about worked before.
solicitor fees
offer pressure
buyer complaint
estate agent complaint
Review describes paying solicitors' fees after making an offer, then being told the offer had been beaten and feeling the situation looked like a con.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Six weeks into the process our second buyer pulled out after their survey, but nobody would share details so we had no idea what scared them off.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Their property manager almost never replied. Issues dragged on for weeks with nothing but generic emails saying they were working on it.
A valuation came back tens of thousands under expectations on a modern home, throwing a mortgage valuation into chaos.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot review for Agent & Homes describes switching agents after an initial sale fell through; the new agent actively marketed the property instead of just relying on a big brand name.
Delay
They argue the solicitor handled sensitive information too lightly by not verifying the details properly, and note the fallout can drag on for months.
Hidden info
“Paid a £3,000 ‘refundable’ Buyer’s Premium… undisclosed leasehold complications… unmortgageable.”
Hidden info
Only discovered late the lease was 79 years — this triggered lender advising us to renegotiate or face higher interest.
Hidden info
“I am extremely disappointed… purchase attempt that fell apart due to a lack of critical information disclosed upfront.”
Hidden info
The Guardian reported shared-ownership residents facing service charges up to £8,000 a year, leaving some homes effectively impossible to sell on the open market.
A long, invasive survey ended with our renovated home valued far under the accepted offer, jeopardising the mortgage.
Hidden info
The redress scheme says clearer material information means happier consumers and fewer disputes for agents and developers.
We picked this company on price alone and soon found we'd made a terrible mistake!
I was told last week by my conveyancer ... but today, the sellers solicitor said it was applied for on 26th feb 2025.
After selling, says they dragged their feet closing the account and removing name from liability.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Once the first sale collapsed we changed agents and suddenly got regular updates, calls and actual effort to move things forward, which just highlighted how poor the first agent had been.
Financial loss
financial loss
They warned that taking buyers to court is stressful, slow and far from guaranteed – but sometimes it’s the only way to claw back anything after a last-minute collapse.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through twice for different reasons, and the final sale was plagued by leasehold problems. Thankfully our solicitor stayed patient and kept pushing it along.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. following the February 2026 intervention.
The quality-branded solicitors were anything but: slow, uncontactable and vague, and we nearly lost the house because of them.
Delay
It’s now been over a year since we engaged Let Property to purchase a property - only the seller to withdraw during completion.
Fall-through risk
Our mortgage offer was pulled after we changed car finance and the lender decided our affordability had dropped; the entire chain collapsed.
hidden tax
consumer choice
referral fees
trust erosion
Conveyancing Task Force complaint-style position describes referral fees as an unseen surcharge on home buyers and says they distort choice and erode trust.
Hidden info
Leaseholders in one block face cladding and repair bills running into tens of thousands, on top of big service charges they never expected.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Scam warning: misleading promises about refunds and overvaluations; buyer urged to read before paying.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. after the PM Law group closure.
They say the buyer’s own lawyer couldn’t even get hold of their client, leaving the property technically ‘sold’ but with no progress and no explanation.
Hidden info
Buyer reports discovering after completion that the loft conversion had no building regulation sign off and says neither the estate agent nor their conveyancer clearly explained the risks during the purchase.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another Mumsnet poster wrote that their sale has fallen through for the third time and they’ve lost the dream home they were hoping to buy as a result.
“Offer accepted on property early April 2025… told by agent… complete mid July.”
Poor communication
poor communication
Property purchaser says the firm ghosted them for periods and left them chasing by repeated calls and emails.
Poor communication
poor communication
Your emails being answered after a week or two and don't not bothered about the service you receive then this is your company!
Our buyer vanished after their mortgage valuation came back with ‘too many issues’ – nobody would tell us exactly what, just that the lender was no longer happy.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Two sales fell through and we have paid for surveys twice and searches twice.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our selling agent gave us almost no communication at all and left our onward purchase agent to do the chasing.
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The seller’s solicitor hid the fact that a prior sale collapsed over title problems; when our own lawyer uncovered them, we immediately pulled out.
Hidden info
“Property had discrepancies… tenant had left… seller eventually withdrew.”
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were weeks from completion when the sellers decided they no longer wanted to move. After three previous failed chains, it was soul-destroying.
Hounded by phone calls; argumentative service when trying to discuss — stressful and relentless.
Delay
We are near the end of enquiries on both our sale and purchase but our buyers’ solicitors want the original Section 106 agreement from when our house was built in 1997. Our solicitors asked the council four weeks ago to confirm the obligations were met, have chased three times, and I have chased twice, but nobody is responding. The online portal for these documents is down, so I cannot access anything myself and I am at my wits’ end.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They note that long chains are particularly vulnerable when one down valuation knocks out a buyer’s finance and the shock travels upwards.
The estate agent’s recommended conveyancing factory was slow and chaotic; we only saved the chain by speaking directly to everyone ourselves.
Financial loss
financial loss
They suddenly had to choose between overpaying, renegotiating or walking away and losing the money already spent on legals and surveys.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer alleges they paid an upfront fee and were later told the firm could not act, then struggled to get the refund.
Hidden info
The couple loved the house but panicked when they saw a separate garage title on the deeds; instead of asking questions, they simply withdrew their offer.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their purchase has dragged on for months with repeated chasing because messages and calls routinely went unanswered.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On another page of that thread, a commenter said their own sale fell through several times due to Covid disruption before they finally managed to complete.
The high street agent did very little beyond sticking it online; we had to chase for every tiny update.
They were described as an unhelpful lender with very high rates; we felt trapped paying more than expected.
Delay
They highlight buyers changing their minds, slow legal work and down-valuations as the most common reasons for deals collapsing after offers are agreed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Commenters advise setting money aside for disputed charges, because until the account is settled, buyers and their solicitors may simply walk away.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Another account says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. following the February 2026 intervention.
A PistonHeads thread about down valuations includes someone who says the surveyor ‘missed a lot of things and added things that didn’t exist’, leaving both sides confused and angry.
Poor communication
poor communication
Unable to set up simple payment methods; the systems fail and support is difficult to reach.
Hidden info
Even when agents answer, it’s often something woolly like ‘buyer’s situation changed’, which doesn’t help you judge whether there’s a real problem with the property.
Financial loss
financial loss
Between two failed sales and one abandoned purchase, we reckon we’ve thrown away more on fees than we saved from years of careful budgeting.
Completion day
Buyer pulled out
Sale collapse
fall through
Seller says the buyer pulled out on the agreed completion day after a friend told them they were paying too much, leaving the seller shocked after already confirming completion instructions.
modern auction
reservation agreement
non-refundable fee
buyer premium
Buyer reviewing a run-down property says the buyer must sign a reservation agreement and pay a non-refundable reservation fee of 4.5% of the purchase price, minimum £6,600.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Many negligence claims against conveyancers involve delays and failure to keep clients informed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A SmoothSale customer said their previous sale fell through, threatening the entire chain, until the company relaunched the listing and secured a new buyer within a week.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Shocked to be basically 'scammed'... received an invoice to open the file.
They clearly don't care whether you sell or not as the get paid either way.
Financial loss
financial loss
The surveyor wrote such a negative report that the lender insisted on expensive structural work before completion, which neither side could afford.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says a second property transaction with the same firm again brought two-to-three-week email response times and avoidable frustration.
Hidden info
Another Guardian story describes ‘affordable’ shared-ownership buyers seeing service charges rocket by hundreds of percent, to the point they can barely stay afloat.
As a broker I constantly see deals fail because conveyancers don’t realise how hard mortgage offer expiry dates are; they treat them like suggestions, not deadlines.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Calls, voicemails, emails… all ignored for days.”
We’re currently living in one hotel room with our two kids because our sale proceeds are locked in a PM Law client account. The purchase can’t complete and we can’t go back to the house we sold.
recommended solicitor
referral fee
slow conveyancing
poor service
Purplebricks reviewer complains that recommended solicitors were painfully slow while the agent allegedly pocketed referral fees, alongside upheld complaints about the conveyancing quote process.
Client claims solicitor failed to act on a query from the buyer’s solicitor for nearly a month.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One poster said their sale fell through twice due to coronavirus disruption before they finally managed to move; it took a huge toll on them.
Financial loss
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Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
They talk about months of uncertainty, rearranged moving plans and money wasted, all because their original buyer pulled out at the last minute.
Delay
They describe trying again with a new buyer and still being stuck in stalemate because lenders keep insisting on documentation the freeholder won’t provide.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The fixtures and fittings list tried to charge an eye-watering amount for an old shed, then threatened to bill us to remove it; that row was one of several reasons the sale collapsed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our previous sale fell through but the mortgage broker stepped in again and sorted a fresh deal without fuss when we found another property.
A ReviewSolicitors user says Stuart & Co were so slow and unresponsive that their buyer eventually pulled out, leaving them to lose the sale entirely.
We were relying on our sale proceeds held by a PM Law brand to redeem our existing mortgage and complete a new purchase the same day. After the shutdown, we’re now stuck between houses with no clear timetable for resolution.
Our sale fell apart because the buyer’s mortgage valuation came in way under; there was too big a gap for them to make up.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another Times piece notes that conveyancing costs have climbed to over £2,400 on average, even as the service gets slower and more stressful for consumers.
Hidden info
I’ve read so many threads where sales fall apart because of high service charges that I now assume flats are harder to sell if the numbers look steep.
2 of them have been quite insistent on starting the deed of variation now but our freeholder is charging everyone different amounts, its not consistent.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our solicitor sat on the management pack request for nearly a month. The delay pushed our buyer to withdraw, costing us the entire chain.
Delay
They said their solicitor remained calm and supportive despite the chain changing repeatedly and the lease throwing up problem after problem.
Poor communication
poor communication
Poor communication, slow process. We didn't feel any confidence in their capability and definitely didn't feel listened to.
Delay
My flat has been on the market since April. I paid £280k for this new build but listed it for £270k as it had already lost value, then dropped to £260k in July and have only had two viewers all year. I am wondering whether to take it off the market until after Christmas or drop to £250k.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through on the Thursday, but Parkers had it back on the market the next day and got a full asking price offer by Saturday.
Hidden info
Our buyer backed out after their solicitor highlighted historic neighbour complaints about noise and parking that the agent had never mentioned.
Delay
Conveyancer delayed the whole chain because they insisted on sending everything by physical post rather than email.
A reviewer says they paid before realising it wasn’t the government service and felt the branding was misleading.
Delay
After seven months of conveyancing our buyers decided it was just taking too long and pulled out, leaving us emotionally exhausted.
Poor communication
poor communication
Home movers already stressed by fragile chains feel dismissed when firms brush off concerns instead of explaining what’s happening and why.
Delay
We discovered after exchange that our solicitor never checked the seller’s planning permissions for an extension. The council’s enforcement action caused months of disruption.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
“Once the deal collapsed… repeatedly refused to refund the money.”
Financial loss
financial loss
They feel trapped, facing huge remediation and insurance costs while knowing that most buyers will avoid a block without a clean fire-safety certificate.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They highlighted that poor communication and delay are still the most common issues in property work, years after reforms were promised.
Delay
A paid survey booking was changed and then effectively wasn’t honoured, causing last-minute chaos, wasted time, and reshuffling around mortgage deadlines.
Delay
Firm closure
Guidance says when a conveyancing firm closes mid-transaction, client money may be frozen while buyers and sellers try to keep their moves alive.
The solicitor acting for our buyer refused to answer simple pre-contract queries for 19 days. The estate agent confirmed they weren't even reading their emails.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
First-time buyer says their conveyancer failed to file the land transaction return, leaving them with an HMRC fine after completion.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Our sale collapsed because the deeds plan didn’t match the actual garden; nobody noticed the error until the buyers’ solicitor dug into it.
Hidden info
Our flat’s annual service charge is so high that even local agents have quietly admitted it’s going to be hard to sell without a serious price cut.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
My solicitor changed handlers three times and each time I got the same story: ‘we’ll update you soon’. Weeks passed.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Poor communication
Poor service
poor communication
Client says an agent left them in an awful position compared with a previous experience and warned others to look at alternative agents.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On MSE, a seller says their buyer’s buyer pulled out a week before exchange, and the agent immediately suggested relisting because their onward seller was unlikely to wait.
Poor communication
poor communication
“For the first month my case was passed around… no communication why.”
We’d had a good relationship with our landlord for years but lately he’s making everything difficult – constant texts, unannounced visits, pushing us out because he wants to sell.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Estate agent and we both called the seller’s solicitor. They said they’d ‘try to call back’ and then vanished. The chain collapsed two days later.
Delay
Fall-through risk
The lease was described as defective by the buyers’ solicitor after six months of conveyancing, and our onward purchase collapsed with it.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses.
Hidden info
Service charges ‘expected’ then surprise demands later — stressful, unclear, and impossible to get answers.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re offering on a flat that was previously under offer and fell through; it’s now back on at a higher guide price and the agent still hasn’t bothered to respond to our offer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
So slow we lost our buyer. After over 180 days of waiting for CDPLL to process the sale of our chain free home our buyer finally pulled out and I don't blame them.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A chain-collapse article described a family who lost their buyer after a single missed deadline in a fragile chain, leaving them unsure whether to relist or give up moving entirely.
Delay
My solicitor is pushing me to sign the exchange and completion statement this week even though I will not move in for another three weeks. I do not understand if that means completion will already have happened and what risk I take if something goes wrong before I get the keys.
Delay
Wasted 4 months of my life.
Hidden info
Complaint about an agent’s omission and ‘hold ups’ linked to chain information not being disclosed clearly.
Delay
Our sale is ready but the conveyancer says they are onboarding our vendor. Four weeks wasted and counting.
Hidden info
Posters said sellers often blame ‘flaky buyers’, but usually it’s something real: finance issues, survey results or information that should have been clear earlier.
The valuer behaved like they were rushing for overtime, then downvalued and mocked the property—felt deeply unprofessional.
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer complains that slow replies meant properties were effectively gone by the time anyone responded.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers chose a solicitor based in Asia and the time difference meant nothing ever got done; weeks slipped by with no replies until the whole sale fell through.
Delay
In ‘Lost our buyer – need advice!’, a seller says they only had three viewings in six weeks and the third buyer backed out after an argument between themselves.
Poor communication
poor communication
I’d paid upfront for a full building survey and then spent a month chasing the surveyor for a firm date, worrying the seller or lender would lose patience again.
Financial loss
financial loss
I felt completely broken when the vendor pulled out; the sale falling apart knocked my mental health far more than I expected.
Hidden defects
Asbestos
Unexpected repairs
financial loss
Buyer says after moving into a 1970s house they found asbestos, defective doors and windows, exposed wiring, a leak from botched work and wasp nests, despite believing the property needed little work.
Delay
Client claims their solicitor repeatedly sent documents with names spelled incorrectly, delaying mortgage approval.
Delay
Hidden info
A further complaint summary notes Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Hidden info
LandlordZONE reports landlords stuck with ‘unsaleable’ leasehold flats as management charges pass £2,000 a year and average flat service charges hit £2,300 in 2024.
We have leasehold garages with a peppercorn rent but the freeholder repeatedly enters the garages, complains about what we store, and insists we should be paying rent. After 14 years we have now received a solicitor's letter demanding insurance and rent payments, which feels like continued harassment.
Delay
We have been going through this sale since August 2024, with a second set of buyers and solicitors who are not responding. We have to move before our buyer's mortgage offer expires and I am at the end of my tether trying to get the solicitors to communicate.
Another MSE seller says a buyer walked away after their surveyor reported dry rot in the loft – but a second survey later found no rot at all.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
admin lag
delay
missed-detail risk
client uncertainty
extra workload
poor communication
A property solicitor describes repeated piecemeal replies to conveyancing enquiries as an operational bottleneck. He says receiving six or seven separate emails over several days for individual answers creates extra filing and cross-referencing, makes client status reporting harder, breaks transaction momentum and increases the risk that details are missed.
Delay
Hidden info
A review-style complaint says Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
They love the property but feel trapped between their heart and the cold numbers in the valuation report.
Financial loss
financial loss
We had to pull out when the seller accepted a private offer from a friend after we’d already committed to surveys and legal fees, effectively using us as a stalking horse.
Financial loss
financial loss
It’s maddening that you can do everything right and still have someone vanish after spending their money on surveys and legals.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed after five months when the vendor at the top lost their onward purchase and the agent kept quiet about it for weeks.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
My sale fell through before exchange after six months on the market. Now we’ve got two weeks to get another buyer or we lose our onward purchase and thousands of pounds in fees.
Poor communication
Financial loss
Incompetent handling
financial loss
poor communication
Client says Taylor Rose made serious mistakes and handled the complaint badly, with avoidable errors, poor communication and unresolved financial impact.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
On Mumsnet, one buyer said their solicitor still hadn’t returned their deposit seven weeks after a purchase fell through, despite repeated chasing.
We feel like prisoners in our own home – constantly tidying for viewings and checking our emails, yet nothing ever seems to actually move forward.
Poor communication
poor communication
They only realised how poor the previous service was once they saw what active sales chasing and communication looked like.
Poor communication
poor communication
The agent was more interested in chasing new listings than dealing with our complicated chain; once it wobbled a bit, they let it collapse instead of fighting for it.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say the lack of clarity and unanswered questions created unnecessary delays and left them with a ‘50/50 chance’ of losing their purchase.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Many say the moment the lender’s number comes back, negotiations turn sour and one side walks away, killing the deal.
Delay
Seller says a house sale was held up for around ten weeks waiting for a management pack, with slow email replies and no phone support.
Delay
Butterworths were acting for my buyer and every question took a week to relay. In a fragile chain where quick answers were crucial, they caused needless delay and stress.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
We only discovered an EWS1 was needed once the lender refused to issue a mortgage offer, by which point we’d all sunk money into legals and surveys.
Hidden info
The buyers fell in love with the house, then pulled out when they realised the garage was legally separate and could, in theory, be sold off on its own.
Delay
Interest rate lock expired while waiting for lender review. Adviser admitted they forgot to request an extension.
Poor communication
poor communication
The previous agent basically disappeared once the ‘sold’ board went up; when the chain broke we had no plan, no updates and no buyer.
They say buyers are rightly cautious, because once you’ve bought in, you’re the one who has to live next to the arguments, noise and parking wars.
Delay
Buyer says their solicitor forgot to request the EPC until very late, delaying completion unnecessarily.
I am trying to sell a one bed flat in West Greenwich that I bought as a single professional. I expected similar buyers but there has been very little interest and I am struggling to understand why singles and first time buyers are not viewing or offering.
New build warranty feels pointless: ‘always on your own’ when defects appear and claims rejected.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud Alert says payment diversion fraud is rising and often involves criminals impersonating solicitors or estate agents to intercept deposits and completion funds at the most time-pressured stage.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our rental property sale collapsed twice and every time we’d already paid solicitors and had our tenants lined up to move, only for the buyers to disappear.
On our lender’s panel, but the experience felt negligent and unprofessional—made a stressful mortgage stage even worse.
Financial loss
financial loss
Warned site is not the official Land Registry; says search ads led them there and they were overcharged.
Financial loss
Firm closure
financial loss
Reports on PM Law’s collapse said clients were left in uncertainty and urgent conveyancing cases needed emergency support.
Delay
One buyer in the legal section said the sellers pulled out days before exchange, after months of obstructing survey access and being vague about their mortgage situation.
Poor communication
poor communication
One affected mover says Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication and customer service... we're currently a month delayed... a week to "process" documents.
Fall-through risk
They argue this is quietly forcing sellers to reduce prices or accept repeated fall-throughs.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On another MSE thread, a buyer said their purchase might collapse because the tenant wouldn’t respond about moving out – they feared the eviction problems would kill the sale.
A broker site warns that if your mortgage offer expires before completion, you may have to reapply, redo credit checks and risk losing the original interest rate entirely.
Financial loss
financial loss
It feels like we’ve done everything right and still risk losing the house or paying hundreds more a month because the process moved too slowly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller claims they lost multiple sales because the management company didn’t send required information to solicitors.
Memorandum of sale
Agent delay
Accepted offer
Buyer says estate agent promised the accepted property would be removed from the market and a memorandum of sale sent, but a month later the memorandum still had not been issued.
Poor communication
poor communication
The SRA’s thematic review of residential conveyancing found firms providing ‘slow and inefficient’ services with poor communication and inadequate updates for clients.
Porting issue
Early repayment charge
Affordability
Home mover says mortgage porting was unexpectedly refused because of affordability and loan-to-value policy, forcing them to consider a new deal and a large early repayment charge.
Delay
We ended up lowering the price by thousands just to get out, because after the failed sale and delay we couldn’t face months of marketing again.
Fall-through risk
Our buyer pulled out for the second time in a year, saying the survey showed ‘too much damp’; it felt like a convenient excuse to back away.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
An ‘Any House Wanted’ article points out that roughly one in three UK property sales fall through before exchange – often after buyers have already spent money on searches and surveys.
Delay
Hidden info
Another account says Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. The complaint was about poor handling rather than a general advice question.
The buyer demanded thousands off the sale price for every minor issue on the survey and sent daily threatening emails; eventually we cancelled the sale for our own sanity.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale collapsed when the buyers couldn’t get a mortgage approved, and another property in the chain also failed because their funds fell through.
Delay
They describe being stuck because the lender may also refuse to proceed without the information, so the sale can’t move forward either way.
Delay
A Bates Solicitors client says nearly three years of dealing with them over a family estate has been ‘painful’, citing lack of communication, simple tasks delayed and errors in calculations.
Hidden info
When we bought, nobody really hammered home how much the service charge could jump; if we’d known, we’d never have touched the place.
Planning issue
Agent nondisclosure
Material information
Buyer says the estate agent did not disclose a proposed development issue before the offer, leaving them to discover potential planning risk themselves.
They’re left unsure whether the weak marketing or the fragile buyers are to blame, and worry about losing their onward purchase.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Movuno reviewer describes being with another agent who vanished once the ‘sold’ board went up; after four months that sale collapsed and they had to start over.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Our original buyer pulled out and the agent suggested selling them our searches to claw back a bit of money, which shows how wasteful the system can be.
Delay
Our solicitor sent purchase monies to a PM Law firm on completion day, but the sellers didn’t get confirmation, the agent had no key release, and we spent the day sitting in a van with our belongings waiting for an update that never came.
Hidden info
The estate agent assured us previous sales had only fallen through for ‘personal reasons’, but the survey revealed historic flooding they hadn’t disclosed.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Seller says a buyer lowered the price by £10,000 days before exchange and felt pressured by the estate agent to accept rather than relist.
Delay
One reviewer wrote that after ten months waiting, their simple complaint still hadn’t been looked at, calling the service ‘useless’ for small landlords.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Lloyds Bank say conveyancing fraud cases have jumped by nearly 30 percent with victims losing huge sums.
Failed purchases
Emotional cost
No protection
fall through
Home mover says repeated failed purchases caused major financial and emotional loss, showing how limited protection buyers have when transactions collapse.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer says they waited with little clarity and felt the handling was disorganised and difficult to progress.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Fresh Legal Ombudsman data for 2025/26 shows almost half of accepted complaints are about poor communication or delay, and a third concern residential conveyancing.
They highlight that disputes can range from trivial-sounding noise rows to serious, long-running harassment – but either way, they can kill a sale once a buyer hears the full story.
Financial loss
financial loss
It’s gutting to realise that in England you can get right to the brink of exchange, have the other side change their mind and you simply eat the costs.
As a cash buyer we felt misled and pushed away, which wasted time and forced us to look elsewhere.
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt that without a specialist chain-rescue option, they’d have lost the house they were buying and wasted everything they’d spent on legal fees.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Hutchins Law review said their sale fell through twice, but the conveyancer stayed patient and supportive all the way through the third attempt until they finally completed.
Delay
We keep being told the hold-up is with the management company and their solicitor. Meanwhile our purchase is now two months behind.
Delay
Hidden info
“Buyer’s solicitor didn’t like something on the title… waiting weeks.”
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I’m going to incur significant costs if the sale falls through
The agent promised a professional carpet clean before we moved in but it was clearly just hoovered and left mouldy.
Poor communication
poor communication
Described as unethical/incompetent with poor communication and high charges.
Our solicitor incorrectly claimed our new-build warranty was invalid. The builder confirmed it was fine, meaning the solicitor had confused our case with another client’s.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our new solicitor barely returned emails and escalations were ignored as well.
Delay
Our conveyancer vanished for three weeks right before exchange; no replies to emails, no returned calls, nothing.
Hidden info
Fast forward to now, April 2025... I am now in arrears of £3232.55... they had a missing letter in my email.
Hidden info
A PistonHeads user says their daughter is being chased for an old service charge overspend from before she owned the flat, with the managing agent ignoring her explanations.
Delay
A lender-recommended survey dragged on for months, with poor updates and slow movement that blocked the mortgage and delayed everything else.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Sale fell through after E&M took ~6 weeks to reply to an enquiry needed to proceed.
AML fee
Extra cost
Agent practice
Buyer says an estate agent demanded a 55 pound AML fee even though the buyer questioned whether this should be charged by the agent at all.
Delay
The Legal Ombudsman’s ‘delays outside a firm’s control’ case study still upholds a complaint where a conveyancer failed to chase missing documents for nearly two months.
Delay
“We are midway… edging closer to September… no one is contactable.”
Delay
On ReviewSolicitors, a client of Kelly Groves says a supposedly simple, no-chain, no-mortgage conveyance was very slow, mainly due to their solicitor having too many cases.
Despite repeated requests, the conveyancer didn’t flag a restrictive covenant on the title. We only discovered it after completion, when we received a legal threat from a neighbour.
Poor communication
poor communication
Tenant says a Section 21 notice was issued and the landlord then wanted to send estate agents around for viewings, leaving the tenant unsure about access rights and pressure during the sale.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says they complained about poor communication but customer care showed no sympathy and the firm did not acknowledge the harm caused.
fraud
Home mover / consumer reports: House Insurance Scam.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
On MoneySavingExpert, a seller says their second buyer pulled out six weeks in after getting the survey back – no negotiation, just a flat refusal to proceed.
Hidden info
Cunningtons say if a seller misleads you about problem neighbours or disputes, you may have a claim for misrepresentation once the reality comes out.
Delay
Our cash buyer walked away after weeks of silence from the seller’s solicitor, who wouldn’t answer basic questions or return calls.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through after six months because the buyers got spooked about a garage that’s clearly on the title. Citizens Advice basically shrugged and said buyers can walk away.
Financial loss
financial loss
They admitted they accepted slightly less than they’d hoped in return for certainty and speed, because another collapse would have finished them off emotionally.
Delay
Our first buyer walked because they couldn’t get searches back in time; the local authority was quoting 10–12 weeks and their rate was about to end.
Delay
Valuation was completed, but the lender still hadn’t reviewed it. The broker was told it could take up to 10 working days, delaying everything.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
After my first purchase fell through I used the same surveyor again, but this time he kept rearranging and going quiet for weeks, leaving the whole purchase in limbo.
Financial loss
financial loss
In two years we’ve had three purchases collapse after mortgage or valuation problems, losing hundreds of pounds each time on searches and surveys.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through about six weeks in, just after the survey, and the buyers refused to give any explanation at all.
Financial loss
financial loss
After the buyer backed out just before exchange we were left with thousands spent on solicitors and searches and no compensation at all.
We were given one price by the agent, then they quietly changed the terms and tried to blame the landlord.
Fall-through risk
Our lender’s valuation came back £45,000 under the agreed price; the seller refused to budge and the purchase collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Posters pointed out that hundreds of pounds from that ‘abortive’ bill likely went straight back to the estate agent as a referral fee, even though the sale never completed.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication and customer service. Our buyers have used this solicitor and we're currently a month delayed.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
“Slow, understaffed and liars… I was told this… as soon as people knew who I was using.”
I am slowly accepting the reality that my mortgage offer will expire 22nd September
Fall-through risk
fall through
“The chaos they caused was the reason our property sale fell through.”
Financial loss
financial loss
I have paid for searches again and my solicitor keeps adding admin fees for every small thing.
Delay
Expedited Land Registry title still stuck months later, threatening the sale.
Poor communication
poor communication
We asked the completion date three times. No answer, then a last-minute demand for extra funds. No prior warning.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say they’d already paid for a valuation and searches and were devastated to lose the house with no warning.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our solicitor somehow managed to miss a major planning application behind the house; when it cropped up late in the process, the whole deal fell through.
“Offer accepted… middle of April… edging closer to September… no idea where the sale is.”
Delay
They waited until they had every search, mortgage offer and document before contacting anyone, which meant two months of silence and panic on our side.
Threatening letters and ‘anticipated charges’ tactics — feels designed to fine people rather than help.
Our previous buyer’s finances fell apart right before completion, so when our solicitor mentioned agreeing a completion date this time my first thought was: what if it all falls through again?
Delay
Our mortgage offer is about to expire before completion because everything has dragged on so long – if we miss the deadline we may have to start the whole mortgage process again.
Delay
MSE’s ‘Gazumped & angry’ thread centres on buyers losing a house after months when a rival offer came in, leaving them devastated and starting again from scratch.
Delay
One review mentioned that buyers hadn’t been properly vetted, leading to failed finance and wasted weeks for everyone else in the chain.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Poster says solicitors on both sides made a move take seven months and were so hard to contact they considered driving hours to the office.
Delay
It took them 5 months after instruction to send initial enquiries.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
“They delayed booking for viewing… different story every day.”
auction complaint
misrepresentation
ombudsman complaint
solicitor complaint
Auction buyer complaint alleges a property was misrepresented in the auction listing, with formal complaints filed to the Property Ombudsman and SRA.
When we complained about the filthy carpet, the agent offered a spray rather than doing the clean they had promised in writing.
Poor communication
poor communication
Letting agent recommended lawyers whose communication with me was described as terrible.
Poor communication
poor communication
Complaint about returning key documents: slow, unhelpful, and felt like no one owned the issue.
Hidden info
The valuer noted knotweed within three metres of the boundary and our lender wouldn’t lend until it was fully treated; the seller refused, so we bailed.
Financial loss
financial loss
We lost the house and a non-refundable booking fee because the application was never realistic in the first place.
They stress that what’s written on the TA6 becomes part of the contract, so glossing over serious neighbour issues can come back to bite sellers badly.
Financial loss
financial loss
She said each collapse cost them more money and made their listing look ‘tainted’ every time the SSTC tag disappeared and it went back on the portals.
Our sale didn’t complete on the agreed day and we had removals booked, annual leave taken, everything. Now our solicitor is talking about claiming damages from the buyer for breach of contract.
Delay
Buyer says nearly two years after purchase the title deed still had not been sorted and updates were unclear.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I read everyone’s else’s review and just wonder why I never checked this before going with them! I’ve missed out on a house because of them.
A first-time buyer with a mortgage offer expiring in five days said they hadn’t even exchanged yet and were frantic that one missing bit of paperwork could blow the whole deal.
The first conveyancer didn’t understand the quirks of our lease and the buyer walked away; the second firm had to unpick a lot of previous mistakes.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One Trustpilot reviewer said their original agent did almost no marketing and relied entirely on Rightmove; once the first sale fell through, they switched to Agent & Homes instead.
Still no mortgage offer issued
Fall-through risk
fall through
An Avenue Road review mentions how stressful it was when their first sale fell through, and how vital it was having someone on the phone to calmly explain the next steps.
Delay
My conveyancer says everything on my sale is complete and they have what they need for my purchase except one query about building regulations for a garage infill. They asked me to come into the office to get signed up. Does this mean contracts are being prepared for exchange and how long might it take from here?
We felt helpless watching a perfectly good offer slip away thanks to a backlog at the council.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I thought helpful until our buyer pulled out due to his survey.
Poor communication
poor communication
One comment there says it’s not just the time taken, but the sense of incompetence and clients being left to do all the chasing themselves.
No update
Agent failure
Lost time
poor communication
Seller later learned directly from the buyer that the estate agent had known for three to four weeks that the buyer had withdrawn but had not passed that information on.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says they had to keep ringing for weeks to get basic marketing material arranged.
Delay
Source-of-funds/source-of-wealth checks took longer than expected and delayed answers.
Delay
We ended up abandoning the purchase after months of waiting because it felt like nobody involved was in any hurry to get us to exchange.
Hidden info
In Scotland I had an offer accepted and the schedule said four bedrooms with three spacious doubles, but one so called spacious double is under 10 square metres. The listing also mentions a log burner which on inspection seems to be a bio ethanol stove. I am worried the property has been misrepresented.
Our RTM company has told us to replace our flat front door and frame to comply with fire regulations, but the lease does not clearly say whether the door is part of the demised premises or the freeholder's responsibility. I do not want to be accused of overstepping if I arrange and pay for it myself.
Hidden info
One owner said every prospective buyer vanished as soon as their solicitor saw the service charge schedule in the management pack.
They point out nobody in the chain seemed to be watching the expiry date, even though every other link depended on that offer being valid.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Financial loss
financial loss
We sold our house before it even went on the open market in a really popular area where nothing needs doing. The surveyor has picked up some minor things but has valued it nearly £50k below the agreed price.
Fall-through risk
They say the agent applied heavy pressure to complete quickly, chased them daily, and the purchase collapsed after they’d already given notice to their landlord — creating immediate housing pressure.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“Our buyer withdrew within a day of the chain collapsing. Nightmare.”
Our broker keeps asking why we haven’t completed, but the answer is simple: our conveyancer at a PM Law brand doesn’t exist any more and we’re at the back of the queue to be reallocated.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Campaigners accuse some housing associations of mis-selling by downplaying future costs, leaving owners stuck in homes that are hard to sell on.
Poor communication
poor communication
Customer says promises of better service after complaint made no difference to the handling of their conveyancing.
Poor communication
poor communication
Their valuation ignored obvious upgrades and still came in low, putting remortgage plans under pressure.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One seller says their first house sale fell through, so they switched to a different branch who actually chased the chain and gave proper advice about the offers.
Our buyer’s mortgage offer expired because they didn’t get it sorted until late in the process. Their lack of commitment took the whole chain down.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They’re clear that hiding a live row is likely to end in either a fall-through or a nasty legal fight after completion.
Reviewer warns against the company and alleges dubious sales tactics, referencing a BBC Panorama investigation.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were days away from completing on our house when PM Law closed without warning. Our sale proceeds and purchase funds are now stuck in their client account and nobody can tell us when we’ll actually move.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Fall-through risk
Our lender’s valuation came in far below the agreed price; the seller wouldn’t negotiate and the whole purchase collapsed.
Delay
They said the constant chain failures were emotionally brutal and made them doubt they’d ever get the move done until one persistent sales progressor dragged it over the line.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our buyer pulled out when their solicitor explained how high and unpredictable the service charges could become on our leasehold flat.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer experience: keybox code missing, no one showed up, long holds on phone, blamed everyone else.
reservation deposit
non-refundable fee
appointed solicitor
buyer pressure
Buyer says an estate agent asked for a £7,000 deposit plus a non-refundable reservation fee and appointed solicitor arrangement, asking whether the practice is standard.
Estate management
Unexpected bill
New build estate
Seller says a property management company charged homeowners for periods when it said it was not maintaining the site and demanded almost 700 pounds before Christmas.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Estate management delays and fees left people ‘stuck’ waiting, unable to progress sale timelines.
Delay
Confusion over who was insuring the property between exchange and completion created weeks of delay and nearly derailed the move.
Delay
After a very long 5 months in a 4-property chain, our buyer's solicitors have repeatedly delayed exchange because they keep getting the mortgage agreement number wrong. We are supposed to complete on Friday and I am completely stressed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another estate agent review describes a sale falling through, only for the branch to line up seven more viewings the following Saturday and achieve a higher offer.
Delay
The vendor’s agent never told us their purchase had fallen through until we chased; by that point we’d wasted months and had to look elsewhere.
The buyers said they only just noticed obvious defects like old carpets and a dated kitchen, even though the price reflected that; they walked and we were back to square one.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our chain broke because the buyers at the bottom decided not to complete before the SDLT deadline – everyone else in the chain is now facing thousands more in tax and interest.
Financial loss
financial loss
Upfront fee… property didn’t sell.
Our solicitor was so uncontactable that I never spoke to them directly until after the sale had already fallen through.
Poor communication
poor communication
Mortgage was declined over a small bounced bill and the broker said they’d appeal, then went quiet. Extremely stressful when you’re buying alone.
Financial loss
financial loss
They described themselves as ‘totally broken’ by a system where your entire year can vanish into dead chains and sunk costs.
I asked whether their finances were solid and was reassured, only to find out much later they never had a proper agreement in principle.
Exchange day
Sale collapse
Emotional cost
financial loss
Seller says the estate agent called at 09:05 on exchange day to say the buyer had pulled out, leaving the seller back at square one after a smooth transaction.
Financial loss
financial loss
Reading through other clients’ experiences is terrifying. Some of us have sent completion funds, some have drawn down mortgage money, others are getting notices to complete, and a few may now be stuck paying two mortgages because their PM Law firm folded mid-transaction.
viewing restriction
in-house broker
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer reports an estate agent refused to book a viewing unless they spoke to the agent's mortgage adviser first.
Financial loss
financial loss
Customer said they paid for multiple valuations and got ‘zero valuation’ outcomes, making it feel like they were charged for nothing.
The valuation visit felt rushed and incomplete, yet the report still managed to create problems that slowed our mortgage progress.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We were forced to find a new solicitor in the middle of exchange week. The new firm has to re-do ID checks and re-review the file, costing us more fees on top of the money already paid to the collapsed firm.
They say their solicitor claims the buyer’s solicitor hasn’t even contacted the lender properly, and they can’t tell if they’re being fobbed off or the case is genuinely stuck.
Estate agent contract
Notice period
Fee concern
Seller discovers their estate agent agreement may involve a long marketing term and notice period, creating anxiety about charges and how to exit if the service is poor.
Financial loss
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Hidden info
Laceys Solicitors warn that poor flat management and escalating service charges don’t just make life miserable for residents – they also make flats much harder to sell because buyers don’t want the hassle.
Financial loss
financial loss
They said people in the block couldn’t sell because buyers were immediately put off by the fees, leaving owners financially trapped.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says solicitor ignored multiple warnings from the surveyor about structural defects and didn’t raise enquiries.
Building regulations
Indemnity policy
Resale risk
Buyer says a property being bought had a cellar converted into habitable rooms without building regulations approval and only an indemnity policy offered, creating concern about lending and resale risk.
It made us realise how little control you actually have – one cautious valuer can halt a whole chain regardless of what everyone else thinks the property is worth.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our solicitor strongly advised us to pull out; we lost money on fees but dodged what would have become an unsellable flat.
Hidden info
On a London subreddit, a leaseholder reported a £5,500 annual service charge for a one-bed flat and said residents were furious and struggling to afford it.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our mortgage broker passed us between multiple handlers. No one knew the case history, so documents kept getting ‘lost’.
In Parliament, one MP told of two sisters trying to sell their late father’s flat – bought for £150,000 but now worth so little that auction bids dipped below £20,000.
Delay
We lost our dream home because the conveyancer delayed ordering searches for weeks, blaming a mysterious backlog.
Our solicitor assured us that a long-running neighbour dispute was 'historic' and nothing to worry about. The first thing that happened after we moved in was a new solicitor's letter from next door.
Delay
SearchFlow point out that property searches can take anywhere from a couple of days to six months depending on the council, putting huge pressure on chains and tempting buyers to drop out.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A conveyancing firm warns that if your mortgage offer expires before completion, reapplying usually means more paperwork, extra fees and potential delays to your move.
Their broker even suggests not telling the agent that part of the deposit depends on a separate sale, highlighting how fragile the whole set-up can be.
My experience of YOPA was that they were a complete chaotic shambles from the outset
The agent pressured us by claiming there were other higher offers. Later it became obvious this was not true and they had been bluffing to push us up.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Was passed from team to team and due to their incompetence my buyer pulled out
Poor communication
poor communication
Persistent Failure to Communicate: Numerous emails and telephone calls have gone unanswered over unreasonable periods of time.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Average service charges for flats have risen to £2,300 a year, outpacing wages and inflation.
The government’s plan to move towards commonhold is partly a response to years of complaints that the current system is outdated, unfair and actively damages the resale prospects of some flats.
Delay
Our buyers suddenly pulled out six weeks in, after the survey, and refused to give any explanation at all; we could only assume they’d spooked themselves.
The agent was fine at sticking us on Rightmove but not proactive enough to generate the viewings we needed to rescue the chain in time.
Poor communication
poor communication
They rarely replied, missed key dates and left me completely in the dark.
By contrast, our previous agent had basically left us drifting when the first buyer walked away, with no clear plan to get things moving again.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Chain-free sale waited ~180 days with little progress; buyer pulled out after repeated chasing.
Another agent advised to get indemnity insurance although this does not protect us against every lender
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. following the February 2026 intervention.
Poor communication
poor communication
Agent says they’ve tried ringing the vendor’s solicitor four times this week. No answer, always voicemail. We’re at risk of collapsing.
They highlighted how lenders demand EWS1 forms and more paperwork, which slows sales, blocks mortgages and traps owners in buildings with ongoing safety concerns.
Hidden info
A PistonHeads thread about a flat service charge warns that if the bill isn’t paid, you can end up unable to sell at all because the arrears hang over the property.
modern auction
agent commission
seller pressure
reservation fee
Seller says the estate agent is still pushing modern auction after the house failed to sell, with commenters suspecting the agent is motivated by extra fee or commission from the auction route.
Service charge
Lender risk
Completion delay
Buyer says an increased service charge was revealed one day before completion, meaning the solicitor may have to report it to the lender and completion could be delayed or the offer changed.
Ready Steady Sell’s advice is blunt: if you’ve got nuisance neighbours, you still have to disclose them – and failure to do so risks legal trouble.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through a week before exchange when the buyer suddenly ‘changed their mind’ – no real reason given, just months of stress down the drain.
On Trustpilot, a seller said William H Brown took days to arrange viewings, failed to tell a tenant about an appointment and then broke promises about how offers would be handled.
Hidden info
Our management company demanded over £400 for a basic leasehold information pack and then took a month to produce it, nearly killing the sale.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Vendor became worried they might lose the buyer and completed privately after losing confidence in Purplebricks.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Conveyancing review says the buyers’ solicitor caused delays and poor communication, even though their own firm stayed responsive.
Delay
Our chain is hanging by a thread – we sold in September, but third parties keep dragging their feet and it feels like any tiny wobble could bring the whole thing down.
Hidden info
Case study: buyers withdrew after discovering a major nearby development that the estate agent hadn’t mentioned, even though it was known locally.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Developer solicitor delays meant we paid months of extra rent and storage fees before completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
Even when I phoned the firm they could not tell me who was handling my file. That lack of clarity is infuriating.
The solicitor misinterpreted a clause about drainage easements, which later caused our insurer to increase our premiums due to 'unknown liability risk'.
offer handling
best and final
estate agent conduct
buyer detriment
Buyer says an estate agent is suspected of failing to submit their best-and-final offer to the vendor, leaving them concerned about bad practice in offer handling.
They switched to other agents and immediately got more viewings, confirming their suspicion that the first agent’s ‘ambitious’ pricing had badly hindered the sale.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say their only ‘weapon’ is threatening to pull out, but they’re trying not to go nuclear while the chain drifts with no clear end-point.
They say the file was put ‘on hold’ and no legal work would be done until tasks they had already completed were done again.
Financial loss
financial loss
They explained that if you can’t get an extension, you may be left reapplying at worse rates, which can make the numbers no longer stack up for the house you wanted.
Poor communication
poor communication
never answers the phone number assigned
Poor communication
poor communication
My main issue was communication. Lack of updates. Agreements to call back and then hearing nothing.
auction fee
buyer fee
modern method of auction
hidden cost
Home mover complains that a modern auction-style route creates a large buyer fee that goes to the auctioneer rather than the seller, raising concern about how the fee structure affects buyers.
We asked directly whether there had been any neighbour disputes and were reassured there hadn’t – only after moving in did we learn about years of complaints to the council.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A buyer says their conveyancer told them their email had been intercepted and scammers swapped bank details; the fake email and letter looked totally convincing and they nearly lost a six-figure sum.
Delay
Solicitor repeatedly promised to ‘send enquiries today’ but didn’t do so for almost three weeks.
Delay
A buyer asked online whether their seller’s lack of response to basic enquiries was a red flag – weeks had passed, no documents had come back, and their solicitor was warning the chain could fail.
Fixtures removed
Completion issue
TA10 dispute
Buyer says sellers switched fixtures and fittings after completion despite signing that they would remain, leaving the buyer to chase for replacement items or compensation.
Very poor service: they sold our house but did not chase the chain or keep us updated, and gave incorrect advice.
Poor communication
poor communication
The conveyancer was so slow and unresponsive that not only did we lose a cash buyer, we also had to start over with a new solicitor halfway through.
The broker stresses how close the chain came to failure purely because the lender’s timescales and the solicitors’ pace didn’t match up.
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication.
in-house mortgage adviser
buyer pressure
conditional selling
broker pressure
Buyer says an estate agent kept hounding them to use the agency's mortgage adviser, with discussion identifying the behaviour as pressure around in-house services.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our mortgage broker never mentioned that the product fee was non-refundable if the purchase fell through; losing that money stung almost as much as losing the house.
Fall-through risk
I only found out later that the previous sale on the house had collapsed over serious issues, but the agent spun a totally different story to get us to offer.
Hidden info
They stress you must disclose any serious dispute on the TA6 form or risk a misrepresentation claim later if the buyer discovers how bad things really are with the neighbours.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Another account says Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
after we pulled out of a sale due to unforeseen circumstances, totally unreasonable.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We learnt most about our sale directly from the buyers until they pulled out
referral fee concern
estate-agent solicitor
consumer choice
conveyancing
Reviewer says they avoided estate-agent solicitors because agents receive referral fees and the reviewer believed those incentives affected recommendations.
Fall-through risk
Someone on the forum said they’d been reading HousingUK threads where people’s house sales collapsed, and you could just feel how extreme the stress levels were.
I turned up at my local Butterworths office in Kendal expecting to progress my conveyancing only to find a sign on the door saying they could no longer trade due to regulatory issues. There’d been no warning email, no phone call, nothing.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer/vendor review reports poor communication and no satisfactory contact from an estate agent during a sales enquiry.
We were shocked to hear the place we’d lived in for years described as very poor condition, effectively limiting us to cash buyers only.
Delay
Fall-through risk
As first-time sellers we were devastated when our only buyer pulled out after four weeks for no clear reason, just as we were about to offer on our next home.
Delay
I'm so stressed out, I don't know who to believe, and I'm on such a tight deadline to move.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A buyer walked away after long delays and no traction; it felt like the conveyancer was a bottleneck for everyone else in the chain.
Hidden info
One Reddit user describes finding out about flood risk only through environmental searches, not from the original listing.
Delay
Our buyers’ mortgage offer is due to run out in days and the seller’s side keeps delaying; we’re terrified the whole chain will collapse because of unnecessary hold-ups.
Delay
“Dragged out the whole conveyancing process… exasperation of my lender and seller’s solicitor.”
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Some shared-ownership leaseholders face five-figure service charges making their homes unsellable.
Delay
Leasehold issue
Conveyancing timeline guide says leasehold transactions commonly take longer and that searches, enquiries and mortgage offer issues can all drag out the process.
They feel trapped because it wasn’t a voluntary change of heart — they just couldn’t progress — yet the fee still wouldn’t come back.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Mortgage offer took so long the seller lost patience. We lost the house after chasing constantly with no clear answers.
The solicitor never made it clear that completion funds had to arrive with them early in the day. Our bank transfer arrived too late, the move slipped to the following week and we had to pay for extra storage and accommodation.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says the agent failed to call back after an offer and then the property was marked as having an offer accepted.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Attempts to get any sense from the managing agent about future costs went nowhere; we didn’t want to buy into a blank cheque so we withdrew our offer.
Hidden info
NetLawman say unresolved neighbour disputes – from boundaries to noise – must be disclosed when selling, and can make buyers walk away or demand heavy discounts.
Seller says the firm repeatedly requested the same information as if the file hadn’t been read.
Financial loss
financial loss
More than a year after the transaction fell apart, the firm suddenly chased us for a conveyancing bill we’d never agreed, adding to the frustration.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says after waiting weeks for an accepted offer they were left dealing with incompetence and unclear updates during a fragile transaction.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My sale fell through and the conveyancers at Dee & Griffin barely communicated – it felt like I was just a walking bank account rather than a client they cared about.
Hidden info
A Times piece asks whether you can really trust property listings, highlighting missing or inaccurate details on cladding, service charges and even whether a property is genuinely available.
fraud
Our conveyancer sent confidential bank details in an unsecured email without any warning about fraud. We later learned the regulator had issued multiple alerts about this exact risk.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our landlord moved abroad and the house sale they were relying on fell through; we were suddenly told we might need to move out with very little notice.
Hidden info
On LeaseholdersForum, one owner complains about ‘excessive’ service charges for a basic block with no lift or facilities, saying they feel ripped off every year.
Delay
Everything took so long that a chain-free buyer eventually pulled out; emails weren’t answered and updates were impossible to get.
We were stunned that you can get all the way to the finish line and still lose the sale in a single phone call.
One angry customer talks about ‘rogue reports’ and asks where the accountability is when a single survey can derail a remortgage and future plans.
Delay
Can't give zero otherwise I would... we were ready to complete the sale after 8 weeks.
Our adviser from the estate agent’s panel was aggressive and kept pushing their life-insurance add-ons before even fixing the mortgage.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Our buyer used Angela Viney and the file moved at a snail’s pace. Emails were ignored, they posted documents instead of emailing and the whole thing was a mess from start to finish.
Poor communication
poor communication
A First Time Buyer Facebook group member said their seller had ‘probably pulled out’ but neither the agent nor solicitor would give them a straight answer for days.
Hidden info
They say undisclosed disputes can come back to bite you if the buyer later finds old complaint letters or council reports you never mentioned.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I have lost the house I was buying
Delay
Seller reports their solicitor failed to request signed documents from a joint owner, delaying progress for weeks.
Fall-through risk
Our friend’s entire chain collapsed because a single buyer’s mortgage offer expired right before exchange and the lender refused an extension.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time the full picture emerged, we’d already spent a lot on surveys and legal fees and had to decide between walking away or pursuing a misrepresentation claim.
Hidden info
“Undisclosed leasehold complications… made it unmortgageable.”
Financial loss
financial loss
The trade-off was a lower price in return for certainty, but it says a lot that people are willing to sacrifice equity just to finally move.
fraud
I have found my dream house and had my offer accepted, but the estate agents are insisting I pay them a 5% deposit, about £10,000, before any survey or legal work. They say it is partly non-refundable if I pull out without a 'good reason'. Their reviews are poor and I know this isn’t standard practice in the UK, so I am worried about being scammed or ripped off.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Searches came back early August, enquiries sent late August — no response until early September, and still no update.
Our chain involves three families with children and one link used a PM Law firm. Everyone has either moved out or given notice and the agents say if replacement solicitors can’t pick this up quickly some of us could be left without a home.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our sale fell through but the solicitor still billed us, which I later discovered is extremely common. Most people lose thousands when a sale collapses.
Hidden info
The Housing Ombudsman found dozens of complaints about inaccurate or unclear service charge estimates in shared-ownership schemes.
A buyer says the vendor’s solicitor won’t answer the final outstanding enquiries, and they’re being pushed towards either proceeding with missing info or risking the whole purchase collapsing.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Within those cases, common themes include delay, failure to progress and poor communication – exactly the issues home movers complain about online.
Delay
The solicitor told us they were waiting on the management company, but the company confirmed they had never been contacted. Three weeks were wasted unnecessarily.
Financial loss
financial loss
“File opening fee… ID check fee… source of funds verification fee… and like 6 others.”
Poor communication
poor communication
Eve Lake client says communication was poor with little initiative from the conveyancer during the sale.
Fall-through risk
Financial loss
financial loss
fall through
Seller discovered a month later that the buyer they had accepted had not even applied for a mortgage.
The more I look into it, the more I realise how little protection there is if a survey is inaccurate but still ends up sinking your sale and devaluing your property.
Buyer complains both their solicitor and estate agent couldn’t contact the other side’s lawyer for a week, stalling an exchange they thought was imminent.
One MSE user had their dream home down-valued by £20,000 in the survey – they were shocked that a seven percent difference could derail the purchase.
Delay
Our completion nearly failed because the solicitor sat on the file for weeks right as the mortgage offer was about to run out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer pulled out because it took too long and the other solicitor couldn’t get responses.
Poor communication
poor communication
The conveyancer ignored repeated requests for confirmation of funds. Without that, we could not exchange and missed our original moving date entirely.
Hidden info
We didn’t realise we had to disclose our dispute with the management company; once it surfaced, the buyer demanded compensation and then pulled out anyway.
Delay
Every time the chain moved an inch, someone’s solicitor raised a new ‘urgent’ enquiry and then took two weeks to send a two-line reply.
We had buyers drop out because they couldn’t secure finance, then more issues in the chain during Covid; our Yopa agent kept replacing them until it finally completed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’d been on the market a year, changed agents and dropped the price repeatedly. We finally found a cash buyer who didn’t even want a survey, then he still pulled out.
Hidden info
final request for payment of £242.28 for the service charge for 2025
Financial loss
financial loss
Felt like they charged heavily for routine paperwork while providing slow responses, risking the sale and increasing stress for everyone.
Hidden info
Trading standards guidance lists specific points – tenure, ground rent, council tax, utilities, and more – that agents must disclose clearly.
They worry potential buyers will run a mile once they see how high the charges are for such a modest building.
Delay
I’m buying a house and the seller’s solicitor is part of the PM Law group. Since the collapse nobody can give us any information. My own solicitors don’t know what’s happening with the other side and the whole transaction is frozen.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Spent months with little progress on the mortgage side despite fees paid upfront. Communication was weak and we were left chasing constantly.
They give examples where failure to chase other parties or explain slow progress left clients convinced their lawyer just didn’t care.
Delay
Our buyers are using this shambolic firm we now in month 6 of a simple convayncing empty house no chain
Financial loss
financial loss
They say if they’d known earlier, they would never have proceeded, but now they’re financially and emotionally invested and trying to work out next steps.
Buyer says the agent heavily pressured them to use an in-house mortgage adviser, making the buying process feel coercive.
Financial loss
financial loss
Now facing the risk of incurring unnecessary stamp duty costs.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A ground floor apartment was flooded with sewage after a soil pipe blockage in the underground car park. Building insurance is being very slow because of poor communication with the contents insurer.
A lender’s survey knocked ten thousand off our home’s value despite recent renovations, and the buyers walked away rather than renegotiate.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer’s buyer has pulled out and we are desperate not to lose the house we are buying. We absolutely love it and are even considering putting a stakeholder deposit with our solicitor as reassurance to the seller that we will not pull out. Our solicitor says she has never done this before and does not have a suitable contract, so we feel very exposed and unsure how to keep our purchase together.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. after the PM Law group closure.
Poor communication
poor communication
AVOID, AVOID AVOID!!!! No communication… No work done on the file.
Delay
Buyer alleges poor professionalism from a panel surveyor led to delays and raised doubts about due diligence.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
After my partner died I just wanted to move closer to friends, but repeated fall-throughs and slow solicitors left me stuck in the same house and emotionally drained.
Poor communication
poor communication
One affected mover says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. following the February 2026 intervention.
Other posters say they’ve had buyers vanish with vague excuses, leaving them to guess whether surveys, mortgages or sheer cold feet were to blame.
The whole process of buying a house has been painful and this is largely down to our solicitor.
The HomeOwners Alliance notes that the biggest share of complaints to the Ombudsman now come from residential conveyancing – buying and selling homes.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Mumsnet poster said their sale fell through after developers pulled out because they couldn’t get planning permission – and the conveyancer still tried to bill almost the full fee.
Hidden info
The watchdog says ground rent is not legally or commercially necessary, yet thousands remain stuck in contracts with rising charges.
Poor communication
poor communication
The reviewer says emails were ignored, the online portal was useless and they had to chase constantly by phone while nothing seemed to move forward.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through, through no fault of the agent, and the chain was at risk. They had us back on the market immediately and found new buyers within days.
A more recent data release for 2024/25 again shows residential conveyancing topping the tables for poor complaint handling rates compared with other areas of law.
Mortgage issue
Financial loss
Poor advice
financial loss
Buyer says their broker found a specialist 7.1 percent two year fixed mortgage at 95 percent loan to value because of previous credit issues, leaving them unsure whether the advice was reasonable or whether they were being pushed into an expensive deal.
Over the years several estate agents have given such poor service that they really damaged the industry's reputation.
Hidden info
Some say the unpredictability makes it harder to sell because buyers don’t trust service charge forecasts in the legal pack.
Delay
I had my offer accepted in early July. I have still not completed the purchase. …passed to 3 different solicitors
They said lenders refused to proceed without the cladding sign-off, so they had no choice but to watch the sale collapse and hope the next buyer would be a cash purchaser.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Seller says they were pushed toward an auction route that later fell through, costing time and momentum.
Hidden info
They stress that buyers should check the TA6 carefully, as it’s the main place where sellers must spell out any history of rows with neighbours.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Our previous sale collapsed and I still blame the solicitor for never chasing anything; now I’m wondering whether to complain formally about them.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication was terrible and my solicitor went weeks without replying to anything.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they constantly have to chase the firm to get even basic work done, feeling the team shows little concern or engagement with the case.
Delay
The process was described as painfully slow and frustrating for something as time-critical as getting offers issued.
Our solicitor assured us everything was ready for exchange, but on the day they admitted the mortgage deed had never been sent to the lender for approval. We lost our booked removals and had to negotiate a new completion date with the whole chain.
Financial loss
financial loss
Selling leasehold: huge fee demanded just to answer standard enquiries by email.
Delay
Nightmare - Stay away. Made the sale so stressful and drawn out…
Financial loss
financial loss
Case studies include owners whose lives and retirement plans are derailed because they can’t afford to extend leases or escape toxic contracts.
Financial loss
financial loss
MoneyHelper explains that mortgage offers can expire simply because the legal work takes too long, leaving buyers scrambling for extensions or entirely new deals.
We’d trusted them with all our documents, so it was galling to be blamed for ‘inaccurate information’ when the mistake was theirs.
Our buyer’s lender refused to accept the cladding paperwork, so they pulled out and we were left with yet another unsellable leasehold flat.
Hidden info
Our conveyancer only flagged local search issues very late in the process, and the buyer decided the planning and flood risks weren’t worth the hassle and withdrew.
Poor communication
poor communication
A Trustpilot review says their house was under offer but progress was extremely slow and their case handler didn’t respond to emails or calls for long periods.
We almost completed without anyone checking building regs for the loft conversion; when the lender asked for paperwork that didn’t exist, the buyers walked.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
A further complaint summary notes Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. following the February 2026 intervention.
Delay
A r/HousingUK user says their conveyancing solicitor ignores emails from both them and the seller’s side, and the seller is threatening to pull out because nothing seems to be moving.
Hidden info
We dropped the price by tens of thousands, but the heat-network service charges are so high that buyers either walk away or their lenders refuse to touch it.
Fall-through risk
fall through
British Homebuyers are praised by one reviewer for stepping in after their first sale fell through, re-marketing fast and keeping them updated throughout.
Delay
They warn others to ‘avoid like the plague’ if they want an efficient conveyancing firm.
Poor communication
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale fell through and SortRefer’s recommended conveyancers got everything picked back up quickly so the next sale didn’t drag for months like the first one.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through a couple of times during COVID; each time the solicitors seemed to drag things out while everyone’s circumstances kept changing.
Delay
I am selling a flat and the managing agent is delaying answers to the buyer's solicitor. Four answers are still outstanding and it has been two months with no progress despite repeated chasers. My buyer says they will pull out if this continues.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
One article urges sellers to understand new material information rules or risk buyers walking away when hidden costs emerge.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says they were asked to review documents that had not actually been sent, adding avoidable weeks.
The freeholder’s quote to extend the lease was so outrageous that our solicitor advised against the purchase; it turned a ‘bargain’ flat into a ticking time bomb.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
After four separate chains collapsed for reasons beyond our control, we’ve spent years in limbo, paying fees over and over with nothing to show for it.
Delay
They repeatedly asked for documents we had already uploaded to their portal weeks earlier. It became obvious they were not reading anything properly.
Hidden info
Our shared-ownership flat hasn’t sold because buyers are put off by opaque service charges and complicated leases; the whole leasehold system feels stacked against us.
Financial loss
financial loss
A payments glitch on moving day left one family homeless and paying for hotels and removal firms twice.
Delay
The new firm stepped in after that collapse, found another buyer and actually kept the seller updated throughout negotiations.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In one Ombudsman case the buyers’ first purchase fell through, then they tried to port their mortgage to another property and ended up in a dispute over whether the lender had agreed to it at all.
Financial loss
financial loss
After spending significant money on survey and conveyancing, the buyer discovered the chain situation wasn’t as advertised.
Financial loss
financial loss
We were billed for everything short of the tea bags even though the transaction never reached exchange; there was no goodwill at all from the solicitor.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale collapsed at the last minute. We’d already done all the legal work and then had to start again from scratch with new buyers.
Delay
They couldn't be any worse if they tried. It took them 5 months after instruction to send initial enquiries.
It was sobering to hear the property described as too risky for a mortgage; we’d thought of it as a bit tired, not effectively unsellable.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our own sale fell through twice during Covid when buyers changed their minds; solicitors were dragging their feet and everything took forever.
The firm scores only 12% on ‘would you recommend this firm?’, suggesting many clients feel deeply unhappy with the service received.
Hidden info
We are days away from exchanging and our sellers are avoiding answering a question about a new gate that has appeared in a boundary fence over land that will be ours. There is nothing on the deeds about a right of way and they do not seem to want to explain it.
Delay
Our mortgage offer expired because the conveyancers and Land Registry issues dragged on; by the time things were resolved, the lender refused to extend and the deal was dead.
Financial loss
financial loss
Now those same charges are scaring off every buyer and slicing thousands off what we might get back.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We've just had buyers pull out on the basis of survey from this company.
Poor communication
poor communication
Ten days of trying: no calls answered, no emails replied to, and chats ignored.
Poor communication
Hidden info
poor communication
Buyer says sales team claims a new build is on target while visible site conditions make completion uncertain.
Fall-through risk
fall through
It’s now been over a year since we engaged Let Property to purchase a property - only the seller to withdraw during completion
Our buyers backed out when they learned about historic arguments with the freeholder; their solicitor said taking on an active dispute was too risky.
Delay
A recent Legal Ombudsman update reported a ‘significant rise’ in people asking for help, with conveyancing complaints often about missed purchase deadlines.
Poor communication
poor communication
Very little interaction… emailed everyone involved…
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
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Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
I would give zero stars if I could. The amount of delays, no communication and me chasing them is utterly unacceptable!
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
We have had a terrible experience with a bills management company called The Bunch, who are supposed to collect money from us and pass it to suppliers. They have taken money but not paid the suppliers, sent random extra charges and demanded ridiculous sums, and overall it has been the worst time dealing with them.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We’ve sold our home and given notice on our rental, but because PM Property Lawyers have collapsed, the purchase side has stalled completely. Our agent says the whole chain could now fall apart.
The sellers are supposedly ‘motivated’ but you can feel everyone treading carefully after one failed sale already – nobody wants this chain to collapse twice.
Delay
Hidden info
Our buyers walked away because they suddenly didn’t like that the garage was on a separate title. It had been on the deeds the whole time yet they only panicked six months in.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Simply Adverse client says their house sale fell through three times while trying to port their mortgage, leaving them with mounting debts and a damaged credit file.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they only learned the mortgage offer still wasn’t in place via a solicitor letter over a bank holiday, and believe the agent knew earlier but didn’t tell them.
broker pressure
offer handling
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer says an estate agent wanted a mortgage broker conversation before progressing the house offer despite the buyer already having proof of funds and a decision in principle.
Our buyers’ surveyor literally valued my mother-in-law’s flat at £0 because she’d mixed it up with a totally different new-build block next door. She still argued and the sale died.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Our shared ownership flat has a £5,600 annual service charge we were never warned could increase this much.
Our family has been split up while we wait for a new solicitor to be appointed. I’m staying with one child near the old school and my partner is in a different town with our other child so we can juggle work and childcare until we finally complete.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Citizens Advice list cases where buyers lost deposits or sellers lost out on thousands because estate agents mishandled funds when a sale fell through.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
JBear Properties wrote that unsafe cladding, unknown remedial costs and rising service charges are turning many leasehold flats into ‘hard to sell’ units that only cash buyers will touch.
Surveyor arrived far earlier than agreed, rushed through the visit, and it felt like the report couldn’t possibly reflect a proper inspection.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Our first sale fell through and the information we got about why was vague at best; the buyers ghosted us for ages and only later blamed ‘pressure from the agent’ even though that came after they disappeared.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
House buyer says a no-chain purchase took ten weeks with no emails or calls answered and fears their mortgage offer will expire.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were eight weeks into selling and buying when our buyer’s personal situation changed and they pulled out; the house we wanted to buy won’t wait for us.
Delay
Buyer claims the file was reassigned multiple times and progress stalled each time, with key steps repeatedly restarted.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Paid service charges, then received large late fees and admin charges during a period of hardship—felt punitive and disproportionate.
“We feel there’s no point re-listing until this is rectified.”
Delay
The second buyers turned out to be awkward and slow, buying via a SIPP. By the time it finally completed, we were exhausted by the process.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The ground rent doubles roughly every 20 years; it didn’t look serious in the listing, but the long-term cost is eye-watering.
Delay
Hidden info
Mortgage application stalled because the surveyor insisted a loft room wasn’t a ‘real bedroom’ despite council documentation.
Financial loss
financial loss
We have viewers but no serious buyers because everyone is scared of the lease and potential future costs; it’s like trying to sell a ticking time bomb.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Allegation of gazumping being encouraged/handled badly, making the purchase feel insecure.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our buyer’s lender suddenly demanded a full structural engineer’s report on top of the survey; the extra cost and delay pushed them to abandon the purchase.
We discovered on the survey that the loft conversion had no building regulations approval; the lender refused to treat it as habitable space and our sale died overnight.
Reading the lease pack now, I’m scared future buyers will run when they see how fast charges have risen, leaving me stuck with something that’s hard to sell.
Poor communication
Incompetent handling
poor communication
Vendor says a Cardiff estate agent was awful for organisation, communication and knowledge, and that they regretted wasting time with them.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Three failed sales over ~11 months; review blames mis-management and poor communication during marketing and progression.
Financial loss
financial loss
The new broker tried a different lender but because rates had climbed, their affordability didn’t work any more and our home was back on the market.
Delay
I’m almost losing my flat with the slow process…
Delay
Delay is built into the system.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
“Because of their delays… I had to stay… a full year… cost me over £4000.”
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice couldn’t really help; we were told buyers can just walk away pre-exchange, leaving us to swallow the costs and start again.
Financial loss
financial loss
A reviewer says they paid for a search thinking it was official, then realised the pricing was inflated compared with the real service.
A reviewer said they turned to a quick-sale company after a failed attempt with a local agent, simply because they couldn’t face risking another collapse.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re the second buyers on a house; the first sale fell through over the summer and now our survey has found more issues that weren’t mentioned before.
modern auction
reservation agreement
survey cost
conveyancing cost
Buyer discussion questions whether survey and conveyancing costs can be recovered after a modern method of auction transaction fails, with comments noting reservation fee terms may not protect other costs.
fraud
A reviewer warns that a ‘Land Registry searches’ site appeared official, took payment, and they say the requested information didn’t arrive.
Poor communication
poor communication
Paid for a straightforward search and received nothing; no response to emails.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another ReviewSolicitors complaint about Cunningtons says the client’s formal complaint took over a month to be answered, citing staff absences as the reason.
sale collapse risk
source of funds
legal delay
high value transaction
An Edinburgh property agent reports a £1.4 million sale nearly failing when the buyer's lawyer could not clarify the source of overseas funds and withdrew from the transaction. The agent says the sale was only rescued after finding a lawyer with the relevant experience to trace and clear the funds.
An estate agent is accused of pressuring the buyer to use an in-house mortgage adviser as a condition of being taken seriously.
upfront fee
poor communication
seller complaint
sale risk
Purplebricks reviewer says communication was appalling after paying upfront, with comments alleging the model leaves sellers forgotten once fees are secured.
fraud
A buyer describes a terrifying near-completion payment issue and worries about potential fraud or negligence.
Delay
Butterworths were acting on our purchase when we turned up to find the office closed and a notice in the window. We were days away from exchanging contracts and now the move has just stopped.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My daughter’s flat sale has fallen through twice now – once two years ago, and again with buyers who said they were ‘in love’ with it right up until they backed out.
They explain that unresolved rows with neighbours can directly lower the value and make a property much harder to shift.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We turned to a ‘we buy any home’ style company after a traditional sale fell through and we were simply too worn down to risk it happening again.
Poor communication
poor communication
One buyer said the chain was ‘not straightforward’ but the team kept everyone updated and calm – proof that decent communication often prevents a sale from collapsing.
We were told to be ready to move, so we booked removals and vacated on the assumption funds would be sent. Then we discovered the firm handling our completion had been shut down and we had no house to go to that night.
Poor communication
poor communication
“My mortgage offer expired… Absolutely no communication… Got a local solicitor.”
Chains involving certain online agents kept failing due to badly put together sales and lack of regulation.
Delay
Currently delayed because the buyer’s lawyers take a week to ‘process’ every document.
Guides warn that if your mortgage offer expires before completion you’ll usually need to reapply, with fresh credit checks and no guarantee your lender will offer the same deal again.
Delay
They wanted hundreds of houses at knock-down prices to move tenants out of London, and we felt squeezed and powerless for months while the sale dragged on.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
They described the journey as ‘painful’, with months of uncertainty and repeated collapses before a determined solicitor and agent team finally made it happen.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says their house sale fell through twice; each time buyers suddenly went quiet for weeks before admitting they couldn’t proceed.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Buyer says conveyancers are dragging their feet over an indemnity policy close to Christmas, leaving completion unlikely despite enquiries being finished.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time we heard the valuer wasn’t comfortable, the buyer had already instructed their solicitor to pull out and we’d wasted months.
A week after our offer and the estate agent still had not even confirmed they had received it.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
They praised being given clear options and timelines instead of vague reassurances, which helped them make decisions before the chain collapsed completely.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller withdrew during completion; the firm then fought hard to keep the buyer’s funds.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Eventually in August, I got the call I knew was coming. The buyers had lost faith and withdrew their offer.
sale at risk
buyer withdrawal
avoidable registration
client impact
legal competence
A residential conveyancer reports acting on the sale of an unregistered property after sending an epitome of title and deeds. She says the buyer's solicitors later advised that their client would not proceed because the property was unregistered, despite having been told this earlier. She believed the issue reflected lack of experience with unregistered title and offered to arrange voluntary registration to try to save the transaction.
Financial loss
financial loss
One poster said auctions are often where ‘doer-upper’ properties end up after regular buyers can’t stomach the cost and hassle of refurbishing them.
Mortgage issue
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says their mortgage adviser problems meant their offer was expiring before completion on a delayed new build and the replacement extension would be at a higher rate.
We learned the hard way that arranging buildings insurance from exchange is our responsibility; a mix-up over dates nearly derailed completion.
in-house broker
conditional selling
fee refund
buyer pressure
Buyer says they felt forced to use an estate agent's in-house broker and later received a broker-fee refund after complaining publicly.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
New-build buyer says the developer served notice to complete even though the buyer cannot move in until months later.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot review for Avenue Road Estate Agents says the first buyer dropped out, leaving the sellers distraught until the property was quickly re-marketed and sold again.
Fall-through risk
Our conveyancer seemed out of their depth and avoided our calls; by the time they acted, the chain had already collapsed.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. after the PM Law group closure.
A mortgage valuation by Countrywide undervalued my property by £50k.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
LandlordZONE reports landlords stuck with ‘unsaleable’ leasehold flats as service charges climb above £2,000 a year and buyers balk at the costs.
Financial loss
financial loss
They warn the reservation contract is written to protect the seller and the fee is non-returnable, meaning you can pay thousands and get nothing back.
Hidden info
Analysts say in many cases, service charges are now the second-biggest household bill after the mortgage, and that buyers factor this in when deciding whether to proceed.
Hidden info
We were only told after offer that this property was non-standard construction. That should have been in the listing but wasn’t.
viewing access
affordability check
buyer pressure
estate agent control
Buyer asks about viewing restrictions and whether an estate agent can demand mortgage evidence before a viewing, prompting concerns about access being tied to financial checks.
They also warn that if sellers failed to mention disputes and you only discover them after moving in, specialist legal advice may be your only route to redress.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. after the PM Law group closure.
Hidden info
They say buyers are understandably wary of inheriting a feud, and some will simply walk away or demand a hefty discount.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Buyer says conveyancers became infuriatingly slow close to Christmas, with an indemnity policy still not signed off and completion at risk.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through the day after the stamp duty holiday ended because our buyer’s buyer dropped out. Nobody would give us a proper reason, just a brief ‘sorry’ from their solicitor.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they constantly have to chase to get even basic work done, and feel the firm shows little care or engagement with the case.
I would NEVER have given my business knowingly to a company with such poor reviews!
fee pressure
compliance pressure
professional stress
client aggression
ID verification
A director and practising conveyancer describes two difficult client incidents in one day. One client challenged the firm's disclosed referral fee to the estate agent and demanded the conveyancer reduce her own fee by the same amount or lose the instruction. A second client refused an online identity check and demanded the conveyancer personally meet her at 5:15am almost two hours from the conveyancer's home.
The conveyancer missed a clear right-of-way issue shown on the title plan. Only when our neighbour objected after completion did we realise our access was legally disputed.
Poor communication
poor communication
They add that modern estate agency feels formulaic and impersonal, and that good communication only kicked in when the situation became critical.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Delay
We were charged £300 for 'expedited completion' even though the delay was entirely caused by the solicitor failing to review the contract pack for three weeks.
Fall-through risk
I’ve seen countless posts where people’s house sales collapsed right before completion; it’s made me realise just how fragile the system is.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
My service charge doubled last year and I’m terrified that if I ever need to sell, buyers will take one look at the fees and run a mile.
Delay
We were due to exchange and complete this week, but our PM Property Lawyers file has been frozen and nobody can tell us when or if we can move.
Our mortgage broker missed a default on my partner’s file and put us in for a lender who was never going to accept us – that decline killed our chain.
Delay
They note that slow paperwork, searches and unresponsive lawyers can drag things out so long that nervous buyers simply walk away.
Delay
I feel like I’m one admin delay away from homelessness: my tenancy ends, my PM Law firm has closed and the regulator is dealing with ‘thousands of files’ before even getting to my case.
Hidden info
Subletting fee demand described as unreasonable and hard to dispute due to poor access to support.
my phone kept ringing... rather calling 10 times.
the property was not registered in my name, rather the owner before
Poor communication
poor communication
Very poor communication; messages, emails and even letters received no response.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Conveyancing complaint guidance highlights how missed completion dates caused by firm error can leave movers with practical and financial losses.
Hidden info
People keep saying ‘don’t buy a leasehold’ because of hidden management charges and ground rents that buyers only appreciate after moving in.
Hidden info
Buyer says their solicitor failed to notice incorrect boundary lines on the title plan, now causing a dispute with neighbours.
Financial loss
financial loss
An MSE user says they were gazundered when a buyer cut their offer by £10,000 days before exchange and they had to decide whether to cave in or walk away.
Poor communication
poor communication
The post sales adviser never once called me back despite being my named contact.
Refusing the in-house mortgage broker made the buyer feel frozen out of viewings and offers, like access was being used as leverage.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our survey flagged two red issues that could cost thousands to repair, and the sellers have refused to pay for a detailed investigation or reduce the price any further, saying that accepting 2% under asking is enough.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
In one brutal month I had a miscarriage, my husband wrote off the car, then our house sale collapsed on top of everything else. It was overwhelming.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. following the February 2026 intervention.
Hidden info
A Facebook leaseholder group is full of people saying they’re struggling to sell because high service charges and cladding issues scare off buyers and lenders.
Hidden info
A buyer recounts almost losing their purchase when their lender belatedly flagged unacceptable ground rent escalation terms.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Felt ‘scammed’ after receiving an invoice to open a file despite only requesting quotes via a third party.
Hidden info
We knew the charge was ‘a bit high’ when we moved in, but it’s only now we’re trying to sell that we realise how much of a deterrent it is.
Financial loss
financial loss
One family’s inheritance has been eroded by roughly £43,000 while they wait for a buyer, watching the flat sit on the market despite big price cuts.
“Lost two buyers due to lies he told our buyers.”
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time we saw the old structural report, we’d already spent money on our own survey; we felt misled and dropped out on principle.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our sale and purchase were both being handled by one of the PM Law brands. We were close to exchange when the closure hit. Now our lender, estate agent and new solicitor are all trying to work out where our paperwork and money are, but nobody can get a clear answer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through around six weeks in; the first-time buyers stopped answering calls and we eventually heard they’d decided the house was ‘too much work’.
Hidden info
Our flat has been on the market for ages but the massive service charges scare away every buyer, leaving us trapped and unable to move on with our lives.
Another poster describes being due to complete when their buyer’s mortgage offer expired, forcing them to ask if the lender would extend so the sale could continue.
Financial loss
financial loss
They stress that buyers can even refuse to complete if they discover major omissions about a property’s history or disputes before the money changes hands.
General complaint of being slow/understaffed and giving misleading updates; others warned to avoid.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say the delays and lack of urgency have made them furious and anxious because the buyer is getting frustrated and likely to walk.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They describe doing everything on time with their solicitor, but still losing the property because the ‘reservation’ didn’t actually force the seller to complete.
Financial loss
financial loss
They said the idea of starting again with a new offer and higher rates was terrifying, and they felt powerless to speed up solicitors or the vendor.
Hidden info
A HousingUK thread has leaseholders saying annual charges are making their flats ‘impossible to sell’ because no first-time buyer can afford them and investors can’t make the numbers work.
TaylorMade Finance note that if your mortgage offer expires, you might suddenly need to find a completely new deal or face your purchase collapsing at the last hurdle.
material information
conditional offer
building regulations
agent marketing
Buyer complaint involves paperwork and building-regs conditions that were tied into the offer process after the agent marketed a loft space as a bedroom.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another ReviewSolicitors profile shows glowing feedback for one conveyancer, but notes that many people come to them after bad experiences with other firms’ slow progress and poor communication.
Hidden info
A Daily Mirror case shared on Facebook features a couple who say their home has become ‘impossible to sell’ after service charges rocketed to £7,500 a year.
Poor communication
poor communication
Customer says the agent’s service was among the most incompetent they had encountered and lacked basic communication skills.
Another review of a mortgage broker told how the adviser guided first-time buyers with poor credit through the process and helped them get a mortgage quickly after a stressful search.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On r/HousingUK, one poster recalls a chain collapsing because their buyers ran into problems with their flat which the estate agent and solicitors never shared in time.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another lender guide says if your offer expires before completion, you could face extra legal and valuation costs on top of a higher interest rate.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We used Butterworths / PM Law for both our sale and purchase and were just about to exchange and set a completion date when we discovered the doors locked and a notice saying they could no longer trade. Both sides of our move are now at risk of collapsing.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers’ conveyancer delayed things so badly that my purchase almost fell through. Their inactivity has had knock-on effects up the chain.
They pointed out that buyers might ignore the price and fixate on the annual charges instead, especially when they see how quickly they’ve already gone up.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Buyers used a ‘case handler’ model; seller says delays are built in and chain almost collapsed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication was awful; we were constantly chasing and still got incorrect information.
Hidden info
Our flat’s service charge is now so high that every serious buyer disappears as soon as their solicitor sees the figures.
Poor communication
Hidden info
poor communication
Tenant says poor communication left them in unsafe mould conditions for months.
Replies point out that formal complaints and council records definitely count as disputes and must be revealed on the TA6, however inconvenient that is for a sale.
Delay
Our house sat on the market for weeks with almost no viewings and the agent did not seem proactive at all.
Hidden info
Another leasehold flat owner says high service charges and an oversupplied local market mean they’ve been trying to sell on and off since 2021 with almost no progress.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Owner says a previous conveyancer failed to complete Land Registry work properly, causing months of delay when title deeds were needed later.
Morning of exchange
Buyer changed mind
Wasted effort
fall through
Seller says their buyer withdrew on the morning of exchange because they were no longer feeling it, even though conveyancing had been rushed to catch up and everything seemed on track.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fraud
An Action Fraud/NCA/Law Society leaflet claims victims can lose their entire deposit or purchase money, and includes a case study where a buyer lost £640,000 after spoofed solicitor emails led to a payment diversion and the purchase collapsed.
Hidden info
A HousingUK buyer said the seller ticked ‘no disputes’ on the TA6, but they later learned of repeated complaints and issues with the houses next door.
After a two-year buying journey, it’s exhausting to still be asking whether the sellers actually have authority to sell or if we’ll be back to square one again.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot reviewer says their chain-free sale dragged on for over 180 days and then their buyer pulled out, which they say was totally understandable given the lack of progress.
Delay
Our buyers are using this shambolic firm... now in month 6 of a simple conveyancing empty house no chain.
reservation agreement
buyer fee
agent pressure
sale failure risk
Buyer says an estate agent pushed them into a Gazeal reservation agreement with special conditions that nearly trapped them into paying the agent if the sale failed.
Which? even lodged a ‘super-complaint’, saying some insurance customers found dealing with insurers more stressful than the incidents that caused the claims in the first place.
A resident claims mismanagement led to buildings being left uninsured and describes major worry and knock-on consequences.
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication was well below expectations and we got almost no notice of completion.
One Trustpilot reviewer says they had first tried an online agent that changed staff frequently and knew little about the area, with no success.
Broker was biased and unhelpful, and we felt judged rather than advised. We switched brokers and passed checks elsewhere.
On another MSE thread ‘Pulling out of a house sale’, a first-time buyer wants to end their relationship and asks how late they can cancel the purchase.
Webuyanyhome say that when your sale falls through you’re often left out of pocket and emotionally drained, yet most of the reasons are completely outside your control.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We have lost our buyer and want to offer them the survey report we paid for to our seller instead. We are not sure whether to go through the estate agent or the seller's solicitor.
Fall-through risk
Our estate agent says several sales and purchases with Butterworths have all been frozen at once. Everyone in the chains is panicking that the deals will fall through before new solicitors can step in.
Hidden info
Service charge demands and threats create stress while people are mid-move and trying to complete.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
House sale fell through because the company took six weeks to answer a solicitor’s enquiry.
Financial loss
financial loss
They had all our personal financial details but could not be bothered to acknowledge us or give any update.
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller withdrew during completion; company then used excuses and loopholes to avoid refunding payment.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
I sent trust documents several times and still heard nothing back for weeks.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Fraudulent Business Practices & Scam Warning If you are considering doing business with Let Property, READ THIS FIRST before handing over your money
They call the system ‘unregulated and vile’, saying leaseholders are trapped by rising charges and buyers run a mile as soon as they see the figures.
We had estate agents valuing around £400k, but Connells knocked £50k off simply because they claimed they couldn’t find comparable sales.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A HousingUK user said their service charge doubled in a year on a tiny studio; they’re now seriously worried the flat will be hard to sell because the fees look outrageous on paper.
Delay
We’d booked removals and arranged child care, then got a call at 4pm saying completion wouldn’t happen because funds hadn’t been released in time.
The seller says they can’t even discuss completion dates until the lender’s solicitor is satisfied, leaving the whole chain stuck in limbo.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve had a notice to complete served, our lender has already released the mortgage funds, and we’ve paid our deposit. Because PM Law shut overnight, the money is in limbo and we could be in breach of contract through no fault of our own.
Hidden info
A HousingUK user said their flat’s annual service charge is now close to £5,000 and they ‘can’t see how anyone will ever buy it’ at that level.
Hidden info
One buyer says they only realised how harsh their lease terms were after joining online forums and reading other leasehold horror stories.
Hidden info
They pointed out that communal heating rolled into the service charge is especially unpopular since energy prices spiked, putting off both buyers and lenders.
Poor communication
poor communication
Sheldon Bosley Knight reviewer reports poor communication at the beginning of the sales process.
AIP problem
Mortgage underwriting
Sale delay
Seller says the buyer had an agreement in principle but the full mortgage application became stuck because of unclear tax issues, leaving the transaction unable to progress.
One avenue of complaint to the Legal Ombudsman involved a solicitor who left a client unclear about a buyer’s intentions; by the time they realised there was a problem, the sale had already fallen through.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale collapsed because the electrics and fire doors in the block weren’t up to standard; the surveyor flagged serious safety concerns the seller hadn’t mentioned.
Financial loss
financial loss
Paid ‘over the odds’ repeatedly because of incompetence. Customer said service was non-existent and the process kept getting blocked.
Chain status
Agent communication
False expectations
Buyer says the estate agents repeatedly suggested completion would happen by the end of April or beginning of May, but only later did the buyer learn they were in a chain after all.
Financial loss
financial loss
It really opened our eyes to how high ongoing fees can scare off future buyers, even if the flat itself looks like good value.
Poor communication
Financial loss
financial loss
poor communication
Google reviewer says they never spoke to the solicitor once and the firm denied receiving purchase funds it had held for several days.
Delay
The house had already fallen through once with a cash buyer, and they felt fobbed off with vague excuses about the other side’s solicitor being slow.
Financial loss
financial loss
In another case, neighbours spent more than £200,000 fighting over a 16-inch strip of land – money that could easily have been the difference between moving and being stuck.
reservation deposit
buyer fee
offer condition
pressure tactic
Buyer says an estate agent wanted a £5,000 deposit to put in an offer, describing a reservation-deposit arrangement before normal exchange.
They see buyers who only discover old complaint letters and council reports after moving in, then wonder if they can undo the deal.
Poor communication
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
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Fall-through risk
fall through
They say the freeholder has stated there are no plans to obtain the form, leaving them unable to progress and fearing the buyer will walk away.
Hidden info
The solicitor never properly told us we had to insure from exchange; the lender spotted the gap at the last minute and temporarily withheld funds.
Hidden info
Our buyers walked away after their solicitor warned them about ongoing neighbour disputes over access; it was the first we’d heard that this could scare people off.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another review for the same lender mentions rushing a case through to offer in 48 hours to stop a client’s chain from collapsing completely.
Just for the sake of getting his commission
We bought our terrace and quickly discovered both neighbours are extremely noisy; the seller had ticked ‘no disputes’ on the TA6 despite years of complaints.
Shared access
Mis-sold
Sale collapse
fall through
Buyer says a sale collapsed because they felt mis-sold about shared access to the rear garden, leaving the seller forced to relist and later accept much less.
This has to be the most unprofessional company ever... lost numerous important documentation.
Poor communication
poor communication
The client notes that clear communication during negotiations made a big difference compared with their earlier failed attempt to sell.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
One affected mover says Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
We contacted building control and were told the foundations are adequate, but insurers still won’t touch us after previous subsidence issues. I’ve no idea what to declare when we try to move.
Our lender’s surveyor slashed the value and the broker admitted down-valuations were becoming common; without extra cash we had to abandon the purchase.
Delay
They underline how a single missed deadline can ripple up an entire chain and kill multiple linked transactions.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve lived in limbo for months, paying for a house we no longer want to be in while the chain repeatedly falls apart around us.
Fall-through risk
A HousingUK user said endless chain collapses had left them ‘exhausted and heartbroken’ after losing their dream property multiple times in a row.
The collapse of our completion left us technically in breach of contract; instead of celebrating moving day, we were on the phone to solicitors arguing about liability.
We switched to Movuno after the first sale fell apart, and the difference in day-to-day updates and effort to get us sold was night and day.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They highlight common issues like not keeping clients informed, not replying and letting matters drift for weeks.
Our buyer’s solicitor is one of the PM Law brands. They moved out with their children ready for completion, but with the firm shut the agent says they’re effectively homeless while everyone waits to see what happens with the funds.
The buyers kept changing and we had repeated collapses before a competent conveyancer and better communication finally got us across the line.
Hidden info
We only found out after exchange that the previous owners had multiple escape-of-water claims, which made the building almost uninsurable at renewal.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller warned leasehold sale costs and packs piled up to thousands over months.
estate agent fee
ready willing able clause
fee dispute
seller complaint
Estate-agent fee clause discussion raises concern about sellers being exposed to fees even where a transaction does not proceed as expected.
Delay
Before completion I paid my share of the annual estate maintenance fee to my solicitor, who sent it on to the seller's solicitor. Four months later the managing agent has written to me saying I still owe the amount, and the seller's solicitor is not responding, leaving me stuck in the middle.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d lined everything up for moving day, then watched it collapse in a single phone call – no compensation for the lost time and money.
Hidden info
The Ombudsman reports hundreds of complaints where consumers say missing or unclear information would have changed their decision to proceed.
Financial loss
Firm closure
financial loss
Former PM Law clients were told to recover paperwork and establish what happened to money paid before moving the conveyancing elsewhere.
Financial loss
financial loss
Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. The issue was about transaction friction, not general property advice.
Poor communication
poor communication
Useless staff… Phone calls and emails were not returned.
Our mortgage offer expires in five days and we still haven’t exchanged – if this drags on any longer the lender can just walk away.
Poor communication
poor communication
“I have no idea where the house sale is as no one is contactable.”
Delay
“Work did not begin on my case for a month.”
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our mortgage offer runs out in under two weeks and the sellers keep delaying; if we miss the deadline, the replacement deal will cost about £5,400 more.
They explain that until the legal ownership is sorted out, buyers and lenders tend to avoid the block, leaving existing leaseholders stuck with rising charges and no way out.
We’re stuck with an agent who hasn’t generated enough viewings, but changing now feels risky when our whole chain is hanging by a thread.
Delay
We had a viewing last week from a cash buyer and have heard nothing back. The agency keeps saying they will chase but I feel they are not really trying because we are changing estate agents when the contract expires. This was our first viewing in 13 weeks and apparently the viewer loved the house.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer’s mortgage fell through after they’d already had an offer; two weeks later the agent still hadn’t given us a clear explanation of what went wrong.
Delay
Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Another account says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They’d done everything on time, but repeated delays and poor communication from the other side’s conveyancer meant the whole transaction was hanging by a thread.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say nobody will give them straight answers about what is outstanding, leaving them feeling helpless in the middle of the transaction.
Hidden info
Undisclosed leasehold complications… made it unmortgageable.
Poor communication
poor communication
A resident says they were chasing proof of building insurance and couldn’t obtain it, creating serious risk and disruption.
Financial loss
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Hidden info
The Guardian reports shared-ownership leaseholders facing service charges up to £8,000 a year, leaving many trapped in homes they can’t easily sell.
A purchase in Scotland was derailed by a ‘nil value’ decision that felt discriminatory versus other valuations we’d seen.
Financial loss
financial loss
A reviewer says they paid for a document and received nothing, then struggled to get help or resolution.
Our conveyancer left a Land Registry issue unresolved for years; by the time I fixed it myself we’d lost the buyer and still couldn’t sell.
If we tried to sell a place with issues like this, buyers would run a mile. But as tenants we just live with it because enforcement is so weak.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
JMP Solicitors received a review from a client whose sale fell through twice; they praised the firm for staying on top of things and pushing both sets of lawyers so the eventual purchase didn’t drag forever.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyer feels their solicitor is slow and uncommunicative, with the estate agent chasing too.
Fall-through risk
They said having someone who actually understood the lease and could explain it to buyers stopped the flat from becoming a permanent fall-through story.
Slow, understaffed and liars. Estate agents and other law firms actually hate working with this company.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The constant fear that another sale will fall through is the main thing stopping us from trying again; we just can’t face paying all those upfront costs once more.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I only discovered how toxic my ground-rent clause was when my neighbour’s sale collapsed because their buyer’s solicitor advised them not to touch it.
Poor communication
poor communication
Official statistics regularly highlight communication problems as a key driver of complaints.
Poor communication
poor communication
Says communication is ‘mail only’ with short office hours, making progress feel intentionally slowed.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Worst conveyancer I ever dealt with. Extremely slow… Poor communication.”
Financial loss
financial loss
Leaseholders report being billed thousands for repair works they never approved or even knew about.
They said all the stories they hear from agents locally are about high-fee flats sticking on the market while houses and low-charge properties still move.
I felt rushed and pressured into signing the entire time. Ended up changing solicitors.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A Trustpilot review of Connells Survey & Valuation warns people to ‘avoid unless you want your property down-valued’, saying the surveyors ignored local evidence and cost them a deal.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through the day before exchange; the buyers suddenly decided they didn’t want to proceed without giving any clear reason.
The buyer says the process feels like a marathon with vague explanations and no clear timeline for when anything will actually complete.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Leaseholders complain of being charged £150 ground rent plus hundreds in late payment fees, with the structure of fees not properly explained.
Delay
Our conveyancer took ten days to answer simple enquiries; the chain above us grew impatient and found a different buyer who could move faster.
Delay
Our mortgage broker admitted the process had dragged on so long that several of their clients’ deals had fallen through purely due to offer expiry.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our adviser repeatedly failed to respond to calls or emails. We got no updates and had to chase endlessly just to find out what was happening.
Financial loss
financial loss
They explain that fragile chains lead to huge wasted spend on surveys, legal work and mortgage fees whenever a buyer or seller drops out.
We gave up on a purchase after two different surveyors came back with totally conflicting views, leaving us no idea who to trust.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
They say the undisclosed arrangement destroyed trust and made them feel the agent lacked transparency with money flows and agreements.
Financial loss
financial loss
The surveyor recommended expensive chemical damp treatment and the buyers bailed. A second opinion said the house was fine for its age, but by then the deal was dead.
financial loss
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referral fee review
misconduct allegation
conveyancing
estate agent
Legal press report says a referral-fee review was launched after allegations of misconduct in the BBC Panorama programme.
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyer complains about their estate agent’s poor communication after exchange, questioning what value the agent added.
Our buyer’s lender decided late in the day that the property was 'unmortgageable' due to its condition, and the quick-sale company had to pass us to a different team.
A review of exp UK on Trustpilot complains they couldn’t even get basic communication, with one prospective customer saying the valuer simply never turned up to the appointment.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication and customer service… we're currently a month delayed.
Delay
Land Registry told us fixing the title problem could take up to a year because of a queue of older applications, so any hope of salvaging the original sale vanished instantly.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A homeowner describes spending significant money on advice and letters while the situation escalated and dragged on.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through at the very last minute, but the agent had new viewings lined up within days and found us another buyer quickly.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
My new-build completion has been delayed for months. I am paying for an Airbnb and storage every week.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Today’s Conveyancer highlights a ‘significant rise’ in demand for help with conveyancing complaints, again pointing to poor communication and delays as the main themes.
Delay
Fall-through risk
On another thread, a seller said the buyers’ solicitor constantly delayed answering simple enquiries until the buyers gave up and the whole transaction collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Four chains in a row fell apart for different reasons, from mortgage problems to leasehold worries; each time we paid for new searches and surveys.
Hidden info
A buyer thought they were getting a bargain flat, but rising service charges and future works have turned it into a long-term liability.
As first-time buyers we’re watching our mortgage offer tick towards expiry while our PM Law conveyancer has gone and the replacement firm hasn’t even received our file yet.
Hidden info
Residents in ‘affordable’ housing say they were sold on low service charges, only to see them jump to unaffordable levels within a few years.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We were meant to exchange last week with PM Property Lawyers handling everything; now we’ve no idea who has our money or documents.
Poor communication
poor communication
The sellers said the buyers didn’t even have the decency to pick up the phone, leaving everyone to piece things together from silence.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
By the time the sale fell through I was dreading every call from the agent or solicitor, convinced it would be another demand or ultimatum.
Delay
Leaseholder complains that getting a signed deed of variation took weeks beyond a promised timeframe with minimal updates.
Delay
“Do Not Use Conveyancing Direct… completion… didn’t occur until April 2025!”
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We were using PM Property Lawyers to buy our first home. I’ve already paid thousands in fees and extra for a fire risk assessment. Now the firm has collapsed mid-transaction and I’m stuck in limbo, anxious that all that money and the purchase itself could be lost.
Delay
Solicitor delayed exchange by refusing to send the replies to enquiries until the following Monday for ‘administrative reasons’.
They feel pulled in two directions as their own agent says wait, while their onward seller’s agent insists they should put the property straight back on the market.
Poor communication
poor communication
The panel conveyancer insisted they ‘don’t do’ phone calls and only respond via an online portal; the other side’s lawyer simply stopped engaging.
Fall-through risk
Another buyer discovered their seller had a habit of offering on places and backing out just before survey – they’d done it ‘for years’, leaving a trail of collapsed chains behind.
Poor communication
poor communication
I accepted an offer a week ago and was told the estate agent would run affordability and other initial checks before marking the property as sold subject to contract. A week later I have had no update and no response to my email, and I am starting to worry about the lack of communication.
Hidden info
The housing association kept sending ‘revised’ service charge estimates after we’d found a buyer; by the third increase, they pulled out.
It shocked them that something they saw as a one-off row could end up following the property around and scaring off future buyers.
Delay
Reviewer says Muve asked for documents it had not provided and handled enquiries poorly during a house purchase.
Hidden info
One poster describes being first in a new build with a very long lease but still facing ongoing ground rent they hadn’t fully appreciated.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Poor communication, slow process… very frustrating to deal with.”
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Delay
Leasehold
First-time buyer’s flat purchase has dragged on since October because the seller’s solicitor appears not to have completed basic lease and cladding work.
Delay
Our conveyancer misread the freehold title and failed to notice a third-party charge which had to be cleared before completion. The issue surfaced on the day funds were due to be sent, forcing a last-minute delay.
Delay
Buyer says their purchase fell apart when the vendor let the place instead, and now refuses further viewings until after notice to the tenant.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyers complain their solicitors take days or weeks to reply, leaving them in the dark about progress.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale fell through and the estate agent’s contract was ending; we wanted to switch agents but weren’t sure if we’d be charged twice.
Financial loss
financial loss
They feel completely trapped – not just by the size of the bills, but by the stigma those charges create when the flat is marketed.
A buyer even knocked on our door to complain that the agent had lied to them as well as us.
Financial loss
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Our potential new build was down-valued by the mortgage provider; I’m gutted and worried the vendor won’t meet us anywhere near the survey figure.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Cancelled within cooling-off period: ‘No marketing, no board, no photos’ — still waiting for refund.
Sole selling rights
Agent contract
Tie-in
Seller says their agent's sole selling rights contract created concern about being tied in for a long period, making it difficult to switch strategy when unhappy with progress.
conditional selling
commission
recommended broker
recommended conveyancer
Consumer says estate agents should not push conditional-selling behaviour with conveyancers and brokers that earn them commission, calling it a reason to choose another agent.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
We paid PM Property Lawyers an upfront fee, then they suddenly decided they couldn’t act. Despite promising to refund us, weeks of chasing later we still hadn’t seen our money back.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A long-running forum post advises buyers to use independent verification tools and phone checks when transferring large sums, warning that ‘fraudulent solicitors’ and intercepted transactions can wipe you out.
We submitted an offer but the agent insists on checking finances before passing it to the seller. We have had no confirmation that the offer was even communicated despite the agent telling us our figure was reasonable.
Delay
Seller says a survey appointment was cancelled at short notice, wasting time and increasing the risk of a chain collapsing.
Delay
Buyer is under time pressure because outstanding enquiries may stop funds being released in time for exchange.
Poor communication
poor communication
Their message to solicitors is blunt: start searches early and communicate clearly, or risk chains collapsing while everyone waits for paperwork.
mortgage adviser pressure
kickback concern
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer says an agent made it sound like using their mortgage advisor was a condition of the purchase, with discussion noting referral kickback concerns.
Our buyers disappeared after their surveyor mentioned subsidence; no one came back to renegotiate, they just vanished and left us with the bill.
Poor communication
poor communication
Leaseholder says they had to phone daily for a basic update about building works, with poor follow-up.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Reviewer says the firm went radio silent after receiving a deposit and left them doing their own chasing.
They promised a fixed price but once the initial buyer dropped out, they still billed for every extra letter and call linked to the failed sale.
Delay
“Only thing we are awaiting on is the management pack… everyone has chased.”
fraud
A reviewer warns that a similarly named site is not the official Land Registry and charges a premium for basic documents.
Financial loss
financial loss
Commenters tell them they’ve already lost time and money and probably need to cut their losses and find a seller who is not so unreliable.
Delay
Searches and mortgage offer were all done weeks ago but we still haven’t had draft contracts from the sellers’ solicitor.
“Aggressive and bullied me throughout the whole time.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our previous sale fell through and we turned to SmoothSale; they got it back on the market quickly and resold it before the whole chain imploded.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Which? highlight that the main reasons house sales fall through are buyers changing their minds, bad surveys, mortgage problems, chains breaking and legal delays – and most of that is outside your control.
Delay
Buyer is warned to keep chasing the solicitor because leasehold complications are causing hold-ups in the purchase.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
We had an offer accepted on a house that needs a fair bit of work because of damp. We thought we could get a damp survey after agreeing the price, but were then told there was already a damp report that should have been sent with the home report and we never received it. Now we have finally seen it and want to lower our offer because of the extra cost, but we are not sure where we stand.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first buyers pulled out months into the process; the agent had to run an open day to find a new buyer so we didn’t lose our onward purchase.
Delay
They were furious that the only thing they got from the buyer’s buyer’s solicitor was an email ending with a casual ‘sorry’ after months of work.
Lawyers commenting on the PM Law collapse warn of ‘chaos’ for clients about to complete their house moves, with chains at risk and no clear plan for an orderly wind-down.
Delay
A reviewer says their chain-free transaction still dragged on for months and took far longer than expected.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On a first-time buyer group someone said their previous sale fell through and they squarely blamed the panel solicitor recommended by the agent for being slow and unresponsive.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Gaddes Noble handled a very simple, no-chain house sale but repeatedly asked for documents we’d already sent months earlier and then ignored emails showing this. No apology, just silence.
The engineer’s report said the retaining wall was unsafe and likely to fail; the seller thought we’d still proceed if they knocked a little off the price. We didn’t.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Upfront fee paid; property didn’t sell; says advert was pulled after six months and terms were ambiguous.
10-15 working day delay
leasehold delay
lender impact
client waiting
third-party dependency
poor communication
A director responsible for conveyancing services explains that leasehold transactions are often stalled waiting for management packs because third-party managing agents operate their own fee structures and 10–15 working-day response times. She says the buyer's solicitor may be unable to report properly or satisfy the lender until the information arrives, leaving both sides exposed to a delay outside the conveyancers' direct control.
An agent repeatedly allowed misleading marketing about 'no onward chain' and the ombudsman process felt useless.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller says poor communication and constant delays left their property sale stuck for months.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Our buyer’s lender changed their criteria partway through the process and suddenly wouldn’t accept self-employed income the way they had before, so the chain fell apart.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed, and when I tried to understand what went wrong, everyone pointed fingers at someone else; there was no single person in charge of the move.
Hidden info
A r/HousingUK commenter says their colleague’s flat service charge shot up to £10,000 a year and is now basically unsellable without slashing the price.
Hidden info
JBear Properties note that average service charges on flats rose about 11% in a year to around £2,300, widening the price gap between houses and high-fee apartments.
Some buyers say the jump in charges has wiped out any sense of affordability and made their homes unattractive to future purchasers.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Santander’s delay left us paying for removals, storage and hotels while our belongings were stuck in a van.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The Legal Ombudsman described a buyer whose sale collapsed over a title issue; they were told they could use indemnity insurance, but nobody explained it properly until it was too late.
We were supposed to complete on Friday. Instead, we’re in a short-term let with our furniture in storage because our conveyancing firm shut overnight and nobody can tell us when we can actually move in.
Another guide said if your mortgage offer expires before you exchange, your lender can simply withdraw it and you risk the whole purchase falling through unless you secure a new deal quickly.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Poor communication
poor communication
HomeOwners Alliance similarly notes that many complaints about solicitors relate to conveyancing, especially where clients feel they’re left chasing updates themselves.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Leaseholders describe paying huge sums for service charges and legal fees they never agreed to and cannot challenge.
Hidden info
BLB Solicitors say you must disclose any neighbour dispute – even historic – and admit most buyers lose enthusiasm once they hear about a ‘troublesome’ neighbour.
in-house broker
offer pressure
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer asks how to avoid being forced into speaking to an estate-agent mortgage broker before their house offer can proceed.
Mortgage issue
Delay
Buyer says they may have derailed their mortgage application and was left panicking about whether the application could still be rescued after a mistake.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
We’ve had three buyers pull out after survey on the same house; each report threw up slightly different issues and now nobody trusts any of them.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I sold my flat last month using a PM Law firm. The collapse has left me worrying that the money isn’t safe and that the purchase I was about to make could fall through if I can’t access the proceeds.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
“Our case was held for 30 days… no communication with the vendor’s solicitors.”
Hidden info
A complainant says a property was marketed as ‘no onward chain’, but later events meant the buyer had already spent on survey and conveyancing unnecessarily.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The conveyancer changed half‐way through and the new person inherited zero briefing. We got no handover and no update for weeks.
Hidden info
A leaseholder on a landlord forum says buying leasehold was one of the biggest mistakes of their life – the management company keeps hiking service charges and won’t explain the numbers.
Financial loss
financial loss
Because completion was pushed back, we had to pay extra for movers, storage and unpaid leave.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Communication was very frustrating… multiple emails not responded to.”
The hardest part isn’t just losing the sale, it’s mentally gearing up to relist and go through the whole rollercoaster again.
Delay
Months of poor service from the first agent left our sale in limbo until a different firm took over.
Delay
Homeowner reports two months of avoidable delay because title deeds were not correctly registered after completion.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
We were told everything was 'standard' and not to worry about the service charge level. A later review by another adviser highlighted escalating costs and minimal reserve funds which should have been flagged at the outset.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Reddit user says their house sale didn’t complete as planned because the buyer pulled out around exchange, leaving them suddenly back at square one.
Financial loss
financial loss
As first-time sellers we were shocked how quickly a buyer could walk away with no penalty, leaving us with nothing but survey and solicitor bills.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“There was a complete lack of communication… My buyer pulled out because of the time taken.”
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
The sale took ten months with two failed buyers; our conveyancer was at least good at communicating, but the constant fall-throughs were exhausting.
Completion delay
Funds release
Lender issue
Buyer says Nationwide fund release problems delayed exchange and completion, showing how lender payment issues can disrupt moving day even when parties expect to complete.
We had to abandon the purchase after discovering the lease had less than 70 years left and the freeholder wanted a fortune to extend.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We put our house on the market, found buyers and had an offer accepted on the place we wanted, only for everything to fall apart weeks later.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Chain collapsed after eight months when a buyer finally pulled out, and the poster blames constant solicitor delays, repeated unanswered enquiries and nobody taking ownership of the process.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We were buying via a SIPP and two sales fell through before we finally completed; each collapse meant more legal fees and reports with very little to show for it.
They warn owners that spiralling charges are increasingly reflected in lower offers and longer times on the market.
Poor communication
poor communication
“They purposely told me information late… rushed into purchasing it.”
We pulled out when our solicitor explained the lease wouldn’t let us keep a dog or even hang washing on the balcony; it felt like a legal straightjacket.
Delay
A recent article notes a ‘significant rise’ in people seeking help from the Ombudsman, with conveyancing complaints heavily focused on missed purchase deadlines.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Because the title plan didn’t match the garden fencing, our buyer’s solicitor insisted on corrections at Land Registry; the backlog meant our sale missed the stamp duty deadline and collapsed.
Fall-through risk
Citizens Advice couldn’t tell us who was really at fault; our buyer blamed the solicitor, the solicitor blamed the lender, and we were left with a collapsed sale.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Our mortgage offer expired after six months of conveyancing; four weeks later the chain collapsed and we were back to renting with no house and no offer.
Hidden info
purchase attempt that fell apart due to a lack of critical information being disclosed upfront
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers' inexperience and choice of Countrywide brought us to within a day of the whole chain collapsing.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were eight weeks into selling and buying when our buyer’s ‘personal issue’ killed the deal – the agents for the house we wanted gave us two weeks to find someone new.
It’s maddening that a survey can kill your sale yet there’s so little transparency about what was actually written or whether it was fair.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer pulled out after being passed from team to team and feeling the conveyancing was mishandled.
Buyer alleges they were effectively forced into an in-house mortgage appointment to be taken seriously on an offer.
We hadn’t realised it counted as a ‘dispute’ that had to be declared, but the paper trail of complaints to the council said otherwise.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They felt trapped paying legal bills for a failed sale largely caused by the firm’s own delays and lack of updates.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first buyers pulled out a few days before exchange, saying their circumstances had changed – we’d already packed half the house and now we’re back at step one.
Hidden info
A leading property law firm wrote that flat owners facing excessive and rising service charges can find it very hard to sell because buyers don’t want to inherit those bills.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Another r/HousingUK post asks why conveyancing solicitors are so uncommunicative, complaining of unanswered emails, calls going nowhere and weeks passing with no sense of progress.
Hidden info
We discovered a possible roof leak in the loft that was never disclosed. We want a price reduction to cover repairs but are worried the seller may withdraw if we push it.
Financial loss
financial loss
The buyer calculates that if they miss the deadline, the higher-rate replacement mortgage will cost them around £5,400 more over the fixed term.
They entered my rented home using a spare key with no notice from the agency. I felt completely unsafe and violated.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve lost our dream home because our buyers walked away and our sellers wouldn’t wait. We’re back to square one and hundreds of pounds lighter for surveys and legal fees.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our buyer pulled out after the managing agent took over six weeks to answer a basic enquiry from our solicitor, stalling everything until they lost patience.
Poor communication
poor communication
No one ever answers calls; complaints get no response; basic communication is nonexistent.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says the conveyancing fee list feels like paying for every tiny step, adding stress immediately.
Hidden info
Flood risk only came up in the environmental searches. No mention in the listing that the house backs onto a flood zone.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Another Ombudsman case involved a conveyancer whose poor communication and delay meant a sale fell through; the clients said they’d never understood what was going wrong until the buyer walked.
Hidden info
We discovered there was still ground rent on what we thought was a new ‘peppercorn’ lease – the charges weren’t obvious at the start.
Poor communication
poor communication
On ReviewSolicitors, one client sums up their experience with a conveyancing firm as ‘poor communication and lack of clarity throughout’, saying the file even moved between lawyers without them being told.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They praised the conveyancer for sticking with them through months of extra work and continually chasing others when the process kept grinding to a halt.
Financial loss
financial loss
Believes they were convinced to pay ground rent based on wrong information and then refused a refund.
Hidden info
In another older thread, a buyer walked away from a flat when they discovered the lease allowed big service charge increases at the freeholder’s discretion, with no real cap.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
We nearly lost our deposit after fraudsters spoofed our solicitor’s email and changed the bank details.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The survey report contained statements that felt wildly exaggerated, creating alarm for the buyer and putting the sale under threat.
Financial loss
financial loss
We walked away having burned cash on valuation, broker fees and searches for a property we never moved into.
Delay
Extra requirements kept appearing and it delayed the mortgage offer. When it finally came, sending it by post caused more avoidable delay.
Hidden info
Seller reports that their agent listed the property with key material information missing, leading to a buyer pulling out on survey and the seller still being chased for the full fee despite getting no completed sale.
Delay
In ‘House buying hell – is there anything I can do?’, an MSE user describes months of silence and delays from their solicitor while their purchase slowly unravels.
Delay
Several reviewers say they tried multiple agents for months or years with no luck, then had their property sold in weeks once proper marketing and communication started.
Property was down-valued by £22k for no clear reason, causing immediate mortgage headaches and stalling the next steps.
Being told to slash the price again after already listing way under market value felt like desperation tactics rather than proper advice.
A leaseholder on Reddit said insurers still treated their block as high-risk after cladding works, sending premiums sky-high and making it very hard to sell because lenders were nervous.
They were aggressively pushing their in-house mortgage adviser and it felt like you needed to comply just to proceed.
They’re worried about paying so much for communal services that don’t necessarily add value when it’s time to resell.
Two interested buyers said they loved the house but wouldn’t live next to that level of hostility.
Delay
The valuer did a very quick walk-through, didn’t check all rooms, and then undervalued—creating stress and delays for our deal.
Delay
Conveyancing dragged so much the seller threatened to pull out just to get movement; only formal complaining brought any resolution.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their flat sale fell through because the buyer’s lender refused to lend without an EWS1 form, even though the building has no cladding.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
An MSE thread warns that invoice/PDF interception scams often target house buyers by hijacking an email and replacing solicitor bank details to divert deposits.
Hidden info
Bettermove’s guide on selling with neighbour disputes explains you must declare ongoing rows on the TA6 and that hiding them can backfire badly later.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first buyer’s sale fell through because of leasehold issues in their flat, so we ended up selling separately and storing all our furniture for weeks.
Fall-through risk
We’d already paid for underpinning years ago, but buyers struggled to find insurance and the whole chain collapsed over something we thought was ‘fixed’.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Reviewer says two mortgage lenders withdrew because of unresolved issues and conveyancing delays.
You don’t forget the feeling of signing everything, then being told the sale you relied on has vanished overnight.
Poor communication
poor communication
Very poor service… did not chase the chain, keep us upated, return calls… provided incorrect advice…
Hidden info
Our leasehold flat has been on and off the market since 2021 – high service charges and a saturated local market mean every buyer eventually walks.
Fall-through risk
We had two purchases fall through when the developers changed their minds about selling, leaving us with nothing but legal bills.
Poor communication
poor communication
Management company response feels automated; nobody takes ownership or fixes the underlying issues.
A mortgage broker article warned that if your mortgage offer expires before completion, it can effectively stop your purchase and force you back to square one with a fresh application.
They believed their broker had been told the mortgage offer could be transferred, but later found the lender disagreeing on what had been promised when the first deal fell apart.
Delay
The agent did almost nothing to manage expectations in the chain; buyers were allowed to drift for months and then pulled out without penalty.
LawHive warns that if a seller lies on the TA6 about neighbour disputes, it can amount to misrepresentation because the form becomes part of the contract.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Gransnet, posters suggest keeping a property ‘open to viewings’ until the chain looks solid, because so many offers crumble before survey or mortgage approval.
Fall-through risk
A whole chain collapsed when one buyer let their mortgage offer expire, proving how fragile everything is when lenders set tight deadlines.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our purchase fell through and the solicitor later sent an invoice that was higher than expected. We asked for an itemised bill immediately and chased twice but they have not replied. We are worried they will try to charge interest even though they have not explained their fees.
We were told the surveyor was independent, but the valuation matched the mortgage offer almost exactly and left us unable to renegotiate a clearly over-priced house.
Financial loss
financial loss
Solicitor said they would act for me on conveyencing. I paid them the upfron fee and then they decided that they couldn't act for me.
Financial loss
financial loss
We were due to complete when our buyer’s mortgage offer expired; instead of moving, we’ve been left with an empty house and mounting costs.
Hidden info
Listed a house no lender will offer mortgage on due to spray foam insulation rotting risk to the roof timbers.
We now have no fixed address: sold our house, can’t complete the purchase, and the only reason is that our conveyancing firm closed its doors overnight without warning.
A mortgage guide warns that once an offer expires, the lender is no longer obliged to lend – buyers may have to start again, often on worse terms than before.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Nobody would give us a straight answer for hours; we eventually found out our buyer’s side simply hadn’t got the money together.
They warn that reapplying mid-chain can destabilise every linked sale, especially if affordability has tightened since the first offer.
Poor communication
poor communication
Repeated chasing needed; lack of urgency and updates created risk of losing the purchase.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
I always ask why the previous sale fell through, but you never really know if you’re being told the whole truth or just a vague story about 'personal circumstances'.
Houses usually sell quickly in our village but our agent could not generate interest or keep us informed.
The buyer's solicitor refused to take a phone call to resolve a simple misunderstanding about fixtures and fittings. Instead, they insisted on writing formal letters back and forth, wasting over a week on something that could have been cleared in minutes.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I had just got my mortgage offer when the house sale fell through; now I’m trying to work out if I can transfer it to a new property or whether I’ve got to start again from scratch.
We want to buy a property with an annex where the main house is used as a holiday rental with bookings for another year. It is on crown estate land with other farm buildings and our mortgage broker is struggling to find a lender who will accept the setup.
Delay
The reviewer says the agent kept them calm during the collapse and guided them through the process of finding a new buyer so the chain could be rebuilt.
Poor communication
poor communication
Unfortunately, my experience as a seller ... there was almost no proactive communication.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Smoothsale reviewer says they only turned to a quick-sale company because their original buyer pulled out, putting the entire chain at risk and leaving them panicking about losing their onward purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
We lost money on a failed sale after the estate agent held onto the buyer’s deposit longer than they should and both sides argued about who’d lost out.
Low deposit
Broker limitation
Mortgage access
Buyer says a broker could not find a lender that would accept a 10 percent deposit for a 150,000 pound property despite the applicant having no debts and saved fees.
uncleared charge
undertaking failure
regulatory action
post-completion risk
professional trust
A conveyancing professional questions how the system can function when a law firm does not honour the standard undertaking to clear charges from a property. She says the regulator fined the firm £675 and argues that the problem requires more than digitisation because the underlying issue is whether professional undertakings are actually performed.
Delay
We sold last September and put an offer in straight away on our next place; months later the chain is still crawling along and now our buyer’s mortgage offer is about to expire.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale fell through due to mortgage valuation issues and we had to accept a lower price with the next buyer to keep things moving.
Hidden info
NetLawman explains neighbour disputes cover noise, boundary rows and anti-social behaviour – all of which must be declared when you sell.
Another commenter replied that they’d personally avoid buying in that block because high charges and future increases would make it very hard to sell on.
Delay
Five months in and they still hadn’t sent initial enquiries.
Our sale completed and we’ve moved out, but the onward purchase can’t complete because the conveyancer has shut down. We’re living out of boxes with family and don’t know how long this limbo will last.
Delay
Our mortgage offer is due to expire before completion because the legal work has dragged on for months; the broker says we might have to reapply on worse rates if we miss the deadline.
User recounts their estate agent letting a sale get close to completion twice before collapsing, leaving them furious and exhausted.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out of our flat sale right before exchange and we have had to put it back on the market.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They thought they were relocating with a portable deal, but after repeated fall-throughs and missed payments they ended up being ‘dumped’ by their lender completely.
Hidden info
One commenter said their clients ‘found it hard to sell’ because many buyers just won’t shoulder big, open-ended service charges on top of a mortgage.
£625 standard fee
£925 expedited fee
15 business days
client cost
leasehold friction
A property solicitor reports being quoted £625 including VAT for a FirstPort management pack with a 15-business-day turnaround, or £925 for a two-business-day service. He says the expedited pack costs around half his own legal fee and criticises both the price and the quality of the information supplied, calling for a statutory cap on such charges.
Delay
Our sale didn’t complete on the day it was supposed to – we sat surrounded by boxes while the chain quietly died in the background.
Delay
Hidden info
Our first-time buyer walked away after eight months because the managing agent took four months to produce a service charge pack and nobody chased them.
Hidden info
The managing agent wanted hundreds of pounds for the leasehold information pack, and by the time it arrived the buyer had completely lost interest.
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Fall-through risk
fall through
the mortgage lender to him and his brother refused to release him, killing the entire transaction
Delay
Hidden info
The boundary issue was fixed last year but Land Registry delays meant I couldn’t switch to a cheaper fixed deal for months.
Hidden info
The house we are buying is riddled with asbestos, there was no TA6 form, the seller's information form did not ask about asbestos, we have twice been denied access to the detached garage and the property was advertised as freehold but is actually being put through as leasehold.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My purchase fell through the day before exchange and I’m about a thousand pounds out of pocket on surveys and legal work because the seller just panicked and pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
Let Property refused to refund my Buyers Premium
New build incentive
Completion deadline
Deposit risk
Buyer fears exchanging on a new build where incentives depend on completion by a fixed date, because if completion slips they could lose a 13500 pound contribution and face a higher mortgage cost.
Hidden info
LawHive explain that if a seller lies about neighbours on the TA6, it can amount to misrepresentation and give buyers grounds to claim losses later.
They’re left wondering if they can withhold payment while they wait, and whether the dispute will scare off future buyers if they try to sell.
We are close to exchange and completion and are wondering whether we should wait for the November budget. Does anything change after signing contracts or are we already committed?
Delay
We were repeatedly told our solicitor was ‘waiting on searches’, but when we checked with the local authority, no search request had ever been submitted.
Hidden info
On HousePriceCrash, posters say central London flats with £2,000-a-year service charges and big council tax bills are just sitting unsold while houses still move.
It’s brutal that you can get that close to exchanging and still have everything fall apart with a single phone call.
Poor communication
poor communication
One day we thought we were completing, the next day the agent called to say the buyers had changed their minds – no warning, no explanation.
We thought we were on a genuine no-move-no-fee deal but still had to pay for searches and extras when the chain fell apart, which no one had clearly explained.
Financial loss
financial loss
A 2008 thread titled ‘Fuckity fuckity fuck’ describes a sale collapsing right near the end after the buyers vanished, leaving the sellers over a thousand pounds out of pocket.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
One poster said their vendor became seriously ill and pulled out just two weeks before exchange after five months of pushing the sale along.
Delay
Our purchase was delayed repeatedly because the panel solicitor wouldn’t respond to the mortgage lender’s queries in a timely manner.
We were advised to buy ‘sale fail’ insurance only after our first buyers had already pulled out, which was exactly when we needed it but no longer qualified.
Poor communication
poor communication
The phone goes unanswered and emails sit in my inbox for days. My solicitor says ‘we’ll reply next week’ every week.
Delay
Another broker warns that solicitor delays, chain problems and new-build hold-ups are all common reasons mortgage offers expire before completion.
Two prospective buyers withdrew immediately after witnessing the behaviour, saying they didn’t want to live next to constant drama.
Financial loss
financial loss
Daylight robbery! Connells have taken my money for several valuations during the past year.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In ‘House sale collapse’, a seller says their buyer’s sale collapsed and the buyer immediately relisted with the same agent, but they were never told why it fell apart.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We were stunned to learn that the average person who has a sale fall through loses nearly three thousand pounds in sunk costs, with no compensation.
Hidden info
We are buying an older house and noticed a roof tile with a large hole and several slipped tiles, on top of already needing substantial work to the outbuildings. We want to know whether the survey will give us grounds to negotiate repairs or a price reduction.
You assume the agent will weed out time-wasters, but in reality you can get a long way down the road with buyers who haven’t thought through basics like parking.
Financial loss
financial loss
A landlord complains of being billed heavily for routine paperwork, calling the charges disproportionate.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
We were recommended an ‘integrated’ mortgage service and sent all documents, then the adviser disappeared entirely. After weeks of silence we had to start again elsewhere.
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt the agent wasn’t big or proactive enough to rescue the chain in time, and were weighing up the risk of dual fees against the risk of losing their onward purchase.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
New-build delays mean the buyer’s mortgage offer is expiring and the replacement rate is much higher than the original deal.
Fall-through risk
Financial loss
financial loss
fall through
Seller says a leasehold flat sale collapsed after the buyer pulled out, despite the flat having a renewed lease and no ground rent, leaving the seller frustrated with how the process allows late withdrawal.
Quick Move Now’s data shows nearly three in ten UK property sales failed to complete in 2024 – buyers dropping out, finance issues or chains breaking apart.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer alleges aggressive chasing for business via calls/texts/emails felt like harassment after requesting quotes elsewhere.
Leaseholder says trying to pay ground rent was made unnecessarily difficult, with limited payment methods and failed attempts.
Delay
Iv been waiting nearly 8 months now to complete a simple… house purchase. Awful communication… constantly lied too
Fall-through risk
fall through
A week later the cash buyer pulled out by email... He didn't have the cash.
Financial loss
financial loss
they kept the deposit from the buyer
Financial loss
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Fall-through risk
fall through
On Digital Spy, someone wrote that they were ‘so stressed’ after their sale fell through on the day they should have been completing and handing over keys.
Delay
We are mid property transaction and the service is worse than useless. Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our agent was happy to recommend a high commission when the first offer came in over asking, but once that sale fell through they suddenly thought £45k under asking was ‘reasonable’.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We had a £45k down-valuation on a shiny refurbished place – the lender’s surveyor decided it wasn’t worth anywhere near what we’d agreed and the sale collapsed overnight.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Buyer’s sale collapsed; they felt their solicitors kept cashing cheques while knowing their own sale hadn’t completed.
conditional selling
consumer choice
in-house conveyancing
buyer pressure
Report on the Panorama allegations says some buyers were allegedly pressured into in-house mortgage or conveyancing services to improve their chances of securing a property.
Leaseholder says they still couldn’t get an online account set up after years, despite emails and calls.
Delay
We’re FTB with no chain but our solicitor replaced halfway through the process and now exchange looks six months away.
Hidden info
“We pay significant service charges… poor service… negligent and actively endangers residents.”
Financial loss
financial loss
They ask whether it’s worth pursuing compensation because they feel the agent’s behaviour contributed to the collapse and they want their money back to go elsewhere.
Delay
House sale held up for ten weeks waiting for a management pack; no phone contact and slow email replies.
Delay
My solicitor really good we were ready to complete the sale after 8 weeks But pm property lawyers started to find lots of different things to querie
Delay
Fall-through risk
We’ve been trying to buy a no-chain property with PM Property Lawyers since mid-2025. Now, just as we thought we were nearing the end, the firm has collapsed and our agent says the chain could still fall apart.
A seller says they were bullied and spoken to aggressively throughout the instruction, making the process stressful.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
A seller describes long Land Registry timescales and the domino effect: buyer loss, onward purchase loss, and money down the drain.
Financial loss
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. following the February 2026 intervention.
Financial loss
financial loss
They also note sellers who believe their agent undersold the property, leaving them worse off financially and fuelling disputes after completion.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
They say the financial adviser blames audits and random checks, but nobody gives a firm answer about when the mortgage offer will actually appear.
Poor communication
poor communication
Poster says conveyancing solicitors are often unresponsive and buyers may need to chase constantly to avoid sitting for months.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Another ReviewSolicitors entry for Gilson Gray describes ‘communication consistently poor’, with phone calls rarely answered promptly and emails often waiting days for a reply.
estate agent pressure
independent survey
buyer pressure
bad practice
Buyer says an estate agent got aggressive after they brought family to a second viewing and booked an independent survey, raising concern about pressure tactics.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A poster on Digital Spy said they were ‘so stressed’ after their house sale fell through on the day they were expecting to complete, leaving them with removals booked and nowhere to go.
Leasehold harassment
Garage dispute
Solicitor letter
Leaseholder says a garage freeholder repeatedly entered the garage, challenged permitted use and sent a solicitor letter for rent and insurance after 14 years, which felt like ongoing harassment.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our solicitor missed a clear clause requiring a deed of variation for the lease. The lender rejected the entire application and we had to switch banks at additional cost.
Delay
Offer accepted but completion still not happening; case passed between multiple solicitors after internal changes.
Delay
Our buyers are using this shambolic firm... now in month 6 of a simple conveyancing... no chain.
They ended up questioning whether the valuation reflected the actual house at all, or simply a tick-box exercise.
Hidden info
We only realised after moving in that the previous owners had constant rows with the neighbours about noise; none of it was mentioned on the TA6.
They warn that failing to disclose important facts can be treated as a ‘misleading omission’ under consumer law, putting agents at risk of enforcement action.
We found out our sale had fallen through while we were on holiday; there’s nothing like checking your email poolside and discovering you no longer have a buyer.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they repeatedly had to prompt the firm to send documents and then struggled to get any response about refunding a deposit.
They also highlight complaints where properties were sold for less than they were worth, with sellers blaming poor advice and weak negotiation from their agents.
The mortgage lender’s own staff gave us contradictory answers about the interest rate change date—nobody seemed to know the policy.
Delay
By the time anyone reacted to the emerging problems, the buyers had lost patience. It was hard not to feel that better conveyancing could have saved the sale.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer’s premium refused even after the purchase attempt fell apart.
Hidden info
Every potential buyer baulks at the fact the service charge can be increased without any cap; they don’t want to sign a blank cheque for the freeholder.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
I tried to reuse Angela Viney after a previous transaction but after two weeks and several emails they still hadn’t replied, so I gave up and went elsewhere.
A buyer says their solicitor flagged a ground rent clause that doubles every 25 years, warning it could be considered unreasonable and could cause lending problems.
Delay
We were repeatedly reassured that our solicitor was 'waiting on Land Registry'. When we checked, the application had only been lodged weeks after completion, contrary to what we had been told.
Hidden info
The Guardian reports average service charges for leasehold flats rising 11% in a year to £2,300, with over half of leaseholders now paying more in service charges than in council tax.
The house we were buying was taken off the market just days before completion, leaving us back at square one and unable to move as planned.
Delay
Mortgage issue
Buyer started a Help to Buy remortgage in August with a November completion target, but solicitor delays pushed the case past the planned completion date and left them stressed about what to do next.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
The same police warning highlights how payment-diversion fraud hits right near completion, when people are under pressure and moving large sums—exactly when a collapse can be financially devastating.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They say many clients only realise things have stalled when they start chasing, because nobody has proactively explained the reasons for the delay.
Hidden info
Ombudsman data shows frequent disputes over missing service charge and ground rent details that buyers only uncover late in the process.
Still marketed
Accepted offer
Agent conduct
Buyer says the estate agent would not take the property off the market even after solicitor details were exchanged, forcing the buyer to consider bypassing the agent through solicitors.
Poor communication
poor communication
They concluded that even when third parties are slow, clients deserve proactive chasing and clear communication instead of being left in the dark.
A lender-appointed surveyor refused to value the property due to proximity concerns after a short visit, stalling the mortgage and piling on stress.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A PM Law / PM Property Lawyers client says even the complaints team showed ‘prolonged delays, lack of communication and repeated errors’, and that they waited weeks just to get their completion statement and money back.
Hidden info
Posters warn that even if the annual ground rent looks small, its review pattern can make a home un-mortgageable over time.
Cladding
Leasehold
Mortgage expiry
Buyer of a Birmingham flat faces the risk of their mortgage offer expiring because the seller's solicitor has failed to progress lease and cladding-related paperwork for months.
Delay
“Over four and a half months… still not completed… due to ‘searches’.”
It says flat owners vent on forums about being stuck with homes that won’t shift unless they slash the asking price to offset ongoing charges and risks.
Delay
Hidden info
We discovered the extension at our property had no planning permissions and instead had indemnity insurance. Worse, the indemnity policy was only put in place weeks after we completed, meaning we owned the property with no insurance in place at completion. We were never told about this.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
They highlight cases where clients thought they had a fixed fee, only to find extra charges added when a sale dragged on or fell through.
They see more and more cases where buyers only discover noise or harassment problems after moving in, then regret not asking harder questions.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Some owners only discover near lease expiry that renewing could cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Hidden info
Potential buyers lose interest the moment they see our annual service charge is more than the council tax; we feel like prisoners in our own flat.
Delay
A thread titled ‘Selling house/searches’ has posters explaining they delay searches until after the survey so they don’t waste hundreds of pounds if the buyer pulls out at survey stage.
Delay
The lender placed our case ‘under manual review’ with no timescale. We waited 23 days while the seller threatened to remarket.
Financial loss
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert poster ranted that their estate agent overvalued the house, barely generated any interest, then the eventual buyer still backed out and they had to relist at a lower price.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A poster described their chain falling apart on the day of exchange; they had completion dates booked, boxes packed, and then everything stopped in one email.
Delay
Solicitor misread the lender’s mortgage conditions, resulting in extra documentation and delays close to completion.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I’m here to warn others who might be thinking about using this company who ultimately cost us the sale of our property.
Fall-through risk
Our first buyer pulled out over financing after all the conveyancing was done, leaving us racing against our own mortgage expiry with a new buyer.
A William H Brown reviewer says when they rang about viewing a bungalow, staff were more interested in booking a valuation on their own house and pushing an in-house mortgage broker than arranging the viewing.
We only learned the lender had pulled the plug when the buyers rang us in tears to say they couldn’t afford the new rate.
Financial loss
financial loss
After all the stress of one failed sale, having a company that simply got it done felt like a relief, even if we took a hit on the price.
seller detriment
in-house services
conditional selling
offer prioritisation
Property-sector article says the Panorama investigation showed staff appearing to prioritise buyers using in-house services over potentially better offers.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A different Reddit user asks if they’re ‘overreacting’ to their solicitor’s delays, saying the lack of updates is causing serious stress during their first home purchase.
Hidden info
Reallymoving advise buyers to scrutinise the TA6 for any disclosed disputes or complaints, and say unresolved neighbour issues are a valid reason to walk away.
Fall-through risk
Our buyer was relying on a gifted deposit from parents, who changed their minds halfway through; the agent only told us when the chain had already collapsed.
Hidden info
On an MSE thread about service charges, someone said flats in their block were now hard to sell and lagged behind neighbouring properties because the charges had crept so high.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
1. Excessive and Unjustified Delays… 2. Persistent Failure to Communicate…
Poor communication
poor communication
I was warned that the recommended conveyancers rarely picked up the phone.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
It feels surreal that a decision completely outside my control could cost me my mortgage deal and months of extra waiting.
They contrasted that supportive approach with other agents who disappear once a ‘sold’ board goes up and do little to rescue a wobbling chain.
Twice now, our purchase has died at the survey stage. It makes you feel like every property is a ticking time bomb once a surveyor gets involved.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The reviewer praises their own lawyer’s persistence, saying without constant chasing they might never have reached exchange at all.
Financial loss
financial loss
We completed our sale through a PM Law firm just before the collapse, but the proceeds never reached us. That money was supposed to fund our next purchase and now both moves are on hold.
Poor communication
poor communication
The stress came from silence more than anything else in the whole process.
Offer accepted on our purchase late May ... our mortgage offer expires in mid December
Fall-through risk
fall through
So slow we lost our buyer… our buyer finally pulled out…
Sorting out the garden title took so long that our mortgage offer expired and the solicitors stopped returning calls, leaving the whole move in tatters.
Felt bullied and pressured throughout the sales process by an aggressive staff member.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were four weeks from completion when our sellers simply changed their minds about moving. It was our fourth collapsed chain and we’re completely exhausted by this process.
Hidden info
The buyer says flood risk wiped tens of thousands off the value of a home they loved once they discovered recent serious flooding in the street via a local Facebook group.
Financial loss
financial loss
If we have to reapply, the new rate will cost thousands more over the fixed term – all because the process drifted and nobody took responsibility.
Delay
Our broker and solicitor keep saying completion ‘should’ be fine, but there’s no guarantee – one delay and we could lose the rate and the house.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We were stunned to learn that until exchange, either party can just walk away; months of work and money can vanish with one email.
Poor communication
poor communication
On r/HousingUK, one buyer asks why their conveyancing solicitor never gives updates – calls go unanswered and they feel like their purchase has just been forgotten.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Another adviser says that if your mortgage offer expires because conveyancing drags on, you’re usually forced through a fresh application – more paperwork, more fees, more stress.
Bad marketing
Rightmove listing
Lost momentum
Seller says their estate agent left a listing live on Rightmove for months after viewings were paused, making buyers wonder why the flat had not sold and damaging its relaunch prospects.
Poor communication
poor communication
When the sale died, I realised I’d never once had a proactive update from the solicitor – I always had to chase, and half the time nobody knew what was going on.
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe leaseholders who only discover, when trying to move, that the small print of their lease and charges has turned the flat into a financial millstone.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their Muve account manager lost track of the case and even thought the buyers were sellers after months of handling it.
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller felt the buyer’s panel conveyancer model artificially extended the process and risked costly errors.
Fall-through risk
fall through
As a seller, I now always ask why the previous sale fell through. Solicitors even raised it formally in their additional enquiries on my current flat.
We instructed Gaddes Noble Law for a straightforward sale and purchase. Now, after the PM Law collapse, we’ve been left with no updates and no idea who holds our deeds.
Delay
The Law Society’s guidance on complaining about a solicitor says the Legal Ombudsman mainly deals with poor service such as delayed or unclear communication, lost documents and billing issues.
Financial loss
financial loss
I have a maisonette with only 65 years left on the lease. I cannot afford the cost of extending it and do not want to spend money I will not recover. I owe 52k on the mortgage and need around 75k from the sale but interest from buyers is minimal.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our estate agent says they can’t contact the other side’s solicitor. We’re stuck with zero updates yet all parties know the chain is wobbling.
Mid-purchase, told property would stay on market, then someone else bought — feels mishandled.
Hidden info
We are being forced to pay our agents Yopa even though they did not sell our property. I did the viewing, sold the property myself and we lost the original sale because the house was listed incorrectly and key material information was missing.
Hidden info
We were told we’d pay a modest service charge, but years later the numbers have crept up so much that it’s scaring off potential buyers.
“The whole process of buying a house has been painful… largely down to our solicitor.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
One Redditor said their ‘useless’ solicitor took ages to acknowledge a complaint and then the sale fell through, leaving them paying for work they felt had been badly handled from day one.
Delay
Our purchase was undervalued by the lender’s surveyor, forcing stressful renegotiations and wasting weeks.
Financial loss
financial loss
They took money for multiple valuations and repeatedly came back with zero value outcomes, forcing us to go elsewhere.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Weeks passed with no updates, leaving the buyer worried the deal would collapse; they felt ignored unless they escalated aggressively.
Countrywide kept cold-calling even after we told them we’d booked another survey; blocking numbers didn’t stop it.
Hidden info
Material information requirements extended by government – yet still many listings omit key facts. We fell into one of those omissions.
We considered buying the previous buyer’s searches to save time, but the whole idea highlighted how fragile the process is when one failed sale already sits behind you.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
As first-time buyers we chose Angela Viney for their high rating but our solicitor was nearly impossible to reach, took weeks to reply and sent bundles of paperwork without any clear explanation.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
An article on poor communication by a legal complaints firm advises clients to keep a log of unanswered emails and calls when their conveyancer goes quiet for weeks.
Hidden info
We want to buy a property that has spray foam insulation in the roof and are worried about getting a mortgage approved, even though our loan to value would be under 50 percent and we have funds to remove and replace the roof after completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
The communication throughout this process has been absolutely appalling — in fact... no communication at all.
Financial loss
financial loss
Even after heavy price drops, the flat still hasn’t sold, and exit fees mean they’ll lose another chunk of value when it finally does.
Poor communication
poor communication
They specifically highlight how rare it felt to get honest, detailed updates in a system where so many people complain of being left in the dark.
A Screwfix community thread has a seller whose 150-year-old home was hit with a long list of issues and a down-valuation after the buyer’s homebuyer survey.
Hidden info
We offered on a flat that was marketed with an EPC C rating, but the official report is actually F. The agent says they took the seller's word for it.
The same page also highlights a review praising another agent as an example of what an estate agent should be – knowledgeable, responsive and proactive, by contrast.
Financial loss
financial loss
Campaigners say buyers were lured in by low initial estimates and only discovered the true costs later, when charges had already soared.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Another Guardian story said some shared-ownership buyers saw service charges jump by hundreds of percent, turning ‘affordable’ homes into serious financial liabilities.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Then the mortgage lender to him and his brother refused to release him, killing the entire transaction!
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Soaring service charges mean our ‘affordable’ shared-ownership home is now almost impossible to sell, with would-be buyers put off as soon as they see the annual costs.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Pattinson review says the original sale fell through and the seller was then pushed towards auction, with the agent suggesting they list 20% below market value.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Cost me thousands of pounds, sale fell through
Financial loss
financial loss
We were warned by our solicitor that if the money stuck with PM Law isn’t released promptly, the seller could serve a notice to complete and then keep our deposit if we can’t perform.
offer not passed on
broker verification
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer reports an estate agent would not pass their offer to the seller until the agent contacted their mortgage broker, then imposed a same-day deadline while the broker was unavailable.
Hidden info
Agents say prospective purchasers now walk away as soon as they see the service charge schedule, leaving some flats effectively unsellable unless prices are slashed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I am worried they may withdraw from the purchase
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
No one at the firm seemed to take ownership; every message went unanswered for weeks.
Hidden info
The neighbour stormed over during a viewing to shout about the shared drive; the buyers left halfway through and never came back.
Financial loss
financial loss
It highlighted how unfair charges and opaque insurance kickbacks can push annual costs so high that flats become unattractive to buyers and lenders.
Financial loss
financial loss
We tried an online agent for the lower fees but service was so poor we moved to a local high street firm instead.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller says simple enquiries were left for weeks, creating a chain-wide delay and extra moving costs.
Hidden info
The sellers converted the cellar into a habitable room without building regulations approval and there is no FENSA certificate for the window. They only offer an indemnity policy. We are unsure of the long-term risks for lending and resale.
Delay
“It took them 5 months… to send initial enquiries.”
Delay
We’re waiting for an insurance certificate to progress issues; experience shows why reform is needed.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Even if the asking price looks good, big service charges and looming major works can knock thousands off what buyers are actually willing to pay.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first buyer backed out after five months. We held an open day, got three offers, then the second buyer also pulled out just before exchange.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Gransnet, a mum said her son had two flat sales fall through at the point of exchange, with boxes packed and everything ready to go.
We believe our details were shared without consent during the process, which then harmed the application. Felt unsafe and unprofessional.
Hidden info
A HousingUK user said they feel ‘trapped in a leasehold flat’ where service charges shot up while owners of neighbouring luxury units pay far less per square foot.
Poor communication
poor communication
A Trustpilot review for a national conveyancing firm praises them for being proactive and communicative, while noting that the biggest complaint people usually have about conveyancers is lack of updates.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
The report says almost one in three transactions fail, often months after an offer is accepted, due to surveys, delays and seller withdrawals – leaving buyers with average losses well over £1,000 each.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Our first sale collapsed when the estate agent failed to pass on vital information about a historic flood; the buyers found out from their own searches and lost all trust.
Buyer describes an estate agent failing to coordinate viewings and not explaining that sellers could only do limited times.
Delay
I had my offer accepted in early July. I have still not completed the purchase.
Hidden info
Nobody had explained that the historic claim would keep causing problems every time someone tried to get a mortgage on the house.
Chain misrepresentation
Mental stress
Delay
Buyer says sellers were presented as chain-free first time buyers, but later discovered a chain existed and the sellers ignored requests to break it, delaying the move and affecting the buyer's mental health.
They say they’re trying not to panic, but every day of silence makes them more worried the sale will collapse at the last minute.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
My house sale just fell through and I’ve discovered home seller protection insurance might have covered some of the wasted costs – nobody mentioned it at the start.
Broker fee
Failed application
Poor value
Buyer says a mortgage broker charged 600 pounds for specialist advice but failed to find a lender after a failed application, while the buyer later found an option themselves.
I’ve seen several deals die at the last hurdle because buyers can’t bridge the gap between down-valued mortgages and stubborn asking prices.
A Trustpilot reviewer says a Countrywide survey ‘down-valued and ridiculed’ their home when they were trying to borrow more, leaving them angry and stuck on their existing mortgage.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
My buyer has pulled out after 6 months. Their solicitor has been slow from the start. I have spent hundreds on legals for both my sale and onward purchase which now probably will not go ahead.
Poor communication
poor communication
They describe the whole experience as ‘no communication, no service, completely unprofessional’, feeling like they were being sold to rather than properly helped onto the ladder.
They advise buyers to keep all marketing, TA6 answers and emails, because those documents often prove what was promised when a chain later collapses over hidden issues.
The conveyancer changed fee-earner three times without telling us. Each new person claimed they ‘weren’t familiar with the file’, and basic questions had to be answered over and over again.
The solicitor failed to send the contract pack to the buyer’s side for over 18 days. The estate agent only found out when the buyer threatened to walk away.
Delay
The completion date on our move keeps slipping. Every delay means more storage, more rent and more stress.
Fall-through risk
fall through
my apartment sale is about to fall through for the second time because of this and I could cry
Delay
Buyer is ready to exchange but sellers are not, leaving them waiting despite having told their solicitor they are ready.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Stephens Wilmot review references slow progress with poor communication on a property matter.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A friend waited five months for her seller to find somewhere. In the end the vendor just decided not to move and the whole sale collapsed anyway.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. after the PM Law group closure.
Delay
We were supposed to complete months ago but a problem at the top of the chain ruined everything, leaving us paying rent and storage.
Financial loss
financial loss
Like many others, we found out the hard way that one in three transactions can collapse, taking thousands in sunk costs with them.
Japanese knotweed
Agent disclosure
Ombudsman
Buyer says an estate agent claimed not to know about Japanese knotweed despite recently selling nearby properties, prompting the buyer to consider escalating a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Financial loss
financial loss
When developers pulled out of the deal, my conveyancer still billed almost the full fee despite us never getting to completion.
“Mortgage offer expired… all they managed to do was make searches.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
An estate agent review site article notes that one in three UK house sales falls through, often because a single weak link in the chain collapses and drags everyone else with it.
A long consultation turned into heavy pressure to buy insurance products, which felt like a sales ambush.
Mortgage issue
Poor advice
Buyer says their broker advised a two year fixed rate even though they had asked about a five year fixed, leaving them uncertain whether the recommendation suited their situation.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The figures match what home movers say online: nobody minds waiting as much as being ignored and left guessing whether the deal is alive.
Poor communication
Incompetent handling
poor communication
Review says PCS Legal were incompetent on a repeat transaction, with the client saying they would never use them again and wanted a solicitor they could speak to by phone.
Deed of variation updates were ‘coming shortly’ but follow-ups hit automated replies; worries it endangered the sale.
Delay
Our purchase is stuck because Butterworths Solicitors – part of the PM Law group – closed with only a handwritten notice on the door. We were expecting to exchange within days and now have no idea who holds our file.
Poor communication
poor communication
fraud
Told it was a scam: documents not delivered and refund requests ignored; no phone number.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Irlams applicant says an application submitted immediately after viewing took over a week to receive an outcome.
Our buyers took offence when we said we’d be taking the relatively new fridge; they said it made us seem greedy and pulled out rather than negotiate.
“Incompetent… poor attitude… One the worse maintained estates in Cardiff.”
A homeowner describes trying to claim for damage they believed was covered and feeling the process failed homeowners.
We discovered late in the day that the property relied on a ‘flying freehold’ over next door; our lender’s underwriters were deeply uncomfortable.
Hidden info
Our buyer walked away when they discovered informal parking arrangements; there was no legal right over the driveway we’d used for years.
This has to be the most unprofessional company ever!
Delay
Our buyer’s solicitor waited until the day of exchange to say the leasehold wasn’t properly registered, so the whole sale died on the spot.
Our conveyancer failed to advise us that the seller had not provided proof of building regulations for a loft conversion. We only found out when our insurer refused cover after completion.
Financial loss
financial loss
After the PM Law group collapse, we learned the SRA had stepped in and taken over client files and accounts. As sellers we still don’t know when we’ll see our sale proceeds.
Our first buyer vanished the day before exchange; the agent shrugged and immediately relisted without offering much explanation or support.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer warns others not to expect too much after describing an awful conveyancing experience.
Valuer reassured us during the visit, then submitted a lower figure afterward which derailed our remortgage expectations.
Myerson’s guidance for sellers bluntly says that if you omit key details on the TA6, a buyer could both refuse to complete and sue for losses.
Hidden info
The same poster says they only now realise how much that fixed monthly charge changes affordability once you come to resell.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer described being stuck for weeks because the other side’s conveyancer wouldn’t respond properly, forcing repeated chases.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
I thought ‘no move, no fee’ meant exactly that, but when the sale collapsed I was handed an £800 bill for an insurance policy I didn’t even know I’d supposedly agreed to.
Delay
We had an offer accepted but the lender down-valued the house by £12,500 and the survey found damp, roof repairs, vermin, brickwork problems and a full rewire needed. We asked to renegotiate and after almost three weeks the sellers still have not responded.
Hidden info
The first buyers pulled out after survey, and now every new viewer wants to know what was in that report, even though we never got a copy ourselves.
Poor communication
poor communication
Formal complaints go nowhere; they reply when they want and don’t resolve anything.
They also mention sellers who believe their home was under-sold because the agent mishandled offers, leaving lingering resentment after completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
I was left stressed and unsure because emails and calls were ignored for long periods.
On Trustpilot, one conveyancing client says poor competence and communication from their solicitor ‘dragged out the whole process’ to the exasperation of their lender and the seller’s lawyer.
HSBC instructed a mortgage valuation which came back at £0 and ‘not habitable’ despite another valuation already existing.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Complaints partially upheld: delays sending a conveyancing quote and failure to call during the process.
Delay
Buyer can’t get hold of their conveyancer by phone or email the week they hoped to exchange.
On Mumsnet, a buyer says their homebuyer survey valued a £680,000 house at £615,000 – the lender would still lend, but they suddenly felt like they were overpaying massively.
Financial loss
financial loss
I’m now facing the risk of incurring unnecessary stamp duty costs...
Hidden info
Bettermove’s guide says high service charges shrink your buyer pool because people compare total monthly outgoings, not just the purchase price.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot reviewer for Agent & Homes said their first sale collapsed with a different agent who had simply stuck it on Rightmove, but the new agent stepped in and actually drove the deal through.
Quick Move Now warn that unresolved neighbour rows – noise, harassment, anti-social behaviour – can seriously hamper a sale or force big price cuts just to get someone to buy.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Vendor says service was worse than expected: poor handling, poor communication, and extra costs later.
Hidden info
On a leaseholder forum, one owner complains they feel ripped off paying over £1,200 in service charges for a small block with no lift and minimal services.
Financial loss
financial loss
Because I was misled about why the last buyers walked away, I ended up hundreds of pounds out of pocket when we had to pull out too.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Quarterly Legal Ombudsman data shows that almost half of accepted complaints are about poor communication or delays, with over a third relating to residential conveyancing alone.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our buyer pulled out because of a boundary dispute we inherited from the previous owner – a hedge encroaching a few inches suddenly became a deal-breaker.
We kept renewing our mortgage offer while chains kept failing further up; after the third collapse we finally walked away, thousands of pounds lighter.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We were FTBs and thought we’d done everything right, but our seller’s onward purchase collapsed and after months of waiting we simply gave up and stayed renting.
Poor communication
Financial loss
financial loss
poor communication
Commenter says once the upfront fee was paid they felt forgotten about by the online agent.
No response
File handover failure
Delay
Seller says a sale was dragging because the solicitor was initially useless and then stopped replying completely after the conveyancer left the firm without anyone updating the client.
reservation agreement
service charge
new build
misleading cost
New-build buyer says the service charge in reality was far higher than figures quoted on the reservation agreement and checklist.
Hidden info
One Sun article follows a couple whose service charges shot from under £3,000 to £7,500 a year – they’ve slashed the price, but still no buyer wants the liability.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In the PM Property Lawyers support group, hundreds of buyers and sellers say they were days from completion when the shutdown hit, leaving them stuck with packed boxes and nowhere to go.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer’s mortgage fell through and the agent called to ask if we’d still be interested at our original price, but by then we’d lost faith in the whole process.
Delay
An article on claim delays notes that many home insurance customers are left waiting so long for decisions and repairs that their lives are effectively on hold.
The buyers conveyancers, a 'tick box' firm said nothing and the deal progressed
Our buyers disappeared after their insurer asked questions about historic flood events; nobody had mentioned the river bursting its banks a few years back.
We’ve packed up our lives, kids and pets ready to move, only to be told our PM Law firm has closed and the completion can’t happen. We’re effectively homeless until someone new picks up the file.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through because we couldn’t agree on who would repair a dangerous retaining wall; neither side wanted to inherit the liability.
Buyer says the process became an emotional grind because basic actions took too long and nobody owned it.
Delay
The broker took weeks to submit our full mortgage application, and by the time it was assessed the lender’s product had been withdrawn.
Hidden info
The message is always the same: if you don’t check the lease and charges carefully, you risk owning something buyers will keep walking away from.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We found a more expensive property after the first sale fell through but had no idea whether the bank would increase the loan or force us to reapply from scratch at different rates.
Hidden info
Posters argue that without proper due diligence on service charges and ground rent, buyers can end up stuck with a flat they can’t afford.
Losing that house meant losing our onward purchase as well; the developer couldn’t wait for us and we watched our ideal new build go to someone else.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Ongoing false promises and constant chasing over months, with the paying customer feeling ignored.
Financial loss
financial loss
The agent and sellers were aware of a major issue with the property but did not disclose it. We discovered it later from their social media and had to fight to recover our costs.
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice say they see cases where buyers’ deposits aren’t returned promptly when a sale falls through, leaving people out of pocket and unable to move on.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buying a property was blocked by ‘no response’ behaviour when documents were needed to proceed.
The survey flagged aluminium wiring and an ancient consumer unit as safety issues; the sellers refused any concession and we weren’t prepared to move in with two small kids.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
MoneySavingExpert users discuss a flat that won’t sell, with the owner suspecting the near-£300 per month service charge is putting every buyer off.
Delay
Our conveyancer allowed exchange to take place without confirming that a key indemnity policy was actually on risk. When the defect later surfaced, we had to spend weeks proving cover had finally been put in place.
The report contained multiple factual errors about safety features and basic details, which we then had to spend time disproving.
Our buyers pulled out after their survey flagged old subsidence, even though previous reports and insurance showed it had been resolved.
A cash buyer alleges the agent misled them and pushed them to look elsewhere, calling the conduct unprofessional.
Once our mortgage term neared its end, we were bombarded with persistent calls and emails. It felt like pressure tactics rather than helpful advice.
User complains about repeated nuisance calls asking about a sale even after being told it had completed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Families were watching inheritance eaten away year after year by charges on empty flats they couldn’t shift, even after large price cuts.
Delay
Conveyancer took a week to pass on key info — when quick replies were crucial to keep dates.
One reply bluntly suggests that if the noise bothers them that much, the only realistic option might be to sell and move on – but that means declaring the problem to the next buyer.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The estate agent kept the auction deposit when the sale fell through. We still lost money overall.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Seller: multiple buyers pulled out in a row; huge stress, delays, and costs mounting each time.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
It shows how some chains only survive multiple collapses when at least one professional is relentlessly chasing and reassuring everyone involved.
Locked into a long contract while service felt slow and unprofessional; increased stress during sale.
We’ve cut the asking price repeatedly but it still feels basically unsellable while the annual charges look like a second rent.
Delay
I’ve got a mortgage offer that’s valid for six months on a house that’s now fallen through; I’m being told the lender may not honour it for the next place.
HomeSellingExpert estimates that around 30% of UK property sales collapse, and many buyers only find out what happens to their mortgage offer after their sale has already fallen through.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale collapsed when the buyer’s mortgage broker suddenly realised the flat was above a takeaway and their chosen lender refused to touch it.
A homeowner complains that their second set of buyers pulled out after a title defect was discovered — something their own solicitor hadn’t spotted earlier.
Hidden info
We walked away from a purchase after discovering long-running arguments with neighbours over fences and access that nobody had mentioned upfront.
Fall-through risk
fall through
When our first sale collapsed, Jennifer at Avenue Road stayed calm, put the house straight back on the market and quickly found us another buyer.
Another lender guide says once your offer’s expiry date passes before completion, the bank no longer has to provide the funds – you may need to reapply from scratch.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Interest rates jumped twice while we waited for the chain to sort itself out; by the time we were ready to exchange, the payments were no longer affordable and we had to walk away.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
financial loss
fall through
Our sale fell through when the buyer’s solicitor queried building safety costs and we couldn’t get a straight answer from the managing agent about future service charge rises.
The constant ultimatums from the other side left us feeling bullied; our own solicitor seemed unwilling to push back, so we withdrew the property from sale.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Another Trustpilot review says the seller endured a year of chain collapses and frustration with other agents before finally completing with an agent who actively managed the chain.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says sloppy work and poor communication made the property purchase extremely frustrating.
We were executors selling a retirement flat. After a failed sale we started looking at auction because the property was clearly overpriced and needed work.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through once already, and now the vendor is asking us to lower our offer just to get everything through quickly before the chain wobbles again.
Delay
Our flat has been back on the market for four weeks with only two viewings. Last year our agent left the listing live on Rightmove for eight months without telling us and we worry this has made buyers think something is wrong with the flat.
Delay
One MSE user said their home insurance claim turned into a nightmare – months of strip-out, repeated flooding and almost no progress from the insurer or builders.
Poor communication
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. The complaint was about poor handling rather than a general advice question.
We timed our move so the kids could start at their new school right after half-term. Our PM Law firm shut the week we were due to complete and we’ve ended up living out of suitcases at my parents’ house with everything in storage.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The auction service recommended by our agent left us out of pocket when the sale collapsed and we were still charged hefty fees.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through twice but luckily the bungalow we were buying stayed available for us; not everyone is that fortunate.
A seller on a UK forum says they want to exchange and complete on the same day for personal reasons, but they’re worried about bank transfer timing and what happens if completion fails.
Financial loss
financial loss
A relative of ours is sleeping on a blow-up bed because her purchase money is stuck in a PM Law client account. She’s technically completed on a sale but has nowhere permanent to live right now.
A home-selling guide says surveys and down-valuations are now one of the top reasons sales collapse – buyers use the report to walk away or renegotiate, and many sellers just give up.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their property sale fell through again and they no longer trust the estate agent, after paying upfront and believing the sale would go through smoothly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My flat sale fell through just days after my mortgage offer was approved, and now I’m stuck wondering whether to cancel it or try to re-use it on another place.
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer says they ‘agreed and lost three buyers’ over nearly two years because their solicitors repeatedly failed to communicate or progress the sale properly.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert poster says their flat’s service charge is just under £300 a month and they’re starting to suspect it’s the main reason it won’t sell.
Delay
The Law Society explains that the Legal Ombudsman mainly handles complaints about poor service – things like delayed or unclear communication and billing problems.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller says their property received only one viewing in the first week, with other viewings cancelled or no-shows, raising concerns about weak marketing and buyer follow-through.
Hidden info
We would never have offered on the house if we’d known it had flooded twice in the last decade, but the agent breezily called it ‘a bit of surface water’.
We felt the surveyor decided it was a problem before even looking properly, then rushed, leaving us stuck mid-transaction.
Investors now specialise in buying ‘hard to sell’ flats hit by cladding, insurance spikes and inflated charges – the things that scare off normal buyers and lenders.
Hidden info
Our solicitor and the agent both stayed oddly quiet about why the previous sale had fallen through; later we discovered the survey had raised subsidence concerns.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A Law Society Gazette piece summarises Ombudsman findings: nearly half of upheld complaints are again about poor communication and delay.
Financial loss
financial loss
We paid for two valuations and the reports felt copy-pasted and poor quality, leaving us out of pocket and no clearer.
offer condition
in-house broker
conditional selling
buyer pressure
Buyer describes being told an offer would be accepted only if they used a broker linked to the estate agent, asking whether this was conditional selling.
Hidden info
They see more buyers asking whether they can unwind a purchase or claim compensation after discovering undisclosed rows over noise, parking or boundaries.
Financial loss
financial loss
Relatives say they feel trapped between dumping the flat at a huge loss or continuing to bleed money on charges for an empty property.
fall through
Home mover / consumer reports a property transaction at risk or collapsed, linked to chain collapse.
One agent attempted to enter my home without proper notice, leaving me feeling unsafe and disrespected.
Poor communication
poor communication
We were not told about viewings being cancelled; buyers just stopped appearing.
Financial loss
financial loss
They guessed the first-time buyers had offered more than they were comfortable with, then panicked once reality and the survey costs hit.
Delay
Another Conveyancing Direct customer calls their experience ‘dreadful, unhelpful and depressing’, saying the lawyer did nothing for over a month then wrongly blamed them for delays.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Repeated delays, unanswered emails and rude reception staff meant our buyer lost patience and walked away from the purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re devastated – unless a miracle buyer appears almost instantly, we’ll lose the home we were trying to buy as well.
Fall-through risk
The buyer’s lender refused the mortgage because the lease banned pets and they already had a dog; the whole chain collapsed over a clause we’d never noticed.
Financial loss
financial loss
They said the charges were effectively suppressing values in that block compared with similar homes without those ongoing costs.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says they lost a buyer because the firm took too long to respond to routine queries.
“Property had structural issues… promised to refund… now refusing to.”
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We lost our buyer three months into the process when our own purchase was ready to exchange. Thankfully the property was desirable enough to attract new offers quickly.
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe the leasehold system as ‘unregulated and vile’, with no real way out once the annual costs have spiralled.
Hidden info
Solicitors say you’ll have to mention any boundary rows on the TA6 form anyway, so hoping buyers never find out is not a realistic option.
Fall-through risk
fall through
When the sale fell through the estate agent held onto the buyer’s deposit instead of refunding it promptly, leaving both sides arguing over who’d lost out.
Hidden info
We are buying a rural property with a non compliant shared septic tank and expected to install our own treatment plant, but our lender will not proceed because the UK lenders handbook says septic tanks must have a certificate of compliance. We are struggling to get a standard mortgage at all.
Another reviewer says their purchase was ‘painful’ largely due to their solicitor, describing long waits and slow movement that made the whole process feel like it was going nowhere.
Clients visiting Butterworths in Carlisle found a notice saying PM Group firms could no longer trade. Staff hadn’t been warned, and buyers and sellers were left standing outside with no idea what would happen to their moves.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Delay
Hidden info
its almost 15 weeks and our lawyer has advised us application for adverse possession and indemnity insurance
Fall-through risk
We were buying a house where the previous sale had collapsed due to the survey, and spent ages agonising over whether to risk offering on it ourselves.
Delay
Even with a proactive agent, we still had a long, stressful journey wrestling with buyers and solicitors before we finally completed.
Before we switched agents, we went through several failed chains where nobody seemed to coordinate the move properly, leaving us stuck in limbo.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through several times with a previous solicitor and housing association. It was only when Watson Ramsbottom took over that things finally moved.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’re racing against their fixed-rate mortgage ending, desperate not to be left with a buy-to-let they can neither afford nor easily sell.
Fall-through risk
fall through
SmoothSale reviews include people whose original sale fell through, threatening their whole chain, until the company re-listed and sold again within a week.
Sales tactics and pressure felt relentless; communication was poor and it added stress at every stage of what should be a simple process.
in-house conveyancing
in-house mortgage
buyer pressure
profit incentive
Legal-sector article says the BBC investigation raised concerns about estate agents putting profit ahead of buyers and sellers through pressure to use in-house conveyancing and mortgage services.
One branch staff member was incredibly pushy and even failed to turn up for a booked second viewing in my lunch hour.
Hidden info
Contracts arrived showing the house is leasehold, not freehold — total shock when the listing said ‘detached house’ without clarity.
Seller claims their solicitor forgot to order indemnity insurance that the buyer required and only admitted it when chased.
Hidden info
Another Guardian piece accuses some housing associations of mis-selling by underplaying service charges, which later jumped by hundreds of percent after people moved in.
Poor communication
poor communication
Broker bundled mortgage + insurance and the insurance wasn’t actually put in place properly. A basic admin mistake caused stress and extra chasing.
A Times report highlights an ‘unprecedented’ glut of complaints to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with residential property work among the pressure points.
Delay
Our solicitor waited until the day before exchange to tell us they had not yet received replies to enquiries they had never actually sent. We lost our removal booking and had to rearrange everything.
Delay
Slow slow and slow… Searches done after two months… It’s been 3 months and we don't even have exchange.
Delay
The solicitor never clearly told us we needed buildings insurance from exchange, which caused confusion with the lender and delayed completion.
Financial loss
financial loss
They wonder whether the broker should have foreseen the lender’s reaction and whether they have any recourse for the wasted fees.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says The Law Partnership had been trying to finalise their property sale for seven months with one enquiry outstanding for over two months.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d already spent money on surveys and legals and were now begging the developer not to put their reserved new-build back on the open market.
conditional selling
in-house services
buyer pressure
cost concern
Buyer describes an agent making it sound as though using the agent's services was a condition of progressing, with discussion around conditional selling and high associated costs.
Hidden info
In a BBC-style case shared via social media, a couple said service charges had soared to £7,500 a year, making their home ‘impossible to sell’.
Developers forced her to exchange while the property was still unfinished because they knew the mortgage offer was ticking down.
Delay
Chain stalled: poor competence and communication; lender and other solicitor exasperated by delays.
Hidden info
They warned that even if buyers like the flat, they back off when they see big annual service charges and no clear cap on future increases.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They say if your solicitor doesn’t answer complaints within eight weeks, you can escalate, especially where conveyancing delays or silence are causing stress.
We paid for photos but the agent had no shop, no board, and almost no visible marketing of our property.
Delay
Waiting months for a certificate of deeds needed to complete a flat sale.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Expensive and happily miss deadlines
Financial loss
financial loss
Reviewer says they were told they were not due money back even though their conveyancer had advised them to pay and be reimbursed.
Mortgage offer
Service charge
Last minute issue
Buyer was told about a material service charge issue just before completion and faced the possibility that their mortgage offer might be varied or revoked.
Financial loss
financial loss
The conveyancer failed to order searches for more than a month after receiving funds. This pushed us past the mortgage offer expiry date, costing us a re-application fee.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They describe emails going unanswered for weeks and only finding out about issues after repeatedly chasing.
Hidden info
Reallymoving tell buyers to comb the TA6 form for past or ongoing neighbour rows; if anything looks worrying or vague, they say buyers are right to consider walking away.
Poor communication
poor communication
Agent failed to send the conveyancing quote on time and ignored follow up calls.
Delay
Slow slow and slow. Searches done after two months and waiting on them
Posters describe feeling like they have to chase every small step themselves or risk the file just sitting at the bottom of a pile for days.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Someone in our local group warned people not to use a particular auction agent after their first sale fell through and they were pushed into a heavily discounted auction that still didn’t achieve a sale.
Hidden info
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer describes a conveyancing disaster after being told a deed of variation would fix the garden plan, only to discover the issue remained after completion.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve now had two purchases collapse, each costing a couple of thousand in fees. Nearly a year of trying to buy and we’re about £5,000 down with nothing to show.
Slow communication
Enquiries
Seller threat
Buyer says searches and enquiries were finally moving after months, but poor solicitor communication and estate agent pressure made the transaction feel unstable.
Financial loss
financial loss
They said each collapse cost them more in fees and they were starting to think the only option was selling to a quick-sale company just to escape.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
On a retirement-flat thread, families say they’ve cut the price again and again yet still can’t sell, because the service charges and exit fees scare off almost every buyer.
Hidden info
We’re stuck in a flat with service charges that keep climbing and every buyer backs out once they see the annual bill.
Poor communication
poor communication
Chasing for responses became a full-time job; important stages seemed to move without anyone clearly explaining what had happened.
Poor communication
poor communication
A mortgage valuation was booked but the company couldn’t provide a sensible time slot. Seller felt messed around during a live transaction.
Delay
They say even the broker got involved to chase the solicitor, but it still felt impossible to get straight answers or timely action.
We viewed a probate property twice, told the agent we really liked it, then saw on Rightmove it had been taken off the market without anyone telling us. We were never even given a courtesy call.
Our buyers have had the survey done; the agent took my number in case it falls through, which makes you realise even at that stage nothing is guaranteed.
Delay
Buyer discovered their solicitor never ordered searches even though they were paid for six weeks earlier.
Hidden info
A 2021 MSE thread titled ‘Seller lied on TA6 form’ involves buyers discovering noisy neighbours after moving in and worrying the house will be hard to resell honestly.
Hidden info
Local plan showed a new road behind the garden. Not mentioned anywhere in the listing or documentation.
modern auction
buyer fee
reservation fee
estate agent fee
Reddit discussion criticises modern auction properties where the successful buyer must pay a 5% fee or £6,600 minimum, described as paid directly to the agent for little apparent value.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Agent & Homes were only instructed after the first sale fell through with another agent who’d done very little beyond sticking it online.
Poor communication
Financial loss
financial loss
poor communication
Landlord describes a deeply frustrating experience after chasing late rental income without proper response.
Hidden info
NetLawman’s guide on neighbour disputes makes it clear you must disclose both resolved and ongoing disputes on the TA6 when selling your home.
Poor communication
poor communication
We paid a broker fee, then were effectively ghosted; we got the mortgage sorted elsewhere in days.
Hidden info
LawHive’s guide on neighbour disputes says if the seller lied on the TA6 form about trouble next door, buyers may have a misrepresentation claim once they discover the truth.
Poor communication
poor communication
My conveyancer stopped answering calls close to exchange which was terrifying.
The idea that you might have to take over the right to manage just to make your flat saleable shows how broken some managing agents have allowed things to become.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another MSE thread describes a seller whose buyer’s own purchaser pulled out a week before exchange, leaving the entire chain at risk.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Ryder & Dutton customer described three separate house sales collapsing through no fault of their own before they finally completed on the fourth attempt.
The buyer’s solicitor asked for documents that had already been supplied twice. Each time they ‘couldn’t locate the file’, and the buyer nearly withdrew in frustration.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Our buyer pulled out after three months and we still received a solicitor bill for over £1,000.
Hidden info
On a house price forum someone noted that in central London you can easily see flats with £2,000+ yearly service charge and big council tax, and they’re just sitting because nobody wants them.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our move date was sprung on us with only a day to prepare because no one updated us.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Seller says Taylors agents lied to get a sale and then put fees up sneakily.
Solicitor failed to warn that the loft conversion didn’t have building regs, now leaving buyers with a compliance mess.
Poor communication
poor communication
Property management complainant says they were misled by industry memberships with no effective teeth behind them.
Our buyers kept sending increasingly aggressive emails demanding last-minute discounts, threatening to pull out every few days until we finally told them to forget it.
Poor communication
poor communication
‘Aggressive, lazy, uncommunicative’ — seller says the whole experience was awful to deal with.
Slow, understaffed and liars. Estate agents and other law firms actually hate working with this company.
The agent seemed far too busy and just left our listing to go stale without any real effort.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their house sale fell through for the second time ‘inches from completion’ and blames the estate agent for telling them the buyer’s mortgage was sorted when it wasn’t.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They note that many clients only discover things have stalled when they start chasing, because nobody has proactively explained the cause of the holdup.
Financial loss
financial loss
I found out today that my solicitor from the PM Law group has gone under a week before completion. My £50,000 deposit is now in limbo and even the SRA can’t give me a straight answer about what’s happening or when this will be resolved.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud warns criminals hack or spoof email chains between buyers, solicitors, and agents, then apply urgency and last-minute ‘bank detail changes’ to steal large transfers.
financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
They also warn that vague wording about future increases can be a deal-breaker when buyers realise costs could soar after they move in.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another thread, ‘Sale fell through because of tenant next door’, describes party noise, rubbish and barking dogs that put buyers off completely.
Delay
Lockings Solicitors list slow mortgage valuations, late survey bookings and missing paperwork as classic conveyancing bottlenecks that can stall a chain for weeks.
Never received first invoice; then a letter with fines added — aggressive escalation for tiny sums.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
A previous buyer offered to share their survey results after their sale collapsed, which shows how desperate people are not to waste yet more money.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Victims of Friday afternoon fraud describe losing life savings due to email interception.
Delay
We wasted months on a house only to discover via searches that a major new road scheme was planned at the end of the garden.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
One affected mover says Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Delay
We were told the solicitor had ordered searches, but when we checked with the authority the request had never been submitted. Our mortgage offer nearly expired waiting for them.
Hidden info
The mortgage adviser never checked the lease length properly; their chosen lender refused it at the last minute and the whole deal died.
the mortgage offer that his broker had got from Halifax to buy ours was conditional
On r/HousingUK, people were saying that leasehold flats with short leases, cladding or sky-high charges are already cash-buyer only and hard to sell even then.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We had one purchase fall through because of cladding, got gazumped on the second, and are now on a third house where probate questions are dragging on and on.
Delay
Dreadful. Our buyers are using this shambolic firm we now in month 6 of a simple convayncing empty house no chain
Delay
The estate agent repeatedly reassured us the chain was solid when in reality they hadn’t spoken to anyone above our buyers for weeks.
Financial loss
financial loss
A complainant describes feeling unsupported by the complaint process after incurring significant costs due to misleading chain information.
Financial loss
financial loss
Even after large price cuts the flat still hadn’t sold, and high ongoing charges plus exit fees made it deeply unattractive to potential buyers.
Financial loss
financial loss
After our chain fell apart, the agent still tried to charge a withdrawal fee even though the collapse was nothing to do with us.
Hidden info
One commenter said they’d only touch a leasehold flat if the service charge was low and stable; anything else is just asking to be stuck with a hard-to-sell asset.
The agent never called back, never answered emails, and we only found out the house had sold when the listing changed online.
the mortgage offer that his broker had got from Halifax to buy ours was conditional on him being released from his brothers mortgage.
Delay
Hidden info
Client says a conveyancing oversight went unresolved for two years, forcing a formal complaint and Legal Ombudsman involvement.
Everyone told us ‘it should be fine’, but if the offer lapses we’ll be legally committed to buy without any guaranteed finance in place.
Non-stop calling even after blocking numbers and explicitly telling them to stop contacting me.
Financial loss
financial loss
A quick-sale firm cited HomeOwners Alliance research suggesting about half of sellers who lose a buyer are left out of pocket by nearly £2,700 when a sale falls through.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through before exchange after six months; we were told we might lose our onward purchase and ‘thousands of pounds’ in the chain if we didn’t find a new buyer in two weeks.
Financial loss
financial loss
We felt we were paying almost full fees for a transaction that never reached exchange, on top of the cost of trying again with another buyer.
Poor communication
poor communication
I have zero idea of a timescale. I would just like to know if I need to start applying for a mortgage offer extension
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another contributor said their agent had over-valued the property to win the instruction, then shrugged when the first sale collapsed and showed little urgency finding a new buyer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our buyer pulled out on the eve of exchange citing ‘service charge concerns’ despite knowing about them for months; seven months of conveyancing gone overnight.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our earlier buyer pulled out, putting the whole chain in danger. SmoothSale stepped in, put the property back on the market and had it sold again within a week.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says an incorrect completion date led to a wasted mortgage fund release fee that had to be recovered later.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Reddit post titled ‘Down valued house at a bit of a loss’ describes two purchases falling through, £5,000 wasted and a year completely lost to the housing market.
Financial loss
New build
financial loss
New-build buyer is shocked to be forced toward completion earlier than expected, creating around £5,000 of mortgage and council-tax costs on an empty property.
Delay
By the time the third buyer completed, the family had lost all faith in the process and were just relieved to be out.
Valuation concern
Survey issue
Overpaid
financial loss
Buyer says a surveyor agreed with the purchase price despite few comparable properties and many issues, leaving them feeling they overpaid and wasted money on the valuation.
First-time buyer says solicitor put them under pressure to exchange without resolving outstanding enquiries.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. The review pattern points to stress caused by delays and poor updates.
Poor communication
poor communication
Felt strung along mid-transaction with repeated hold-ups and vague explanations; confidence in the solicitor disappeared fast.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
By the time our sale collapsed we’d spent nearly three thousand pounds on fees and reports, which is apparently close to the average loss when a transaction fails.
We listed our new barn conversion with an independent estate agent because the valuation seemed more realistic, but after two viewings we have no meaningful feedback and little interest. We are unsure whether the lack of viewings is caused by using an independent agent or whether we should drop the price.
Delay
Client says the solicitor made errors in the TR1 form and needed it signed again, delaying exchange.
Delay
My buyer has suddenly requested a survey right before exchange. We were expecting to exchange this week and I am really worried about losing our onward purchase because of the delay.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
One comment notes that if a bad survey causes a fall-through, at least the buyer hasn’t also paid for searches on a property they’ll never own.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot reviewer says their buyer pulled out because progress was too slow and communication was so poor that even the buyer’s solicitors struggled to get anything back.
Hidden info
The Housing Ombudsman recorded a complaint where a shared-owner disputed being billed for a whole year of service charges despite only buying late in the year.
Fall-through risk
fall through
After our house sale fell through just before exchange, Spring stepped in with a guaranteed purchase so we could still move and not lose our new home.
Later buyers tried to pressure us into exchanging with no firm completion date, which our solicitor warned could leave us badly exposed if anything went wrong again.
Financial loss
financial loss
The advice was basically ‘relist and hope someone else isn’t scared off by the same thing’, which hardly feels like a robust system for transactions this expensive.
Delay
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
We lost our buyer because the freeholder’s management company ignored emails and phone calls for weeks, so the solicitors couldn’t get the information needed to proceed.
Hidden info
Seller says estate agents often rely on fisheye lens photos that make rooms look bigger, creating buyer disappointment when viewings reveal the true room sizes.
Only thing stopping completion was the management pack — everyone chased and still nothing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“So slow we lost our buyer… over 180 days… our buyer finally pulled out.”
Delay
A seller says their chain is at risk because their buyer’s solicitor appears to have done “not a single thing” after 9 weeks, despite being chased repeatedly for initial enquiries.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert user said their buyer’s mortgage offer expired after months of delays, forcing everyone to sit and hope while a new lender was found.
Delay
They claim they were asked for the same information multiple times and felt the firm lacked basic urgency — but a new solicitor completed the sale in 10 weeks.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Kept waiting for callbacks that never came; the lack of continuity made the sale feel chaotic and out of control.
Financial loss
financial loss
They now find that potential buyers are scared off by the possibility of further hikes, leaving them stuck with homes that don’t feel affordable at all.
Delay
The Law Society explains that the Legal Ombudsman mainly deals with poor service such as delayed or unclear communication, billing problems and lost documents.
Delay
Our buyers’ solicitor at KB Property Law shut overnight. We’re being told by our estate agent that nobody can get through and the chain is stalled.
Freeholder delay
Outstanding enquiries
Deadline risk
Buyer says final enquiries are still outstanding after months because the freeholder is supposedly unavailable, risking the purchase even after the seller agreed a deadline.
They’re worried that arguing over historic bills might come back to haunt any future sale or cause problems with buyers’ solicitors.
The poster describes the emotional toll of thinking a dream move was happening, losing it, then going through the stress all over again with a second buyer.
Several of my clients have seen deals collapse because surveyors knocked tens of thousands off agreed prices and sellers refused to negotiate.
The freeholder wanted nearly £500 just to answer basic pre-sale enquiries; the buyers saw that as a red flag and decided not to proceed.
Delay
Hidden info
A buyer alleges an estate agent didn’t disclose a severe flood risk (level 3) before they offered — and they only found out weeks before completion via solicitors, after spending thousands.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the previous agent ‘did no marketing’ and the experience taught them how much chain progression and chasing really matter.
Delay
Fall-through risk
The sale eventually collapsed because the buyer at the start of the chain was never really serious and delayed arranging their mortgage until the last possible moment.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Our housing association flat has become a financial trap; rising service charges and lease clauses mean every sale attempt either collapses or never gets off the ground.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert user had their sale fall through and then discovered their conveyancer still wanted the full fee, helped by a referral kickback to the estate agent.
had to give it up as a bad job.
“I hope these kind of firms are regulated… complaint dealt with by a 3rd party.”
estate-agent referral
solicitor choice
sales progression
buyer confidence
Review says the seller originally chose another firm because of an estate-agent referral and lower price before later moving to a different solicitor after buyer confidence became an issue.
We had one buyer pull out over personal circumstances, another over valuation issues, and another who just vanished; after that many failures we questioned whether moving was worth it.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
They accepted a lower price in return for certainty, which tells you how much damage repeated fall-throughs can do to people’s appetite for risk.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller says Purplebricks failed even to arrange a For Sale sign for weeks and that the service involved long hold times, poor communication and inexperienced staff.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed because one buyer couldn’t get buildings insurance due to historic flooding – the risk only came to light when their solicitor checked the searches.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
The reviewer said calls and emails weren’t returned, and then extra money was demanded for paperwork, adding insult to injury after the deal died.
Delay
We were given a 5-day deadline to complete after the lender took 7 weeks to issue the offer. Almost lost the whole chain.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
On another MSE thread, posters discuss buying the previous buyer’s searches and survey after a fall-through to avoid paying again for the same checks.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d planned everything around beating the stamp duty deadline, then watched the whole chain implode with no explanation and no compensation for the money we’d already spent.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Weeks of chasing and still no meaningful progress from the conveyancer; the whole chain felt stalled by sheer inactivity.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
One adviser in the FCA’s Financial Lives survey said they’d been told they could change the property address on their mortgage if the first purchase fell through, only to find the lender wouldn’t honour that when it actually happened.
Fall-through risk
A HousingUK thread asked buyers and sellers what caused their sale to fall through; one replied that the first deal died because there weren’t enough engineers to issue an EWS1 cladding certificate in time.
The agent claimed the flat's heating and boiler were fine, but after moving in we discovered neither worked.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. The issue was about transaction friction, not general property advice.
Hidden info
Our buyers got spooked when the management pack listed a huge ‘reserve fund’ contribution for cladding works that nobody had ever mentioned.
referral fees
conditional selling
consumer transparency
buyer choice
Conveyancing article says the Panorama investigation concerned buyers being pressured into in-house mortgage brokers and conveyancing services without always understanding the underlying reasons or options.
Mortgage issue
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says the lender downgraded their income during a mortgage application, leaving them unable to rely on the borrowing amount they expected when making their purchase plans.
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer says their solicitor later told them the property had been sold to someone else via a ‘contract race’ that neither the buyer nor the solicitor knew was happening.
Financial loss
financial loss
They described spending on surveys and legals again and again, only to be flung back to scrolling listings, too drained to get excited about anything new.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Hidden info
A buyer says an estate agent handling a previously failed sale allegedly didn’t reveal that a 2023 extension has no building control sign-off — and they only found out deep into the process.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says bad communication forced them to complain to customer care, but they felt no sympathy was shown.
We could never get a straight answer on what local search indemnity actually covered, which made us nervous about going ahead after the first sale failed.
After a bad experience with a big-name agent, we went to a smaller firm. Our first sale had fallen through but the new agent actually picked up the phone and rebuilt the deal.
The Leasehold Advisory Service warns that if the freehold company gets struck off, the building effectively has no manager and it can be very hard to sell any flat there.
Hidden info
A Mumsnet user has been trying to sell their flat but says buyers are scared off by service charge bills of £3,000–£6,000 a year, with one year hitting £10,000.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Construction delays mean a 300 mile weekly commute and hundreds of pounds extra in fuel and childcare.
Delay
The reviewer had already been burned by one collapse and praised having a team that moved fast enough to keep the rest of the chain intact.
Delay
Conveyancing dragged on with weak competence and communication, frustrating both the lender and the other side’s solicitor.
Financial loss
financial loss
We lined up our sale and purchase to complete on the same day. The sale money is with a PM Law firm that’s now closed, so we’ve handed over our keys and don’t have a new home to go to.
After our buyer walked away, the agent suggested we strip the house bare to attract ‘serious’ buyers, which felt like terrible advice.
Our agent told us there’s nothing they can do because HGA Conveyancing, part of the PM Law group, has shut and nobody is picking up the file.
We thought the buyers were chain-free but later discovered they were relying on a sale that kept collapsing; every time we got close to exchange, something else went wrong.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Conveyancer delays are costing us thousands in rent and storage while we wait to complete.
Delay
Fall-through risk
It still meant another valuation, more paperwork and weeks of delay, all because somebody else’s side of the deal collapsed.
They only sold once a local high-street agent took over, knew the patch and actually progressed the sale rather than just listing it.
Delay
It’s been 15 months since we started the process. The conveyancing and the follow-up with Land Registry have both been painfully slow.
Hidden info
I received a letter from RMG, dated 13 Feb 2025
Fall-through risk
fall through
The lawyer never explained that I’d still have to pay hundreds of pounds if the sale didn’t complete; when it fell through, I got a bill I wasn’t expecting.
A buyer on LegalAdviceUK said their purchase was in danger because the seller’s conveyancer simply wasn’t responding, and everyone in the chain was losing confidence.
In ‘Sellers’ solicitors are moving slow’, a buyer says their own lawyer is fast and responsive, but the seller’s solicitors are dragging things out and risking the deal.
Lender’s valuation unexpectedly downvalued our home by nearly £20k, forcing us to renegotiate and nearly losing the purchase.
Delay
Owner says solicitors failed to complete Land Registry properly and only later revealed documents were missing from completion.
Fall-through risk
fall through
So slow we lost our buyer after 180+ days — had to chase constantly and portal never updated.
Delay
Seller says the managing agent repeatedly failed to reply to solicitors during a sale, delaying completion and increasing stress.
in-house broker
buyer pressure
mortgage advice
wasted money
financial loss
First-time buyer says the estate agent booked an in-house mortgage appointment alongside a viewing and they later felt the broker was a waste of money.
We realised just how unhelpful our original selling agent had been once we worked with a more proactive firm.
Financial loss
financial loss
They complained that between valuation fees, surveys and legal bills, every failed purchase was like setting fire to another month’s salary.
referral fee
kickback
recommended solicitor
hidden cost
Reddit discussion warns that estate-agent solicitor recommendations may include a referral fee or kickback built into the price paid by the buyer.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d paid for surveys and solicitors on their onward purchase and said they were so angry they ‘could throttle’ the would-be buyers.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
City of London Police warns that criminals exploit trust and urgency during property transactions, with large sums diverted after fraudsters infiltrate email chains and issue convincing payment requests.
Delay
Never believe or trust… they took £700… after few weeks I didn’t have a mortgage.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were told our lender had approved the valuation. Three weeks later they said it hadn’t even been reviewed. Chain collapsed.
Delay
In a first-time buyer Facebook group, someone says their solicitors take up to two weeks to answer each email, causing huge stress and slowing the purchase right down.
Hidden info
Nobody had mentioned it during viewings and we only found out because the solicitor flagged it in the title documents.
Poor communication
poor communication
They cause so much stress! You have been warned!
Delay
Poor communication
Home mover / consumer reports delays during a property transaction, linked to delay.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says ownership still was not registered months after a cash purchase, despite repeated calls to the solicitor for an update.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’ve seen lots of cases where poor block management and opaque costs scare buyers away, forcing existing owners to drop their asking prices or stay stuck.
A mortgage guide explains that once an offer expires, the lender is no longer obliged to lend – you might have to start a fresh application from scratch.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say they don’t know what they’re doing and want guidance/reassurance, but the lack of response makes them fear the transaction could collapse again.
Solicitor concerns
Early process issue
Client confidence
poor communication
Buyer says they considered changing conveyancers soon after offer acceptance because the solicitor was already creating concerns despite the mortgage offer and survey moving quickly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Facebook post celebrates finally getting the keys after a first house sale fell through – proof that even when a chain dies, people sometimes have to pick themselves up and start again.
Delay
They noted how proactive sales progression and frequent updates made the difference compared with their first, failed attempt.
Financial loss
financial loss
My £50,000 deposit is currently sitting with a PM Law brand that no longer exists in practice. The regulator just tells me to ‘wait for updates’ while my completion date comes and goes.
Delay
Fall-through risk
The purchase should have been straightforward, but delays from the buyer’s conveyancer dragged it out so long the whole thing nearly collapsed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says buying was blocked because the company would not respond in a way that let conveyancing move forward.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
On their case-study hub, the Ombudsman lists common themes in conveyancing complaints: poor communication, delay, weak advice and unexpected costs.
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication. Dragged out the whole conveyancing process…
Financial loss
financial loss
On Mumsnet people describe sales falling through at every stage – after offer, after survey, even on the day of exchange – you’re never safe until the money moves.
Hidden info
A neighbour’s extension had crept over the boundary years ago and nobody said anything; our buyers walked as soon as the title plan and reality didn’t match.
Financial loss
financial loss
On our new build estate the property management company first said we would not pay until the site was in good condition, then later restarted some work in June but has now issued bills for last year when they did nothing plus the whole of next year. It feels like they are trying to overcharge us and we are being asked for almost 700 pounds just before Christmas.
Hidden info
Overcharging for works never done; ‘expected’ charges then later surprises — feels sneaky.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they only found out the truth via solicitor correspondence late in the process, and felt the agent’s updates had been misleading.
Our estate agent said we’re not the only family with children now technically ‘between homes’ because of this collapse. Some have already moved in with grandparents, others are paying for Airbnbs just to keep a roof over their kids’ heads.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our conveyancer sent our mortgage deed to the wrong address and insisted we pay for a courier to send a replacement urgently. Their mistake cost us extra fees and delays.
Clients say the difference is simply being kept in the loop – emails answered the same day and clear explanations of what’s needed to get to exchange.
Another reviewer calls the Ombudsman ‘a complete waste of time’, feeling the body tends to side with agents and surveyors despite evidence from consumers.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d already paid thousands in fees and were told there was nothing they could do because nothing is binding until exchange.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
It warns that these rising charges can slow or even reverse price growth, leaving flats stagnating while houses in the same area continue to sell.
Hidden info
After five years of a boundary dispute over about a foot of land, an elderly homeowner has been ordered to sell her bungalow just to pay the six-figure legal bill.
Fall-through risk
fall through
After over 180 days... our buyer finally pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d spent money on searches and a survey, only to be told the bank wouldn’t lend enough, leaving them with no realistic way to rescue the deal.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They said Taylor Rose repeatedly sent paperwork to the wrong firm, ignored emails for weeks and left everyone blaming each other while the transaction slowly died.
Our buyers pulled out claiming they were uncomfortable with the speed; in reality our solicitor had been slow and unresponsive from the start.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
I tried to buy a house but got so frustrated with the estate agent's anti-money laundering checks that I pulled out. They refused to accept any bills or statements that were not posted on paper and kept sending me away after three weeks of trying.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client reports their solicitor ignored multiple urgent emails about completion funds until the last minute, causing near-collapse of the sale.
Several guides point out that missing documents like building regulation certificates and warranties can stall a sale completely while sellers scramble to find or replace paperwork.
We had a mortgage offer on a house but the vendor’s sale fell apart higher up the chain, so the whole thing died and I’m now being told my ‘six-month’ offer might not actually be honoured for the next place.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Our flat is in a popular, expensive city but the yearly service charge is so high that potential buyers walk away as soon as they see the figures.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We tried to sell our old survey to another buyer after the mortgage fell through, just to recoup a fraction of what we’d lost.
By the time the surveyor had finished listing every minor defect as a potential hazard, our buyers had completely lost confidence and pulled out.
We are mid-transaction and PM Property Lawyers feel worse than useless: repeated lies about what has been done, no documents sent and we’re constantly asked to check papers that never arrive.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our lender has warned that if we miss the completion window because of the PM Law collapse, they may withdraw the offer altogether. Months of stress and surveys could be written off overnight.
We started to wonder if we needed to change agents because nothing was happening and feedback was minimal.
They feel powerless watching the deal edge towards collapse just because nobody can get the solicitor to pick up the phone.
Poor communication
poor communication
Kept being told to chase by phone because email responses were rare; portal felt out of date.
They warn that on top of daily stress, unresolved rows can make selling harder and encourage buyers to chip away at the price.
Poor communication
poor communication
The solicitor exchanged emails at random times but never told us when the next step would happen. We were always chasing them.
Delay
“Our buyers are using this shambolic firm… month 6… no chain… at a complete loss.”
Financial loss
financial loss
We begged the agent to find out the real reason our buyers walked, but all we got back was a vague line about ‘issues with the management fees’.
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe owners as ‘trapped’, stuck between unaffordable charges and a market that doesn’t want flats with such high running costs.
Railroaded into some 3rd party digital ID process… felt uncomfortable.
Our neighbour started harassing viewers whenever we had a viewing booked – shouting over the fence about parking and noise.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
I’ve seen so many leaseholders online saying high service charges and opaque costs are making their flats almost unsellable.
Delay
Legal Futures reports the Ombudsman describing some lawyers as showing ‘no empathy’ when clients complain, especially around conveyancing delays and poor updates.
Poor communication
poor communication
Agent allegedly ignored emails and didn’t push buyers for updates; seller felt they were doing all the chasing.
Hidden info
Resident complains a big service-charge increase and poor responsiveness left an entire estate frustrated.
They warn that if an agent won’t explain what went wrong, you can’t fix the issue or properly prepare for the next buyer.
Financial loss
financial loss
I am a 74-year-old buying a flat in Tower Hamlets and had already transferred around £350,000 when PM Law shut suddenly. I’ve been left in limbo not knowing when, or if, I’ll get my money or my home.
Poor communication
poor communication
They even say their estate agent was lied to about having spoken to them, and a formal email complaint initially got no response.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d been told the buyer’s mortgage was approved and everything was ‘on track’, and were devastated to lose both the sale and their upfront costs.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Seller claims slow replies and a lack of phone access made a time-sensitive sale process stressful and expensive.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were with a big-name agent who went silent the moment the ‘sold’ board went up; four months later the sale fell through and we realised they hadn’t lifted a finger to keep it together.
They worry these shock bills and opaque accounts will scare off any future buyer and keep them stuck in the flat.
The agent never checked basic details with the seller and we constantly got conflicting information.
Hidden info
On Reddit, a leaseholder described their annual service charge making the flat ‘impossible to sell’ – buyers are put off before they even step through the door.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
The same guide lists common reasons for fall-throughs – mortgage problems, broken chains, survey issues, gazumping and conveyancing delays – all of which can leave sellers out of pocket.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A buyer pulled out after a survey report that the seller believes contained major inaccuracies and alarming claims that didn’t match reality.
Financial loss
financial loss
We picked this company on price alone and soon found we'd made a terrible mistake!
I had my offer accepted in early July. I have still not completed the purchase. I have been passed to 3 different solicitors due to restructures.
Delay
A sale process was described as painfully slow and bureaucratic, with the customer feeling like they weren’t valued at all.
Delay
Our solicitor failed to chase the freeholder for basic leasehold information, even though we had paid for the management pack. Weeks passed while they blamed 'third parties' instead of acting.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our initial sale fell through but the conveyancing firm didn’t adjust their charges, even though we had to start again from scratch with new buyers.
They explain their solicitor originally told them completion would be March with a long-stop in September, but they’re now being told it could be April the following year.
fraud
Reviews alleging organised scamming and attempts to remove genuine negative reviews.
The sale took so long that our mortgage product expired; with higher rates we could no longer afford the same property and had to walk away.
Delay
my solicitors have said that they WILL NOT under any circumstances, issue draft contracts until the registration has been made
Delay
The seller in that thread says they are close to exchanging on their onward purchase but stuck waiting for the buyer’s lender to sort its panel problem.
Buyer complains their solicitor never warned them that spray foam insulation in the roof could make the house unmortgageable and only found out when the lender refused to lend after valuation.
Another contributor replies that regular updates are a basic part of the job, and that most complaints they see in similar industries stem from not keeping clients informed.
Hidden info
A guidance article explains that boundary disputes usually hinder sales and that it’s best to resolve or at least properly disclose them, otherwise buyers will either walk away or demand a big discount.
Not even 1 star but there is no option for that. Absolute ridiculous service.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The stress from our house sale falling through has wrecked my sleep and my mood; I feel like I’ve been living in limbo for months.
Financial loss
financial loss
They doubt they’ll ever sell for a fair price because any buyer will see they’re subsidising the entire development’s running costs.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The solicitor acting for us forgot to send the leasehold enquiries to the seller’s solicitor. This added nearly three weeks to the process and pushed us into penalty fees with our landlord.
Delay
Fall-through risk
One Trustpilot reviewer for a conveyancing firm said their chain collapsed twice, but the solicitors stayed supportive and kept pushing, showing how much difference good communication can make.
Fall-through risk
The chain collapsed when one seller refused to fix a dangerous boiler; their attitude was ‘take it or leave it’ so the buyers left it.
Avoid like the plague! Very poor competence and communication.
We discovered after completion that our solicitor never checked whether building regulations approval existed for the loft conversion. The council later issued a notice.
Poor communication
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
poor communication
Buyer says Connells communication was appalling from the start and they had already spent on solicitor and survey work when the sale had fallen through twice.
Our solicitor sent the wrong property address in correspondence twice. The buyer became suspicious and nearly pulled out due to the incompetence.
Citizens Advice more or less confirmed there was nothing we could do – until exchange, buyers can just walk away and you’re left out of pocket.
Hidden info
National Trading Standards says improving material information in listings should lead to fewer complaints and faster transactions.
Fall-through risk
fall through
At Avenue Road Estate Agents, one seller said their first sale fell through but the negotiator was constantly on the phone, keeping them calm and getting it sold again quickly.
They advise taking complaints all the way to the Legal Ombudsman if internal procedures don’t fix things, because poor conveyancing is a major source of consumer harm.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says their sale fell through because the estate agent was ‘useless’ and is asking about the ombudsman.
We lost our buyer because we couldn’t afford to replace old electrics up-front and their lender wouldn’t release funds until the work was done.
Fall-through risk
They’d already switched to a different onward purchase once, so when this chain collapsed as well, they were left wondering if moving was even worth the stress.
Financial loss
financial loss
We were not told our rising ground rent could make the flat unmortgageable for buyers.
Fall-through risk
fall through
When our first sale collapsed, Gillian at Yopa had new viewers in within days and found another buyer so fast that the rest of the chain didn’t fall apart.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says DC Law did not improve after a formal complaint and remained not fit for purpose during the property matter.
A quote request turned into persistent badgering via email/text/calls.
They say many complaints they see are about basic customer care – silence, little explanation and no clear roadmap for getting to exchange and completion.
Delay
A newly renovated home was valued significantly under the agreed price, putting us straight into renegotiation and delay.
The lender’s appointed surveyor refused to value the flat due to cosmetic repairs, even though it was currently occupied and safe.
Fall-through risk
PropertyInvestmentsUK notes that fall-throughs often happen because surveys or searches reveal structural issues, rot or title problems that buyers weren’t warned about earlier.
Financial loss
financial loss
“Transferred £60k via CHAPS… then told the details were incorrect.”
Estate agent / letting agent reports: Lodging complaint about estate agent for emotional blackmail.
Poster says their agent was poor at handling basics, kept them out of the loop and communicated badly throughout the sale.
Changing solicitor
Lost buyer
Delay
poor communication
Seller considers changing solicitor because the existing firm delayed the transaction badly enough to contribute to losing a buyer and still will not provide proper updates.
Totally incompetent - they should pay me
Poor communication
poor communication
No communication at all… relentlessly chase my solicitor for updates.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The sale fell through and the buyer promised to share the survey report, but it never appeared; I’m now stuck trying to complain about a surveyor whose work I haven’t even seen.
Financial loss
financial loss
We completed our sale through a PM Law firm but never received the balance of our sale proceeds before the collapse. That money was supposed to fund our next purchase and without it we can’t move forward.
Our solicitor did not explain how the Help to Buy equity loan interacted with the sale timetable. We nearly missed the redemption deadline and had to rush to get paperwork signed under intense pressure.
Damp
Cracks
Survey uncertainty
Buyer says cracked windows, damp, patch repairs and bubbling wallpaper were only noticed after making an offer, causing them to question whether to pay for a survey or walk away.
They now have tenants in situ and a property thousands of miles away, all because one buyer backed out at the last minute.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
An Alexander Grace Law client complained that when their initial sale fell through, the firm still charged the full amount even though the transaction never reached exchange.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Fall-through risk
They openly say the sale can fall through purely because an offer clock runs out – nothing to do with the buyers’ intentions, just the time it takes the system to grind along.
They say after agreeing a further £30k reduction out of desperation, it still didn’t sell, leaving them angry and feeling misled.
Hidden info
We had to abandon the purchase when home insurance quotes came back sky-high due to flood risk that nobody had warned us about at viewing stage.
After losing that buyer we’re back to square one, exhausted and wondering if we should just give up moving altogether.
On Mumsnet, a buyer says the bank’s surveyor down-valued their chosen house by £60,000 – they’re left asking ‘now what?’ after already starting conveyancing.
solicitor choice
estate agent pressure
preferred conveyancer
consumer choice
Seller says their estate agent refused to work with their retained solicitor and told them to find another firm without giving a clear reason.
Our neighbour started parking across our drive once the For Sale sign went up and shouting at viewers about noise and bins.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re out of pocket on valuations, legals and searches and the lender just walks away. It makes you feel like the whole process is stacked against ordinary buyers.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
The landlord’s buyer pulled out and they tried to raise our rent to cover a surprise extra service charge; it felt like their failed sale was being taken out on us.
Delay
We had to chase Gaddes Noble constantly for updates. After weeks of barely any response they suddenly said they could no longer handle our straightforward purchase.
Delay
Our buyer’s solicitor requested the leasehold pack three times and the managing agent still dragged their feet; by the time it arrived, the buyer had gone.
They claimed these tenants had the best credit checks they had ever seen, but they did not do proper due diligence.
We lost our buyer when the landlord demanded a huge premium for extending the short lease and refused to negotiate.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Northern flat owners have seen service charges rise by over 50 percent in five years.
Financial loss
financial loss
Unresponsive in replying to emails PLUS added on a new 'additional' charge virtually every day!
Fall-through risk
The piece warns that hiding rows with neighbours can easily lead to fall-throughs or legal claims once buyers discover the truth.
Hidden info
Raised an easement/boundary-related dispute and only received automated replies; no complaints procedure provided.
Delay
A seller says they’re 9 weeks in and their buyer’s solicitor appears to have done almost nothing, ignoring repeated chasers, and they fear the onward seller will pull out due to lack of progress.
Poor communication
poor communication
“No communication at all… relentlessly chase my solicitor for updates.”
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Unfortunately, the sale fell through… costing me almost £2,000…
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’d been on the market a year, switched agents, dropped the price several times, finally got a cash buyer… and then the sale still fell through at the last minute.
reservation fee
buyer fee
pressure to secure
hidden cost
Buyer says an estate agent advert demanded a £7,000 deposit plus a non-refundable reservation fee to secure a property, describing the fee arrangement as suspicious.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“Most incompetent surveyors… error on report resulted in the sale falling through.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our initial sale fell through, so we asked Rav at Agent & Homes to handle things. He managed both the new sale and our onward purchase far more smoothly.
Poor communication
poor communication
As a first-time buyer, I was left panicking because the lender didn’t confirm the valuation and nobody could tell me what was happening.
Delay
The solicitor simply stopped responding to emails from both us and the estate agent for days at a time. When pressed, the firm admitted they were 'understaffed' and several residential files were waiting in a backlog.
Delay
Our home in Kent has been on the market since September at what the agent says is the right price. We are chain free and motivated to sell but still have not sold and I am getting really anxious.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Seller says the firm failed to advise them about required paperwork for a sale and then did nothing meaningful to help afterwards.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We watched our first sale die, then finally got the keys to a different home months later, but the journey there was far more stressful than it needed to be.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The Legal Ombudsman’s latest data shows complaints about residential conveyancing still centre on poor communication and delay, often tied to missed purchase or sale deadlines.
Seller complains the agent overvalued to win instructions, then pushed for reductions after weak demand.
Delay
Our buyers changed their minds after six weeks, refused to give any reason and just disappeared, leaving us to start again from scratch.
recommended solicitor
exchange failure
delay
estate-agent panel
Buyer says their recommended solicitor failed to exchange as planned and noted the firm was recommended by a large high-street estate agency.
Hidden info
They’re told that if the council holds a record of the complaint, it’s safest to update the buyer, even if the issue is now technically resolved.
Financial loss
financial loss
Despite hefty price cuts, high fees and exit charges have left them effectively trapped, watching the inheritance shrink while the flat sits unsold.
A law firm warns that down-valuations and buyers’ mortgage issues are increasingly common reasons for sales to collapse or be painfully renegotiated at the last minute.
The message is that ‘it’s the council’s fault’ isn’t enough on its own – clients still expect clear timelines and honest updates while they wait.
Financial loss
financial loss
User alleges they received an unexpected invoice to 'open a file' despite not knowingly instructing the firm.
We were pressured into meeting an in-house mortgage advisor and it felt like a condition of being taken seriously rather than an optional service.
Firm collapse
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
PM Law closure guidance says Gordons LLP was appointed as intervention agent and that the agent secures files and client money but does not continue the conveyancing transaction.
They couldn't be any worse if they tried.
Financial loss
financial loss
One affected mover says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. The complaint was about poor handling rather than a general advice question.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The insurance broker couldn’t place the risk at a sensible price, so our lender refused to proceed and the purchase fell through.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says a no-chain Muve purchase took five months, calls were not returned and questions were never answered.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My flat sale fell through, my first purchase fell through, and only the third attempt actually completed – the emotional toll was horrendous.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
The sale fell through because the seller hadn’t disclosed past flood damage; once the survey and insurance checks revealed it, we no longer felt safe buying there.
Delay
The solicitor did not review the management pack for almost three weeks. Once they finally did, they found issues requiring further enquiries, delaying exchange significantly.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A buyer’s forum post says the flat they want has a £190 per month service charge – by their maths, that extra cost could instead fund a larger freehold house.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers’ solicitor said they couldn’t get any replies from Latimer Lee; in the end the sale fell through because communication was so poor.
The conveyancer missed a clear warning in the searches about a proposed major road scheme behind the property. We only discovered the plan after completion when public notices went up on our street.
Delay
“The sale could have been finalised before the end of February.”
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Another account says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds.
Poor communication
Misleading information
poor communication
Reviewer says a property remained unsold after months on the market and criticises the estate agent and sellers for lack of transparency, trust and honesty.
Delay
Our property still isn’t registered years after purchase. We’re now facing more delays and stress because the conveyancer didn’t finish the job.
Delay
Waiting months for a certificate needed to complete the sale of an apartment.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
Buyer says a fire-safety enquiry about building height could not be ignored, even though the seller was threatening to pull out.
Fall-through risk
A previous buyer pulled out after paying for searches, and now we’re trying to buy the same property. Our solicitor is talking about ‘buying’ their searches, which feels like a minefield.
Delay
The conveyancer waited until the last moment to tell us they had not received the signed transfer deed. It had been sitting in their post room for a week, unopened, while everyone in the chain assumed we were ready.
Complex property
Broker difficulty
Annex
Buyer says a property with an annex, holiday let bookings, farm buildings and Crown Estate land proved difficult for the mortgage broker to place with a lender.
Mortgage valuation visit lasted minutes, then the property was declared unmortgageable because communal areas were ‘poor’. Buyer felt it was absurd.
Valuation for a buyer’s mortgage looked rushed and didn’t properly check rooms or outside areas. Seller felt the process was careless.
Hosted viewings sold as add-on but organisational failures meant vendor had to do viewings themselves.
Poor communication
poor communication
My mortgage offer expired… absolutely no communication.
Poor communication
poor communication
Ten days of no answers to calls/emails/chats while midway through a sale/purchase situation.
Hidden info
On LegalAdviceUK, someone was told that once you’ve reported a neighbour to the police, that dispute has ‘crystallised’ and has to be declared on the TA6 when you sell.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A Reddit buyer complains their conveyancing solicitor ‘never gives any updates’ and that they have no idea if searches have even been requested months into the process.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say the whole transaction is on the edge of collapse because lenders won’t accept certain ground rent clauses and the fix takes time.
Our surveyor down-valued the house by £30,000 compared to the agreed price; the lender refused to budge and the seller wouldn’t negotiate.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller claims they lost two separate sales after the same surveyor’s reports, and struggled to get clear explanations.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Communication… had to chase for updates and time frames.”
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Every time I email my conveyancer I get a two-line reply or never hear back at all. It’s been months and I’m still waiting for basic updates.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Bettermove explain that high service charges make flats harder to sell because buyers don’t just compare asking prices – they factor in years of expensive running costs.
Hidden info
A Sun investigation found service charges have jumped by around 11% in a year on average, with some leaseholders paying thousands and even discovering hidden insurance commissions in their bills.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Right-to-buy buyer is still paying rent while waiting for the council to progress the purchase and respond to a complaint.
Poor communication
poor communication
Using PM Law has been one of the worst legal experiences I’ve ever had. Years of poor communication, unanswered calls and the feeling they simply didn’t care what happened to my case.
Delay
Our conveyancer repeatedly sent documents with incorrect names and dates. Each correction added another week of delay, and our mortgage offer expired mid-transaction.
“I would rather do it myself than use an incompetent conveyancing firm.”
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt stuck between overpaying for a risky property or walking away and losing their survey and legal costs, eventually choosing to withdraw.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer anxious mid-purchase because management pack is the only blocker — repeated chasing proves pointless.
Delay
Our mortgage offer expires in a few weeks and the replacement firm still doesn’t have our file from PM Law. If we have to reapply at today’s rates we simply can’t afford the same home.
Delay
Buyer in a probate purchase says replies have been limited and the legal process has created uncertainty close to proceeding.
Poor communication
poor communication
Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Harassing, rude, and overbearing behaviour during viewing and buying enquiries.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My house sale fell through and the place I was buying was taken off the market a week before completion – I’m stuck in a home I was mentally already leaving.
Mortgage rejection
Overseas mortgage
Affordability
Borrower says Halifax rejected their mortgage because of concern about an overseas mortgage and HSBC rejected because of UK residence length, leaving them unsure whether most lenders will decline.
Poor communication
poor communication
I don’t mind them lining up more viewings, but the agent could at least confirm if the offer is rejected instead of leaving us hanging.
Delay
The agent’s follow-up was so poor that offers and viewings felt mishandled, adding friction and delays that would scare buyers off.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Parkers Tilehurst review says their original sale fell through ‘through no fault of theirs’, but the agent got the property back on the market quickly and kept the chain moving.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Our buyer’s buyer pulled out the day after the stamp duty holiday ended; nobody would say why and their solicitor just signed off with a casual ‘sorry’.
Delay
My solicitor went silent for three weeks with no updates, despite holding all documents needed to exchange. The estate agent confirmed the delay was entirely on their side.
Delay
Countrywide Home Surveys reviewers accuse the firm of ‘down-valuing and practically ridiculing’ properties, saying their reports have blocked further borrowing or stalled moves.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
fall through
The deposit wasn’t properly handled when the sale fell through and we spent months chasing the agent to get our money back.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
My partner is moving in with me but the house is in my name. I know I need to notify the council about losing the single person discount, but I do not know who else I must inform and whether the lender or insurer needs to be told.
Seller alleges a surveyor significantly undervalued their property without clear reasoning, jeopardising the buyer’s lending.
Auction fee
Survey risk
Potential loss
financial loss
Buyer says an auction or estate agent wanted 6,500 pounds upfront before survey on a property with known wet wall issues, with no refund if the report was bad.
Poor communication
poor communication
Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. following the February 2026 intervention.
Financial loss
financial loss
Being gazumped after paying legal and mortgage fees is brutal; we basically sponsored someone else’s price rise.
Delay
Our sale didn’t complete on the agreed day because the buyers simply failed to transfer funds. We’d booked removals and time off work and ended up sat in a packed house waiting for a call that never came.
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe being threatened with significant fees and being chased by solicitors, while also facing ongoing mortgage and council tax on an empty property.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
On another forum, a seller describes feeling ‘so stressed’ after their sale collapsed, wondering whether to relist, rent or abandon the move entirely.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Off-plan delays left us paying for temporary accommodation far longer than budgeted.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Conveyancing fraud victims say once the money is transferred to criminals, recovery is almost impossible.
Hundreds of us have joined support groups because we’re effectively homeless in the middle of a transaction – our old homes gone, our new homes blocked, and nobody giving clear answers.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Purchaser feels stuck because the other side is not ready to proceed even though they have signalled readiness to exchange.
The Law Society warns that if you receive a message saying bank details have changed, you should question it and verify using the firm’s published contact details because law firms rarely change bank details mid-transaction.
Hidden info
Another article notes it’s a legal requirement to disclose neighbour disputes on the TA6 form, and failing to do so can lead to a sale being unwound or damages being claimed later.
We were shocked to discover that most people lose thousands when a sale collapses and that we were just another statistic in a broken system.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Poster describes a house sale falling through twice and being left hugely out of pocket through no fault of their own.
Financial loss
financial loss
Refund disputes after cancellation: seller says nothing was done but still had to chase for money back.
Financial loss
financial loss
After spending money on valuation and legals, we had to abandon the purchase because cash buyers were our seller’s only hope.
Financial loss
financial loss
The solicitor acting for us failed to spot that the block had no formal fire risk assessment on file, despite clear guidance on this for flats. Our insurer later required costly retrospective checks and upgrades.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d spent thousands on legals and surveys only to be told that, without valid cladding paperwork, our only realistic option was to find a cash buyer at a big discount.
Financial loss
financial loss
The reviewer describes an in-house adviser as making misleading assurances and then going quiet once fees were paid.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Truly incompetent, work missed deadlines, almost caused chain to collapse.
Solicitor said they would act for me on conveyencing.
Financial loss
Hidden info
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A resident says communications were ignored and service levels deteriorated while costs rose sharply.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Two weeks after my sale fell through the ‘sold’ board was still outside and Yopa still hadn’t taken it down, which summed up how poor their communication had been from day one.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
On r/HousingUK, a seller says their buyer pulled out just two days before exchange, and they are ‘absolutely gutted’ after months of planning a move back home.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer complains their conveyancer went silent for over a month, ignored emails and calls, and only admitted at the last minute that they had not even ordered searches, putting their onward chain at risk.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says they were effectively forced to see the in-house mortgage adviser to have a better chance of purchasing.
Poor communication
poor communication
They point out that when a solicitor stops communicating, chains wobble and clients start imagining the worst, even when problems could be fixed with a frank update.
Fall-through risk
Our landlord tried to sell with a sitting tenant but the buyer pulled out when they saw how weak the existing tenancy agreement was.
Financial loss
financial loss
I incurred huge financial and emotional cost because the letting agent did not vet tenants properly.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Completion… April 2025… multiple emails not responded to… many chasers.”
They’ve cut the price but buyers still balk when they see the annual bill before even stepping through the door.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
My solicitor told me the apartment I am buying is subject to a Section 106 and that it could cause significant future financial implications. I am now extremely worried and trying to understand the risks.
Buyer says solicitor mixed up their file with someone else’s, sending incorrect documents and causing major confusion.
Delay
The reviewer said a competent progressor made all the difference when it came to keeping the subsequent chain from collapsing again.
Hidden info
BetterMove’s blog explains that high service charges can put buyers off straight away and reduce the pool of people who can afford to run a flat, not just buy it.
Delay
As a broker, it felt like constant back-and-forth with repeated requests and slow progress—seriously delayed cases.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
One MSE user said they’d advised clients with riverside flats that high service charges made them hard to sell and kept prices lagging behind other blocks without such expensive upkeep.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Another buyer posts that the sellers keep delaying and their mortgage offer is about to run out, meaning a replacement deal would cost thousands more.
Solicitor kept asking for documents already sent and claimed files were ‘mislaid’, stalling progress.
Hidden info
We listed with a national agent and didn’t realise our flat had a sky-high service charge until buyers kept pulling out at the last minute.
Delay
Reviewer says after the property was finally bought there were still unresolved problems and slow responses.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They felt the agent was more interested in pushing them into a quick disposal than in getting a fair price, especially after the first sale collapsed.
Poor communication
poor communication
My conveyancer would not pick up the phone and barely answered emails for days.
Our buyer’s lender down-valued the house; we couldn’t afford to drop the price by that much and they didn’t have the cash, so the deal just died.
Firm collapse
Delay
SRA intervention update lists multiple 2026 solicitor firm closures, warning affected clients that files and client money may need recovery and live matters transferred.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The solicitor still wanted nearly the full fee after the sale fell through, even though the collapse was caused by their slow responses.
Delay
The buyer's solicitor kept raising the same enquiry four times, even though the managing agent had already provided clear written answers. Each repetition delayed things and made the buyer think we were hiding something.
Our first buyer walked away after their solicitor raised concerns about a garage that was on a separate title; nobody had warned us it might be a problem.
Poor communication
poor communication
“We had to chase and chase; nobody takes ownership.”
Our first-time buyers backed out once their parents saw the fixtures and fittings list and accused us of nickel-and-diming over curtains and light fittings.
Land Registry
Poor communication
Post-completion issue
poor communication
Buyer says their solicitor failed to complete Land Registry registration after purchase and was evasive about which documents had not been submitted, forcing repeated chasing.
Not even 1 star but there is no option for that.
Poor communication
poor communication
We had buyers and then lost them because communication between the two conveyancers was non-existent; each side thought the other was dealing with key issues.
Hidden info
They say that if they’d known charges could get this high, they would never have bought the property in the first place.
buyer premium
reservation fee
modern auction
hidden cost
Home mover highlights a modern auction buyer premium requiring a non-refundable reservation fee of 4.5% of the purchase price, minimum £6,600, paid in addition to the purchase price.
They regularly hear from people who only found out about noise and harassment problems once they’d already moved in.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve been gazumped once already and know from experience how quickly months of conveyancing and all the associated costs can vanish overnight.
Poor communication
poor communication
Consistently sat on our case with no action being taken, lied about what work had been done
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
MSE users describe flats where annual charges reached £3,000–£6,000; every time a buyer’s solicitor saw the schedule, the sale stalled or fell through.
Delay
The estate agent insisted the property was ‘chain free’, then months later we discovered the seller still hadn’t found anywhere to buy.
Delay
The first online agent overvalued our property and then gave months of poor service before we sacked them.
in-house mortgage adviser
buyer pressure
conditional selling
broker pressure
Buyer says the estate agent kept hounding them to use the agency's mortgage advisor, prompting conditional-selling concerns.
Poor communication
poor communication
Kensington’s communication was described as dreadful during the mortgage journey. Felt like shouting into the void when trying to progress the case.
I inherited my aunt's house which has been rented out for years, but it turns out the garage encroaches onto council land. I can prove the garage has been there since 1964 but as I have not owned it for 12 years, I do not know if I can apply for adverse possession.
Our tenants have moved out, we’ve moved out, and the person we’re buying from has also packed up. The only thing missing is completion, and that’s blocked because our PM Law firm no longer answers the phone.
Hidden info
A guide on why flats aren’t selling in 2025 points to cladding, short leases, high service charges and poor management as recurring reasons buyers walk away.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We were desperate to move closer to friends after a bereavement, but repeated fall-throughs and slow conveyancing left us stuck where we were.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A buyer says they were only told of major works and a lease extension cost after they were already heavily committed to the purchase.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The poster says the neighbour only fixed the problem after the sale collapsed – they lost the buyer but finally got some peace and quiet.
Poor communication
poor communication
I have zero idea of a timescale
They list real court cases where buyers successfully claimed thousands because key issues like flooding or neighbour trouble were glossed over.
Hidden info
We were ready to exchange on a flat and then discovered a five-figure annual service charge buried in the small print for heat network and concierge; the sums no longer worked.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller reviewing Avenue Road said their first sale fell through, but the agent had the property back on the market immediately and resold it within two days.
Hidden info
Another thread highlighted how buyers can be scared off when there’s no clear history of service charge accounts and the lease hints at big upcoming works.
Our conveyancer never clearly explained our responsibilities after exchange; we only discovered we should have insured the house from that date by chance.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed because one solicitor refused to pick up the phone; everything had to be done by old-fashioned letters, which kept going missing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyers pulled out after a survey described as inaccurate and alarmist. The seller said it nearly destroyed the sale for no good reason.
Hidden info
I posted that the vendor for a probate sale was not willing to pay for a gas safety check even though there was no history. After pushing, they finally agreed to fund it and the gas fire was found to have a gas leak and was condemned. It could have been very dangerous.
They give examples where noisy or aggressive neighbours have derailed sales and left buyers feeling misled about what they were really moving into.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the buyer chased their own solicitor and it still took over a week to get any response, while both sides’ solicitors claim different things are happening.
Poor communication
poor communication
A leaseholder describes being ignored across email and phone, resulting in prolonged uncertainty and stress.
Hidden info
Another commented that every time they spotted a listing reappear, they assumed the previous buyer had discovered something nasty in the survey or lease.
Seller says promises were made at valuation but marketing and updates were poor, leaving them stuck with little interest.
Delay
Move stalled for weeks waiting for a response; even formal complaint routes went unanswered.
recommended solicitor
solicitor choice
referral fee concern
estate agent pressure
Buyer says the estate agent warned them not to use their chosen solicitor and asked whether they wanted to reconsider, raising concern about steering toward preferred conveyancers.
We tried to shield the children from the stress but they’ve noticed we don’t have our own home any more. We’re sleeping in a friend’s spare room because our Butterworths / PM Law solicitor closed days before completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
App chat was useless and the phone system kept looping with no way to reach a person. Getting anything resolved felt impossible.
Delay
We’re over five months in and still haven’t completed. Every week our conveyancer promises ‘next week’ and nothing happens.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’re blunt that hiding it is not an option: if the buyer finds out later, you could face claims, legal fees and a nightmare dispute of your own.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
The estate agent never mentioned a previous collapsed sale over access rights, which understandably scared off our new buyers.
Delay
Buyer with a growing family says the home they chose in December is still not completed months later because the legal process dragged on.
Hidden info
Our leasehold flat has a service charge so high that no first-time buyer can afford it and no investor can make it stack up – we’re just stuck.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The amount of delays, no communication and me chasing them is utterly unacceptable!
weeks of delay
chain pressure
deposit withheld
escalation required
professional trust
A dual-qualified Licensed Conveyancer and Chartered Legal Executive describes a live chain in which a deposit was expressly undertaken to be released after exchange but was not sent despite repeated chasers. She says days became weeks and the money was only transferred after formal escalation to a senior member of the other firm, creating pressure further up the chain and undermining professional trust.
Delay
It underlines how much power a survey report now has: one pessimistic comment and a deal months in the making can vanish overnight.
Mortgage issue
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says conveyancers completed after being told not to, apparently because mortgage funds were requested and released despite the instruction to stop.
They said the idea that someone can buy your freehold as an investment and then strip your disposable income through escalating charges is exactly why they’d never touch a leasehold flat.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Digital Spy poster described being ‘so stressed’ when their sale fell through, saying they had no idea you could get that close to moving and still lose everything.
fraud
They say the bank insisted they phone the conveyancer to verify the details, and the conveyancer told them to stop the transaction because scammers had changed the account number.
Other posters say lack of communication is so common it’s practically a cliché, even when thousands of pounds and a family’s future home are on the line.
We had to abandon the purchase when we realised the loft conversion had been done without proper building regs; the solicitor advised it would cause problems if we ever sold.
Delay
Fall-through risk
My lodger’s new-build flat was finished months late and she only completed two days before her mortgage offer expired; one more delay and the sale would have collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Charged me for sales packs… they never even requested.
VERY POOR SERVICE DO NOT USE, WE BEEN IN THE PROCESS BUYING A HOUSE…
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A different Trustpilot review says a conveyancer ignored emails for weeks and the whole experience was ‘really frustrating and stressful’, despite being recommended by a high street agent.
Delay
Offer accepted months ago and we’re still nowhere near exchange. Every time I ask, it’s ‘we’re waiting on the other side’.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A buyer says their conveyancer warned them their email had been intercepted and that scammers swapped bank details — the email and attached letter looked completely convincing.
Hidden info
We only found out our sale had fallen through because the buyer’s solicitor finally admitted there was no building control sign-off for a recent extension – something the agent never mentioned when we offered.
Hidden info
By the time we discovered the boundary fence had been in dispute with next door for years, we’d already spent hundreds on surveys and had no appetite for a legal fight.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re now desperately exploring things like buy-to-let mortgages just to avoid losing the property we’re trying to buy after our sale collapsed.
Delay
This company should be shut down. Iv been waiting nearly 8 months now to complete a simple, no problems house purchase.
A buyer complains that their solicitor didn't check a crucial covenant that prohibits renting, discovered only after exchange.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another account says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. The review pattern points to stress caused by delays and poor updates.
Renegotiation pressure
Agent hostility
Survey issue
Buyer says an estate agent became hostile when they asked to renegotiate after new information came to light during the purchase.
Paid a non-returnable lease-extension deposit, then the process didn’t complete in the agreed timeframe.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They felt the landlord had ignored multiple queries and left their service-charge account in limbo for months.
“They even failed to complete on the day agreed because of ‘ticking boxes’.”
The same piece highlights confusion around the Building Safety Act, saying around 20% of conveyancers refuse to handle some flat sales because of cladding risks.
Delay
“The entire process took more than 15 months. It should have taken a few.”
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
So slow we lost our buyer. After over 180 days of waiting... our buyer finally pulled out and I don't blame them.
“Not notified staff left… wasted time emailing someone who had left.”
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. The problem was communication during a live property transaction.
They warn that failing to mention formal complaints or letters can give a buyer grounds to undo the deal later.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another MSE user says their buyer reached the point of exchange and then decided the house was ‘too small’, forcing the seller to relist and pray their chain would wait.
Low offer
Sale collapse
Leasehold
financial loss
Seller of a leasehold flat accepted a low offer to keep things moving but later faced a collapse, highlighting the financial and emotional cost of failed transactions.
Poor communication
poor communication
Prince Evans page highlights poor communication and inconsistent competence in some conveyancing matters.
Financial risk
New build
Incentive deadline
financial loss
Buyer worries they could be contractually bound to buy a new build but lose the developer incentive if completion happens after the deadline, increasing monthly payments by around 200 pounds.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Sale fell through due to having no sign off from local building control for an extension.
Delay
Completion itself reportedly delayed, leaving buyers unable to get into the house for hours after contract time.
Hidden info
The report contained basic factual mistakes about safety items that were clearly present, undermining trust and complicating the transaction.
Poor communication
poor communication
They list failures such as not explaining who is dealing with the file, not setting expectations, and promising progress that never materialises.
Delay
A buyer says the title plan didn’t match what was on the ground and their solicitor suggested adverse possession and indemnity insurance, while the lender decision dragged on.
3+ week delay
client impact
chain delay
professional conflict
file inactivity
poor communication
A solicitor and head of residential conveyancing says she had recently needed to reprimand a counterpart lawyer for their conduct towards her and her client. She also checked her own files and found several matters waiting more than three weeks because the other side was still reviewing its file, describing counterpart conveyancing delay as a major source of weeks and months of transaction delay.
Hidden info
A specialist buyer said they focus on ‘hard to sell’ flats with cladding issues, high service charges or niche financing problems that normal buyers can’t get mortgages on.
Even after dropping the price further by tens of thousands, the property still didn’t sell, leaving the owner feeling cornered and undervalued.
Poor communication
poor communication
My purchaser used these guys. Slow and misinformation to say the least... No sense of urgency what so ever!!
General complaint: ‘unethical and incompetent’ behaviour (no specifics provided in snippet).
Delay
We were told nothing could be done when the offer lapsed, even though it was delays higher up the chain that caused the problem in the first place.
They warn that trying to hide rows with neighbours can be treated as misrepresentation, leaving sellers facing legal claims long after completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
A first-time buyer says their conveyancer is ‘ghosting’ them: good comms with broker and agent, but repeated emails to the solicitor get no reply and it’s making them anxious.
Financial loss
financial loss
I’ve spent money on surveys, searches and removals only to be right back at square one because the buyers walked away before exchange.
Poor communication
poor communication
Emails bounced between teams and nobody actually answered my questions.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I’ve missed out on a house because of them.
Estate agent promised fast sale; repeated confidence claims, but vendor complains of poor follow-through.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Their report says delays, seller withdrawals and bad survey results routinely kill deals after buyers have already spent over a thousand pounds on costs.
Search providers and local authorities have such a backlog that people are literally losing houses because the paperwork can’t be done before mortgage offers expire.
The solicitor didn’t realise they had been emailed the contract pack. They blamed the estate agent until the seller forwarded proof it had been delivered ten days earlier.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Fall-throughs in 2025 have cost UK movers an estimated £275 million so far.
Poor communication
poor communication
A very old Mumsnet thread simply begins ‘Our house sale has fallen through’ and goes on to describe young ‘property developers’ who ghosted both the agent and their own solicitor.
Poor communication
poor communication
noone knew the complaints process.
Financial loss
financial loss
They estimate the wider economic cost of failed transactions at up to £1.5 billion a year, which is insane when you remember every collapse is someone’s real life on hold.
Hidden info
Our solicitor assured us the property had no boundary issues, but the seller’s responses clearly flagged a long-running dispute. It had been overlooked entirely.
Our mortgage offer expired just before exchange because someone in the chain didn’t keep an eye on the dates – now the lender doesn’t have to honour it.
Mortgage issue
Financial loss
financial loss
Borrower says their mortgage broker arranged a product switch and said the new rate would automatically start on 1 April, but it did not happen as expected and the borrower was left trying to fix the broker's mistake.
Delay
We lost our dream home because our buyer’s mortgage offer expired after months of chain problems; the lender wouldn’t redo the application on the same terms.
Delay
Long investigation backlogs mean unhappy home movers may wait months just to get an answer about poor conveyancing service.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Landlord says Bryants Estate Agents failed to pay rental income on time and gave no explanation despite repeated calls and emails.
Delay
YOPA set the wrong price, failed to review the market as promised, and took weeks to respond to simple questions.
We’re paying for a short-term rental an hour from the kids’ school because our sale completed but the purchase can’t go through until the PM Law situation is sorted. We did everything right and still ended up effectively homeless as a family.
Customer said banks keep allocating the same valuers, leaving no choice. They felt the system encourages down-valuations that derail deals.
Financial loss
financial loss
I paid a £3,000 “refundable” Buyer’s Premium… sale did not proceed.
A second set of buyers then dropped out just days before exchange, citing devastating work news – we felt like the rug had been pulled twice.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our buyers walked away the day before exchange – one email and six months of planning, packing and paying fees just evaporated.
Poor communication
poor communication
I asked for a completion date, they told me ‘TBC’. Two hours later they emailed saying they’d booked next week. Then they cancelled without notifying us.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The amount of delays, no communication and me chasing them is utterly unacceptable!
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Countrywide estate agents run Bridgfords in York… Poor communication. Money grabbing. Blame everyone but themselves.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Buyer says conveyancers effectively ground to a halt for two months, with enquiries delayed after the file fell through the cracks when a case handler was off sick.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were even looking at school waiting lists for our planned move, but when the house sale fell through the whole relocation – and the school plans – just stopped.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
After our sale fell through, we found out we could buy indemnity insurance for missing paperwork instead of doing expensive remedial works no one had explained properly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through more than once but Watson Ramsbottom still managed to get our eventual move completed quickly once everything lined up.
We realised how badly our first estate agent had overvalued the house when we had to relist with a national firm at only 72% of the original asking price after a failed sale.
Financial loss
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Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
After over 180 days of waiting for CDPLL to process the sale of our chain free home our buyer finally pulled out.
Delay
Client discovered their solicitor submitted the wrong title number to the Land Registry, causing major delays.
Poor communication
poor communication
They changed fee earner without telling us and never kept us properly updated.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
They’ve slashed the price but the combination of age restrictions, high service charges and exit fees has made the flat incredibly hard to sell.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They described eight months of uncertainty with buyers dropping out, saying they genuinely didn’t know how they’d survived financially.
Poor communication
poor communication
Email responses were so slow I started wondering if this was normal for solicitors.
Delay
We were stunned that in the 21st century the legal process was still so slow and paper-based; those delays played a big part in our sale falling through.
Hidden info
We have just moved into our house and builders at the property behind are using our boundary wall as storage. Our deeds say we are responsible for the wall and our survey already flagged it as needing attention, so I am worried their work will make it worse but I do not want to cause a big neighbour dispute.
Buyer pulled out
Leasehold flat
Market frustration
fall through
Seller asks how the process is allowed after a buyer pulled out of a leasehold flat sale, leaving the seller frustrated after accepting a low offer and losing time in a difficult market.
Hidden info
Agents told to shape material information guidance. The industry says the rules are confusing, so we bought in a grey zone with hidden facts.
Delay
Huge delays to the point that as sellers we almost lost our mortgage offer.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer fears their mortgage offer will expire because the seller’s solicitor still has not progressed the leasehold enquiries.
reservation fee
recommended solicitor
new build incentives
completion pressure
New-build buyer says they paid a £500 reservation fee and used the recommended solicitor, while incentives were conditional on completion by end of June.
The HomeOwners Alliance says rising legal complaints often relate to slow updates, lost documents and clients only discovering problems once their sale collapses.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Valuer seemed positive in person for the remortgage, then later down-valued the property. It caused shock and immediate mortgage stress.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Our flat’s high service charge meant even cash buyers tried to knock tens of thousands off the price to compensate for the annual costs.
Financial loss
financial loss
They estimate the wider economic cost of failed sales at around £1.5bn a year, with buyers typically losing over a thousand pounds each time a purchase falls through.
“Electronic transfer fee… source of funds verification fee… already stressed.”
Our buyers completed on their sale but can’t complete on ours because their solicitor is one of the PM Law firms. The agent has warned that they’ll have nowhere to live if this isn’t fixed quickly.
reservation fee
non-refundable fee
buyer pressure
estate agent fee
Buyer says Redbrik asked for a £595 non-refundable reservation fee after their offer was accepted and asked whether there was a way to skip it.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
They felt the agent’s poor communication and attempts to spark a bidding war actually cost them the house they wanted.
Fall-through risk
fall through
After my original sale fell through, the agent pushed me into an auction at 20% below market value, then asked for another £30k reduction and it still didn’t sell.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
I got one email after weeks of silence despite repeated calls and messages.
Hidden info
NetLawman explain that neighbour disputes cover everything from boundary rows and blocked driveways to noise and anti-social behaviour – all of which must be disclosed on the TA6 when you sell.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We lost thousands in survey, legal and mortgage fees when our sale fell through, with no way to recover the money or the months we wasted.
Financial loss
financial loss
My son spent three years saving for his house deposit and now finds himself caught up in this collapse. As a parent it’s heartbreaking watching him face losing his dream home while the regulator offers almost no information or reassurance to clients.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
The process of buying a property has been quick but emails are never answered, you cannot get through to anyone on the phone and the final costs were significantly higher than originally quoted.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
One person’s sale fell through three weeks before completion when the buyer suddenly decided they didn’t like the area, after months of faffing about.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In ‘Seeking advice on financing for new house purchase’, a seller says their buyer pulled out on the day they were supposed to exchange, after they’d already paid for upgrades on a new-build.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Agent pushed hard to list, then failed to tell the seller the buyer chain collapsed; onward purchase lost.
Seller felt the listing and pricing guidance was mishandled, undermining interest and adding unnecessary time on the market.
They’re furious that the freeholder expects buyers to absorb hundreds extra per month on top of a mortgage and normal bills.
Delay
A missing completion certificate for historic work meant additional indemnity policies and delays; the buyer lost patience and pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
They now face the prospect of covering the cost of those extras while scrambling to find a new buyer fast enough to keep their plot.
On Trustpilot, a mortgage-broker service from Sequence/Sequencehome is called ‘a total waste of time’ – the reviewer says after a 90-minute call, they got a hard sell on insurance instead of helpful advice.
Financial loss
financial loss
We had to complete and put our belongings into storage because the purchase side couldn’t keep pace, which added even more cost and stress.
I was told that I couldn’t relist the property...
Hidden info
Our solicitor didn’t warn us about the ground rent clause at all – we only saw the details after completion when the demand arrived.
Delay
Our move was days away when Butterworths Solicitors in Cumbria suddenly closed under the PM Law group. We only found out from a notice on the door.
Our agent seemed resigned to the collapse; they didn’t have the reach to generate enough viewings quickly, so our whole chain was at risk.
The lack of any joined-up system meant the broker blamed the solicitor, the solicitor blamed the agent, and we were just left with a failed sale.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Chaos… the reason our property sale fell through in the end.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
We lost two properties because our adviser was too slow to place offers and too slow replying. We were constantly chasing while houses sold to others.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through because the buyers ‘suddenly realised’ the house doesn’t have a driveway – after two viewings and two months of back-and-forth, they just walked away over something that obvious.
Our solicitor mixed up email threads from two different transactions and sent us another client's correspondence by mistake. It was a serious data breach and completely destroyed our confidence in the firm.
Fall-through risk
fall through
If anyone wants to DESTROY their transaction… AVOID.
Delay
Leaseholder alleges months waiting for a certificate/deeds item needed to complete a sale of a recently purchased flat.
That reviewer also alleges a conflict of interest because the conveyancer was recommended by the estate agent, leaving them feeling the buyer’s interests weren’t protected.
Poor communication
Hidden info
poor communication
Buyer says the estate agent dismissed survey findings, claimed repair quotes were too expensive, and pressured the buyer not to renegotiate despite roof concerns.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says hearing nothing for weeks at a time during conveyancing makes them fear the worst about the purchase.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through on the Thursday morning, but Parkers had it back on the market by Friday and sold again by Saturday, which literally saved our chain.
Financial loss
financial loss
Some leaseholders have discovered that a big chunk of their buildings insurance costs is hidden commission, adding to the sense that they’re paying too much to live in a place they can’t easily sell.
Poor communication
poor communication
I ended up selling my home at a loss because the agent allowed awful tenants and ignored my concerns.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
A further complaint summary notes Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. after the PM Law group closure.
recommended solicitor
referral fee
conveyancing
consumer choice
Buyer asks about using an estate-agent recommended solicitor, prompting discussion of referral fees and whether recommendations are driven by service quality or commercial incentives.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through right near exchange and I felt physically sick; we’d mentally moved out and suddenly had to go back to endless viewings.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One seller says their house sale fell through while they were on holiday – they only found out via email and still haven’t managed to resell.
The reviewer says they work with many firms and that in most cases, silence during the process is what drives clients to complain.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Terrible comms from day 1… 2 weeks after my sale fell through.
Our tenant is refusing access for viewings and the managing agent seems to side with them. I’m trying to sell but they’re using every excuse not to cooperate and I’m stuck paying the mortgage.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say that in some blocks, inflated fees and looming major works have knocked tens of thousands off what owners can realistically achieve when they finally find a buyer.
Financial loss
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert user paid over £300 to their conveyancer for initial work, only for their buyer to pull out the day before final procedures.
Conveyancer forgot to request a management pack on a leasehold property until the buyer chased repeatedly.
Hidden info
A Camden leaseholder forum thread discusses actual service charge bills arriving higher than estimates, with residents shocked at the final totals.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Buyer says a seller delayed completion by six days, causing claimed losses of £5,500.
Fall-through risk
The surveyor valued the property far below what we’d agreed to pay; our mortgage offer was cut and we couldn’t make up the difference, so the purchase collapsed.
A Times article on conveyancing says the system is ‘organised chaos’, with one in three transactions falling through and average timescales stretching to around 185 days.
Poor communication
poor communication
The Housing Ombudsman’s guidance on insurance-related complaints notes that residents often feel left in the dark when landlords, insurers and loss adjusters don’t explain who is responsible for what.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The Financial Times is now actively asking readers for ‘house moving horror stories’, saying recent research shows huge numbers of failed transactions and chains collapsing.
Slow solicitor
Agent pressure
Anxiety
poor communication
Buyer says their solicitor was so slow that the estate agent claimed the seller might pull out, leaving the buyer anxious and unsure whether the agent was bluffing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The top of our chain fell through, we found another buyer, then the next chain collapsed; eventually our mortgage offer expired and we had to walk away.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our flat sale fell through just before exchange when we discovered the managing agent had invalidated all the EWS1 forms; suddenly nobody’s lender would touch the block.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our sale fell through and the ‘no move, no fee’ deal turned out to be an insurance policy that cost us nearly £800 for a move that never happened.
Hidden info
Our buyers backed out when their lender refused to lend on a pre-fab construction – something nobody flagged when the property was first marketed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller complains that their estate agent failed to learn anything meaningful about the property, works carried out or grants available, and had to be chased constantly for viewing feedback.
The fixtures and fittings list arrived with a price next to almost everything, including old curtain poles and garden planters; it felt like being shaken down.
Poor communication
poor communication
As buyers we started avoiding listings with certain online agents. We had heard too many stories about poor communication and chains collapsing because the agent did not progress the sale.
Fall-through risk
fall through
An advice site reminds buyers that if they feel an estate agent has misled them about why a previous sale fell through, they can escalate the complaint to the Property Ombudsman.
Hidden info
The property we would like to buy has had building works done before 1995 and not all of the certificates are available. We want to know if the sale can still go ahead and whether we can get building control in to make sure it is safe.
Hidden info
The EPC and reality didn’t match — heating bills would have crippled us. Listing showed ‘pending upgrade’ but lacked detail.
Delay
We ended up frantically shopping around for a specialist insurer just to keep the chain from collapsing.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our whole chain depended on PM Law. Overnight their offices shut, staff were locked out, and nobody can contact them. They’re holding mortgage money in their client account and it feels like chains across the country are about to fall apart because of this.
Financial loss
financial loss
Paid an upfront conveyancing fee, then was told they couldn't act; refund promised but hard to obtain.
We’re a young family with two kids. We handed back the keys to our rented house because Butterworths told us we were all set to complete. The next thing we knew there was a sign on the door saying they had closed and we had nowhere to go that night.
Fall-through risk
fall through
In another review, someone said their sale fell through twice for different reasons, and leasehold complications made the final successful sale ‘fraught’ from start to finish.
Poor communication
poor communication
A seller says their own solicitors were “painfully slow” and they felt they were doing more chasing than the professionals — and now they fear the buyer will pull out before exchange.
Hidden info
Our landlord kept putting up the service charge but basic repairs never got done – buyers asked why the block looked so run down if we were paying so much.
I completed on the sale of my house, but PM Law never redeemed my mortgage. I’m now technically on the hook for a loan on a property I no longer own and a new mortgage on the place I’ve moved to.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our estate agent never properly explained why the previous sale had collapsed, which made us suspicious there was more wrong with the place than they were letting on.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our chain collapsed even after we’d exchanged – the buyer at the bottom couldn’t complete and suddenly everyone above was scrambling to see who would cover whose costs.
Delay
They add that the seller is threatening to pull out because four months without progress on a supposedly chain-free purchase feels unreasonable.
Our solicitor refused to communicate with the estate agent, slowing everything down. Basic updates took days because they would not speak to anyone but us directly.
Our estate agent has had to publish special guidance because so many of their buyers and sellers are stuck with PM Law group firms. Chains are paused while everyone waits to see when files and funds will be released.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first house fell through the same week we got our mortgage offer, but our broker managed to transfer it to a new property a month later.
broker pressure
commission
kickback
conditional selling
Buyer says estate agents were trying to make them speak to the agency's broker, with commenters saying the agent may receive commission or 'double dip' on the sale.
A Trustpilot review for Conveyancing Direct says they were ‘so slow we lost our buyer’, with the sale of a chain-free home still not completed after 180 days.
Delay
A Facebook first-time buyer posted that their mortgage offer was due to expire the following month and the seller still hadn’t even filled out the property information forms.
Home mover / consumer reports: Harassment and Unlawful Entry by Housing Employee.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our solicitor at Proddow Mackay stopped answering calls after the closure notice. The phone is constantly engaged and the website has vanished.
Bettermove are clear that you legally have to declare neighbour disputes, and hiding them can lead to the sale collapsing or a claim for compensation.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client describes zero transparency, no initiative and no clarity during what should have been a manageable purchase.
Poor communication
Exchange risk
Extra costs
poor communication
Seller says their own solicitor stopped responding while the buyer was ready to exchange, leaving them paying a holding deposit on rental accommodation and fearing the chain could collapse.
Before we switched agents we’d had a year of chains falling apart and feeling like nobody was really steering things or keeping us updated.
As a first-time buyer, a lender-commissioned valuation through Connells became a stressful blocker in the purchase.
Local agents reportedly tell them houses and low-charge properties still shift, while high-fee flats struggle to attract serious buyers or achieve asking price.
Delay
Zapperty warn that missing documents – things like completion certificates, warranties and building regs sign-off – can delay or even derail a sale because buyers’ solicitors won’t sign off without them.
Hidden info
On LegalAdviceUK, a buyer discovered after moving in that the seller had ticked ‘no disputes’ on the TA6 despite having reported the neighbour to the council several times.
Hidden info
We’ve spent over £43,000 on charges and council tax trying to sell Mum’s retirement flat for years, and it’s still on the market for far less than we first listed it.
Delay
“Constant delays and stress… truly awful experience.”
Poor communication
poor communication
Emails often went unanswered for days and nobody explained what was going on.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Guidance article cites cases where failure to disclose key ‘material information’ led to complaints, delays and collapsed transactions.
Probate issue
Agent disclosure
Delay
Buyer says an estate agent let slip late in the process that the seller was waiting on probate for their onward purchase, despite this not being disclosed earlier while the transaction stalled.
Hidden info
Estate agent mis-selling: brochure didn’t state key information we needed — “as seen” listing lacked detail about construction type and risks.
“The system feels incredibly slow and opaque… no one can give a timeframe.”
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
First buyers were self-employed and couldn’t borrow enough, but they sat on that information for weeks while everyone else carried on paying fees.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
After months of chasing, our solicitor still hadn’t raised basic enquiries; the buyers’ patience finally snapped and they withdrew their offer.
Poor communication
poor communication
Vendor says Purplebricks was a terrible company to avoid after a sales instruction went wrong.
After the survey, the valuation came back tens of thousands lower than expected and flagged issues we’d never been told about, creating panic late in the process.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers walked away after eight weeks blaming a ‘personal issue’ – we’d already mentally moved and now we’re starting from scratch again.
Hidden info
Campaigners accuse housing associations of mis-selling by massively under-estimating future charges, leaving owners stuck in properties they can’t sell or afford long-term.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say they only learned the truth via solicitor contact late in the process and feel the estate agent’s updates were misleading throughout.
Delay
A ReviewSolicitors entry for a large conveyancing outfit describes a client waiting six weeks just to have a solicitor allocated after they’d already signed up.
Delay
We waited months while the chain above us kept falling apart due to solar panels, non-standard construction and someone losing their job; by the third collapse we gave up.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says the earlier solicitor made very little progress and was extremely unreliable before another fee-earner took over.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another poster said their solicitor never chased anything and rarely answered calls; eventually the buyers just stopped responding and the transaction quietly died.
Poor communication
poor communication
The article says too many clients feel left in the dark during key stages, especially when deadlines linked to tax changes or mortgage offers are looming.
Delay
Seller says their solicitor didn’t chase the buyer’s solicitor for weeks despite repeated promises to do so.
Fall-through risk
We had a rental property sale fall through twice. The buyers’ circumstances kept changing and every time we thought we were close, it collapsed again.
Delay
We’re three months in and still waiting on local authority searches. Our buyer keeps asking what’s going on and I’ve got no idea what to tell them apart from ‘the council is slow’.
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice couldn’t really help; they just confirmed buyers can walk away before exchange and leave you to swallow all the costs.
Poor communication
poor communication
Lack of updates. Agreements to call back never happened. Documents not read. Horrendous experience.
Delay
My leasehold property is sold subject to contract and the buyers have completed searches and valuation but are still waiting for mortgage approval. I want to understand how far along the selling and buying process we actually are.
Our agent put the house on the market with 'no onward chain' even though the vendor did have an onward purchase.
Hidden info
Vickery Holman explain that you technically can sell with a boundary dispute, but hiding it is risky – if buyers later find out, they can claim misrepresentation.
Delay
They also say local authority searches and unresponsive lawyers can cause such extreme delays that frustrated buyers start viewing other properties instead.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through and I felt the solicitor was partly to blame; they were slow, unresponsive and seemed to let issues drift until the buyers walked.
A Prince Evans client switched to them after a previous sale had fallen through because of messy leasehold issues – the new firm quickly got to grips with the complex lease and saw the next sale through.
Land Registry
Complaint escalation
New build
Buyer says a solicitor failed to register a new build property with Land Registry and only acted after written chasing and threats to escalate the complaint.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“The seller eventually withdrew… They refused the refund… submitted a TPO complaint.”
Our buyer’s lender refused the mortgage after seeing the valuation report, and there was nothing we could do but wait for a new buyer and start again.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
For that client, having a proactive solicitor was the difference between yet another collapse and finally getting over the line after months of setbacks.
Delay
Management pack needed for sale chased for ~2 months; says calls ended abruptly and no progress.
As a broker I’m seeing more surveyors slash valuations so much that buyers can’t bridge the gap, forcing entire deals to be abandoned.
Buyer unresponsive
Sale delay
Uncertainty
Seller says a buyer effectively dropped off the face of the earth and the transaction stalled while the seller could not tell if the delay was caused by the buyer or the solicitor.
Financial loss
financial loss
“장umping is alive and well… avoid at all cost.”
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Client says HS Legal charged fees twice, failed to provide a completion statement and took months to progress Land Registry work.
They suggested that in badly managed blocks, flats often take much longer to sell or only shift at discounted prices because of the perceived risk.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. The complaint was about poor handling rather than a general advice question.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
“Thirteen days of delay and losing money in interest.”
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Service charges on flats have jumped sharply and many leaseholders say the rising fees are making their homes harder to sell.
Hidden info
A first-time buyer Facebook group post says their service charge jumped from £60 to £180 a month; they admit they didn’t really understand the leasehold pack at the time of purchase.
Felt like a lengthy inspection ended in a low valuation with little transparency, producing major disruption right near the finish line.
The estate agent kept telling us ‘it’s all with the solicitors’ while our buyers’ searches hadn’t even been ordered.
Poor communication
poor communication
It felt like nobody read our messages; we were never told what was happening.
Our sale fell days behind because the solicitor forgot to request the redemption statement from our lender. They only admitted the oversight when we asked the bank to confirm when the figures had been issued.
When a buyer’s mortgage problems surfaced, the agent appeared unwilling to keep marketing properly, increasing the risk of the sale collapsing.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Been trying to get through to this outfit for ten days with zero response.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers’ buyer fell through, then a roof problem scared off the next one, then another; nearly a year of viewings and disappointments before anything moved again.
They warn that stubborn pricing on either side often ends with the buyer walking away and the home going back on the market.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
When our sale fell through after six months, we weren’t just losing a buyer – we were losing the house we’d set our hearts on and a chunk of our savings.
Firm collapse
Financial loss
Fraud/scam
financial loss
fraud
Report says South Yorkshire Police and the SRA are investigating suspected large-scale fraud at the collapsed PM Law group, with affected clients including home sale and conveyancing matters.
A reply warns that many buyers will “run a mile” when they see ‘modern method of auction’, implying it can hinder sales and reduce serious interest.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Our buyer pulled out after their mortgage offer expired while waiting for the chain to inch forward – nobody warned us that offer dates could literally kill a sale.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
A MoneySavingExpert seller says their cash buyers pulled out after the survey with no attempt to renegotiate, even though they were willing to discuss a reduction.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Chain-free purchase dragging for months with little action; feels like constant chasing with minimal progress.
The advice seems to boil down to ‘hope the lender plays ball’, which doesn’t feel like much protection with a legally binding contract hanging over us.
Gazumping risk
Marketed after offer
Uncertainty
poor communication
Buyer worries the estate agent or vendor is keeping options open after acceptance because the property has not been withdrawn from the market.
Poor communication
poor communication
the conveyancers of our buyer were changing the person in charge of account several times
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert user wrote that their leasehold flat had sat on the market for years with no sale, mainly due to high service charges and nervous buyers.
Delay
We’re being told Land Registry is so backed up that registration might take a year. It leaves us stuck when trying to remortgage.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say they’re trapped in a flat they can’t comfortably afford and can’t sell, with family plans on hold because there’s literally nowhere to move on to.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our buyers simply didn’t turn up to complete, and we were told the only way to recover our wasted costs would be to sue them.
Customer warned others their home was undervalued by tens of thousands, and only a second valuation fixed it. Felt like cowboy practice.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
A thread lists ‘classic estate agent lines’ like downplaying service charges and insisting the last sale fell through because of the buyer — implying the real reason can be hidden.
We had to rely on the buyer's agent to get information because our own agent did not do their job.
Hidden info
Our buyer’s lender pulled out because the ground rent rises with the property’s value – we had no idea until the last minute.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. after the PM Law group closure.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were left with our belongings in boxes and nowhere to go when the seller pulled their property from the market a week before exchange.
The damp report read like the house was falling apart even though we’d never had issues; the buyers didn’t even ask to renegotiate, they just disappeared.
After getting the keys, we discovered the seller had replaced all the downstairs switches and sockets with cheap white ones despite signing to say all fixtures and fittings would stay. They also left two light fittings incomplete. We want the original fittings back but do not know how enforceable this is.
Our previous mortgage was never redeemed before the PM Law collapse, but we’ve already completed our onward purchase. We’re now being chased on a loan secured against a property we’ve sold, while also paying the new mortgage.
Our estate agent kept telling us everything was ‘progressing nicely’ while the buyers’ mortgage offer quietly expired in the background.
They say it was the first time they realised high charges can stop a lender or broker from approving a mortgage at all.
Undisclosed issue
Fall through
Wasted time
fall through
Buyer says a sale fell through because of an undisclosed issue with the property after finally selling their own home, describing the experience as painful.
They’ve slashed the asking price far below what they paid, but buyers are scared off as soon as they see the yearly heating and management bills.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud warns criminals hack or spoof email chains between buyers/sellers and their solicitors/agents, then strike near completion by claiming bank details have changed at the last minute.
Hidden info
Property118 features a landlord shocked by a hefty increase in maintenance and service charges, being told tribunal action is their only route to challenge reasonableness.
offer handling
best and final
estate agent conduct
buyer detriment
Buyer suspects an estate agent failed to submit their best-and-final offer, raising concerns about offer handling and whether the agent acted in the buyer and seller's interests.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Unresponsive solicitors… you need people you can trust.”
Hidden info
The first buyer walked away as soon as they realised there was a management company fee on top of the service charge; they said it felt like paying twice.
Poor communication
poor communication
They answered eventually but never actually addressed the questions I had sent.
Either the survey will be fine and it goes ahead, or it will uncover something grim and the buyers will back out – there’s not much middle ground.
A mortgage broker explained that when a sale falls through, most lenders will transfer a mortgage offer – but buyers still face another valuation and fresh paperwork all over again.
Delay
A conveyancing client says they lost both the property they were buying and selling because their solicitor delayed responding, first losing their buyer and then their seller withdrawing.
Delay
Buyers often assume sellers have all the paperwork ready, but in reality a simple missing certificate can add weeks of delay and push nervous buyers to look elsewhere.
New build warranty complaint: ‘reason for everything not to cover you’ — claim refusals blamed on loopholes.
I was forced into meeting the in-house mortgage adviser and felt it affected the fairness of the buying process.
Financial loss
financial loss
We feel trapped in a property that lenders increasingly don’t like and buyers don’t understand until their lawyer explains the small print.
Delay
The buyer’s solicitor warned that if replies didn’t arrive soon, their client would start looking at other properties.
Delay
We offered end of June, had mortgage in July — by September our solicitor still hadn’t issued enquiries. We feel stuck.
Poor communication
poor communication
Ten days of trying to contact them: no phone answers, no email replies, no progress updates.
modern auction
agent commission
seller pressure
reservation fee
Seller says the estate agent is still pushing modern auction even after the house failed to sell, with concerns that extra agent commission is driving the recommendation.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
In a ‘spotlight’ article, the Ombudsman stresses that even if delays are caused by third parties, solicitors still need to keep clients properly updated.
Delay
A Trustpilot review of The Property Ombudsman says the service took nearly a year to look at a landlord’s complaint about an agent, only to dismiss it and ask for even more information.
Hidden info
On r/HousingUK, one leaseholder says annual service charges have made their flat ‘impossible’ to sell – first-time buyers can’t afford it and landlords can’t make the numbers work.
Hidden info
One buyer said their heart sank seeing properties pop back on Rightmove with ‘sale fallen through’ – it felt like a huge red flag that something was wrong.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Trying to move house but stuck for weeks waiting for Remus to respond; formal complaint ignored.
Thankfully we hadn’t shipped our furniture yet, but the shock of losing the sale overnight was awful.
Hidden info
Average service charges on flats jumped by around 11% in a year to over £2,000, putting extra strain on budgets and widening the gap with freehold houses.
Financial loss
financial loss
The sellers tried to charge extra for basic appliances and then insisted on removal fees when we declined, which was the final straw in an already fraught purchase.
Our solicitor forgot to request the redemption statement from our lender. Completion had to be postponed, and we paid a full extra month of mortgage interest.
Poor communication
poor communication
Voicemails, emails, nothing was replied to despite it being an urgent stage.
A remortgage valuation seemed fine in person, then came back downvalued afterwards—felt like a bait-and-switch.
Financial loss
financial loss
After the second failed attempt to sell our rental, we started questioning whether the UK system is just designed to waste landlords’ time and money.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say they also lost their onward purchase and had to take the property off the market to fix the defect, which took 12 months.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out citing ‘personal circumstances’ and that was that. The vendors of the house we were buying immediately put theirs back on the market and reduced the price.
conditional selling
broker pressure
viewing blocked
buyer pressure
Buyer reports an estate agent would not arrange a viewing unless they booked an affordability appointment, with commenters identifying it as possible conditional selling.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says an estate agent did not arrange a viewing, then later said an offer had already been accepted, leaving the buyer frustrated that the agent had not done their job.
it was the buyers solicitor who has pointed this out.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller alleges the firm didn’t answer emails, the portal wasn’t updated, and all chasing had to be done by phone.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
An Everys Solicitors article on the ‘hidden costs’ of leasehold says some owners face escalating ground rents and service charges that make it difficult to sell or remortgage at all.
Financial loss
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
auction fees
reservation fee
modern method of auction
buyer premium
Buyer asks about auction fees where the buyer is expected to pay a reservation fee of 4.5% of the offer price or £6,600, whichever is greater.
Poor communication
poor communication
The app is poorly designed... no correspondence was received from them. I had to do a lot of chasing.
Financial loss
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for.
Mortgage issue
Poor advice
Buyer says a broker told them it was not legally allowed to have two mortgage applications with two different lenders, leaving them unsure whether they had been given incorrect advice.
Delay
Buyer says a straightforward empty property still turned into delays after the offer was submitted.
Hidden info
The Times reported on a family who have spent roughly £43,000 on service charges and council tax while trying for years to sell their late mother’s retirement flat with no success.
We lost our buyer when the survey highlighted significant damp and potential structural movement; even a small price reduction wasn’t enough to reassure them.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our mortgage offer was already in place when the original purchase fell through; the lender would only consider porting it if we jumped through more hoops and the new place met all their criteria again.
Delay
We are mid property transaction and the service is worse than useless. Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies.
Hidden info
A Reddit thread asks if anyone has sold successfully with a formal noise complaint recorded on the TA6 – the seller is anxious it will scare off all buyers.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another account says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Hidden info
Service charges rose 11% — we hadn’t budgeted for that level because nothing in the listing mentioned the historic increases.
Another Times investigation into retirement flats finds many have dropped in value, with families losing tens of thousands while still paying hefty anual charges.
Hidden info
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says the estate agent advertised a flat with a lower service charge, but solicitor documents later showed the service charge was higher and the buyer was left worried about renegotiating before their mortgage offer expired.
Delay
We’re buying with no chain and it’s still taking forever. I’ve heard almost nothing from the solicitor in months.
Delay
Our seller’s identity checks dragged on for weeks. We’re now dangerously close to our mortgage offer expiring because of the delay.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
A Which? survey found that 84% of people whose sale fell through lost money, with an average loss of nearly three grand in fees and costs.
Hidden info
Industry pieces stress that councils, leases and charges are now considered core facts – not nice-to-have extras – in listings.
Another advice site explains that if your mortgage offer expires before completion, you might need a full new application and face higher monthly repayments.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The valuation undermined the deal even though the buyer was comfortable; it created uncertainty that threatened the entire transaction.
Financial loss
financial loss
They highlight that even if the purchase price looks attractive, big annual fees can make a property much harder to resell and knock thousands off its market value.
In ‘Selling has pulled out of house sale not once but twice’, a buyer describes a nightmare vendor who keeps changing their mind and wasting everyone’s time.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
We tried challenging the service charge but were warned that tribunal action might scare off buyers, so we stayed quiet and watched another sale fall through.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They say some sellers only realise at the eleventh hour that they’ve lost key paperwork, then spend weeks chasing councils and builders while buyers lose patience.
Even after making a small test transfer and confirming receipt, the main completion funds became unaccounted for—nightmare scenario.
Poor communication
poor communication
An article on inefficient conveyancers lists tell-tale signs: slow responses, poor communication and little use of technology – all of which can stall a transaction.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
House sale fell through because an enquiry took six weeks to get a reply.
Delay
Described as an ‘omnishambles’: huge delays nearly caused mortgage offer issues and completion ran hours late.
Our solicitor explained that false answers on the TA6 can amount to misrepresentation, but that doesn’t undo the stress of living next to a hostile neighbour.
Poor communication
poor communication
we are frightened to complain as last time we did so she replied very rudely
The owner felt the surveyor had massively over-interpreted minor issues and spooked the buyers into walking away.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say even the estate agent struggled to get updates, and the buyer became ‘very unhappy’ because the solicitor wasn’t responding to calls.
Delay
We’re now into month six. Our solicitor keeps saying they’re ‘waiting on the other side’ but can’t give any sort of timeline.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Consumers say they struggle to get straight answers on timescales or costs, especially on property transactions that drag on for months.
Delay
Post-completion delay leaves buyer worried the conveyancer has not finished the Land Registry work after the transaction completed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I’ve missed out on a house because of them.
Hidden info
A leasehold specialist says cladding issues, huge remediation bills and inflated service charges have created a whole class of ‘hard to sell’ flats that ordinary buyers and lenders avoid.
After we complained, our conveyancer admitted they’d mixed our file up with another client’s and had to redo several documents from scratch.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time they understood there were cheaper, quicker options, the transaction had already fallen apart and they’d incurred avoidable costs.
Delay
Fall-through risk
After 11 months and several chain collapses, we finally completed. Our latest agent actually returned calls and emails, which shouldn’t be rare but apparently is.
conditional selling
in-house services
buyer pressure
estate agent incentives
Commentary on the Panorama investigation says buyers were allegedly penalised if they refused agency in-house services such as mortgages or conveyancing.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through maybe six weeks in, just after survey, and the buyers refused to give any reason at all; we think they simply got cold feet about how much they’d offered.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The seller’s solicitor insisted on posting documents instead of using email, which added weeks to an already stressful timeline and cost us our buyer.
A NetLawman guide on gazundering explains that while the tactic feels unfair, it’s not illegal because buyers aren’t bound to their offer until contracts are exchanged.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Upfront material information is pitched as a win-win: agents avoid fall-throughs, buyers avoid nasty surprises later.
Buyer claims the lender became frustrated at the slow pace and threatened to withdraw the offer.
Financial loss
financial loss
Result is the entire deal is dead, we have the legal fees, around £2,700 to pay our lawyers
Poor communication
poor communication
There was almost no communication between seller and agent which made it impossible to judge the situation.
Hidden info
SharedOwnershipResources warns that estate service charges can make a supposedly affordable home hard to sell later, especially when the lease flags future charge risk.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They said emails went unanswered for weeks, buyers lost patience and withdrew, and now they’re being chased for a full fee on a failed transaction.
Our buyer’s solicitor is part of the PM Law group. They’ve already moved out of their place based on the agreed completion date and are now stuck staying with relatives because nothing can progress.
I’d already mentally moved; now I’m back in the same house, surrounded by boxes and constant anxiety about ever escaping this process.
Delay
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
A JustAnswer user describes challenging a block’s service charges and then waiting six months with no reply, not even to their formal complaint.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Buyer feels forced into a more expensive mortgage extension because completion has still not happened before the offer expiry date.
Financial loss
financial loss
We believe we paid for something that didn’t deliver: the process felt like an upsell with little value, and we came away feeling fleeced.
Poor communication
poor communication
Poor communication, all words no action… had to beg for viewers…
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Owners on the same thread said they pay around £180 a month service charge and still worry buyers will balk at the running costs when they eventually sell.
They highlight that most of that loss is on surveys, searches and legal work that must be repeated from scratch if you try again with a new buyer or new property.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We relied on a mortgage illustration to secure a property and paid a holding deposit, then after weeks of delays and repeated document requests they suddenly refused to proceed due to an internal restriction.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. The review pattern points to stress caused by delays and poor updates.
The seller refused to budge on price after a down-valuation, even though the lender would only advance against the lower figure; in the end we had to walk.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Trustpilot summary notes some Hennah Haywood Law customers mentioned delays, errors and constantly changing case managers.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Our sale fell through and now the solicitor is chasing us for a big conveyancing bill even though we never got to completion and their service was terrible.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the only reason they stuck with the process was because the branch kept explaining what was happening each time another link failed.
No progress
Cash purchase delay
Poor service
Buyer says their solicitor had not started work on an empty freehold cash purchase after roughly eight weeks, would not share documents, and left the vendor becoming impatient.
They contrast that support with earlier experiences where other agents seemed to disappear the moment a ‘sold’ board went up.
Fall-through risk
The bungalow we’re buying has just been valued £10k below our offer. The last sale at a higher price collapsed when that buyer’s chain fell apart.
Complaints route feels like a loop: told to complain again rather than fix the underlying problem.
Hidden info
We asked an online group about a flat with a £2,400 service charge and ground rent. Loads of people warned it would be hard to sell on later.
Poor communication
poor communication
Multiple days to a week to reply to emails. My solicitor says they’re very busy but I feel totally ignored.
Mortgage delay
Stress
Underwriting
Buyer says waiting for mortgage approval was one of the longest and most stressful parts of the purchase, even though the application eventually succeeded.
Delay
Getting mortgage documents was painful: no easy export, requests via a web form, and then waiting for documents by post. That added days of delay.
Poor communication
poor communication
We used Valerie Holmes Law for our purchase and only learned about the PM group closure from social media. We’ve heard nothing directly and completion is off.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says there was a worrying lack of transparency in how TLC Estate Agents handled the property process.
Buyer says the estate agent repeatedly claimed there were other higher offers and pressured them to bid up, but later they discovered no other offers had ever been recorded.
Buyer’s perspective: viewings botched and no end-to-end accountability — classic ‘everyone blames someone else’.
Tenanted property
Completion delay
Vacant possession
Buyer says offer was accepted on a tenanted flat but completion was still delayed months later because tenants remained in the property.
They felt the broker was more focused on cross-selling life cover than actually finding the right mortgage for their circumstances.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Another account says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move. after the PM Law group closure.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d booked removals, changed addresses and taken time off work, only to be told at the last moment that the buyers weren’t going ahead.
Hidden info
They say the flood risk wasn’t flagged in the report at all, and they only caught it by reading through the documents themselves right before exchange.
Financial loss
financial loss
Some managing agents invoice for services that were never carried out and cannot be verified.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Our house sale fell through at short notice after six months because the buyers suddenly decided the separate garage on the title was an issue, even though it had been there from day one.
The seller worries whether to wait for their buyers to find someone new or immediately relist to avoid losing the house they’re trying to purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
Urban Jungle’s guide bluntly says lenders can withdraw an offer right up until completion, leaving you without finance even after you’ve spent money on surveys and legals.
Poor communication
poor communication
Broker was dismissive and refused to help, then we later passed affordability with a different broker. We’re also concerned our details were shared onward without consent.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
They contrasted the previous ‘list it and hope’ approach with proactive chasing of solicitors and buyers, which shows how much difference the right agent can make after a fall-through.
Hidden info
A conveyancing blog from a solicitor explained how poor block management and high or unpredictable service charges can make flats very difficult to sell because buyers don’t want to inherit those problems.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
After the fourth chain collapse in two years I’m exhausted and heartbroken; this time the buyer at the bottom said a surprise bill meant they couldn’t afford to continue.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Seller describes repeated fall-throughs: each restart means more delay, more cost, and more stress.
Very disappointed with the whole sales process... the papers we were sent for signing had the wrong address for the property we were selling.
Financial loss
financial loss
A Financial Times piece on house prices says many UK sellers overestimate the value of their homes, sometimes encouraged by over-optimistic estate agent valuations designed to win instructions.
Delay
“Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies… asked to review documents they have not sent.”
Firm collapse
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Consumer-facing guidance on PM Law closure warns affected conveyancing clients may need help retrieving files, establishing what happened to client money and completing post-completion work.
ABSolicitors point out that TA6 question 2 directly asks about disputes; failing to answer honestly can put you in serious trouble later.
A Guardian feature on a cladding-affected block in London describes residents unable to sell, facing mould, scaffolding and unresolved fire-safety issues for years.
Hidden info
Guidance for Part A material information makes it clear that key facts must be provided in listings, not left for buyers to find later.
Poor communication
poor communication
Published Ombudsman decision data confirms unresolved legal-service complaints remain visible for recent conveyancing-related disputes.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Shocked to be basically 'scammed' by this firm.
Delay
Don't go by the cheaper price! I can not express the delays in a three person chain that this firm caused.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says the agent mishandled their sale over many months and the buyer walked away the day before completion.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Trustpilot, a Hodders client says they suffered three collapsed chains over nineteen months and describes the overall process as ‘very painful’.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through after six months because the buyers suddenly didn’t like the garage arrangement, even though it was on the deeds from day one.
Financial loss
financial loss
My retired parents’ buyers pulled out at the last minute, putting their dream new-build at risk and leaving them facing the loss of all the fees they’d already paid.
Santander’s research says more than half a million property transactions collapse every year in England and Wales because of our outdated home-buying system.
Hidden info
Conveyancers still in the dark on material information: guidance withdrawn and sellers unsure what must be disclosed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another poster described a buyer dropping out on the day of exchange for vague ‘personal reasons’, after everyone had booked removals and arranged time off.
Our London flat has no soundproofing, the bath waste pipe is open and not connected to drainage, the kitchen sink drains into an exposed hall area, and there are ventilation leaks. The management company and council refuse to help or even inspect, and we are concerned for our family's safety.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says Leading Property Lawyers made buying and selling a nightmare with administrative errors, rude responses and glacial service.
recommended solicitor
consumer choice
conflict of interest
estate agent pressure
Buyer says an estate agency refused to work with their chosen solicitor, triggering concern that the buyer was being steered toward an agent-preferred solicitor.
Delay
Seller alleges key documents were misplaced, forcing re-sends and delaying an estate sale.
Tenure error
Leasehold
Misrepresentation
Buyer says a property was advertised as freehold, but the solicitor later revealed it was leasehold, leaving the buyer shocked after offer acceptance.
reservation agreement
buyer information pack
survey cost
non-refundable fee
Buyer says being asked to pay £600 to make an offer creates a risk of losing both survey costs and a reservation fee if something appears later in the transaction.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
In Scotland our sale fell through after the buyers lied about their position, and we later discovered they’d misled us about what they were actually doing with the property.
Hidden info
The conveyancer failed to notify us about a boundary dispute raised in the seller’s TA6 form. We only became aware when the neighbour's solicitor contacted us directly.
We’d already agreed a long completion because we were relocating to Scotland, and suddenly our whole move was on ice with no clear plan B.
Fall-through risk
fall through
By the time they’d argued over indemnity insurance and who should pay, the buyers had lost patience and pulled out.
Hidden info
They emphasise that complaints to the council or police create a paper trail buyers can uncover, even if sellers try to gloss over the history.
Poor communication
poor communication
Chasing the solicitor became a full-time job; voicemails, emails, nothing answered, and in the end the buyers assumed we weren’t serious and dropped out.
Hidden info
NetLawman reminds sellers that any neighbour dispute, even a past one, must be disclosed on the TA6 form or they risk misrepresentation claims later.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
In another complaint, a client said they could never get hold of their conveyancer, weren’t told who to contact when she was away, and only found out things had stalled when the sale collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time the lender deadline hit, we’d paid for searches, surveys and legal work – and suddenly had to start again from scratch with a new buyer.
fall through
Home mover / consumer reports a property transaction at risk or collapsed, linked to chain collapse.
Hidden info
The seller insisted the parking space was ‘understood locally’ but the title plan said otherwise; our solicitor advised us not to touch it.
They’re left trying to decide whether to relist immediately or pause, knowing they’ll have to start the whole chain-building process all over again.
Poor communication
poor communication
My purchaser used these guys. Slow and misinformation to say the least.
Financial loss
financial loss
Posters warned that such high, inflation-linked charges will only rise, turning a seemingly nice flat into a long-term financial trap.
I am honestly terrified the house will collapse. There are cracks everywhere and we’ve had insurance issues because of suspected subsidence, but nothing has been properly fixed.
A long list of survey issues, from damp to missing structural support, led the buyer to demand a huge discount and effectively killed the deal.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our initial sale fell through because of leasehold complexities. When we moved to a new firm, they immediately highlighted problems our previous solicitor had missed.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
My house sale in Scotland fell through after months of waiting. I’d been told to start packing, then suddenly it was all off and I felt physically sick.
Our whole move depends on the bank extending an offer – one hiccup from a third-party management company and the chain could collapse completely.
We discovered after completion that the solicitor had never checked whether the solar panel lease met our lender's requirements. The bank later queried the documentation and we had to pay for additional legal work to satisfy them.
We exchanged on a new build knowing the mortgage offer would run out before the developer’s completion date – now we’re panicking that the lender might refuse to extend.
Poor communication
poor communication
Staff did not get back to us, we were always chasing them, and they never seemed to know what was going on.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out in November and we got through a further 3 buyers
Poor communication
poor communication
They are painfully slow to respond, regularly ignored my emails, and never pushed the buyers for updates.
Poor communication
poor communication
A further complaint summary notes Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. The review pattern points to stress caused by delays and poor updates.
The Advisory’s guide on conveyancing complaints is full of examples where consumers feel abandoned mid-transaction and forced to chase updates themselves.
Poor communication
poor communication
Online agents often vanish once an offer is agreed. No calls, no chasing solicitors and no sales progression. I have seen chains collapse because the agent simply stopped doing anything.
fraud
Claims of organised scammers and review suppression; alleges genuine reviews flagged and removed.
Poor communication
poor communication
We got almost no proactive contact; everything had to be chased repeatedly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Victorian house sale collapsed after the buyers’ survey flagged ‘damp’ everywhere, even though the sellers had lived there a decade with no actual problems.
Poor communication
poor communication
We picked this company on price alone and soon found we'd made a terrible mistake! …We never heard from them.
Buyer complains that their solicitor failed to catch an issue with unadopted road access before exchange.
Poor communication
poor communication
As a Butterworths client I was never clearly told they’d become part of PM Law. Only after the social media posts did I spot a quiet change in the email footer. Now the firm has shut, my will and other documents are locked away and nobody is replying to requests for them.
Solicitor / conveyancer reports: MJP Conveyancing - My TERRIBLE experience.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through around six weeks in, just after survey, and the buyers wouldn’t give any reason – we assume they over-offered and panicked.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
On MoneySavingExpert a poster says a friend’s entire chain collapsed because one person’s mortgage offer expired and the lender wouldn’t extend it.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
In a warning about property-transaction scams, police say Action Fraud recorded 143 conveyancing-fraud cases (Apr 2024–Mar 2025) with £11.7m total losses, mostly in residential deals.
Delay
A seller says repeated non-responses made their transaction drag and created avoidable delays during conveyancing.
Our chain nearly fell apart because the buyers at the bottom didn’t realise how long searches can take – they assumed it was like ordering a credit check.
A seller says their buyer’s mortgage was withdrawn due to lease ground rent terms, and they’re scrambling to fix it with a deed of variation to save the sale.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They list classic causes – buyer cold feet, slow solicitors, mortgage refusals and survey problems – the usual chain of events that leave sellers back at square one.
Financial loss
financial loss
I paid nearly £6,000 in auction fees only for the sale to collapse. None of it was refundable.
non-refundable deposit
reservation terms
buyer risk
modern auction
Buyer says they were asked to accept terms where 5% of the purchase price could become non-refundable if the sale failed, raising concern about one-sided reservation terms.
Delay
Endless delays and being asked to review documents that were never actually sent.
Financial loss
financial loss
A buyer says they transferred a large sum to their solicitor after being told the account details never change, then was told the details were wrong.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot reviewer for SAM Conveyancing explained that their first sale fell through at the last minute and the second buyers were awkward and slow because they were buying via a pension.
Hidden info
PLS Solicitors describe neighbour disputes ranging from boundary lines to threatening behaviour, and say they’re becoming more common in property litigation.
Half the house had been remodelled without sign-off and our solicitor made it clear we’d be inheriting the headache, so we scrapped the purchase.
Hidden info
“Did not pay final ground rent and service charge… debt collection threats.”
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Leasehold clauses and rising charges have made it so hard to sell that we feel in financial limbo, waiting on reforms that keep getting delayed.
Fall-through risk
My mortgage offer actually expired once before and the lender kindly extended it, but I know others whose whole chain collapsed when that didn’t happen.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Chain almost collapsed because the buyer’s ‘case handler’ setup built delays into every step.
Delay
Buyer says the only thing holding up their purchase was a management pack, despite chases from multiple parties.
We have a viewing arranged at short notice but cannot fully clear the garden of dog waste because of disability and recent surgery. We are worried it will put buyers off.
Hidden info
They said they felt misled about the true level of charges and worried they’d be trapped in a flat that future buyers would avoid.
We’ve had two buyers pull out at late stages; each time we find a new one, it feels harder to believe the sale will actually happen this time.
Delay
Survey valuation came in significantly low versus expectations, causing stress, renegotiation pressure, and wasted weeks in limbo.
Hidden info
Restrictive covenant discovered on the eve of exchange. We were told the garden was 'private' but found out access rights were shared.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Latimer Lee review simply says the sale fell through because the buyer’s solicitor couldn’t get answers from them and the buyers lost patience waiting.
They added that while everyone technically knows what they’re signing up to as leaseholders, the way some landlords try to change the deal mid-way feels like a breach of trust.
The damp specialist said it mostly needed ventilation and a dehumidifier, but the damage to buyer confidence was done and they’d already walked away.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Repeated delays and constant chasing nearly caused the flat purchase to fall through.
We were told… smooth process if using their mortgage advisor and solicitors.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Buyer says they paid for insurance because completion was said to be imminent, only to be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
They said it felt like signing a blank cheque to a management company, and they weren’t prepared to risk being unable to sell later.
Financial loss
financial loss
constant phone to pay the buyers premium while staying on the call.
Hidden info
A Sun investigation showed leaseholders billed ridiculous amounts for simple jobs like changing light bulbs, with hidden insurance commissions baked into already-high service charges.
Delay
Hidden info
The Sun highlights a couple whose service charges jumped from £2,800 to £7,500 a year, leaving them unable to sell and delaying plans to grow their family.
Delay
Our lender wouldn’t extend our mortgage offer after delays in the chain, so even though everyone was finally ready, we no longer had the funding to complete.
Delay
Firm closure
The sudden PM Law closure left conveyancing clients needing urgent support to protect transactions and post-completion registration.
Poor communication
poor communication
High charges and hard-to-reach support made routine admin feel like deliberate obstruction.
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice list examples of people losing money because an estate agent didn’t return a buyer’s deposit properly or sold a property for less than it was worth, leaving the seller out of pocket.
Financial loss
financial loss
We were told we still owed Yopa their fee even though the buyer walked away and the sale never happened, just because of the small print in their agreement.
Unexpected invoice
No itemised bill
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Buyer says their purchase fell through and the solicitor sent a higher-than-expected invoice without providing an itemised bill despite repeated chasers.
Hidden info
We bought a council flat and later realised the service charges made it really hard to sell on; most people just want security for life, not an asset that other buyers will avoid.
Delay
Complaint that the firm is slow, hard to reach, and blocks a purchase because nobody responds.
Financial loss
financial loss
It feels like I did nothing wrong but still risk losing a decent rate because a seller changed their mind higher up the chain.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
We’re told that high service charges are now normal for newer developments, but buyers won’t pay the same price for a flat with huge annual costs, so our sale keeps failing.
Fall-through risk
After our buyer pulled out, another buyer was lined up and the original seller accepted a higher offer; it felt like we were being punished for something we didn’t cause.
Fall-through risk
We’ve had a year of chain collapses and wasted time with other agents; every time someone above us pulled out, the whole process reset.
We gave notice on our rental because Butterworths told us we were on track to complete. Then the office shut with a sign on the door saying they can no longer trade, and now we’re stuck between homes.
Financial loss
financial loss
The same reviewer frames it as being pushed into repeated price cuts rather than getting an honest strategy to actually sell the property.
Financial loss
financial loss
A Bishopsgate Law client calls them ‘the absolute worst law firm’, saying they’ve been dragging their feet for over a year on a simple lease extension while asking for more money and failing to liaise properly with the other side.
Hidden info
We’re starting to think our flat just isn’t sellable – the service charge is just under £300 a month and every buyer disappears once they see the numbers.
Hidden info
On JustAnswer, a seller was told that even a ‘resolved’ driveway dispute might still need to be disclosed because it created a formal record with the council.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The seller has painted over damp and mould after my survey, clearly trying to mislead the surveyor and hide issues. I know I can try to renegotiate but I want to know how much pressure I can put on them and whether there is any realistic claim for time wasting and survey costs.
Their reports were described as factually wrong often enough that we’re escalating complaints to professional bodies.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
It confirms what many buyers and sellers feel – that the process is still too slow, opaque and stressful despite years of promised reform.
They argue that starting searches earlier is vital, because the longer you wait, the more likely it is a nervous buyer or seller will pull the plug.
Poor communication
poor communication
They said having someone who actually ‘always had the answers’ made a stressful cross-border move slightly less terrifying after the collapse.
We had to walk away from a house we loved after our mortgage broker told us the new lender stress tests meant our original agreement in principle was useless.
Delay
Buyer in a chain says progress stalled because others were still waiting on local authority searches, with uncertainty around timescales.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their conveyancing solicitor left them in the dark for a month after initial contact, with no communication between mid December and mid January despite searches and enquiries being key next steps.
Delay
JP Goldman client says no work had begun because payment had not been requested correctly, creating avoidable delay.
Mortgage application
Broker advice
Flat purchase
Buyer with a recommended broker still fears rejection after making an offer on a flat and does not know how quickly they can apply elsewhere if declined.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say around a quarter of those complaints are about poor communication specifically – clients who feel kept in the dark.
Hidden info
We were trying to sell a retirement flat and paid tens of thousands in service charges and council tax while it sat unsold for years.
Financial loss
financial loss
User says they paid for title deeds believing a third-party site was the official Land Registry, received nothing, and had to seek a refund via their payment method.
Poor communication
poor communication
We only found out critical information because the agent chased, not our solicitor.
Hidden info
A Sun article features a couple whose service charges rose from under £3,000 to £7,500 a year, making their leasehold flat effectively unsellable despite big price cuts.
Financial loss
financial loss
The buyers admitted later they’d got carried away and offered more than they were comfortable with; once they saw the survey, they panicked and withdrew.
In our chain, one link used a PM Law brand. Several families have already moved out or given notice, and there’s real anxiety that some of them could be left without anywhere permanent to stay.
Fall-through risk
A Which? piece says one of the biggest reasons sales fall through is buyers changing their minds after survey, often with almost no explanation to the seller.
Hidden info
A HousingUK thread about leasehold flats warns that service charges and ground rents can balloon to the point where you’re left with something you ‘can’t sell’.
Delay
Land Registry
Buyer says their solicitor was instructed for a straightforward cash purchase in July 2025, yet by January 2026 ownership still had not been registered and repeated calls produced no clear resolution.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication from Angela Viney was awful. I was told my deeds had arrived and would be sent, but even after repeated chasing weeks later nothing turned up.
Slow, understaffed and liars.
Fall-through risk
fall through
SmoothSale reviewers describe hitting a ‘rough spot’ in a five-person chain where a previous sale fell through and they needed someone to step in fast to stop the rest unravelling.
A Waterstone Legal article lists causes of slow conveyancing including overworked law firms, unmotivated sellers and simple lack of communication between parties.
Our late relative’s bungalow sale almost failed after the first buyer dropped out; without a proactive agent it would probably still be languishing on the market.
Delay
We are mid property transaction and the service is worse than useless.
Delay
Buyers on Reddit have posted about mortgage offers expiring while they wait for searches and chains, saying they feel sick at the thought of their purchase collapsing after months of paperwork.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The chain broke twice and we still had to complete our sale, putting our belongings into storage while we waited for a new purchase to go through.
Hidden info
Seller says a significant contract error recorded the property value incorrectly during the transaction.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We did everything promptly but their lawyer was asleep when ours was working and vice versa – by the time anyone realised how bad it was, the chain had collapsed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says lack of updates and replies dragged out the process and threatened the whole chain.
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt they’d paid for a job that hadn’t been completed, on top of having to start all over again with new buyers and more costs.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
A Legal Ombudsman report on residential conveyancing highlights cases where delays and hidden costs left customers losing the home they wanted or facing large unexpected bills.
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer says they requested a refund after a failed search result and were met with silence.
On Reddit, a seller describes being gazundered on exchange day: the buyer dropped their offer at the last minute, putting huge pressure on them to accept or see the whole deal collapse.
They were also dual-listed with a big name high street brand and felt the smaller firm actually did more to keep finding new buyers when the chain kept breaking.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
A HousingUK user asked whether you can ever find out the real reason a buyer pulled out, because their agent just shrugged and said ‘they changed their minds’.
Hidden info
A LawHive article explains that if a seller lies about neighbour problems on the TA6, the buyer can potentially sue for misrepresentation once they discover how bad things really are.
Hidden info
When we replaced an old fence after clearing overgrown garden areas, we discovered extra land that was not shown on the title plan. The title plan shape differs from the fenced boundaries. We are worried neighbours may dispute the boundary when we come to sell.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer describes Spark & Sons as the worst estate agent they had ever dealt with, citing awful service and zero ethics.
referral arrangements
conveyancing regulation
Panorama
consumer choice
Regulatory report says the CLC published a referral-arrangements statement after the July 2025 Panorama programme about undercover estate-agent practices.
Delay
Gaddes Noble admitted in an email that they failed to answer Land Registry requisitions, causing our application to be cancelled and resubmitted, with months of extra delay and stress.
Fall-through risk
I came away feeling they were more interested in a quick fee than in getting a fair price for us after the first buyer pulled out.
Delay
Firm closure
PM Law clients with completed purchases still had to resolve post-completion registration work after the firm closed.
Financial loss
financial loss
“I’ve just had a breakdown of the conveyancer fees… pay a fee for every single element.”
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
A commenter jokes that ‘the previous sale fell through’ is often spun as buyer fault, and not because of ‘surprise extra costs’ that appear later in the process.
Delay
Mortgage issue
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their lender had still not picked up a survey report more than a week after it was sent, leaving them waiting around with no clear timeframe for the mortgage decision.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A reviewer alleged money being taken and described the experience as fraudulent with serious financial harm.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Our buyer was gazumped after months of waiting, so not only did the sale fall through but the money we’d spent on legal work was wasted.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our flat sale fell through because the buyer’s solicitor raised concerns about the lease. We had to change solicitors to someone who actually understood the problem.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
A purchase timeline ballooned from months into half a year because buyers repeatedly pulled out; the chain felt permanently unstable.
Financial loss
financial loss
Broker claimed our mortgage was guaranteed and encouraged us to book surveys. The lender declined days later leaving us £700 out of pocket.
Fall-through risk
Financial loss
financial loss
fall through
Completion delay left buyer considering a claim after incurring costs because the seller did not complete on the agreed date.
Selling a leasehold: charged hundreds for standard enquiries and slow responses risk collapsing the chain.
Delay
They warn that reapplying mid-chain can delay completion, change affordability and, in the worst case, collapse the whole sequence of linked sales.
The Guardian reports brokers seeing surveyors shaving 10% or more off agreed prices in some areas, with entire deals collapsing as a result.
A seller describes a failed completion day where the buyer’s solicitor suddenly asked for AML/source-of-funds documents at the last minute, even though the funds were already with them from a previous sale.
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice list examples where buyers and sellers lose money when a sale falls through – from deposits mishandled by agents to conveyancers charging full fees despite poor service.
Financial loss
financial loss
A Times report says nearly 60% of leaseholders struggle to sell because of punitive clauses and rising charges, leaving many in ‘financial limbo’.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our broker still wanted their full fee even though the sale collapsed, turning an already stressful experience into an argument about money.
Poor communication
poor communication
Conveyancer promised weekly updates but I only heard anything when I chased repeatedly.
It shows how often deals fail for reasons outside the agent’s control – but also how crucial fast remarketing is if you want to keep moving.
Financial loss
financial loss
They say pulling out would still cost them hundreds in legal fees, but carrying on could trap them with unaffordable charges and rising costs.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
A buyer on HousingUK said they’ve now had two purchases fall through, losing around £5,000 on surveys, valuations and legal fees with nothing to show for it.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My buyer pulled out because of the time taken.
The reviewer says that while their individual lawyer was good, the firm’s systems and responsiveness left a lot to be desired.
Financial loss
financial loss
Overall bill was other £1000 more than I was told it would cost.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
New build
Search delay
School place risk
Buyer says a new build part exchange was close to exchange but searches had not come back and developer solicitors had not raised enquiries, putting school place plans at risk.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Throughout my property purchase, communication was almost non-existent, emails were repeatedly ignored for days or even weeks.
conditional selling
recommended solicitor
recommended broker
sale risk
Buyer-focused explainer says conditional selling can cost more, risks sales falling through and involves pressure to use an estate agent's recommended solicitor or broker.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
‘Checks’ and investor packs claimed, but buyer says crucial info wasn’t disclosed upfront and deal collapsed.
Poor communication
poor communication
We felt pushed to accept this surveyor via the lender, then got an experience of poor communication and avoidable hold-ups.
Poor communication
poor communication
Selling process described as ‘appalling’ with zero ownership — different person each call and no resolution.
Poor communication
poor communication
Mid-sale, reviewer couldn’t get through for days and considered withdrawing because nobody responded.
Fall-through risk
They also warn that repeated fall-throughs can make a property harder to sell because future buyers worry something is wrong with it.
Estate agents have had to issue special guidance to sellers and buyers whose files were with PM Law firms, because so many chains are now frozen.
Fall-through risk
Our buyer pulled out because the leasehold house had escalating ground rent; their solicitor warned it could make the place unsellable in the future.
The report he produced undervalued my home by almost £100,000, which caused major issues with my mortgage.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Another account says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. The problem was communication during a live property transaction.
We viewed with a large online agent and it felt like dealing with a call centre. The person on the phone knew nothing about the property and the local rep never called back.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
we are dealing with a similar situation and potentially loosing a lot of money to this scam company..
I’ve boxed everything up and arranged childcare around our completion date. Then I found out on social media that my Butterworths/PM Law solicitor had effectively disappeared. I’m trying not to think about the fact I may soon have nowhere to live.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another account says Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. The issue was about transaction friction, not general property advice.
The worst estate agent ever: they placed tenants who used my property for illegal activities and destroyed it.
Fall-through risk
The solicitor acting for our buyer did not read the management company’s accounts properly and missed serious reserve fund shortfalls. The buyer pulled out when their broker spotted it late in the process.
Poor communication
poor communication
nearing completion I was being fobbed off all the time
Hidden info
The Sun tells the story of a couple whose service charge jumped from £2,800 to £7,500, leaving them unable to sell or afford a larger home for a growing family.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
One affected mover says Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. The experience left the poster feeling the agent had not acted professionally.
Buyer was told by the estate agent that their solicitor was refusing to take calls, slowing the whole chain.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
One London leaseholder pays £5,500 a year in service charges for a one-bed; they say residents are furious and many feel unable to sell because buyers balk at the fees.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer says they couldn’t get through to a human and the lack of response stalled their purchase.
The reviewer calls the experience extremely slow-moving and blames the solicitor for a highly stressful purchase.
Connells is the worst estate agent I've dealt with. Just pure harassment start to finish.
Poor communication
poor communication
It showed us how much difference proper case tracking and communication makes when you’re trying to keep a chain from collapsing again.
Fall-through risk
our buyers buyer pulled out, no one told us, lost our onward purchase
Financial loss
financial loss
They’ve booked removals and time off work and now face extra costs and stress because nobody can give a firm completion date anymore.
Delay
Poor communication
Fall-through risk
poor communication
Seller says the buyer's buyer solicitor had all documents needed to give final advice, but there was still no progress, leaving the chain stuck and the seller losing patience.
Financial loss
financial loss
A further complaint summary notes Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for.
We never received the fortnightly reviews we were sold on, and the communication from YOPA was painfully slow.
Delay
So slow we lost our buyer.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
I was told it was a fixed-fee job with nothing to pay if the sale failed, then hit with a huge invoice when the buyer pulled out at the last minute.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Yopa customer wrote that their house sale fell through at the last minute, but their local agent had new viewers through the door within days and it soon resold.
Hidden info
Propertymark says the sector needs clearer, enforceable standards on material information so buyers can trust what they see on portals and agent sites.
The worst part is the double-mortgage risk: some of us in the Facebook group have already drawn down funds for the new place but our old loans haven’t been cleared because everything went through a PM Law firm.
On a forum someone said council flats are notoriously hard to sell on – people buy them for security, not because they’re easy to move on later.
Delay
We lost count of how many times the conveyancers sent the wrong version of the contract; simple admin mistakes added weeks until the buyers finally gave up.
Delay
Seller says a chain-free sale still took many months, with minimal progress and repeated excuses.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re up against a fixed-rate deadline and facing the prospect of an unsellable flat just as our mortgage costs are about to jump.
We’ve got a mortgage offer expiring soon, but PM Property Lawyers, who were meant to handle our purchase, have closed and nobody has told us what happens next.
cash flow
delayed payment
agent fee
professional relationship
A practising estate agent complains that some conveyancers do not settle estate-agent invoices on completion and instead delay payment for days, despite instant payment methods being available. He describes the delay as an avoidable cash-flow problem after the agency has already completed its work.
We were hit with an insurance loading because the property had a historical subsidence claim, something we only discovered after paying for searches.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Trustpilot summary notes some Eden Conveyancing customers reported delays, communication difficulties and feeling abandoned.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer reports persistent delays and ignored emails/calls on a chain-free purchase that ran far beyond expected timescales.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Paid money upfront to a mortgage advisor and then waited months with no meaningful progress, forced to keep chasing for answers.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re totally broken by the market – we’ve done everything right and still ended up with no house and a pile of invoices.
Our buyers pulled out after discovering Japanese knotweed two doors down; their lender insisted on a management plan and nobody wanted to pay for it.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer describes poor communication throughout the Irlams process, with the person handling the matter failing to keep them updated.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Fraudulent Business Practices & Scam Warning
One seller describes being “pretty stressed” with half the house packed because the buyer’s solicitor raised a last-minute lender/lease issue and then went completely silent.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We had a previous sale fall through because the vendor became ill and decided to pull out two weeks before exchange after months of pushing the process along.
Financial loss
Firm closure
financial loss
PM Law’s collapse raised fears around missing client funds and disrupted property transactions.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says Ackroyd Legal gave very poor communication, no updates and a property process that took ages.
Financial loss
financial loss
We have spent thousands on rent and surveys and still do not have a house purchase secured.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Sale needed a management pack; two months of chasing with no meaningful response.
Quick Move Now say you can sell with an ongoing neighbour dispute, but only if you declare it – otherwise you risk misrepresentation claims.
We’ve already had one subsidence claim refused and now we’ve got a mortgaged house with no buildings insurance, untreated movement and cracked walls – how on earth do you sell that?
Our conveyancer at Proddow Mackay (Conveyancing) Limited closed overnight. We turned up to sign papers and found a ‘CLOSED’ notice on the door.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One seller posts that their buyers did all the paperwork and searches, they’d signed contracts, and then the buyers suddenly pulled out just as they approached exchange.
Poor communication
poor communication
The agent overpriced our house and then went quiet when it stuck. Emails ignored, no strategy, just silence while the listing went stale.
Delay
Buyer claims their solicitor was unaware of basic Help-to-Buy requirements, leading to avoidable delays.
Hidden info
Seller refused to fix a lease issue where ground rent over £250 could trigger extra risks – something we only discovered during conveyancing.
They’re now worried buyers will spot the same problem instantly when they try to sell on.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
On MoneySavingExpert, one poster says their conveyancer turned the transaction into a ‘black hole’ – weeks of silence where they had no idea what was going on.
Looking back, we entered into a leasehold agreement that leaves us paying more and more every year while the flat’s resale appeal lags far behind other properties nearby.
Hidden info
Management company is claiming I owe for the rest of the year... can't add the new leaseholder until I've paid.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A long-running MSE topic ‘Selling house with noisy-ish neighbours’ includes a story where a sale fell through because the buyer couldn’t tolerate the loud TV of the deaf neighbour.
Hidden info
Residents in ‘affordable’ shared-ownership homes say service charges shot up by hundreds of percent compared with what they were led to expect.
Several of us in the Facebook group are at different stages of selling or buying – some have exchanged, some are pre-exchange – but all of us have the same problem: our PM Law firm shut and nobody is telling us how or when our home moves can be rescued.
We had to renegotiate our sale price when the survey valued the place £25,000 lower than agreed because of roof issues.
“Management pack… my solicitor has chased… estate agents have chased… sellers solicitor has chased.”
We’ve completed on the sale of our old house but can’t complete on the purchase because our PM Law firm shut. For now we’re living in an Airbnb, paying far more than our old mortgage.
“We’re now in month 6… simple conveyancing… empty house… no chain.”
Delay
They report having to resend important paperwork multiple times because the firm either misplaced it or asked for duplicates they’d already received.
Delay
They say some delays are avoidable with better communication, but others stem from a system still reliant on post, paper and overworked local authorities.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A previous sale of our house fell through with another agent. After that bad experience we switched to Agents4U, who actually communicated and got it sold efficiently.
A reviewer alleges serious compliance failures and says the situation created chaos for residents and contractors.
Hidden info
We’ve got a neighbour from hell and were told we must disclose any formal complaints to future buyers. I’m terrified it will scare people off and make the house unsellable.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Had we known there was no completion certificate for the extension, we’d never have spent months and hundreds of pounds on surveys and searches.
Poor communication
poor communication
I was told I should not expect replies the same week because they were so busy.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through and even the Citizens Advice adviser said they weren’t sure how to untangle who was at fault between agent, solicitor and lender.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’d paid for legal work and were left completely in the dark about what in the survey scared the buyers off so badly.
Delay
Hidden info
The freeholder’s managing agent took months to answer basic questions about works and charges, and the buyer eventually walked away rather than wait any longer.
Financial loss
financial loss
A bank error on moving day meant extra hotel bills and a second removals booking we could barely afford.
Financial loss
financial loss
I paid them the upfront fee and then they decided that they couldn't act for me... confirmed a refund.
The buyers pulled out because their buildings insurance quote came back sky-high once the postcode showed repeated flood alerts.
Financial loss
financial loss
A Mumsnet thread about buying a leasehold flat pointed out that high maintenance fees and the fact you don’t own the land can make resale much harder than people expect.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller blames slow replies and high fees for losing their sale, describing the arrangement as exploitative.
They warn that some disputes never really end, and buyers need to know what they’re walking into before committing their life savings.
I completed on my house in June 2021 but Land Registry still does not show me as the owner. The conveyancer keeps blaming a backlog and says it has been expedited, but almost four years later it still is not updated.
Repeated spam calls from multiple numbers, despite never requesting contact—felt like harassment and possible data misuse.
They warn that hiding the problem is likely to backfire: if the buyer later finds out, they might sue or try to unravel the deal completely.
My conveyancer advised me the property was not registered in my name, rather the owner before.
Delay
Even though the sellers’ solicitor already had the contract pack ready from a previous buyer, it still took far longer than expected to send anything across.
I asked to renegotiate after new information came to light during the buying process and the estate agent became extremely hostile, saying it is wrong to try to renegotiate at any point.
On a flat-owners’ thread, someone said council flats are famously hard to sell on; most people they know who bought theirs plan to stay for life because there isn’t really a resale market.
Financial loss
financial loss
I’m 74 and have already transferred around £350,000 for a flat in London. With the firm shut, I’m effectively £350k down and still living in temporary accommodation while this is untangled.
offer not passed on
in-house broker
conditional selling
bad practice
Consumer discussion describes an estate agent refusing to pass on an offer unless the buyer had an appointment with the agent's mortgage broker.
Hidden info
BLB Solicitors warn that sellers must disclose any neighbour dispute – even historic – and that buyers’ enthusiasm often evaporates once they hear about a ‘troublesome’ neighbour.
Delay
Hidden info
Our 2009 sewage treatment plant was installed with building control approval and complies with regulations, but the buyer's solicitor keeps raising additional queries. We are worried this will delay or jeopardise the sale.
Poor communication
poor communication
Estate agent knew more about my file than my own solicitor ever told me.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They say many deals either collapse or have to be painfully renegotiated once the surveyor’s number doesn’t match what the estate agent promised.
Poor communication
poor communication
One affected mover says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Hidden info
People keep telling us that high service charges put buyers off SO flats, so even if we find a buyer they’ll probably chip us down on price.
Poor communication
poor communication
Leaseholder/tenant says Sorrel Estate Agents' property management was unprofessional, lazy and completely incompetent.
The seller was stunned at how much power one valuation report had over the buyer’s ability to proceed.
The conveyancing factory missed every timescale they’d promised, raised new enquiries after agreeing a completion date and almost caused the whole chain to fall apart.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
They encourage sellers to explain honestly why a previous sale collapsed, because hiding it just makes new buyers more suspicious when they inevitably find out.
The chain wasn’t even that big, but we were told a mortgage offer had a hard expiry date, so everyone rushed and still nearly missed it.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer vanished after seven weeks, right after the survey, and refused to give any reason; we can only assume they got cold feet about becoming landlords.
We moved out of our old house ready to complete on the new one when our PM Law firm suddenly closed. All our belongings are in storage and we have no permanent place to stay until someone sorts the mess out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale collapsed the day after the stamp duty holiday ended because our buyer’s buyer pulled out. Nobody would tell us why – just a short email and that was it.
Poor communication
poor communication
They ignored my broker completely and refused to talk to anyone but me by email.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Gransnet, one seller said their sale had fallen through a couple of times during Covid; by the time a reliable buyer came along, they were exhausted by solicitors ‘mucking about’.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
The buyer’s solicitor questioned whether the service charge was reasonable and hinted at a tribunal; rather than fight, the buyer pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
A homeowner says an assessor acknowledged a standards issue, but the claim outcome still left them without the protection they expected.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our chain collapsed after six months when someone above us pulled out. Michael Poole were the only ones who kept us sane and quickly found a new buyer who actually completed.
We pointed out the surveyor had inspected the wrong building, but she dug her heels in. You realise one incompetent report can kill a sale and there’s almost nothing you can do.
Delay
Sam Conveyancing warns that mortgage offers often last around six months and can be withdrawn if they expire before completion unless the lender grants an extension.
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Poor communication
poor communication
Client review warns of an awful property experience linked to conveyancing communication and competence concerns.
Poor communication
poor communication
Calls went to voicemail, emails ignored, I had no idea what stage my purchase was at.
Financial loss
financial loss
We spent thousands on a deed of variation but our ground rent issue still threatens to collapse the sale.
Hidden info
The Guardian reports that average service charges for leasehold flats in England and Wales have risen to around £2,300 a year – up 11% in a single year.
Some sellers in our chain have already used sale proceeds to commit to new-build purchases. With their funds stuck in PM Law accounts, they’re at risk of defaulting on those contracts too.
They now feel they’ve moved into a street with problems that were deliberately glossed over, and are considering whether there’s any comeback.
Delay
They’d booked surveys and searches, taken time off work and mentally moved in, but were now staring at the possibility of starting again because of conveyancing delays.
Seller says their solicitor held onto signed documents for a week before posting them, without explanation.
Delay
Hidden info
One affected mover says Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. The issue was about transaction friction, not general property advice.
They gave us incorrect information about when searches were returned. When we asked for evidence, they admitted they had never opened the results.
Our lender would have extended the offer if the solicitor had sent a simple letter in time, but they sat on it and blamed ‘the system’ when it lapsed.
The judge said her behaviour crossed into harassment and blackmail because she was trying to sabotage every attempted sale until he paid her off.
referral fee
recommended solicitor
hidden cost
conveyancing
Buyer asks whether a conveyancing referral fee must be paid after discovering a recommended solicitor route involved a referral company and a fee passed to the customer.
Hidden info
A seller says they were charged a large fee just to respond to standard enquiries during a leasehold sale.
Poor communication
poor communication
Can't give zero otherwise I would.
Financial loss
financial loss
I transferred my whole deposit to a PM Law firm a week before completion. Since the shutdown nobody can tell me where that money actually is or when it will be released.
Financial loss
financial loss
A buyer warns that in the modern method of auction they paid thousands in a reservation fee, the seller ‘dragged their heels’, and after the 56 days the seller sold to someone else while the fee stayed non-refundable.
Our solicitor misplaced the signed TR1 form and asked us to sign again the week before exchange. The buyer grew nervous and nearly pulled out.
Hidden info
A consultation found only about 35% of property listings contained adequate material information. We were the ones missing the 65%.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt their own conveyancer had been asleep at the wheel, failing to chase the other side and allowing months to drift by while costs mounted.
Getting really fed up of them hassling me for my business.
Delay
I put my well maintained 1930s family home on the market and accepted a full asking price offer within two weeks, but since then the buyer's solicitors have been bullying, questioning a new boiler and new insured windows, and demanding indemnity policies. I have pulled out because the stress has become unacceptable.
Delay
Our house sale is in danger of falling through because both firms of solicitors are so slow and unresponsive.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
On ReviewSolicitors, clients of ONP Solicitors complain about unacceptable delays and poor communication, saying they felt constantly left chasing for updates.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Survey caused the sale to almost fall through after marking lots of items as ‘serious’ despite no clear evidence given in the report.
PM Property Lawyers harassed me after I asked for comparison quotes – constant emails, texts and calls pushing me to sign up, even though I hadn’t chosen them.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d paid survey and solicitor fees only to have the seller pull their house from the market a week before we were due to exchange.
Hidden info
We had to drop out after our buildings insurance quote doubled when the insurer saw the flood risk, which nobody had mentioned before.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They describe waiting up to 45 minutes on the phone, dealing with a rude receptionist and getting almost no replies to emails until the buyer walked away.
Hidden info
One first-time buyer group member says they were completely misinformed about how high the service charge would be after the first year.
Poor communication
poor communication
Another account says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. following the February 2026 intervention.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
It feels like the lender can change the rules halfway through; the sale fell through for reasons totally beyond my control and yet I’m the one worrying my mortgage deal might vanish.
Delay
A guide for first-time buyers points out that delays often happen purely because solicitors are slow to communicate and don’t keep clients updated in plain English.
Hidden info
Homeowners are told to check listings carefully and insist missing material information is provided before they even book a viewing.
AIP rejected
viewing blocked
in-house broker
referral commission
Buyer says they had an AIP but the estate agent would not let them view unless they used the agent's mortgage route, with comments describing it as referral-commission pressure.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
By the time we completed, we’d lived through two collapsed sales and a third stressful one; the only positive was having a solicitor who actually kept us in the loop.
Delay
Fall-through risk
One seller said their chain collapsed three times over 19 months; only their final agent really pushed things along and got them over the line.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Offer accepted… estate agents said prior fall-through was “personal reasons”…
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
The invoice turned up more than a year after the deal collapsed, for an amount we’d never agreed, and I’m now arguing about paying for a sale that never completed.
Hidden info
The Guardian reported shared-ownership residents whose ‘affordable’ homes now have service charges up to £8,000 a year, making them nearly impossible to sell.
They’re left wondering how something so fundamental could be missed when every link in the chain depends on that finance being in place.
We’re mid-sale with Butterworths Solicitors and now rely on an intervention agent we’ve never met to pick up our file and somehow rescue the transaction.
Delay
Left without progress for weeks; needed to review paperwork but it wasn’t provided.
Financial loss
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Delay
Waterstone Legal says slow conveyancing is often down to lack of communication between parties and not having finances fully in place before starting the process.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re paying council tax and utilities on an empty house we sold weeks ago because the mortgage wasn’t redeemed before the collapse. We’re scared of enforcement letters turning up for a place we no longer live in.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A conveyancing blog stresses that poor communication from solicitors is a major cause of delay, saying clients often wait too long for basic progress updates.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Our solicitor at Wilsons Solicitors was holding sale proceeds when PM Law shut. We’re now stuck waiting for the regulator to untangle it.
Poor communication
poor communication
Avoid. I contacted them on 19th June to say our "seller" had withdrawn the property we were buying
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re stuck between pushing the sellers to hurry up or accepting that we’ll pay higher monthly payments for the exact same house.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer's buyer pulled out, breaking the chain. The agent suggested giving them two weeks to find a new buyer, but we are unsure whether that is reasonable or too short.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“Both transactions at risk… cannot proceed without input from their team.”
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
The Advisory’s guide to conveyancing complaints notes that common problems include slow progress, poor communication, unexplained extra fees and buyers or sellers feeling ignored at key stages.
Martin & Co’s survey of 500 homeowners found many had experienced down valuations, sometimes forcing them to renegotiate or abandon their purchase altogether.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer alleges poor confidentiality and unprofessional calls created mistrust during an active transaction.
Poor communication
poor communication
Absolutely appalling customer service and lack of knowledge as to what they offer.
We have a very unusual property to sell in Cambridgeshire, with features like a built-in sauna, and it is not comparable to anything nearby. We have tried various agents but they do not give feedback, the auction route has not worked, and although viewers say there is nothing wrong with the house, nothing is selling in our area. I keep being told the market is fine, but we feel completely stuck and poorly supported by the agents.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our landlord ignored repeated reports of mould and damp; when we tried to buy the place using right to buy, the surveyor’s report was so bad our mortgage was declined.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Several recent court cases show how boundary disputes can completely destroy people’s finances – one pensioner was ordered to sell her home to cover over £100k in legal costs after a fence row.
One older forum thread describes a home where the mortgage valuation came back £50,000 lower than the agreed price, leaving the buyers scrambling to plug the gap.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Connells never respond to email enquiries.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through and with it we lost the bungalow we’d set our hearts on; we’re devastated and feel too exhausted to start over.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time we dropped the price repeatedly and paid all the ongoing fees, the investment had turned into a financial drain the family couldn’t escape.
Poor communication
poor communication
fraud
The estate agent added nothing but stress. Constant chasing, contradictory updates and no real sales progression. Selling a house felt like a scam.
Delay
Solicitor forgot to send the mortgage deed to the lender until the buyer chased, delaying mortgage funds.
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says Purplebricks gave no sales progression support after offer, with no calls once the property was under offer.
Poor communication
poor communication
Solicitor Direct client says they had to follow up multiple times on important matters despite the job completing.
Delay
Another MSE thread, ‘Delay in exchange, I don’t understand why?’, shows a buyer confused about why nothing is progressing and why no one will commit to an exchange date.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They point out that if rates or lending criteria change while you’re stuck in delays, the same buyers can suddenly no longer afford the property they were approved for.
Hidden info
Buyers are questioning the boundaries... we pay a service charge... buyers need to think about whether they want to proceed.
Poor communication
poor communication
We were told to avoid certain conveyancers because they ignored clients completely.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
With our first agent, once the ‘sold’ board went up we barely heard from them. After four months the sale collapsed and we had to start again with someone else.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice.
After exchange, our buyer’s insurer withdrew cover because of historic subsidence; suddenly completion was at risk and nobody seemed to know what to do.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poster describes a buyer nearly losing a house after the conveyancer left and nobody reallocated the case.
We’d been on the market a year, changed agents, cut the price and finally got a cash buyer – only to watch the deal evaporate at the last minute.
Delay
The buyers’ solicitor is being painfully slow. We’re in a three-property chain and starting to wonder if we should just relist.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot review for SmoothSale said their previous sale collapsed and threatened their whole chain, but the company got the property re-listed and sold again within a week.
Financial loss
financial loss
Site described as ‘not the official Land Registry’ with extra fees added beyond the headline price.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says basic updates were missing and they had to chase repeatedly just to find out what stage their purchase had reached. following the February 2026 intervention.
Financial loss
financial loss
They talked about feeling trapped – unable to sell, yet watching costs rise each year with no realistic exit route.
Our buyer’s solicitor is one of the PM Law brands and we are already under notice to complete. The funds have supposedly gone out but no keys have been released and no one can explain what’s happening.
broker recommended solicitor
unexpected charges
conveyancing fees
hidden cost
Buyer complains that a solicitor recommended by their mortgage broker started with an expected fee around £2,000 but additional charges kept appearing.
Delay
Every time we chased, we were told ‘the pack is being prepared’ while our buyer threatened to walk away.
Fall-through risk
They’d already mentally moved to a new village to be near friends, only to find themselves stuck in limbo while chains collapsed around them.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The buyer pulled out the day before exchange claiming they had found another property; we were packed and ready to go and suddenly everything collapsed.
Buyer pulled out
Agent silence
Memorandum of sale
Seller says their estate agent did not tell them for weeks that the buyer had pulled out after memorandum of sale, only raising the issue much later when discussing what to do with the property.
Hidden info
Our home was marketed as ‘affordable’, but sky-high service charges mean it’s now almost unsellable; every attempted sale fizzles out when buyers do the maths.
Our survey highlighted dangerous electrics and missing fire doors in the block; we walked away because nobody would confirm remedial plans.
Delay
Our buyers’ solicitor has been ‘reviewing paperwork’ for over eight weeks. We’re scared they’ll just walk away from the sale.
Delay
“It’s been with The Property Ombudsman… huge backlog.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
After the first sale fell through I turned to a different law firm, and the contrast showed just how badly the first solicitor had handled things.
Delay
Fall-through risk
The agent said searches usually take a couple of weeks but our solicitor warned that some councils are taking up to 13 weeks, which can quite easily cause a sale to fall through.
Fall-through risk
One r/HousingUK poster said they lost out on their ‘dream property’ after a chain collapse and now feel numb every time a new listing appears, expecting it to fall through again.
As sellers, we’d already moved out when Proddow Mackay’s office closed. All our documents and the purchase file are locked in a building we can’t access.
Poor communication
poor communication
YOPA seller says terrible communications started on day one and requests to amend the advert received no replies.
Delay
Every week they rang their solicitor demanding completion, not understanding that local authority searches were still outstanding.
Our buyers had lined up an affordable insurance quote, then the underwriter changed their mind when they saw old subsidence notes; their lender pulled the plug.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Delayed completion guidance warns movers can face storage costs, hotel bills, cancellation fees, extra mortgage payments and other reasonable losses when completion is pushed back.
Delay
Land Registry
Seller says solicitors failed to complete Land Registry properly, causing around two months of delays because the title was still not in their names and required expedition.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Buyer says they paid for a level three survey that missed a collapsed drain causing subsidence and feels they wasted money on a report that failed to spot obvious structural issues.
Server outage at the solicitor’s office left the chain stuck for nearly a week before they resolved their IT issues.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We had packed up the whole house when the buyer pulled out; we lost around three and a half thousand pounds in fees with absolutely no recourse.
Delay
A valuation report was seen as careless and contradictory, creating weeks of delay while the buyer and lender tried to make sense of it.
Fall-through risk
Our chain has collapsed four times now. One buyer changed their mind, another had a mortgage offer expire, and another just disappeared.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Halifax refused our buyer’s mortgage without an EWS1 form, the sale collapsed and we’ve been stuck trying to find anyone willing to lend.
A buyer says they were effectively punished with a very late viewing date after refusing the agent’s mortgage adviser.
Poor communication
poor communication
Automated responses discouraged follow-up while issues remained unresolved; felt like deliberate slow-walking.
The same buyer says their mortgage offer expires mid-December and they’re panicking about whether they need an extension because no one will confirm what’s holding things up.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
They warn that fall-throughs don’t just waste money, they also destroy confidence in the process and make people more reluctant to try again.
Delay
Another estate agent review article mentions sellers who only got two viewings in five weeks with a ‘reputable’ agent before switching to a different company in frustration.
They failed to submit our signed mortgage deed for over a week and blamed the lender for not receiving it. We later learned it had never been posted.
Poor communication
poor communication
No communication... No work done on the file. 30 days lost out of 56 days for one purchase.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Right-to-buy purchaser says Premier Property Lawyers stayed involved for 18 months before saying they could not handle the matter.
Delay
My buyers solicitor doesn't appear to have done a single thing.
We’re on our second failed sale due to survey ‘issues’. It feels like surveyors are covering themselves by flagging everything, and buyers just panic and pull out.
Delay
Hidden info
Buying delayed around 15 weeks due to Land Registry/title boundary mismatch concerns.
Fall-through risk
A buyer on Facebook said their chain collapsed because the bottom of the chain couldn’t get a mortgage, leaving everyone above stranded and scrambling to renegotiate with builders.
Hidden info
We went ahead with leasehold and now feel trapped by high service charges and little control – we underestimated how bad it could be.
We feel misled – the property was marketed as a quiet family home, but we’re stuck in constant noise and now looking at legal options.
Financial loss
financial loss
On an auction-fees thread, posters say big reservation fees (e.g. £5k+) are split between the auctioneer and the estate agent, which is why the method is sometimes pushed hard.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
We’d been on the market for ages and when we finally accepted an offer, the buyer pulled out because they suddenly realised there was no driveway.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We went with British Homebuyers after a previous sale using a local agent fell through, and just wanted a route that would actually complete.
Fall-through risk
We were advised to be vague about why the last buyer pulled out, but that just made new viewers even more nervous and slowed everything down.
Ive had so many agents like to me throught this process, i am at breaking point.
Poor communication
poor communication
terrible comms from day 1; no replies to requests to amend my ad.
Hidden info
The flat we are buying has no easement of access in the lease, electricity is supplied only by the freeholder, and there is no regular service charge, only ad hoc demands. We are concerned these issues may cause serious complications in the future.
Poor communication
poor communication
I’m a first-time buyer using a PM Property Lawyers brand and haven’t heard anything directly from them about the closure. Everything I know has come from news sites and a Facebook group, while the house I’m buying is now stuck.
Fall-through risk
fall through
An e-surv article says nearly 29% of property sales fell through in 2024, with the single biggest trigger being buyers withdrawing or cutting their offer after seeing the survey.
We’ve got a notice to complete, our solicitor has already sent the mortgage funds to a PM Law firm, but no keys have been released. Every day that passes increases the risk of us being in breach of contract.
They ask whether there’s any accountability when a surveyor’s report kills a sale and appears to be completely wrong.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
I paid nearly £2,500 to PM Property Lawyers for my first home purchase and now the firm has collapsed with my case in limbo.
Their house was half-demolished for nearly a year and they were living in a few rooms, saying the whole ordeal with the insurer and surveyor felt worse than the original leak.
Poor communication
poor communication
A poster said their buyers gave no real reason for backing out; the solicitor just emailed that they were withdrawing and signed off with a casual ‘sorry’.
Hidden info
Our managing agent suddenly slapped an extra charge on the account while we were in the middle of selling; that was enough to scare off our buyer.
Several viewings ended with the same feedback: people loved the flat but were nervous about what else the managing agent was failing to do.
Financial loss
financial loss
Their guide shows how slow updates and surprise bills can leave buyers and sellers feeling let down even if the sale eventually completes.
I moved out to help my buyers complete before their mortgage expired, then the law firm acting for them went AWOL and left us in limbo.
Delay
A Russell-Cooke client describes switching to them after ‘unnecessary delays’ with a previous solicitor, saying the old firm risked them missing a stamp duty deadline.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Our buyer’s mortgage offer ran out because of endless delays and awkward responses from the seller’s side; the bank refused an extension and the chain collapsed.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Paid for documents but received the wrong ones and then emails were ignored; no clear complaints route.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
We are part exchanging with a new build and are meant to exchange on 28 November, but there has been no response to searches for the new build and no enquiries on our property from the developer's solicitors. We are worried we will miss the timeline and our children will lose their new school place.
They warned the OP that once charges hit a certain level, you’re competing with houses and cheaper flats and may have to discount heavily just to get any interest.
Buyer withdrew
Onward purchase lost
Chain collapse
fall through
Seller says a previous buyer pulled out due to personal circumstances and the onward seller would not wait, forcing the seller's next purchase back on the market.
Financial loss
financial loss
They warn that an expired offer can mean more credit checks, new valuations and the risk of being offered a worse rate than before.
Fall-through risk
fall through
My house sale fell through and the place I was buying was taken off the market a week before completion – I feel like my whole life’s on hold again.
A whole new level of deception in the property investment industry to say the least.
Poor communication
poor communication
“No communication since 30 October. Calls and emails all unanswered.”
Managing agent
Leasehold enquiries
Fall-through risk
Seller says a managing agent delayed answering buyer solicitor queries for two months, leaving the buyer threatening to pull out by the end of November.
Poor communication
poor communication
This company will jeopardise your sale or purchase… false information shared to estate agent/other solicitors.
Poor communication
poor communication
Promised regular updates but didn’t receive them; says buyers went cold and seller pulled out.
Financial loss
financial loss
As soon as I refused to use their expensive mortgage broker I was brushed off and wasnt allowed to view properties or put offers forward.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve spent thousands on surveys, searches and removals over those failed attempts – our savings are disappearing while we still live in the same house.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The broker kept promising our application was with the underwriters, but weeks went by with no update and the sellers eventually gave up on us.
Delay
Fall-through risk
They described it as a nightmare maze of complaints and delays just to get the bank to offer a workable alternative after the collapsed sale.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says they were switched between teams and could not get consistent answers on what was outstanding.
No chain
Agent promises
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says there was no chain and the house was empty, yet the estate agent repeatedly said the memorandum of sale would be sent that week and never followed through.
Poor communication
poor communication
The ‘automated updates’ never matched what was actually happening; messages felt generic and didn’t answer the real questions.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The seller refused to drop their price, so we had no choice but to walk away and swallow the costs we’d already racked up.
Delay
“After 8 weeks of torture… I decided to go to a real conveyancing firm.”
Fall-through risk
The first buyer pulled out just before exchange, claiming their circumstances had changed; the agent gave us almost no detail about what went wrong.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say their solicitor chased the buyer’s solicitor six times with no response, and even when the buyer chased them it took days to hear back.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
They’d spent half a year progressing the sale and suddenly had two weeks to find a new buyer or lose the house they were supposed to be buying.
staff abuse
professional conflict
conditional selling allegation
workplace impact
A senior estate agent reports mortgage brokers ringing her branch and verbally abusing staff while accusing the agency of conditional selling. She says the branch is offering buyers an optional second opinion on mortgage products or services rather than making use of its broker a condition of proceeding.
Financial loss
financial loss
They pointed out that service-charge inflation and higher insurance costs on some blocks are widening the gap between what houses and flats can sell for.
I am being told that a deed of variation is required
Fall-through risk
fall through
At one point, the seller was close to pulling out because my solicitors failed to progress the case or respond promptly.
reservation fee lost
solicitor costs
new build
sale fell through
fall through
Home mover describes losing a reservation fee and solicitor costs after a previous new-build purchase failed when their house sale fell through repeatedly.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
One poster says they read about someone whose sale fell through five times and asks how anyone is supposed to afford repeated legal costs like that.
Financial loss
financial loss
The buyer used the survey as an excuse to walk away with no explanation, and we were left with all the legal and survey costs.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says estate agent communication failures added cost and hassle (extra solicitor certification demanded).
In the process of my moving and buying I was asked to send a copy of my trust documents... I have sent numerous...
Hidden info
Purchase derailed by missing upfront disclosures; buyer says the transaction became impossible to progress.
Poor communication
poor communication
Days passed between replies; I felt like my case was always at the bottom of the pile.
They note that if rates have risen or your circumstances have changed, you might not even qualify for the same deal again.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Leaseholder alleges they were overcharged for works that weren’t carried out and felt costs were presented in a misleading way.
Some say their flats are basically unsellable because buyers and mortgage lenders walk away as soon as they see the service-charge schedule.
Hidden info
The HomeOwners Alliance guide to the TA6 form underlines that feuds with neighbours, noise issues and other disputes must be spelled out clearly.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through at the very last minute but, to be fair to the agent, they had viewings and a new offer arranged within days.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot reviewer for British Homebuyers said they turned to them after a ‘sale’ fell through with a local agent – the new firm got a quick offer and held the chain together.
Lease defect
Electricity supply
Service charge risk
Buyer says a flat purchase revealed no express easement of access in the lease, landlord-controlled electricity supply and only ad hoc repair demands, raising concerns about long-term leasehold risk.
They’re torn between giving their buyers time to find a new purchaser and rushing back to market so they don’t lose the home they’re trying to buy.
Financial loss
financial loss
HomeSellingExpert say surveys show the average amount lost in fees after a sale falls through is roughly £2,700–£2,900 in England and Wales.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Client says they and the estate agent had to keep chasing for updates, adding unnecessary stress.
Hidden info
They’re seeing more buyers asking if they can claim back losses after discovering undisclosed rows about noise, parking or boundaries.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through seven months ago and the house has sat unsold since; we’ve already lost one new-build reservation twice because our buyer vanished.
The agent’s marketing was basically just listing it online; when things got difficult, there was no real strategy to rescue the sale or find better buyers.
Financial loss
financial loss
Another Redditor did a same-day exchange and completion because their mortgage offer expired that day; they said they’d spent the entire weekend feeling sick with fear.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first attempt to sell a rental property fell apart; the second buyers also dropped out and we ended up storing everything while we sold with no onward purchase.
Poor communication
Hidden info
poor communication
Buyer says the estate agent redirected concerns about missing rental safety paperwork to the solicitors instead of helping clarify whether the tenanted flat had the required documents.
Repeated late-night messages and demands from the buyer’s side turned the whole transaction into a toxic slog, and we eventually pulled out for our own sanity.
Our file changed fee-earner three times and each new person claimed they 'weren't familiar with the background'. Basic questions had to be answered again and again, and every change added another week to the timeline.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
I thought I was just paying normal conveyancing fees – nobody clearly explained that part of the bill was for ‘failed sale’ insurance I never really wanted.
A seller says they’re blocked from selling because the buyer’s mortgage company insists on an EWS1 despite the block being under 18m and reportedly having no cladding.
Delay
Waiting months for a certificate needed to complete a sale.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer’s purchase nearly lost because the solicitor’s delays and silence put the deal at risk.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says an old solicitor filed a title application without permission and then took 111 days to respond to Land Registry.
Delay
Firm closure
Home buyers and sellers affected by PM Law’s sudden closure needed help from Land Registry after conveyancing files were interrupted.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
MoneyHelper points out that mortgage offers can and do expire thanks to conveyancing delays, changes in credit status or issues with the property itself.
They were surprised that what felt like a one-off row could follow the property around and potentially put future buyers off.
Hidden info
fell apart due to a lack of critical information being disclosed upfront.
Seller says the buyer’s solicitor went on holiday without warning, stalling completion for almost a month.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
When the deal collapsed they were still quick to chase their money, despite months of poor updates and me feeling completely in the dark throughout.
financial loss
The Government previously indicated that the £250 annual cap on ground rents would be introduced by late 2028. The post Ground rent cap to be introduced a year early appeared first on The Negotiator.
Hidden info
A Guardian piece reports that average service charges for leasehold flats have jumped to around £2,300 a year, with many owners now paying more in charges than in council tax.
Our buyers chose a PM Law group firm because it was on an online panel. After the shutdown there’s nobody to answer enquiries and we’re now stuck paying a mortgage on an empty house while we wait.
The Times reported a surge in complaints to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with property work singled out as a growing area of consumer frustration.
Poor communication
poor communication
I was told the solicitor would call me back today. It’s now 10pm and I haven’t heard a word.
Poor communication
poor communication
LawHive’s guide says the first step after a sale collapses is to insist on a straight answer from your agent or solicitor about exactly why it failed.
They suggest checking exactly what was ticked on the TA6 and then getting specialist legal advice if you’ve effectively been sold a house with a built-in neighbour dispute.
Reading other people’s house-sale nightmares made me realise the stress isn’t just me; the whole buying system feels broken and nobody seems able to organise something better.
Hidden info
Conveyancers say they’re still in the dark about how material information rules will work in practice, leaving sellers confused too.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were already on our second mortgage offer extension because of slow conveyancing, and now the PM Law collapse might push us past the lender’s final deadline. If that happens we’ll lose the house completely.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We sold our Maidenhead home through Proddow Mackay and were in the middle of buying the next place when the firm suddenly shut, leaving us homeless and living between relatives and hotels.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The emotional crash when the buyers pulled out just before we expected to move was awful. I didn’t sleep properly for weeks afterwards.
The buildings insurance quote nearly doubled after we declared past movement; our broker said some lenders would flat-out refuse, so we withdrew before it got that far.
Delay
A first-time buyer says they’re stuck in ‘limbo’ because the vendor’s onward purchase is delayed, nobody will explain why, and they have no timescale despite Christmas approaching.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says Leaders provided inefficient and unprofessional service with basic communication failures.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Ground rents have become controversial — we thought we owned the freehold when in fact we had little control and large escalating fees on house we bought.
Poor communication
poor communication
Their guidance says firms could avoid a lot of this anger simply by agreeing realistic timescales and sticking to regular updates.
I really regret choosing Yopa, a waste of 6 ...
A property litigation firm says they’re increasingly helping buyers sue for property misrepresentation after sellers or agents glossed over serious defects or disputes.
Hidden info
The Guardian reported average service charges for leasehold flats have climbed to around £2,300 a year, piling extra pressure on owners trying to sell.
Our house has already been down-valued once when we bought it and again when we tried to sell – I’m terrified the next valuation will come in low too.
Hidden info
I am keen to buy a house with a single-storey extension built in 2004 that has planning permission but no building regulations sign-off. I want to add another storey and am worried I might have to bring the whole 20-year-old extension up to modern standards before I can extend, which could make it cheaper to demolish and rebuild. It is incredibly frustrating that people do not spend a few hundred pounds to get all the certificates before marketing, and it is no wonder so many buyers pull out.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Six months later the buyers walked away and we were left wondering why nobody had been honest about the lack of progress.
Financial loss
financial loss
Invoice demanded for ‘opening a file’ despite the person saying they never engaged them.
Hidden info
Pinney Talfourd note that the new TA6 puts even more weight on accurate answers – incorrect or missing information can now more easily lead to misrepresentation claims.
Hidden info
Our neighbour started threatening legal action over a shared driveway right in the middle of the sale, spooking the buyers into walking away.
People on the forum said they’d avoid our block entirely; between charges and insurance, it’s the sort of flat that only cash buyers will touch.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Homesellingexpert explains that under consumer protection rules, agents shouldn’t hide why a previous sale fell through when this would be important for a new buyer to know.
Poor communication
poor communication
Some firms never returned my calls or emails when I tried to instruct them.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Yopa reviewer says their house sale initially fell through with one buyer, but the agent quickly found another and kept them informed throughout the rescue process.
Hidden info
The seller tried to insist we re-used an old set of searches from a previous buyer to ‘save time’, which just made us worry about what they were hiding.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
They note that in some developments, service charges have become higher than council tax, contributing to flat values stagnating or falling behind houses.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were eight weeks into selling and buying when our buyers pulled out over a personal issue – the agent for the house we want has given us two weeks to find someone new.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
House purchaser says they had so little faith in the process they hand-delivered documents after repeated issues.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A trustpilot reviewer says their chain-free home sale took over 180 days with almost no progress, and the buyer finally pulled out because conveyancing was so slow.
Financial loss
financial loss
They described spending money on multiple surveys and solicitors only to be sent back to Rightmove, emotionally and financially drained.
Delay
My experience… complete chaotic shambles… 16 months involvement.
Delay
Sold.co.uk reviews describe long, difficult chains where the agent’s sales progressor had to constantly chase solicitors and buyers to stop the transaction falling apart.
Hidden info
Once we saw the schedule of works, it was obvious why the current owner was so desperate to sell.
The same article notes that chains are fragile at the best of times – one nervous buyer or slow solicitor and the whole thing can unravel.
modern auction
reservation fee
buyer premium
seller detriment
Buyer says modern auction pricing means the seller's expected price is effectively increased by a 4.5% reservation fee with a £6,600 minimum, alienating ordinary buyers.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Family says their elderly mother’s house sale was handled at a glacial pace, leading to a director complaint and discount for poor service.
Delay
The estate agent and our buyer’s solicitor have both gone quiet for weeks. We’re stuck in limbo with no idea what’s outstanding.
Hidden info
NetLawman explains that when you sell, the TA6 form requires you to disclose any neighbour disputes – current or historic – not just the ones you think are ‘serious’.
Remortgage delay
Help to Buy
Solicitor delay
Buyer says a solicitor delay pushed a Help to Buy remortgage past the intended completion date despite all paperwork being supplied on time.
Down-valuations have made it almost impossible for my clients to proceed; one deal died when the surveyor knocked 15% off the price.
Our original buyer changed their mind just before exchange, saying they’d found another property; we never got any more explanation than that.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Deal collapsed because key information wasn’t disclosed upfront.
Hidden info
We moved into a house in April 2024 and have now discovered there is foam in the cavity walls so the government scheme installers could not proceed. Their supervisor advised me to contact the conveyancing solicitor because the foam may cause damage and was never mentioned when we bought.
Delay
They recommend regular, proactive updates so buyers and sellers are not left guessing about what’s happening with their transaction.
Renegotiation
Market change
Delayed purchase
financial loss
Buyer feels the property price should be reconsidered after an eight month transaction delay since the market and circumstances have changed since the original offer was accepted.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
This must be the worst legal firm in the country... They are so slow and not responsive to chasing things up.
Hidden info
Some have dropped the price repeatedly yet still get no serious offers, because the service charge figures look terrifying on paper.
Delay
Our buyers chose PM Property Lawyers via an online introducer and now we’re six months into what should have been a straightforward no-chain sale. Our own solicitor and agent don’t know how to get the deal through.
Delay
Firm closure
Guidance after PM Law’s closure warned that urgent and imminent house moves needed to instruct another conveyancing lawyer quickly.
Delay
One poster said the worst part was having no binding commitment until exchange – months of work can vanish with a single phone call.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Our sale fell through and now the conveyancing firm is chasing us for a hefty fee, even though their poor service was one of the reasons the buyer walked away.
We had to cancel our survey when the seller accepted a higher offer; our so-called ‘best and final’ offer clearly meant nothing.
We had an offer accepted at £220k, then the lender’s valuation came back at £200k – £20,000 less than we’d agreed to pay.
Poor communication
poor communication
Communication was poor to non existant
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Commenter warns buyers not to trust conveyancers to be proactive because unanswered phones and delays can stall transactions.
Search issues
Complaint
Missing information
Buyer says their solicitor failed to clearly provide or explain searches before completion, then three months after moving the buyer still could not access them and had to submit a complaint and data request.
The solicitor forgot to send the TA10 form to the buyer’s side. Without it, exchange could not happen and the buyer almost walked away from the chain.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On r/HousingUK, a seller asks if they’ll ever find out the real reason their sale fell through – after three years of trying to sell, they feel like the system is stacked against them.
Financial loss
Pressure tactics
Fall-through risk
financial loss
Seller says an estate agent pressured them to accept a £10,000 reduction days before exchange and threatened not to remarket the property if they refused.
Reported a dangerous front door issue and said it took far too long to address, leaving residents feeling unsafe in the meantime.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We joined a Facebook support group for PM Property Lawyers victims. Hundreds of people say they were days from moving when everything stopped.
One seller said their buyers pulled out after survey because of ‘damp and movement’ even though the house had stood for over a century with no problems.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A move was held up while waiting for the managing agent to provide a sales pack; the silence dragged on for weeks despite chasing.
Financial loss
financial loss
We now have two sets of housing costs: rent on the place we’re stuck in because we can’t complete, and storage plus hotel bills for the dates we’d booked around completion.
We were pressured into using the in-house mortgage adviser and felt it affected how seriously our offer was treated.
They’re frustrated watching deadlines slip while the other side gives no clear explanation for the hold-ups.
Hidden info
Advice pieces on selling land with boundary issues say that in many cases only specialist cash buyers or auctions will touch it, which limits options and drives down the achievable price.
We were told the buyers had pulled out over the garage, but nobody could explain what their actual concern was. It’s on the deeds and has been used that way for decades.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re executors trying to sell a flat from an estate. One sale has already collapsed and the whole process has been dragging on for ages.
Poor communication
poor communication
A Trustpilot review for Conveyancing Expert complains that communication was poor, updates were hard to get and speaking to a conveyancer felt like an uphill struggle.
Financial loss
financial loss
We paid for two valuations and the reports were nearly identical and full of basic errors, which didn’t justify the price at all.
Delay
A ‘fast’ sale dragged on because key steps weren’t managed; it felt like nobody owned the file and the seller was left hanging.
Poor communication
poor communication
When the first buyer dropped out they just shrugged and said ‘these things happen’ instead of fighting to keep the deal alive.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They describe clients who struggled to get basic answers about what stage their purchase had reached, or why nothing seemed to be happening for weeks.
Hidden info
We only learned the lease was under 80 years after our offer was accepted – that should have been made clear from the start.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We’d had twelve months of stressful selling and one failed sale before using a quick-sale company just to get the move done.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
My service charge jumped from £125 to £417 a month plus a £2,200 deficit bill. None of this was disclosed.
Delay
Another MSE thread describes a buyer whose solicitor wasn’t approved by the lender, forcing them to apply to join the panel and delaying the mortgage offer for weeks.
Delay
Home mover complains they have been waiting many months for Land Registry to update their title and that their conveyancer just blames the backlog without giving any timeline or real help.
Poor communication
poor communication
Homebuilding & Renovating magazine notes that a third of Legal Ombudsman complaints relate to conveyancing, with poor communication and slow progress the main reasons.
Offer handling
Financial pressure
Poor process
Buyer says the estate agent refused to pass on an offer until extensive financial information was provided, making the buyer feel they would lose bargaining power before negotiations even started.
consumer choice
referral fees
estate agent commission
conveyancing
Industry report says the CLC referral-fee review would examine whether estate-agent referral arrangements narrowed consumer choice.
Delay
Buyer describes in-house broker delays after paying upfront, claiming months passed with little progress.
Conveyancing dragged out so badly it enraged the lender and the other side’s solicitor.
They list dishonesty, discrimination and serious breaches of rules as reasons to escalate beyond an internal complaint when a firm’s behaviour crosses the line.
Delay
Our mortgage application stalled because the surveyor deemed the property ‘unsellable’ based on its status, leaving us stuck and uncertain.
Hidden info
Another post in The Vault community shows a buyer being turned down for a flat because the service charge was more than 1% of the property’s value each year.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Selling agent called ‘totally incompetent’; after 6+ months the buyer pulled out the day before completion.
Used a quote-comparison site and then received persistent contact (texts/emails/calls) that felt like harassment.
We felt pushed towards a fire-sale rather than being given sensible advice about how to actually get sold without throwing away tens of thousands.
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Once a specialist looked at the lease, they explained clearly what needed fixing and we finally had a chance of selling without frightening off every buyer.
The solicitor incorrectly told us our property did not require a deed of variation, even though the lease contained a defect. The lender refused completion until the error was corrected.
Hidden info
fraud
In another MSE thread ‘Disputes when selling a home’, people warn that failing to disclose noisy neighbour problems on the forms can count as fraud.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert user said the sellers’ previous chain had collapsed late on, yet their solicitor still took seven days just to send basic contract papers, making the new buyers fear another collapse.
A new-build homeowner says they believe clear defects were dismissed or limited by technicalities, leaving them to shoulder the impact.
Financial loss
financial loss
Solicitor gave inaccurate advice about stamp duty relief, costing the buyers several thousand pounds.
Company failed to substantiate claims made about services offered by rival estate agents, says regulator. The post RE/MAX franchisee’s comparison advert ‘misleading’ appeared first on The Negotiator.
Fall-through risk
I honestly don’t know how many more times we can pick ourselves up after a chain collapse – it feels like the system is designed to let people walk away with zero consequences.
conditional selling
viewing restriction
in-house broker
buyer pressure
Buyer reports an estate agent would not show properties unless they booked an affordability appointment, with discussion identifying this as conditional selling.
Delay
We offered in early summer and were told conveyancing would take 12 weeks. We’re double that and still no exchange in sight.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller alleges they lost at least two sales because required pre-sales information wasn’t issued to solicitors despite repeated chases.
Fall-through risk
Our first buyer pulled out saying the solicitor was taking too long; we then lost a second buyer for similar reasons because the lawyer rarely replied to calls or emails.
Poor communication
poor communication
Complaints data shows poor communication is one of the most common issues in conveyancing.
That article also highlights confusion around the Building Safety Act, saying some conveyancers now refuse to act on certain flat sales because of cladding and liability concerns.
They felt the buyers had wasted everyone’s time by not paying attention at viewing, and blamed the agent for not filtering out such poorly prepared applicants.
Delay
Another poster with a long-running home insurance claim said they felt completely stuck while repairs dragged on and they lived in a building site for months.
Hidden info
If the agent had been upfront about the lack of sign-off, we’d never have spent hundreds getting that far into the process.
Fall-through risk
fall through
They warn that these issues quickly turn into missed deadlines, frustrated clients and sometimes failed sales when chains lose patience.
Delay
Would give zero stars if possible. Completely missed deadline to complete by over a month.
“They had to change banks in November… CHAPS payment is nowhere to be seen.”
Hidden info
A Times piece described a family who’ve spent around £43,000 just keeping their late mother’s retirement flat while they struggle to find a buyer because of huge annual charges.
We’re buying a new build and the developer’s timetable means our mortgage offer will run out before completion – we’re terrified we’ll be forced to reapply on worse terms.
Delay
Hidden info
A further complaint summary notes Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Another British Homebuyers reviewer said their earlier chain collapsed and they’d almost given up hope until the new firm stepped in, bought quickly and rescued their onward move.
Delay
Their clerk scanned our ID incorrectly twice, delaying our AML verification. Only after escalating did the firm admit it was human error.
Financial loss
financial loss
Some owners end up effectively paying to keep an empty flat going each year, slowly burning through their inheritance while the property sits on the market.
Financial loss
financial loss
A seller disputes owing fees after claiming an agent promised viewings and a sale that never happened, alongside “lack of contact”, and says their property was taken off the market without clear warning about charges.
Hidden info
Fall-through risk
Another account says Seller says late discovery of a leasehold issue risked losing the buyer because the information had not been clarified upfront. The experience left the poster feeling the agent had not acted professionally.
Owners now find their supposedly ‘affordable’ flats incredibly hard to sell, because prospective buyers baulk at the current charges and the risk of future hikes.
Our solicitor failed to notice that the seller did not have rights of access across a private lane. The lender withdrew days before completion, collapsing the chain.
iamsold
modern auction
non-refundable reservation fee
buyer risk
Buyer says they cannot proceed through iamsold modern method of auction because of the non-refundable reservation fee and a history of survey-killed sales.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their solicitor knew about a Land Registry issue for months but did not tell them, offering only a small goodwill payment after escalation.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Four buyers in one chain—multiple fall-throughs before finally completing months later.
Delay
Felt pushed between staff with delays and no urgency; lender and seller’s solicitor reportedly frustrated.
In a purchase, the only remaining item was the management pack — every party chased with no result.
Low priority
No updates
Mortgage deadline
poor communication
Buyer says the conveyancing process was one of the most frustrating experiences of their life because the solicitor seemed to treat the file as low priority and allowed the mortgage deadline to approach.
Delay
Our house sale didn’t complete on the day it was meant to because the other side hadn’t transferred the funds; we spent the day surrounded by boxes, going nowhere.
Delay
A seller says they needed a management pack for a sale and waited weeks while getting little help or clarity.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Worst legal firm... so slow and not responsive to chasing things up.
Poor communication
poor communication
Client says an online conveyancing app never updated beyond the file-opened stage, leaving them with little information.
recommended solicitor
commission
referral fee
buyer choice
Buyer describes the estate agent having a solicitor contact them, then discovering a commission amount and deciding not to use the recommended firm.
“Consistently sat on our case… lied about what work had been done… rarely responded.”
HSBC
Long wait
Mortgage offer
Buyer says a mortgage application with HSBC through brokers took far longer than expected, creating stress and uncertainty before the offer finally arrived.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
One buyer lost £67,000 after sending funds to scammers posing as their solicitor.
They failed to chase missing replies to enquiries, claiming the seller was slow. The estate agent confirmed the solicitor had never requested them in the first place.
Delay
Don’t go by the cheaper price! …I can not express the delays…
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
The solicitor warned us that ongoing rows over service charges would put buyers off; sure enough, the first sale collapsed as soon as the dispute came up.
Financial loss
financial loss
We had to decide whether to swallow the higher payment, renegotiate the price or walk away after spending over £1,000 on fees.
We lost our buyer when their lender declined the application; the agent immediately went back to previous underbidders, which shows how fragile every sale is.
The mortgage broker kept changing lenders mid-process as products were withdrawn, and eventually the buyers just gave up after the third failed application.
One commenter says being gazumped feels brutal but is legal until contracts are exchanged, and warns ‘nothing is definite until you get the keys’.
Mortgage issue
Poor advice
Financial loss
financial loss
Homeowner asks whether a mortgage adviser who gives wrong advice in writing could be liable, showing concern that broker advice on a buy to let mortgage may expose them to serious financial risk.
They’ve seen cases where charges started at a few hundred a year but climbed close to a thousand a month, making the flat virtually unsellable without huge discounts.
Agent allegedly overvalued the property then pushed for price reductions, with promised interest/open days not materialising.
Financial loss
financial loss
They explain that if you think an estate agent’s actions have cost you money – like under-selling your property or misplacing a deposit – you might have to take formal action.
The mortgage surveyor mixed our flat up with a neighbouring new build, declared it in poor condition and the buyer’s lender refused to proceed.
They also highlight slow solicitors and local authority searches as classic deal-killers – by the time results arrive, some buyers have simply lost patience.
Financial loss
financial loss
I physically moved out of my property on the assumption completion money would move the same day. The PM Law shutdown means the funds are trapped and I’m sofa-surfing with all my belongings in storage.
They say buyers too often assume the offer will be extended automatically, only to discover the lender has changed its criteria or rates.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We were four weeks from completion on a house when the seller’s sale fell through further down the chain, so everything collapsed for us on the final day.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says their solicitor failed to complete a flat purchase as agreed, despite having months of notice.
Delay
A simple query regarding a restrictive covenant sat unanswered in the solicitor’s inbox for over two weeks. Once escalated, they admitted they had not checked the title documents properly.
We had buyers pull out because of their job situation, another over survey worries, and another who simply got cold feet. After the third time we were broken.
fraud
A seller says a ‘reservation agreement’ product was sold as protection against buyers pulling out, but they call it ‘a complete scam and unfit for purpose’ after their experience.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’ve paid for surveys, mortgage fees and legal work multiple times and say they ‘don’t know how many more hits’ they can take before giving up.
This company exploits both sellers and buyers its own selfish gain.
Financial loss
financial loss
They described the stress as ‘horrendous’, with constant anxiety that the vendors of their onward purchase would run out of patience and pull the plug.
My experience with Conveyancing Direct has been dreadful, unhelpful, and depressing.
Delay
Twice we got to the point of almost exchanging, and twice different buyers pulled out at the last minute – it’s soul-destroying watching months of progress vanish overnight.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale collapsed purely because the management company took six weeks to answer a straightforward solicitor enquiry that was needed for the transaction to proceed.
Hidden info
We were told we could ‘probably sort it out later’, but no buyer wanted to take on a potential boundary fight.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer alleges constant delays and poor updates put their mortgage offer at risk and nearly cost them the property.
Buyer says lack of urgency and unclear next steps made the whole purchase feel out of control.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Seller felt misled about service length; poor disclosure meant extra costs later to re-list elsewhere.
They worry that any future buyer’s survey will raise the same red flags, making it hard to achieve the original agreed price.
Hidden info
We eventually learned we didn’t legally own half the garden despite the agent advertising it that way; by the time the paperwork was fixed, our buyer had disappeared.
Buyer says their previous conveyancer failed to complete title registration promptly, complicating a later transaction.
Delay
“After 8 weeks… I decided to go to a real conveyancing firm.”
Fall-through risk
A home-selling guide says many collapsed sales come down to the same problems: mortgages falling through, bad surveys, slow solicitors and buyers or sellers simply changing their minds.
We only found out the flat had no valid EWS1 form when the lender refused to issue a mortgage offer – the agent had listed it like any normal property.
Delay
Firm dragged out conveyancing so badly it frustrated the lender and the other side’s solicitor.
Delay
Firm closure
PM Law clients with live purchases and sales faced uncertainty while intervention agents worked out which cases were most urgent.
Delay
SearchFlow says property searches can take anywhere from a few days to six months depending on the council – long enough for a nervous buyer to walk away.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On Trustpilot, a Springmove reviewer says their house sale collapsed just before exchange and they were exhausted from a year-long selling process before being referred to a quick-sale firm.
The stress was unreal – I’d packed up my life, lined up removals and now I’m back to living out of boxes with no idea when I’ll get to move.
Delay
Offer accepted over four months ago, chain cleared, but our conveyancer still hasn’t sent draft contract. Retirement-stress mounting.
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller alleges repeated disputes over unexpected charges attached to selling a leasehold property.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The so-called no-sale-no-fee firm still invoiced us for searches and Land Registry costs when the sale collapsed, and hounded us for payment.
Delay
Hidden info
A seller describes a Barclays mortgage being delayed for months due to extra lender queries (including boundary paperwork and a management-fee question), and says they’re at their wits’ end.
Poor communication
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue. The experience left the poster feeling the agent had not acted professionally.
Delay
Seller says a required management pack for the sale was chased for roughly two months with little help or updates.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Broker miscalculated affordability, telling us we qualified for a higher mortgage. Lender rejected and we lost our dream home.
Fall-through risk
fall through
This is holding up the sale of my property, and ... I am worried they may withdraw from the purchase.
Hidden info
Our buyers suddenly pulled out because they were worried about a separate garage on the deeds, even though it had always been part of the property.
Poor communication
poor communication
We lost our sale purely because nobody at the firm picked up the phone or answered emails in time for the chain to hold together.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
One buyer on HousingUK said their house sale took eight months and then fell through because the first-time buyer at the bottom of the chain simply backed out.
Our neighbour’s buyer walked away when they saw how the ground rent doubled; it spooked us about our own chances of ever selling.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
“Took forever to chase up issues… ignored instructions… cost us money.”
Delay
Another seller explains they tried to sell through a traditional agent but saw no progress at all, which pushed them to use an alternative firm instead.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
fall through
Buyer alleges key information withheld and sale collapsed late; refund battles added insult to injury.
Financial loss
financial loss
A survey that should have been straightforward became a mess after we felt mis-sold on what we were actually buying.
Our house has been on the market a year in a street where homes usually sell in days. We’ve reduced the price twice and still can’t shift it.
Delay
I’m being pushed to renegotiate mid-process because everyone’s terrified the whole chain will collapse if completion slips by a few weeks.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
It then took weeks for them to finally admit they couldn’t proceed, by which point we’d already wasted time and money keeping everything ready to go.
conditional selling
in-house broker
viewing blocked
buyer pressure
Buyer says an estate agent refused to show properties unless they booked an appointment with the agent's mortgage broker, with commenters identifying this as conditional selling.
Fall-through risk
One HomeSellingExpert guide estimates nearly a third of sales fall through and says many buyers are shocked to discover their mortgage offer doesn’t protect them from that risk.
Fall-through risk
Our buyer pulled out after survey but refused to share the report. We know something spooked them, yet we’re going back to market blind about what future buyers might also pick up.
They now specifically target these problem blocks as cash buyers, because so many leaseholders are stuck with homes they can’t shift through a normal estate agent.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On a Trustpilot review, a seller said their first sale fell through but SmoothSale stepped in, put the property back out to their network and got it sold again quickly so the chain didn’t die.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We only avoided a total collapse because one mortgage offer was about to expire and everyone threw money at their solicitors to rush exchange through.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
A poster summarises a case where a solicitor emailed for bank details, fraudsters intercepted the chain, and the solicitor sent sale proceeds to the fraudster’s account — leaving the seller without £62k for a time.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Cost me thousands… sale fell through… they kept the deposit from the buyer.
Fall-through risk
The first buyer pulled out at the last minute but our conveyancer kept us updated and helped salvage things with new purchasers who were much harder work.
Delay
“Completed our sale and purchase after 13 months.”
Delay
Buyer says a no-chain purchase is still three months in with no exchange date, leaving them questioning why the process is so slow.
Poor communication
poor communication
Vendor-side: no communication with the other side’s solicitors and long periods with no visible work on file.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We were pressured to accept an offer from a buyer who hadn’t even listed their own property – nine weeks later they still hadn’t sold and the whole chain collapsed.
Fall-through risk
fall through
the chaos they caused was the reason our property sale fell through in the end.
We were told the lease was ‘straightforward’, then half-way through the process we discovered ground rent doubles every ten years.
Delay
Hidden info
A review-style complaint says Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. The review pattern points to stress caused by delays and poor updates.
Financial loss
financial loss
First time buyer describes paying hundreds of pounds in fees only for the chain to collapse when searches finally revealed a non compliant septic tank that their lender would not accept.
Delay
Our buyers used PM Property Lawyers and what should have been a simple sale is now months late. Every document supposedly takes a week to ‘process’ before anyone even looks at it.
A reviewer describes worrying defects and frustration, saying the protection didn’t operate as they assumed it would.
Delay
tell them your mortgage offer is about to expire and demand to understand what's causing the delay.
We had to walk away after learning our lender treats anything above commercial as ‘high risk’; nobody warned us when we first viewed the property.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Buyer says a recommended conveyancing firm had to be chased constantly, including on completion day, making it the worst solicitor experience they had had.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
The emotional toll of the sale collapsing was brutal; months of planning and packing vanished in an afternoon phone call from the agent.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’re home sellers in a chain where the buyer’s conveyancer is one of the PM Law firms. Estate agents have told us several related transactions may now collapse if replacement solicitors can’t be found quickly.
Fall-through risk
A Mumsnet thread listed all the classic points where sales fall through – survey, mortgage application, searches – basically any stage where new bad news can surface.
Poor communication
poor communication
Despite paying the broker fee upfront, we spent 11 days with no update on our decision in principle while the seller grew impatient.
Delay
The Law Gazette reports that solicitors can face sanctions even when delays are caused by third parties if they fail to manage expectations or keep clients informed.
The agent never told us the buyers were using a specialist lender that was notorious for down-valuations; when the valuation came in low, everyone acted surprised.
Financial loss
financial loss
The cost of repeated surveys and legal checks has been huge – we’re haemorrhaging money without moving anywhere.
Poor communication
poor communication
No communication with myself or vendor's Solicitors at all. No work done on the file.
Our solicitor recommended an online conveyancing outfit that turned out to be painfully slow; the buyers almost gave up on us entirely.
Poor communication
poor communication
A conveyancing blog summarises multiple surveys showing nearly half of home movers felt poor solicitor communication prolonged their move.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
One British Homebuyers review said the first estate agent went quiet after a ‘sale’ was agreed; when the buyer pulled out, there was no plan B.
Poor communication
poor communication
One affected mover says Tenant complains the agent’s responses were unclear and unhelpful when they needed proper guidance on a property issue.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Home mover reports paying fresh legal costs after their original conveyancing firm stopped operating and their file had to be transferred at short notice. following the February 2026 intervention.
Others advise total honesty, but warn that some purchasers will walk away the moment they hear ‘formal complaint’, whatever the context.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
The Ombudsman criticised the firm for failing to keep the seller informed, leaving them confused and out of pocket once the transaction collapsed.
Hidden info
Bettermove say you *can* sell with a neighbour dispute, but buyers often demand a hefty discount or walk away once they see the history of complaints.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
I am buying a buy-to-let in a high flood risk area with a history of flooding. The current owners use Flood Re but landlords cannot, and I am struggling to find future-proof insurance cover at a reasonable cost.
Hidden info
The brochure missed key leasehold info. We discovered late the term was under 80 years and had to renegotiate everything.
Conveyancer unavailable
Delay
Uncertainty
Buyer says their purchase stagnated because the lead conveyancer became unavailable and the file had to be moved to a new team, reducing confidence in a pre-Christmas completion.
Land Registry delay
Probate
Sale uncertainty
Family dealing with Land Registry delays after a death asks how a house sale can proceed when the title still shows joint owners, creating uncertainty during probate and sale planning.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
the lender has not yet come back with a reply since two weeks now and our solicitor seems least intrested
Hidden info
Another leaseholder post talks about ‘annual service charges making my flat impossible to sell’, with prospective buyers and lenders alike backing off once they see the numbers.
Delay
We are currently a month delayed… every document takes a week to “process”.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The whole chain was hanging on one vendor buying a place with solar panels and non-standard construction; when that got rejected by their lender, everyone else’s sale collapsed too.
We’re trying to sell and the buyer’s survey has thrown up a laundry list of alleged defects. Some are flat-out wrong, but it’s enough to make them hesitate and threaten to pull out.
The agency turned complaints back on me and gaslighted me instead of accepting any responsibility.
Delay
I only spoke to receptionists and secretaries for months; I didn’t actually speak to the solicitor dealing with my sale until after it had fallen through.
financial loss risk
commission risk
marketing costs
agent time
seller misrepresentation
financial loss
A practising estate agent reports a seller privately agreeing a sale with a buyer introduced through the instructed agent's marketing, while telling the agent they were no longer moving. The agent highlights the risk of losing commission despite already incurring marketing, portal, staffing and viewing costs.
Our first buyer walked when their online mortgage broker disappeared mid-application; by the time they switched advisers, they’d decided it was all too stressful.
Delay
The reviewer says the delays exasperated their lender and the seller’s solicitor and that they would never consider using the firm again.
Financial loss
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Client says they faced extra fees because a collapsed or intervened firm could not complete the conveyancing work they had already paid for. The complaint theme was slow replies and lack of urgency.
Fees lost
Two failures
Year wasted
financial loss
Buyer says they have already had two purchases fall through, lost around 5000 pounds and wasted a year in the process.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication and customer service. Our buyers have used this solicitor and we're currently a month delayed.
They warn that buyers increasingly rely on TA6 answers and are willing to sue if they discover the truth only after completion.
I was told lies from the very start of the sale process and had to chase constantly for any information.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the agent applied intense pressure to complete quickly and chased them daily, then the purchase fell apart and left them in a housing scramble.
Poor communication
poor communication
Legal Ombudsman decision data for 2025/26 shows property consumers continue escalating unresolved legal-service complaints.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud describes a case where a man lost £67,000 after fraudsters hacked email accounts and diverted a property purchase payment.
Financial loss
financial loss
Booked viewing then cancelled shortly before; travel wasted and no proper handling.
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt stuck between walking away and losing money, or continuing with a conveyancer they’d already lost confidence in.
They warn that buyers may pull out or seek compensation if they later uncover disputes that weren’t declared before exchange.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Complainant says their case sat for months with little communication, adding to the frustration after losing money in a failed purchase.
Poor communication
poor communication
Sent trust documents/certified copies but struggled to get them returned or acknowledged.
Fixed-rate mortgage was set up without the customer signing the paperwork. A serious issue that had to be raised as a formal complaint.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their sale collapsed at the last minute for the second time and they blame the estate agent for repeatedly saying the buyer’s mortgage was sorted when it wasn’t.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They talk about buyers forced to take drastic steps to rescue deals and others left out of pocket after months of legal work that led nowhere.
Hidden info
Some property lawyers argue the revamped property information form is unworkable but it does force more detail on flood risk and charges upfront.
our solicitor is not responding with an answer
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Straightforward no-chain sale stuck for months, with messages ignored and progress unclear.
Fall-through risk
Our sale nearly collapsed because the solicitor forgot to request a simple indemnity policy that had been agreed at the very start. The insurer issued it within hours once it was finally requested.
Financial loss
Post-completion issue
Leasehold issue
financial loss
Review says New Homes Law failed to ensure service charge arrears were settled on completion and failed to hold a retention, leaving the client dealing with avoidable post-completion problems.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
We did not get a drain survey and the house surveyor failed to identify cracks and movement that were caused by a collapsed drain. We have now discovered the problem and want to know where we stand since the issue was completely missed before purchase.
Delay
Management pack needed for a sale chased for two months, with advisors hanging up.
We had our sale and onward purchase both with the same PM Law brand. Overnight closure means both transactions are frozen, movers booked, and we’re looking at the real prospect of having no home to go to.
Hidden info
I assumed the big fee was only payable on completion – turns out it was added to the loan and still due once the offer was issued.
Mortgage issue
Poor communication
poor communication
Borrower says their bank gave conflicting information about the expiry date of a mortgage application after a rate change, leaving them unsure whether their offer expired in November or February.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyers pulled out eight weeks in, citing a ‘personal issue’. We’d already packed, paid for searches and now have to start again from scratch.
Poor communication
poor communication
CDPLL do nothing, you have to chase them by phone because they do not answer emails.
Hidden info
Shared-ownership leaseholders quoted in The Guardian describe service charges up to £8,000 a year on homes originally advertised as ‘affordable’.
Financial loss
financial loss
We finally sold on the third attempt after two buyers dropped out at the last minute, each time leaving us with survey and legal costs we couldn’t recover.
It’s heartbreaking that the house we hoped to buy could be lost because one buyer in the chain changed their mind.
Financial loss
financial loss
The idea of instructing my solicitor to chase the buyer for costs just adds another layer of stress after an already horrendous moving experience.
We’d checked comparison sites ourselves but didn’t realise underwriters might still refuse or load the premium based on their own flood maps.
They’ve reduced the asking price again and again, but every buyer’s solicitor flags the charges and the deals keep collapsing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’ve had two sales fall through and I’m starting to feel physically ill with worry. Every time we get close to exchange, someone else in the chain pulls out.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“Outstanding support… during two disastrous house selling experiences… one buyer pulled out.”
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our buyer pulled out in November and we got through a further 3 buyers... completed 28th March 2025.
Financial loss
financial loss
They took £2,222.0 from my account for a property i never view.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our conveyancer never clearly explained why we still had to pay them when the sale fell through; we only found out from an online guide that this was common.
Delay
My solicitor said the buyer’s solicitor were 'wide-boys' and couldn’t get straight answers from them; it ended up taking eight months before the whole thing finally fell apart.
Posters reply that if you downplay or hide a dispute, you risk serious trouble later – including claims for misrepresentation if the buyer finds out.
Fall-through risk
Our chain collapsed after the builder admitted the property we wanted was not actually available; by then our buyer was threatening to walk as well.
They note that the burden on sellers is higher than before – you’re expected to answer everything as fully and honestly as you reasonably can.
Poor communication
Repairs/building issues
poor communication
Estate agent branch reviews include concerns over poor communication and lack of transparency around repairs and contract issues for managed property.
Hidden info
They say if they’d had any idea charges would reach those levels, they would never have bought the flat in the first place.
Financial loss
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the . While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
They realised only afterwards how little the first agent had done beyond sticking a board up and listing the property online.
Misinformation
Agent conduct
Sale risk
Buyer says an estate agent allegedly told the buyer something about the seller that the agent did not know was true, adversely influencing the buyer and creating a complaint about agent conduct.
Hidden info
I had an offer accepted on an empty property and then learned about council tax premiums for long term empty homes. I do not know how long the house has been empty or whether I will be liable for a premium.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through the day before exchange – one email from the buyers’ solicitor and months of planning just evaporated.
Poor communication
poor communication
They only replied after I threatened to complain formally about the lack of communication.
They note that buyers may just withdraw if they think they’re walking into a war zone, which is why many sales with neighbour issues crumble late on.
The first sale fell apart, but the new agent we instructed actually marketed the house properly and found a replacement buyer before our mortgage offer expired.
Hidden info
Residents complain about vague bills and unexplained hikes from managing agents, with potential buyers walking away once they see the paperwork.
A buyer on r/HousingUK describes being pitched ‘guaranteed exchange in a month’ packages by online conveyancers who then threaten to hold up the chain unless others pay to expedite.
Financial loss
financial loss
They describe feeling stuck in a property nobody wants, with their lives effectively on pause while those charges keep climbing.
Poor communication
poor communication
A ReviewSolicitors page for one firm includes multiple complaints about poor communication, with clients saying they constantly had to chase for basic updates.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyer says a purchase is finally close after five months of delays and alleged solicitor negligence, but the sellers are now rushing them to exchange within a week.
After buying a repossessed property, the new owner got a charging order letter in the old owner’s name, creating fear of legal fallout.
Unauthorised works
Conveyancer issue
Post-completion
Buyer says a newly bought house had unauthorised structural alterations and a removed ventilation system, with both seller and conveyancer denying responsibility after completion.
A single missed signature at the last minute caused our buyer’s solicitor to postpone exchange, and the whole fragile chain fell apart.
Delay
One Reddit post says the sellers kept delaying completion while the buyer’s mortgage offer ticked towards expiry, potentially adding thousands in extra interest if they had to reapply.
Delay
Client says documents were missed or delayed and simple conveyancing tasks seemed too difficult to handle properly.
Hidden info
On r/HousingUK, a flat owner said their annual service charges had risen so much that buyers now walk away as soon as they see the numbers, making the place ‘impossible to sell’.
Solicitor accidentally sent confidential documents to the wrong estate agent, breaching GDPR.
Our letting agent's 'management' consisted of ignoring problems and hoping tenants and landlords would sort it out themselves.
Poor communication
poor communication
They are terrible: they ignored my complaint and could not even follow their own complaints procedure.
Hidden info
Reallymoving’s guide says neighbour issues should show up on the TA6 form, but if they weren’t disclosed and you only discover them after moving in, you may need legal advice.
Financial loss
financial loss
They are torn between appealing, starting again with a new lender or walking away and losing the money they’ve already spent.
Fall-through risk
fall through
“After over 180 days… the buyer finally pulled out.”
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Poor communication and delay are again flagged as the most common issues for home movers frustrated by how long a ‘simple’ sale can take.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Sold, then the buyer’s buyer pulled out; says nobody told them and they lost their onward purchase.
Delay
I keep refreshing my email waiting for the solicitor to confirm exchange before the offer runs out – it feels like the entire move hangs on a single date.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We’ve had sales fall through over everything from survey results to mortgage problems and gazumping; each time we lose thousands in costs and months of our lives.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through because the buyers suddenly ‘had concerns’ about the separate garage, even though it was clearly on the title and had been used that way for years.
They suggest checking reviews and credentials early because once you’re mid-transaction, a bad choice can be very hard to undo.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
One affected mover says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Hidden info
We actually had to write to the agent to insist they stop lying about why we’d withdrawn – subsidence isn’t something you can just gloss over.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Nearly lost a flat purchase due to slow progress and lack of meaningful communication.
Delay
Management pack chased for 2 months; hung up on repeatedly when trying to get the sale moving.
Another solicitor warns that once a mortgage offer expires before completion, there’s no guarantee your lender will issue the same terms again – or offer at all.
The conveyancer's emails were so vague that we never knew what stage we were at. When we finally obtained the file from them, key letters from the other side had never been answered at all.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I’ve missed out on a house because of them.
Hidden info
Average service charges hit around £2,300 a year, with some owners paying more in service charge than council tax.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
They are an organised group of scammers.
Financial loss
financial loss
Our buyer’s mortgage was pulled after a change in their circumstances, and we were left out of pocket for legal work that had already been done.
Rising dissatisfaction means people are more willing to challenge poor conveyancing service rather than simply accept slow, opaque processes.
Delay
We are about to complete on a band G council tax property but are worried the budget may double council tax. The chain is pushing for a completion date and we are unsure whether to delay.
Hidden info
On MSE, a first-time seller worries about how to answer the TA6 neighbour dispute question, torn between being totally open and not scaring buyers away.
financial loss
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Delay
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
A homeowner in a boundary dispute says delays and poor communications around paperwork have made the property feel difficult to sell.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Shocked to be basically 'scammed' by this firm… I have now received an invoice to open the file.
Our buyers became increasingly aggressive over minor defects, sending long, hostile emails via their solicitor until our own lawyer advised us to walk away.
Hidden info
In ‘Neighbours hindering sale... what can we do?’, posters warn that once you make a formal written complaint about neighbours, you must declare it when you sell.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
The broker miscalculated the rental stress test and only spotted it after valuation; the deal fell through and we were still billed for their fee.
Fall-through risk
Solicitor gave wrong advice about lease extensions and nearly caused the purchase to fall through.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say leaving messages didn’t help and they received no explanation, calling it rude and unprofessional when you’re trying to sell such a major asset.
How this company has more than one star is baffling!! Consistently sat on our case with no action being taken, lied about what work had been done.
Delay
Our solicitor repeatedly told us they were waiting on 'the other side', but when the estate agent intervened it turned out they had not replied to simple enquiries for nearly three weeks. The buyer began looking at other properties as a result.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
Buyer says completion date information was wrong, causing them to rearrange removals at extra cost.
Hidden info
“Final request… included unspecified additional charges… first correspondence I had received.”
Delay
What was sold to us as a quick, clean purchase turned into a long chain with constant changes and delays.
One star says all you need to know. Awful experience.
Poor communication
poor communication
Cardiff seller describes Darlows as a terrible estate agent with awful organisation, communication and knowledge.
Delay
“Been waiting over a month for an insecure and dangerous front door… to be repaired.”
We carefully lined up sale and purchase for the same day so our two young children wouldn’t have to move twice. Our PM Property Lawyers branch closed without warning and we ended up in an Airbnb with no idea when we’d actually get the keys.
We found out by email while we were on holiday that our buyer had backed out – it completely ruined the trip and we still haven’t resold.
Delay
Our conveyancer is impossible to get on the phone and rarely answers emails. We wanted to exchange next week but can’t even get an update.
Agents quoted in the article say high charges are reducing buyer demand and forcing sellers to drop prices just to get interest.
The estate agent was insistent that we speak to their in-house mortgage advisor. It didn’t feel like guidance — it felt like coercion.
Our mortgage offer expired mid-purchase and we had to scramble for a new deal at higher rates, all because the legal work took too long.
Delay
Fall-through risk
They were told that three months to get from offer to completion is ‘standard’ now, unless everyone is very motivated or paperwork already exists from a previous collapsed sale.
Hidden info
I’m starting to think the service charge is putting everyone off – once buyers realise it’s nearly £300 a month, the viewing goes quiet and you never hear from them again.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through because the freeholder’s agent took six weeks to answer a basic enquiry from our solicitor – by the time they replied, our buyer had lost patience and walked.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says conveyancing was stressful enough without having to fight their own solicitors for basic post-completion competence.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our broker was unreachable for days at a time while the lender kept asking for urgent responses. We nearly missed the exchange deadline.
Poor communication
poor communication
A Trustpilot review for Sharman Quinney says the agency showed poor communication and lacked proactive engagement, leaving the client doing most of the chasing.
Delay
Months of delay before a solicitor was even assigned; the buyer felt the firm wasn’t set up to handle UK conveyancing competently.
Poor communication
poor communication
For those sellers, the difference was someone moving fast and explaining options clearly instead of just shrugging when the first buyer walked away.
Didn't put up a for sale sign, no proactive communication.
Delay
The article warns that overpricing leads to properties sitting on the market for months, with sellers eventually needing steep price cuts to get any interest.
Marketing listing quality issues (poor photos, no video as promised) risking damage to letting/sale prospects.
I pay a management fee so the letting agent can manage my property, but they barely inspect it, never spot issues and communication is dreadful.
We spent over fifteen hundred pounds on survey and legal work before discovering the chain had been misrepresented by the agent.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On LegalAdviceUK, a seller asked if they had to pay their conveyancing bill when the sale fell through and they believed the poor service was partly to blame.
Fall-through risk
We chose a 'panel' conveyancer recommended by the agent and regretted it; they were slow, unreachable and seemed to make the fall-through more likely, not less.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
They described months of chasing for updates and a final bill that didn’t reflect the lack of progress or explanation before everything fell apart.
Financial loss
financial loss
The buyers walked away just before exchange and we were left paying legal fees with nothing to show for it.
Delay
Buyer says delays in November made them so sick of the process they no longer wanted the flat.
Poor communication
poor communication
During a remortgage, the service left me frustrated and chasing; it felt like poor handling of a basic process.
Our solicitor repeatedly missed calls and emails from the lender requesting clarification on the title plan. The mortgage offer was suspended until we escalated the issue.
Delay
The SRA reminds consumers they can report solicitors for serious breaches of conduct, but that most day-to-day service issues like delay go to the Legal Ombudsman.
Fall-through risk
After our buyer pulled out at the last minute, the agent pushed us toward a quick-sale company that wanted a huge discount on the property’s value.
Price drop
Buyer pulled out
Shared access
financial loss
Seller says a buyer pulled out just before exchange citing shared access concerns, forcing a relist and eventually a sale around 10000 pounds below the previous agreement.
LandlordZONE reports landlords struggling to sell leasehold flats because charges have climbed above £2,000 a year, making the numbers unworkable for many buyers.
Hidden info
A Homeselling Expert guide says estate agents must tell you honestly why a sale has fallen through – hiding the reason is treated as omitting material information.
Delay
The actual Conveyancer was very pleasant and helpful but lost steam as time went well passed original completion date. Went on holiday without telling me.
Chain-free delay
Timeline confusion
Exchange delay
First time buyer says a supposedly chain-free purchase has dragged on for months with no exchange, showing how even simple transactions can stall.
Poor communication
poor communication
“The buying experience was slow and stressful… communication was appalling.”
Hidden info
Shared-ownership residents in one Guardian piece were paying up to £8,000 a year in charges and said buyers simply wouldn’t touch their ‘affordable’ homes.
Fall-through risk
We felt utterly drained after yet another chain collapse; I genuinely don’t think the general public realises how often this happens until it happens to them.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
ONP Solicitors warn that choosing the wrong conveyancer can lead to delays, poor communication and nasty surprises later in the transaction.
Fall-through risk
fall through
When our sale fell through, Parkers had more potential buyers lined up and got fresh viewings booked quickly rather than letting the property sit and go stale.
Delay
We’re terrified someone will lose patience before we ever get to exchange – months of work could vanish overnight because there’s nothing binding until the very end.
Poor communication
poor communication
Slow, understaffed and liars.
Delay
Lender kept asking for the same bank statements over and over, saying their system couldn't open PDFs. Caused huge delays.
A landlord alleges a lack of transparency by their letting agent after discovering the tenant was paying a higher amount via a third party, while the agent only disclosed the lower figure used for their commission calculation.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time we finally moved, we’d paid for two aborted purchases and one failed sale; we felt like we’d funded the entire industry except ourselves.
Delay
Former owner says Land Registry delay was caused by the conveyancing solicitor not sending appropriate documents at completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says a relative’s previous solicitor was a nightmare, showing how poor conveyancing service damages confidence in the whole process.
The HomeOwners Alliance warns that a down valuation can completely upend a sale, because buyers suddenly can’t borrow enough to stick to the agreed price.
Delay
I was at the final stages of my purchase, getting ready for exchange and completion. I rang for an update and instead discovered the firm had shut overnight. I have to leave my rental soon, can’t stay on, and now I’m genuinely worried about becoming homeless.
A seller claims they were promised a strong outcome at valuation but saw little traction and felt misled about performance.
With lenders refusing to lend on the flats, owners were told their only realistic option was to find cash buyers or wait years for remediation.
Hidden info
Material information guidance says lease length, charges, ground rent and building safety issues all need to be up front in listings.
Financial loss
financial loss
The solicitor failed to explain that the 'flying freehold' element of the property could cause remortgage problems. Our next lender refused the security and we faced extra legal costs to resolve it.
Agents in our area are warning that any chain touching a PM Law brand could be at risk. Some buyers have drawn down mortgage funds, but completions can’t happen while the regulator sorts through the firm’s accounts.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Reviewer says months of New Homes Law conveyancing delays caused their onward purchase to fall through without apology.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One Redditor says they are ‘exhausted and heartbroken’ after their chain collapsed for the fourth time, each failure triggered by a different weak link.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
A leaseholder claims basic issues and complaints were met with silence, feeding delays and stress for everyone involved.
Delay
We later discovered that our solicitor had never sent our formal complaint to the firm’s complaints partner, despite assuring us it was being ‘reviewed’. Months were wasted before we went to the Ombudsman.
Poor communication
poor communication
Having an agent who spoke directly to the buyers and explained each step took a lot of stress out of the process after the earlier collapse.
Delay
Our entire chain depends on a PM Law group firm that has suddenly closed. Estate agents and other solicitors can’t get any answers, and everyone is scared the chain will collapse.
“No one can provide any form of timescales for a resolution.”
Our leasehold flat has ground rent clauses that double every ten years; multiple buyers’ solicitors have now advised their clients not to proceed.
Our solicitor misinterpreted the lease clause about ground rent escalations. The error only came to light when our lender rejected the property, collapsing the chain.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our buyer’s solicitor is one of the PM Law brands. We were meant to exchange this week, but nobody can confirm who holds the file or where the money will go, so the chain is hanging by a thread.
Right to Buy
Legal uncertainty
Ownership issue
Buyer says their purchase through Right to Buy generated complex legal questions around rights of first refusal and ownership shares, creating uncertainty years after purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
They call it ‘a huge con’, saying the money has been ‘spaffed up the wall’ and that late fees and debt collectors loom if they challenge the bill.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says HS Legal’s app still showed the purchase barely started after completion, while emails and calls went unanswered for weeks.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our sale fell through eight weeks into selling and buying because the buyers had a personal issue, and we were given two weeks to find a replacement or lose the house we wanted.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
There were 78,855 fall-throughs in Q1 2025 costing buyers and sellers an average of £3,493 each.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’ve dropped the asking price by tens of thousands but say no buyer wants to take on such eye-watering annual costs.
referral commission
solicitor kickback
broker kickback
professional complaint
Estate agent says referral commission between agents, surveyors, solicitors and mortgage advisers should be banned, saying solicitors send daily referral-fee offers.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through while we were on holiday; we came back to an email saying the buyers had changed their minds.
A Trustpilot reviewer calls Pinnacle Surveyors ‘the worst surveyors you’re likely to meet’, saying their valuation and service left them out of pocket and set their purchase back significantly.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
Seller says they were repeatedly assured the buyer was serious, only for the transaction to collapse shortly before exchange after around four months of delays.
Delay
The system lets sellers and buyers walk away after months, leaving people like us broken, out of pocket and still without a home.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
PM Property Lawyers have made our flat purchase unbearable: constant delays, no communication and we’re terrified of losing the property because they just don’t move things along.
Hidden info
New build
New-build buyers worry they may be asked to complete even though surrounding roads and works may not be finished.
Delay
With Gaddes Noble we felt like a nuisance for asking simple questions. Deadlines slipped, key documents were wrong and our completion was delayed, leaving us out of pocket.
Poor communication
poor communication
Three fee-earners cc’d on emails, none ever respond. I don’t know who is in charge of our case.
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They stress that brokers can do everything right and still see clients’ purchases put at risk by other parties in the process.
Delay
Reviewer says a house purchase took roughly 37 weeks after delayed communication and repeated administrative issues.
In a broader leasehold reform piece, the HomeOwners Alliance warns that rising and opaque charges are putting buyers off flats and slowing sales.
“They strong-armed me… to taking a review down… won’t give the other.”
Hidden info
NetLawman reiterates that neighbour rows over noise, access or boundaries must be declared on the TA6 – hiding them risks the buyer pulling out or suing later.
Hidden info
Reallymoving advises buyers to scan the TA6 carefully for any hint of neighbour trouble and to walk away if the seller seems evasive.
Hidden info
I’ve seen people trapped for years in leasehold properties they can’t sell because of service charge hikes and nightmare managing agents.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The whole chain is now at risk because our solicitor with a PM Law group firm shut without warning—our buyers are getting impatient and may pull out.
Poor communication
poor communication
A buyer says their purchase is stalling because the vendor’s estate agent won’t reply, and getting basic information about a management pack is ‘like getting blood out of a stone’.
Hidden info
A right-of-way article points out that unresolved access disputes and unclear easements can seriously put off buyers and push sellers towards auctions or cash-only buyers.
Hidden info
Some buyers only discover after purchase that their flat’s service charges make it almost impossible to sell on at a fair price.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller reports being within a day of chain collapse due to slow progress and lack of access to an actual solicitor.
Poor communication
poor communication
“We had no sales negotiator… had to chase every email.”
A Guardian feature on a cladding-blighted block describes residents living for years under scaffolding and blue netting, with flats practically unmortgageable.
Some clients in the PM Law victims group say they’ve already had removal vans booked and children taken out of school, only to find out days before moving that their solicitor has shut and no keys will be handed over.
Financial loss
financial loss
Holding deposit paid, then extra guarantor requirements and demands for more upfront money.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
It summed up the whole experience as ‘stress, delays and financial uncertainty’ – exactly how most people describe a chain once it starts wobbling.
Poor communication
poor communication
A reviewer says emails and complaints weren’t handled properly, and they felt forced to change managing agent due to ongoing issues.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
First-time buyer questions why a no-chain purchase still has no exchange or completion date after months of waiting.
They’d already spent on mortgage and survey and were now stuck wondering whether the seller could ever deliver vacant possession in time for completion.
Delay
I was repeatedly told by the Yopa agent that my listing would be on a no sale, no fee basis, but when I called head office two weeks after going live they said it was actually a pay-later contract. I only signed up because the agent talked me through it over the phone and kept reassuring me it was no sale, no fee. Viewings have been cancelled, feedback is poor, and when a colleague tried to book a viewing they were told there were no slots, which was not true. My house has been on the market for two months and I feel completely misled.
They’re watching neighbouring houses sell while their high-fee flat sits, because anyone who can do the maths realises the charges kill affordability.
Felt pressured into using the in-house mortgage adviser rather than it being a genuine option.
The muddle over who actually managed the block left the buyer worried about future repairs and charges, so they pulled out.
The experience left us feeling that many of their positive reviews were not reflective of reality.
Delay
We’re months in and still waiting for replies. I’m permanently stressed because every update takes forever.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
We were offered no-sale-no-fee, declined it, and when the buyer pulled out the conveyancer still chased us aggressively for their full bill.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We used a budget online firm and it was such a relief when the sale fell through because dealing with them had been a nightmare from day one.
Poor communication
poor communication
Leaseholder says getting routine pre-sales information from the agent was a 'nightmare' with emails and calls ignored.
Financial loss
financial loss
The agent pushed hard to win the instruction, then key updates weren’t passed on and it cost the seller their onward purchase.
Collapsed drain
Missed defect
Survey failure
Buyer says a house survey failed to spot cracks and movement later linked to a collapsed drain, leaving them asking where they stand after completion.
Poor communication
poor communication
Sometimes it took over a week to get any answer to urgent questions about the purchase.
Financial loss
financial loss
They stress that buyers must watch expiry dates closely or risk losing both the property and the money they’ve spent on legal work.
Financial loss
financial loss
Nearly at completion, a buyer sent a large transfer and then discovered the payment was missing—creating panic and immediate risk.
Hidden info
Another buyer discovered a planned new road close to the garden via local plan documents, not mentioned anywhere in the marketing details.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Trustpilot review for Lang Town & Country describes an eleven-month journey with multiple chain collapses before the buyers finally secured the house they loved.
Financial loss
financial loss
Experts warned that high ongoing costs can stall price growth and leave flats languishing unsold while nearby houses continue to move.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Citizens Advice highlight complaints where estate agents didn’t return deposits promptly or failed to pass money on correctly when a sale fell through.
Delay
Someone forgot to register my name on the deeds... for the last 3 months I am in no mans land with my mortgage.
Poor communication
poor communication
Our sale became a nightmare because the agent was slow, ignored emails, and didn’t chase the buyer for updates.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Impossible to contact… after my money was paid.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
MoneySavingExpert users discuss reusing previous buyers’ searches where possible after a fall-through, hoping to avoid paying twice for the same local authority checks.
Our current agent is fine at sticking things on Rightmove, but not proactive enough to drum up the viewings we need to rescue the chain in time.
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer view: estate agent demanded address certification by a solicitor — extra cost and hassle.
Commenters replied that between cladding, insurance and service-charge hikes, they’d avoid that development entirely – it looked like a flat you could buy but struggle to sell.
Delay
My offer on a tenanted flat was accepted at the end of July but we still have not completed because the tenants are still in place. I want to know how long other buyers in the same situation have had to wait for completion with sitting tenants.
Hidden info
One MSE user said their flat is ‘impossible to sell’ because annual service charges have jumped so high that buyers walk away as soon as they see the figures.
Hidden info
Estate Agent Today reported that nearly one in five sellers admit they haven’t disclosed neighbour disputes to buyers, even though doing so risks the sale collapsing later.
Hidden info
We only discovered right before exchange that the seller’s ongoing dispute with the freeholder hadn’t been disclosed; we walked away.
Hidden info
The Times reported a family who’ve spent more than £43,000 on service charges and council tax while struggling for five years to sell a retirement flat they inherited.
Mortgage issue
Financial loss
financial loss
Buyer says they applied through a broker and were hit with a reduced mortgage offer after a previous IVA, leaving the purchase uncertain and the borrowing outcome lower than expected.
Delay
Our chain stalled because the solicitor insisted a document was missing that had already been provided twice. They later admitted it had been sitting in their spam folder.
We’d been told exchange meant it was ‘all locked in’, then discovered that if the funds aren’t actually in place, the whole thing can still blow up.
The survey uncovered serious structural movement and damp; our lender still valued at the asking price but we decided the risks were too high and walked.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A government consultation on material information notes that missing or unclear details in listings can badly affect buyers’ decisions and lead to wasted time and money.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Buyer said Nationwide-appointed surveyor valued the property at £0 and ruined the mortgage application. They felt the process was sabotaged.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
The sale nearly fell through because the report flagged severe issues that weren’t backed up with proper evidence, causing panic and delays.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Right-to-buy applicant says the council still had not sent anything to their conveyancing lawyer after more than a year, while they kept paying rent.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our previous sale fell through and SortRefer plus their panel solicitors picked things up on the new transaction and actually kept us updated for a change.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We lost money when the estate agent held onto our deposit after the sale collapsed and we had to fight to get it back.
Delay
In a Mumsnet thread, someone said their vendors pulled out after months, just as they were about to exchange, because they ‘no longer fancied moving’ and wanted more time.
Delay
There’s nothing wrong with the flat, just timewasters – but each collapse knocks her confidence and adds more months of limbo.
Buyer says solicitor did not disclose a pending planning application next door, even though it was visible on searches.
Delay
A Law Gazette summary of Ombudsman guidance reminds firms that they can still face criticism if they fail to manage expectations around third-party delays.
Our buyers pulled out when they realised the house had historic subsidence; the insurer wouldn’t give them cover on normal terms and their lender refused to proceed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says the firm failed to respond properly to a complaint after repeated conveyancing errors.
Hidden info
Buyer says the estate agent blamed the seller information form for an incorrect advertised service charge, even though the seller had recently paid the higher charge and should have known the true figure.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller reports their sale collapsed because the buyer s solicitor repeatedly failed to send a simple redemption statement for weeks, while the estate agent just kept saying it was with the lawyers.
Poor communication
Fall-through risk
poor communication
fall through
Seller says YOPA gave no advice on increasing viewings and left the sold board up weeks after the sale fell through.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’d lined up a chain of three and were ready to move when the buyer just pulled out with no reason given, leaving us completely stuck and having to start again from scratch.
Fall-through risk
fall through
This is the third time our house sale has collapsed right before completion – every time a different link in the chain breaks and we’re back to square one.
I am selling my leasehold flat and the estate agent is unhelpful, avoids phone calls, and gives no guidance on the selling process. It is my first time selling and I feel completely unsupported.
Poor communication
poor communication
The seller’s solicitor says ‘we don’t do phone calls’. That is helpful when the chain is shaky and you don’t know what’s going on.
Poor communication
poor communication
They claim the conveyancer did very little unless chased, didn’t respond to emails, and the online portal either didn’t work or never reflected the real status.
Fall-through risk
Home House Buyers tried to purchase our property but the deal collapsed when the surveyor classed it as unmortgageable and in very poor condition.
Delay
A conveyancing complaints guide lists big red flags: slow responses, difficulty getting hold of anyone and reviews mentioning constant delays and errors.
Emotional cost
Lost purchase
Chain risk
financial loss
Seller says a buyer withdrawing left them devastated and immediately threatened their onward purchase because the seller above would not wait.
Delay
Mortgage issue
Fall-through risk
Seller says the buyer's mortgage application was still delayed after eight weeks, leaving the seller being advised to put the property back on the market rather than wait indefinitely.
No chain
Delayed exchange
First time buyer
Buyer says they are three months into a chain-free purchase and still have not exchanged, asking what is normal when there should be no chain delays.
Poor communication
poor communication
We were warned that some online agents often let chains fall apart because of no communication and poor due diligence.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A Times feature described leaseholders effectively trapped in retirement schemes where high service charges and exit fees make resales painfully slow and very expensive.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A Connells report nearly derailed our sale by flagging lots of serious issues as high risk, which didn’t align with reality.
Hidden info
Another Guardian piece reports leaseholders accusing housing associations of ‘mis-selling’, saying the true level of service charges only emerged after they moved in.
Delay
Fall-through risk
The new agent actively marketed the flat and coordinated buying and selling when the earlier attempt had just drifted until the chain collapsed.
Hidden info
“Funds sent in May 2025 weren’t paid to management company until July 2025.”
Poor communication
poor communication
Had to chase by phone constantly because email contact went nowhere; the online portal was unreliable and seemingly never updated.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A buyer says they paid thousands in a modern method of auction reservation fee, completed everything on time, but the seller dragged their heels until the reservation period expired — then sold to someone else.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Seller says they were told everything was progressing, but no one could provide a clear next step or credible timeline. while waiting for the intervention agent to locate the file.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our estate agent admitted they didn’t know why the previous sale fell through, which didn’t inspire confidence that anyone was actually managing the process.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We took our house off the market for months after the buyers pulled out; the whole experience was so draining we couldn’t face starting again straight away.
Their behaviour around access and viewings showed no regard for privacy or basic professionalism.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Appalling communication… our buyers have used this solicitor… delayed.
Our house sale has now fallen through three times. Each buyer had a different excuse and we’ve lost patience with the whole system.
Hidden info
Willans Solicitors explain that ticking ‘no disputes’ on a TA6 when you’ve actually had rows with neighbours can be misrepresentation.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller says their buyer’s solicitors struggled to get any response, causing the buyer to pull out after long delays.
Delay
Hidden info
Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed.
Financial loss
financial loss
The solicitor’s advice seemed more focused on generating extra fees than getting the deal done, and they made no effort to stop the sale collapsing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Poster explains their sale collapsed when the buyer’s buyer pulled out the day after the stamp duty holiday ended.
Fall-through risk
fall through
One buyer on Yelp said their agent simply ‘forgot’ to tell them when a sale fell through, and they only found out later that their house had been back on the market without them knowing.
Poor communication
poor communication
Chased them… 6 times… not had a response.
Hidden info
Guidance stresses sellers and agents must share all they know about a property; buyers have the right to these facts before committing.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
fall through
My house sale fell through twice and both times I could pinpoint the moment it went wrong: the buyers suddenly went quiet and stopped replying to messages.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through at the very last minute, but the Yopa team had new viewers booked within days and managed to secure another buyer before the chain collapsed completely.
Financial loss
financial loss
One resident in that block says they feel trapped by huge remediation costs and lenders refusing to touch flats with unresolved cladding problems.
Delay
Hidden info
Another Trustpilot reviewer says they pulled out on the day they were due to exchange because the search pack revealed high flood risk only at the last minute, even though the firm had held the results for weeks.
Fall-through risk
Leaseholder says they paid a non-returnable deposit for a lease extension with an agreed timeline, but progress and communication collapsed.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Buyer says the conveyancing team lacked urgency, repeatedly failed to follow up and left them frustrated during a time-sensitive move.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We had to pull out of a purchase because of a massive unforeseen issue affecting the whole area around the house. We lost our sale as a result and now the vendor is asking for our level 3 survey to help them re-list. We are unsure whether to sell it to them and what downsides there might be.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
One affected mover says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. because the transaction could not simply continue as normal.
Our estate agent says several buyers and sellers are now ‘between houses’ because their completions involved Butterworths and can’t go ahead. People have moved out, but they haven’t been able to move in anywhere.
Delay
They are told repeatedly that the other side’s solicitor is ‘waiting on something’, but nobody can clearly explain what or how long it will take.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our sale collapsed after six months, just before exchange. Now we’ve got two weeks to find another buyer or we lose our onward purchase and thousands in fees.
recommended solicitor
poor communication
exchange delay
conveyancing
Buyer says a solicitor recommended by the estate agent was extremely slow, with no response to calls or emails and exchange plans disrupted.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Unclear and slow communication… Doesn’t seem to actually read emails.”
Hidden info
A buyer says they demanded the service charge in writing before offering, were quoted about £1,064, then discovered it was actually around £3,600 — and they wouldn’t have offered if told the truth.
Delay
Right-to-buy applicant says the council still has not sent anything to their conveyancing lawyer after more than a year.
We had three different estate agents over two years and still no completed sale; every chain seemed to fall apart over someone else’s paperwork or finances.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Buyer says they were mis sold a house after discovering a long standing rat infestation and a neighbour dispute that were never disclosed, and now feels financially ruined with no help from their conveyancer.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Simple sale… fell through due to the poor quality of my solicitors.
commission model
estate agent conduct
offer handling
professional complaint
Estate agent says agents should not receive commission for getting a vendor to sign a contract or agreeing an offer, calling for heavy penalties for lying to achieve a sale.
Financial loss
financial loss
Two buyers pulled out and the conveyancer billed for each aborted sale, so we paid hundreds for transactions that never completed.
Financial loss
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Delay
It’s a simple no-chain flat purchase, but the conveyancing alone has dragged on for more than four months and I’m losing rental income.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Conveyancing is driving me crazy: we’re at month six and still chasing updates. We’re told “next week” every week.
Fall-through risk
fall through
We still drive past the original house that fell through and take a grim sort of satisfaction that they haven’t sold it yet in this broken system.
Our buyers pulled out late when their solicitor noticed a search result showing possible contaminated land; we had never been told anything about it.
fraud
They claimed I had a life insurance policy issue and rang almost daily—felt like a scam attempt to fish for information.
Estate sale paperwork reportedly mishandled with important documents lost, requiring resubmission.
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer says emails, phone calls and even live chat got no reply for over a week while a move deadline loomed.
Poor communication
poor communication
On another thread, a seller said their buyers pulled out just after survey with no explanation and stopped answering calls, leaving the house back on the market with zero warning.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Flat purchase felt close to collapsing due to repeated delays and constant chasing for updates.
Financial loss
financial loss
We now have to choose between overpaying, begging family for extra deposit or letting go of the only place we’ve really wanted.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Buyer alleges their transaction would have collapsed without constant chasing because nothing moved proactively.
Hidden info
We feel trapped by a lease where rising service charges make the flat unaffordable to keep and virtually impossible to sell on.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Totally incompetent - they should pay me. Expensive and happily miss deadlines.
Poor communication
poor communication
“Panicking because this is my life savings… solicitors denying what they told me.”
Delay
A Mumsnet buyer asks if it’s realistic to complete within two weeks before their mortgage offer runs out, complaining everyone involved is ‘non-committal’ about dates.
Fall-through risk
Another poster’s buyer withdrew when their surveyor recommended a re-roof. They couldn’t afford the works or a big price cut, so the chain collapsed.
Delay
Endless delays, lies and inefficiencies... asked to review documents they have not sent.
They’re advised to consider replacing the managing agent or going to a tribunal, but in the meantime the charges keep mounting month after month.
Delay
By the time they resurfaced, the seller was threatening to remarket because they thought we weren’t serious.
Delay
Property transaction participant reports delays during a property transaction, linked to property transaction issue.
Delay
A ReviewSolicitors entry for AVRillo notes that the other side’s solicitor was ‘vague and slow’ in their replies, using a different excuse each week to delay exchanging contracts.
My own solicitor never warned me that the doubling ground rent could devalue the house and make it borderline unsellable.
Poor communication
poor communication
After being burned once, just having an agent who picked up the phone and actually explained what was going on made a huge difference.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our house sale fell through and I was devastated. We’d spent months planning the move and even chosen the house we wanted to buy next.
Fall-through risk
fall through
A seller says their house sale fell through for the second time right before completion, and they blame the estate agent for saying the buyer’s mortgage was sorted when it wasn’t.
Buyer pulled out
System failure
Leasehold flat
fall through
Seller says the buyer pulled out after a long process and questions how the process is allowed in 2026 when sellers can lose months and money with little protection.
Hidden info
Dawn Solicitors say failing to reveal neighbour disputes or serious defects can be property misrepresentation, especially if buyers relied on the false reassurance when deciding to proceed.
Hidden info
One JustAnswer question comes from a seller who filled in the TA6 with ‘no disputes’, then later had to complain about a neighbour using their driveway.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our rental property sale fell through twice in a row. Each time we paid for more solicitor work and never got close to exchanging contracts.
Delay
They declared a property ‘unmortgageable’ due to communal areas, which stalled progress and felt like self-protection over accuracy.
Delay
The same buyer says completion has needed to be by the end of next month for ages, but the vendor has ‘no sense of urgency’ and it’s putting the whole transaction at risk.
Delay
The whole chain is ready but we’re told the funds can’t be released in time. Bank and CHAPS delays are now threatening completion.
Delay
Hidden info
A review-style complaint says Buyer says the property transaction became stuck because leasehold information and parking arrangements needed extra clarification before the solicitor could proceed. after the PM Law group closure.
Delay
Very, very pushy - and a liar. … supposed to meet me… I waited for 20 minutes…
Delay
Government is talking about digitising property data because the current system is so slow. Buyers are routinely waiting many weeks just for basic information.
Fall-through risk
Hidden info
Our buyer pulled out after discovering shared access rights they hadn’t expected — the listing didn't mention the easement.
Clients with Butterworths in Cumbria say they only discovered the closure when they went to sign documents and saw a printed note on the door, despite being days from exchange.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Seller’s house sale fell through near completion; they believe the other side’s solicitor mishandled things.
Delay
The lender agreed a short extension, but that meant a frantic race to exchange and complete within days to stop the whole chain collapsing.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Another MSE user says their buyer pulled out due to ‘personal circumstances’ the day before exchange, and their dream home immediately went back on the market at a lower price.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
More than half of leaseholders now pay more in service charges than in council tax.
Financial loss
Delay
financial loss
A review-style complaint says Seller says delays in the chain created avoidable costs and left them exposed to extra mortgage, rent or moving expenses. The problem was communication during a live property transaction.
Solicitor failed to notice a restrictive covenant preventing driveway changes, leaving new owner facing enforcement.
Hidden info
Ground rent clauses spooked our lender at the last minute — it had escalator terms deep in the contract we didn’t see until late.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
When our first sale fell through, the solicitor didn’t reduce their fees at all, even though half the work had to be repeated from scratch.
Delay
A first-time buyer described the process as far slower than expected, with long waits, stress, and minimal proactive communication.
Poor communication
poor communication
Every time I called, the receptionist said the solicitor was out or in a meeting; by the time they finally rang me, the buyer had withdrawn.
fraud
They allegedly open with misleading claims to bait you into giving personal details about insurance and finances.
Seller states their solicitor failed to mention a disputed right-of-way, now causing legal threats from neighbours.
Fall-through risk
fall through
The whole experience of losing a buyer, losing the house we loved, then starting again has put us off moving for a decade.
Poor communication
poor communication
A chain-management article says the best way to reduce the risk of collapse is constant communication – but most consumers complain that solicitors and agents barely speak to each other.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
The company defrauded me of £6,000
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Felt like nobody owned the case; delays and little response led to missing out on a property.
Delay
After months of slow progress on a chain-free sale, the buyer eventually walked away; the reviewer says they had to chase constantly and got little back.
Hidden info
Everyone says flats are cheaper, but with service charges climbing every year they’re actually getting harder and harder to sell on.
I watched the chain implode when a lender refused to renew an offer that had quietly expired while the solicitors were still sending paper forms around.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They described waiting eight months for a deal that never happened, saying they didn’t know how they coped financially or emotionally.
We discovered that our solicitor had been on holiday for ten days without arranging proper cover for our file. During that time, the buyer's solicitor chased repeatedly and warned they were considering withdrawing from the purchase.
Fall-through risk
Our agent seemed more interested in protecting their relationship with a pushy developer than in being honest with us about why our sale had collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Seller complains about high fees for answering standard sale enquiries and slow turnaround from the managing agent.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
MoneySavingExpert forum users discuss riverside flats where huge service charges meant values lagged far behind other blocks; owners struggled to sell even when the wider market boomed.
Delay
We were left stressed after an undervaluation during our purchase, causing delays and wasted time arguing it through.
Fall-through risk
fall through
I once offered over asking on a house and ‘won’ because I was proceedable. Then my own sale fell through and the property later sold to someone else.
Delay
They feel like the file is just sitting on a desk somewhere while the chain slowly loses confidence around them.
Fall-through risk
fall through
At Lang Town & Country, a reviewer talks about an ‘exhausting 11-month journey’ where their chain collapsed several times before the team finally got it over the line.
Poor communication
poor communication
They say the buyer’s solicitors stopped responding to everyone — their own client, the estate agent, and both sides’ solicitors — leaving the chain helpless.
Financial loss
financial loss
Some owners were never warned they might face six-figure bills when their lease approaches expiry.
Fall-through risk
Three different sales collapsed because of issues further up the chain; each time we paid for fresh searches and legal work.
Commenters say they’re seeing more properties ‘bounce back to market’ after surveys, as buyers use the report to get to a realistic price and sellers dig their heels in.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
I’d already paid for searches on one house when that purchase collapsed. Now I’m buying nearby and the reports look generic, so I’m tempted not to pay for new ones.
Property purchase was undervalued by around £12k, wasting time and creating stress with mortgage affordability and deposit calculations.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
The Leasehold Advisory Service warns that service charges can rise without a fixed cap, and buyers need to understand not just today’s bill but likely future costs.
Solicitor delay
Mortgage expiry
Poor service
Buyer says their solicitor has been the worst ever, dragging their feet so badly that the mortgage offer came close to expiring.
Survey described as substandard and missed obvious issues. The customer said the complaints route was stressful and overwhelming.
Hidden info
It’s a horrible choice: stay put and live with the neighbour, or be honest on the forms and risk the buyer walking away when they see there’s an ongoing dispute.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Fraudsters impersonated our solicitor and we sent thousands of pounds of deposit money to the wrong account.
Poor communication
poor communication
Terrible communication from the solicitor meant nobody realised the mortgage offer was about to expire until it was too late.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
Transaction dragged on so long the buyer pulled out; emails ignored and no urgency at all.
Hidden info
Poor communication
poor communication
Homes and Steeple reviewer describes the agent as the worst ever after a viewing did not match expectations.
Poor communication
poor communication
Reviewer says TLC Estate Agents gave slow, unclear responses and required repeated follow-ups for basic information.
Delay
NatWest required their valuation: the lead time was long and, on the day, they made minimal effort to contact us when access was blocked.
Buyer claims their conveyancer refuses to explain the local search results and simply says ‘it’s fine’ without clarification.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The Legal Ombudsman’s conveyancing work shows many complaints centre on poor communication and delay – buyers left chasing solicitors who don’t reply for weeks.
Survey-style due diligence felt like a tick-box exercise with little real advice on tricky points.
Poor communication
poor communication
I ended up calling the partner at the firm because my case‐handler wouldn’t answer email or phone. After that things moved a bit quicker.
Delay
Fall-through risk
They’d already navigated a complex situation for us once, and when the first purchase collapsed they calmly rebuilt the mortgage for attempt number two.
The seller admits they just ‘lost interest’ in the house because nothing seemed to improve with the neighbour, so they put it up for sale.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
Our house sale fell through before exchange after six months; now we’ve got two weeks to find a new buyer or we lose our onward purchase and thousands in fees.
Poor communication
poor communication
We’d booked removals, taken time off work and lined everything up, then were told completion ‘wasn’t happening today’ with no real explanation.
Delay
Fall-through risk
We were the buyers at the bottom and nobody bothered to check our funding properly; weeks later the chain collapsed when our lender refused the application.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
We’ve been trying to sell for months but buyers either cannot get comfortable with the lease terms or are scared by the prospect of more cost hikes in future.
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
financial loss
fall through
We were due to exchange today, with Butterworths / PM Law handling both our sale and purchase, and have just been told the firm has been shut down. Everything is on hold and we don’t even know who has our money.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
Weeks passed without an update; I felt completely in the dark about everything.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Residents say they were given very low initial estimates; once the true costs emerged, lenders and buyers wanted nothing to do with the developments.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyers describe an Arrow Conveyancing experience of delays, confusion, constant mistakes and poor communication.
One couple interviewed described moving out of their home, sending completion funds and then discovering their law firm had closed, leaving them effectively homeless for the time being.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They note that in badly managed blocks, owners often have to accept lower offers or sit on the market for months because buyers are wary of taking on unpredictable costs.
Delay
Our conveyancing through Angela Viney Conveyancing Services stopped overnight. We’ve got buyers, removals booked and a mortgage ready, but nobody answering.
Delay
Another thread describes a buyer’s survey throwing up ‘alleged issues’ that the sellers dispute, but the buyer still uses it to renegotiate and delay the sale.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A separate Ombudsman insight piece again names poor communication and delay as the most commonly upheld complaints, ahead of issues like costs or failure to advise.
Delay
They had five days left on their mortgage offer and were begging solicitors and the other side to hurry up to avoid the deal collapsing completely.
viewing blocked
in-house broker
conditional selling
AIP rejected
Buyer reports having an AIP but being refused a viewing because the estate agent wanted lender-specific confirmation and suggested using the agent's broker instead.
They couldn’t understand why, if the previous sale had already progressed, the legal pack wasn’t ready to go the moment a fresh offer was accepted.
Financial loss
financial loss
A 2025 thread ‘House sale fallen though, gutted and totally fed up’ talks about how people end up with solicitor bills and fees to pay every time a buyer pulls out.
Our searches show public sewers in the street but nothing within the property boundaries, yet we have a manhole and several inspection hatches in the garden. We need to understand what they are before adding an extension and are concerned the searches missed something.
Hidden info
We only discovered previous subsidence after our insurer ran checks; no one had mentioned it at viewing, and it changed everything.
Our sale fell apart when the buyer realised their buy-to-let mortgage needed a higher rental coverage; the numbers just didn’t stack any more with rising rates.
Hidden info
The owner said if they’d known charges would explode like that, they’d never have bought in the first place.
Delay
Fall-through risk
Movuno only got involved after our first agent let the sale drift for four months and then it collapsed without any real explanation.
burnout
service decline
client stress
professional stress
excessive workload
A practising conveyancer says excessive caseloads create an inevitable cycle of stressed conveyancers, stressed clients and declining service. She says the pressure was significant enough that she moved into a consultancy model so she could control her caseload and give each client proper attention.
A Reddit user describes a Skipton mortgage valuation coming in well below both the price and estate agent valuation, and says Trustpilot is full of similar complaints about the same surveyor firm.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re racing the clock before our fixed-rate with consent to let ends – if we can’t sell, we’re stuck with a rental that barely covers the costs.
Delay
Financial loss
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Paid the broker fees, then got ghosted for weeks. We missed deadlines and the purchase nearly collapsed because nobody would give an update.
Delay
Homeowner says multiple defect claims were rejected or delayed, leaving them feeling exposed after buying a new build.
Financial loss
financial loss
The whole transaction left such a bad taste that I’m scared to move again; it felt like everyone got paid except us, even though nothing completed.
Poor communication
poor communication
Prospective client says they could not even get a promised call back from Hugh James after completing an enquiry form and chasing by phone.
Financial loss
financial loss
They’re stuck between selling at a painful loss or holding onto a property they no longer want and can barely afford.
Hidden info
Goodlord’s material information guide says key details like tenure, ground rent and service charges must be prominent and not hidden or ambiguous in listings.
Financial loss
financial loss
On MoneySavingExpert, someone asked whether they could switch agents once their contract ended because the current one had failed to generate interest and allowed a six-month sale to die.
Financial loss
financial loss
My builder cut into my neighbour’s patio tiles during construction and agreed to reinstate them. The builder then walked off the job. I arranged repairs at my cost, but the neighbour demanded additional work that was not my responsibility and threatened legal action when I refused.
Not even 1 star... Absolute ridiculous service. I would never want anyone else to go through the same experience.
Hidden info
Analysis in another article showed average service charges for flats rising 11% in a year to around £2,300, with high charges making many leasehold properties much harder to sell.
Delay
We had TR1 forms signed and were agreeing a completion date with PM Law at the end of January. Days later the firm disappeared and now we have no idea who to contact, what’s happening with our file, or how to get the purchase moving again.
Financial loss
financial loss
“Only the seller pulled out… they aren’t giving me my money back.”
They highlight an industry short of conveyancers, with fewer lawyers handling more work and little incentive to innovate for ordinary home movers.
“Overstate value then get you to reduce.”
Financial loss
financial loss
Citizens Advice say people often lose money when a sale or purchase collapses, for example if a buyer’s deposit isn’t returned properly or the agent mishandles client funds.
Financial loss
financial loss
fraud
Action Fraud describes one case where a first-time buyer transferred tens of thousands to fraudsters after receiving a convincing email directing funds to an alternative account.
Hidden info
They worry that any formal complaint could scare buyers off or trigger awkward disclosures when they fill in the property information forms.
Hidden info
A Mumsnet poster asks if they’re being unreasonable not to disclose a long-running neighbour dispute, despite twenty years of noise complaints and council involvement.
Financial loss
financial loss
They felt uncomfortable that their transaction could be used as leverage to push extra fees onto third parties in the chain.
They point out that enthusiasm for a house often plummets once a buyer hears there’s been a long-running row across the fence.
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our first sale fell through and the agent’s only suggestion was to list the house at a bargain price and see what happened at auction.
Mortgage delay
Self-employed buyer
Tax issue
Seller says everything has stalled because the buyer's mortgage application is delayed over a tax irregularity, with no clear answer on whether the issue will take weeks or months to resolve.
Mortgage offer expired while they only managed to order searches and stayed unresponsive.
We’re sleeping in a spare room at my parents’ place with the kids because our PM Property Lawyers firm shut just before completion. All we can do is wait for a new solicitor while living out of suitcases.
A buyer complains their solicitor was so slow on a deed of variation that they had to phone management companies themselves to get answers ‘in a 10-minute conversation’.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
Leasehold sale stuck: management pack delays and high fees stall transactions even when everyone is chasing.
Financial loss
financial loss
They feel totally in limbo – trapped paying for a home neither they nor anyone else really wants at that level of ongoing cost.
Avoid like the plague if you actually ever want to buy or sell.
Contract errors
Delay
Poor service
Buyer says solicitors on all sides kept making mistakes in contracts, adding weeks to the process and creating avoidable delay close to exchange.
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re now onto a second buyer after the first one walked away just before exchange; both times we paid for searches that effectively ended up in the bin.
Delay
Offer accepted on our purchase late May
Financial loss
financial loss
We’re devastated because the vendors of the house we love have only given us a short grace period to rescue the chain, and finding a new buyer that fast is unlikely.
Delay
Client reports their solicitor kept ‘forgetting’ to send replies to enquiries, causing weeks of delays.
Delay
Mortgage issue
Buyer says the broker reported that Santander had cancelled the valuation because it was instructed on the wrong address, forcing a correction form and another wait for the right property to be valued.
Delay
The conveyancer seemed overwhelmed and disorganised; by the time they got round to raising basic enquiries, the other side had lost patience and pulled out.
Delay
A lender-arranged mortgage valuation slot was booked, the estate agent waited at the property, and nobody arrived. Then we were told nobody was available.
Hidden info
Buyer of a tenanted flat feels the estate agent was irresponsible for marketing the property without checking whether key rental safety documents such as EICR and gas safety certificates were available.
Financial loss
financial loss
We moved from a new build into a 1970s home and are finding problem after problem. Asbestos in ceilings, doors and windows that do not shut properly, a loose kitchen with exposed wires, a leaking bedroom ceiling caused by a botched job, and even large wasp nests. We thought there would not be much to do and now worry we made a mistake.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
On HousePriceCrash, posters said many central London flats with £2,000-a-year service charges and hefty council tax are just sitting on the market because buyers don’t want the ongoing cost burden.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
They say it was incredibly stressful to discover everything was off track after months of preparation, and they lost out on the house they’d hoped to buy.
Hidden info
We are buying a flat and only recently learned that each owner must pay about 4500 pounds for fire safety improvements in January, without clear information on what the work involves. The flat already needs major refurbishment and we are unsure how much reduction to request without risking the sale collapsing.
Delay
One reviewer says their conveyancer’s lack of contact left the lender and the seller’s solicitor exasperated and dragged the whole process out.
Delay
Financial loss
financial loss
Totally incompetent - they should pay me. I have to constantly chase them to do their job. Expensive and happily miss deadlines.
Financial loss
financial loss
HRD Ventnor office refused to release OUR lifetime legal check which we paid £80 ?
Mortgage offer expired
Seller delay
Leasehold enquiries
Buyer says a slow purchase dragged so long that the mortgage offer expired in March and only a one-month extension was possible, despite making completion deadlines clear to the seller.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
The HomeOwners Alliance points out that the largest number of Legal Ombudsman complaints relate to residential conveyancing – especially poor communication and delay.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
With the lease extension and major works now disclosed, we’re worried we’ve made a huge financial mistake buying this place.
Financial loss
financial loss
The same FT piece notes that failed purchases cost movers an estimated £560m a year in wasted surveys, valuations, legal fees and other costs.
Our mortgage offer was withdrawn just days before the current deal ended, leaving us scrambling for a worse rate. No clear explanation was given and nobody would discuss it with our broker or solicitor.
Remortgage
Conveyancer delay
Stress
Homeowner says a remortgage was meant to complete by a target date but solicitor delays left the process unresolved and stressful despite prompt responses from the client.
Poor communication
poor communication
The problems were endless: poor communication, wrong details in the advert and they even failed to secure the property properly. We refused to pay their fee in the end.
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
“The conveyancer was appalling… ignored instructions and cost us money.”
Offer withdrawn
Financial loss
Completion failure
financial loss
Buyer says a lender pulled a mortgage offer after exchange, leaving them unable to complete the onward purchase and facing the loss of a 60,000 pound deposit plus seller costs.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Reviewer says case-handler changes created more confusion during a stressful new-build transaction.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
Our process was ‘very painful’ – in 19 months we had three collapsed chains before finally getting to completion.
Fall-through risk
fall through
After reading the report from a buyer, it felt like the house had been unnecessarily condemned, risking a collapsed sale.
Delay
Financial loss
Poor communication
financial loss
poor communication
A review-style complaint says Buyer affected by a law-firm closure says their conveyancing file and completion timetable were thrown into uncertainty while they waited to learn who held their papers and funds. The issue was about transaction friction, not general property advice.
Poor communication
poor communication
Vendor review says Robert Leech communication was poor and responses were unclear during the selling process.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
I would give zero stars... delays, no communication and me chasing them... almost losing my flat.
Delay
Poor communication
poor communication
First-time buyer reports five months of delays and solicitor negligence while sellers now pressure them to exchange within a week.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
A MoneySavingExpert poster said their riverside flat became hard to sell because the service charge got so high that buyers looked elsewhere, and even years later the prices still lagged behind similar blocks.
Delay
This must be the worst legal firm in the country. They just cause endless delays.
A broker article says if your mortgage offer expires before completion, the lender isn’t obliged to lend and you may have to start again with a full new application.
Financial loss
financial loss
By the time our sale finally went through, we’d already paid surveyors and solicitors for two separate failed purchases and were nearly out of savings.
referral fee
solicitor recommendation
conflict of interest
transaction risk
Estate agent says they refuse referral-fee offers because pushing someone toward a poor solicitor for £300 is wrong and can damage the transaction.
Agent communication
Completion day
Fall through
poor communication
Seller reports that the estate agent only managed to reach the buyer after completion had already fallen apart, showing how little control sellers have when a buyer withdraws at the last minute.
Fall-through risk
Our mortgage broker submitted the application with the wrong income figures; when the lender double-checked, the offer was pulled and the chain collapsed.
Financial loss
financial loss
Paid for a supposedly ‘lifetime’ mortgage service but still faced extra charges each time, even when we found the deal ourselves. Felt like paying twice for the same thing.
Fall-through risk
Poor communication
poor communication
The initial deal collapsed because the previous solicitor had let deadlines drift and never properly explained issues to either side.
Delay
Fall-through risk
fall through
We’ve been selling for seven months – the first buyer was dishonest and pulled out after 12 weeks, and now we’re stuck waiting again.
Fall-through risk
fall through
On r/HousingUK, a buyer said their house purchase ‘fell through and I want to cry’ after the lender withdrew at the last minute due to stricter affordability checks.
Poor communication
poor communication
Poor communication, slow process. Very frustrating to deal with
Poor communication
poor communication
Seller says Purplebricks’ complaints process was poor and the service collapsed after the upfront fee was paid.
Hidden info
We bid on a house believing it was freehold. Later we found it was leasehold with escalating charges written into the contract we didn’t see until after exchange.
The surveyor’s report read like a horror story, and the buyers demanded a huge price cut we simply couldn’t afford to accept.
Delay
I am selling a family property owned since 1964 and have been told the garage appears to encroach on council land. The buyer's solicitors refuse to accept an indemnity policy and want me to obtain adverse possession, which could take months and might still be refused. Nobody can even say by how much it encroaches because the Land Registry plan is not to scale.
Financial loss
Hidden info
financial loss
Homebuilding & Renovating highlighted flat-owners whose service charges now exceed their mortgage payments, leaving them struggling to sell or even stay afloat.
Seller solicitor
Mortgage offer risk
Leasehold flat
Parent says their son's first home purchase began at the end of October but was still being delayed months later because the seller's solicitor had not completed anything, putting the mortgage offer at risk.
Poor communication
Delay
poor communication
Reviewer warns to avoid the conveyancer if wanting a quick, stress-free move.
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