They stress that buyers must watch expiry dates closely or risk losing both the property and the money they’ve spent on legal work.

When a buyer’s mortgage problems surfaced, the agent appeared unwilling to keep marketing properly, increasing the risk of the sale collapsing.

They now feel they’ve moved into a street with problems that were deliberately glossed over, and are considering whether there’s any comeback.

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.

We’re stuck between pushing the sellers to hurry up or accepting that we’ll pay higher monthly payments for the exact same house.

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.

“Management pack… my solicitor has chased… estate agents have chased… sellers solicitor has chased.”

A long, invasive survey ended with our renovated home valued far under the accepted offer, jeopardising the mortgage.

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.

Two prospective buyers withdrew immediately after witnessing the behaviour, saying they didn’t want to live next to constant drama.

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.

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.

The client notes that clear communication during negotiations made a big difference compared with their earlier failed attempt to sell.

The Housing Ombudsman found dozens of complaints about inaccurate or unclear service charge estimates in shared-ownership schemes.

Seller says the managing agent repeatedly failed to reply to solicitors during a sale, delaying completion and increasing stress.

“It took them 5 months… to send initial enquiries.”

Some have dropped the price repeatedly yet still get no serious offers, because the service charge figures look terrifying on paper.

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.

Totally incompetent - they should pay me. I have to constantly chase them to do their job. Expensive and happily miss deadlines.

Sometimes it took over a week to get any answer to urgent questions about the purchase.

The agent never checked basic details with the seller and we constantly got conflicting information.

They’ve cut the price but buyers still balk when they see the annual bill before even stepping through the door.

She blamed slow, uncooperative solicitors on both sides for letting the chain drift until buyers lost patience and dropped out.

Cost me thousands… sale fell through… they kept the deposit from the buyer.

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.

There were 78,855 fall-throughs in Q1 2025 costing buyers and sellers an average of £3,493 each.

Seller alleges repeated disputes over unexpected charges attached to selling a leasehold property.

Shocked to be basically 'scammed'... received an invoice to open the file.

Buyer alleges constant delays and poor updates put their mortgage offer at risk and nearly cost them the property.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Service charges rose 11% — we hadn’t budgeted for that level because nothing in the listing mentioned the historic increases.

Was passed from team to team and due to their incompetence my buyer pulled out

I was told lies from the very start of the sale process and had to chase constantly for any information.

Our buyers disappeared after their surveyor mentioned subsidence; no one came back to renegotiate, they just vanished and left us with the bill.

Claims the site impersonates Land Registry and targets bereaved people searching for deeds.

“No sense of urgency… forced to chase all the time.”

They describe being devastated after paying for searches, legal work and removals planning, only to see months of preparation vanish overnight.

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.

our buyers buyer pulled out, no one told us, lost our onward purchase

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.

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.

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.

Totally incompetent - they should pay me

Nearly at completion, a buyer sent a large transfer and then discovered the payment was missing—creating panic and immediate risk.

Survey report allegedly undervalued a home substantially after a very short visit, causing mortgage problems.

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.

They explain that when offers lapse, buyers can lose both the deal and the money already spent on legal work and valuations.

Another poster said their solicitor never chased anything and rarely answered calls; eventually the buyers just stopped responding and the transaction quietly died.

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.

They say many disputes reach the tribunal when leaseholders feel charges are unreasonable or poorly explained, which can itself delay sales.

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.

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.

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.

Our buyers are using this shambolic firm... now in month 6 of a simple conveyancing empty house no chain.

Appalling communication… our buyers have used this solicitor… delayed.

It took them 5 months after instruction to send initial enquiries.

They noted how proactive sales progression and frequent updates made the difference compared with their first, failed attempt.

I accepted an offer on my apartment in July 2025

Agent failed to send the conveyancing quote on time and ignored follow up calls.

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.

Houses usually sell quickly in our village but our agent could not generate interest or keep us informed.

Try to get you to pay extra £500 commission as an 'incentive' for them to do their job.

The emotional toll of the sale collapsing was brutal; months of planning and packing vanished in an afternoon phone call from the agent.

Citizens Advice couldn’t really help; they just confirmed buyers can walk away before exchange and leave you to swallow all the costs.

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.

Our buyers backed out when they learned about historic arguments with the freeholder; their solicitor said taking on an active dispute was too risky.

Our buyer pulled out of our flat sale right before exchange and we have had to put it back on the market.

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.

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.

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.

“Mortgage offer expired… all they managed to do was make searches.”

Client claims their solicitor repeatedly sent documents with names spelled incorrectly, delaying mortgage approval.

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.

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.

It felt like nobody read our messages; we were never told what was happening.

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.

Our conveyancer took ten days to answer simple enquiries; the chain above us grew impatient and found a different buyer who could move faster.

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.

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.

We went ahead with leasehold and now feel trapped by high service charges and little control – we underestimated how bad it could be.

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.

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.

They say the delays and lack of urgency have made them furious and anxious because the buyer is getting frustrated and likely to walk.

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.

By the time the surveyor had finished listing every minor defect as a potential hazard, our buyers had completely lost confidence and pulled out.

They also highlight slow solicitors and local authority searches as classic deal-killers – by the time results arrive, some buyers have simply lost patience.

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.

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.

Paid premium package (£1,499); later told it only covered six months and had expired after buyer issues.

The sale eventually completed, but only after extra months of delay and a lot of unnecessary stress.

Buyer was told by the estate agent that their solicitor was refusing to take calls, slowing the whole chain.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We felt pushed to accept this surveyor via the lender, then got an experience of poor communication and avoidable hold-ups.

Property for sale: poor feedback and ‘always in a meeting’ — seller can’t get hold of the right person.

They claimed I had a life insurance policy issue and rang almost daily—felt like a scam attempt to fish for information.

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.

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.

We were supposed to complete months ago but a problem at the top of the chain ruined everything, leaving us paying rent and storage.

The first online agent overvalued our property and then gave months of poor service before we sacked them.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Overcharging for works never done; ‘expected’ charges then later surprises — feels sneaky.

Our buyer pulled out after a survey that felt wildly inaccurate, including basic safety items allegedly missing that were plainly there.

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.

Thankfully we hadn’t shipped our furniture yet, but the shock of losing the sale overnight was awful.

Seller says a chain-free sale still took many months, with minimal progress and repeated excuses.

Leaseholders saddled with cladding bills say they face thousands in costs they were never warned about.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

They feel totally in limbo – trapped paying for a home neither they nor anyone else really wants at that level of ongoing cost.

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.

Countrywide kept cold-calling even after we told them we’d booked another survey; blocking numbers didn’t stop it.

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.

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.

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 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.

They contrast that support with earlier experiences where other agents seemed to disappear the moment a ‘sold’ board went up.

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.

Broker bundled mortgage + insurance and the insurance wasn’t actually put in place properly. A basic admin mistake caused stress and extra chasing.

Poor communication, slow process. We didn't feel any confidence in their capability and definitely didn't feel listened to.

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.

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.

Homeowner says multiple defect claims were rejected or delayed, leaving them feeling exposed after buying a new build.

“Property had structural issues… promised to refund… now refusing to.”

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.

“Huge amount of stress… delaying the sale and causing uncertainty.”

Some buyers say the jump in charges has wiped out any sense of affordability and made their homes unattractive to future purchasers.

Our chain has collapsed four times now. One buyer changed their mind, another had a mortgage offer expire, and another just disappeared.

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.

We started to wonder if we needed to change agents because nothing was happening and feedback was minimal.

Says high charges on leaseholds don’t match service; described as extortionate.

We had to drop out after our buildings insurance quote doubled when the insurer saw the flood risk, which nobody had mentioned before.

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.

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.

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.

Communication was terrible and my solicitor went weeks without replying to anything.

The estate agent added nothing but stress. Constant chasing, contradictory updates and no real sales progression. Selling a house felt like a scam.

We had to decide whether to swallow the higher payment, renegotiate the price or walk away after spending over £1,000 on fees.

The typical fall-through now costs movers around £3,400 in wasted fees.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Staff did not get back to us, we were always chasing them, and they never seemed to know what was going on.

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.

The estate agent kept telling us ‘it’s all with the solicitors’ while our buyers’ searches hadn’t even been ordered.

“We had to chase and chase; nobody takes ownership.”

Total garbage... only got us a single viewing in 6 months.

Client says the solicitor made errors in the TR1 form and needed it signed again, delaying exchange.

We felt the surveyor decided it was a problem before even looking properly, then rushed, leaving us stuck mid-transaction.

I’ve spent money on surveys, searches and removals only to be right back at square one because the buyers walked away before exchange.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The chain collapsed three days before completion; in Scotland that meant no penalties, but months of stress and starting over with a new buyer.

The Law Society explains that the Legal Ombudsman mainly handles complaints about poor service – things like delayed or unclear communication and billing problems.

Average service charges for flats have risen to £2,300 a year, outpacing wages and inflation.

Buyer says the only thing holding up their purchase was a management pack, despite chases from multiple parties.

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.

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.

Non-stop calling even after blocking numbers and explicitly telling them to stop contacting me.

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.

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.

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.

The survey report contained statements that felt wildly exaggerated, creating alarm for the buyer and putting the sale under threat.

“So slow we lost our buyer… over 180 days… our buyer finally pulled out.”

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.

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.

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 muddle over who actually managed the block left the buyer worried about future repairs and charges, so they pulled out.

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.

Buyer says estate agent communication failures added cost and hassle (extra solicitor certification demanded).

“Constant delays… risk of unnecessary stamp duty costs.”

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.

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.

Unacceptable delays, inaccurate paperwork, slow follow-ups, no sense of urgency

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.

It summed up the whole experience as ‘stress, delays and financial uncertainty’ – exactly how most people describe a chain once it starts wobbling.

I would NEVER have given my business knowingly to a company with such poor reviews!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Site described as ‘not the official Land Registry’ with extra fees added beyond the headline price.

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.

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.

We had to abandon the purchase after discovering the lease had less than 70 years left and the freeholder wanted a fortune to extend.

Residents complain about vague bills and unexplained hikes from managing agents, with potential buyers walking away once they see the paperwork.

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.

A Ryder & Dutton customer described three separate house sales collapsing through no fault of their own before they finally completed on the fourth attempt.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Buyer in a chain says progress stalled because others were still waiting on local authority searches, with uncertainty around timescales.

No communication with myself or vendor's Solicitors at all. No work done on the file.

Unfortunately, my experience as a seller ... there was almost no proactive communication.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

Offer accepted over four months ago, chain cleared, but our conveyancer still hasn’t sent draft contract. Retirement-stress mounting.

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.

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.

I was told I should not expect replies the same week because they were so busy.

Complaint that the firm is slow, hard to reach, and blocks a purchase because nobody responds.

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.

Was passed from team to team and due to their incompetence my buyer pulled out.

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.

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.

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.

LandlordZONE reports landlords struggling to sell leasehold flats because charges have climbed above £2,000 a year, making the numbers unworkable for many buyers.

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.

Survey caused the sale to almost fall through after marking lots of items as ‘serious’ despite no clear evidence given in the report.

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.

Vendor says service was worse than expected: poor handling, poor communication, and extra costs later.

National Trading Standards says improving material information in listings should lead to fewer complaints and faster transactions.

“No one knew the complaints process.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

We’d had twelve months of stressful selling and one failed sale before using a quick-sale company just to get the move done.

We’re in limbo because the management company is dragging its feet over paperwork and no one seems to be pushing them.

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.

Brokers call the situation ‘chaos’, saying buyers suddenly face five-figure shortfalls or have to walk away after months of work.

Buyer view: estate agent demanded address certification by a solicitor — extra cost and hassle.

They also say their solicitor won’t really ‘advise’ when they question the risks, leaving them feeling exposed at the point everything matters most.

A Times report highlights an ‘unprecedented’ glut of complaints to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with residential property work among the pressure points.

They say the previous agent ‘did no marketing’ and the experience taught them how much chain progression and chasing really matter.

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.

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.

Some shared-ownership leaseholders face five-figure service charges making their homes unsellable.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mortgage offer expired while they only managed to order searches and stayed unresponsive.

Poor communication, slow process. Very frustrating to deal with

As a cash buyer we felt misled and pushed away, which wasted time and forced us to look elsewhere.

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.

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.

The Ombudsman criticised the firm for failing to keep the seller informed, leaving them confused and out of pocket once the transaction collapsed.

A conveyancing blog summarises multiple surveys showing nearly half of home movers felt poor solicitor communication prolonged their move.

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.

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.

the mortgage lender to him and his brother refused to release him, killing the entire transaction

A week later the cash buyer pulled out by email... He didn't have the cash.

A reviewer says they requested a refund after a failed search result and were met with silence.

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.

AVOID, AVOID AVOID!!!! No communication… No work done on the file.

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.

Buyer alleges aggressive chasing for business via calls/texts/emails felt like harassment after requesting quotes elsewhere.

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.

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.

Poster says their agent was poor at handling basics, kept them out of the loop and communicated badly throughout the sale.

They felt stuck between overpaying for a risky property or walking away and losing their survey and legal costs, eventually choosing to withdraw.

One star says all you need to know.

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.

My own solicitor never warned me that the doubling ground rent could devalue the house and make it borderline unsellable.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Repeated delays and constant chasing nearly caused the flat purchase to fall through.

Another Times investigation into retirement flats finds many have dropped in value, with families losing tens of thousands while still paying hefty anual charges.

One agent attempted to enter my home without proper notice, leaving me feeling unsafe and disrespected.

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.

We offered end of June, had mortgage in July — by September our solicitor still hadn’t issued enquiries. We feel stuck.

This has to be the most unprofessional company ever! ... lost numerous important documentation.

Despite hefty price cuts, high fees and exit charges have left them effectively trapped, watching the inheritance shrink while the flat sits unsold.

A purchase timeline ballooned from months into half a year because buyers repeatedly pulled out; the chain felt permanently unstable.

The firm scores only 12% on ‘would you recommend this firm?’, suggesting many clients feel deeply unhappy with the service received.

Our shared ownership flat has a £5,600 annual service charge we were never warned could increase this much.

“Our buyer withdrew within a day of the chain collapsing. Nightmare.”

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.

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.

Even after making a small test transfer and confirming receipt, the main completion funds became unaccounted for—nightmare scenario.

Solicitor failed to warn that the loft conversion didn’t have building regs, now leaving buyers with a compliance mess.

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.

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.

Our neighbour started parking across our drive once the For Sale sign went up and shouting at viewers about noise and bins.

Posters reply that if you downplay or hide a dispute, you risk serious trouble later – including claims for misrepresentation if the buyer finds out.

A reviewer warns that a similarly named site is not the official Land Registry and charges a premium for basic documents.

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.

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.

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.

Our first buyer vanished the day before exchange; the agent shrugged and immediately relisted without offering much explanation or support.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Used a quote-comparison site and then received persistent contact (texts/emails/calls) that felt like harassment.

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.

I got one email after weeks of silence despite repeated calls and messages.

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.

Seller claims slow replies and a lack of phone access made a time-sensitive sale process stressful and expensive.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The agent claimed the flat's heating and boiler were fine, but after moving in we discovered neither worked.

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.

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 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.

Allegation of gazumping being encouraged/handled badly, making the purchase feel insecure.

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.

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.

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.

Our neighbour’s buyer walked away when they saw how the ground rent doubled; it spooked us about our own chances of ever selling.

Chased them… 6 times… not had a response.

A buyer complains that their solicitor didn't check a crucial covenant that prohibits renting, discovered only after exchange.

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.

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.

Our previous sale fell through but the mortgage broker stepped in again and sorted a fresh deal without fuss when we found another property.

They also say local authority searches and unresponsive lawyers can cause such extreme delays that frustrated buyers start viewing other properties instead.

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.

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.

In a broader leasehold reform piece, the HomeOwners Alliance warns that rising and opaque charges are putting buyers off flats and slowing sales.

Buyer alleges their conveyancer failed to send initial enquiries for months after instruction.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A new-build homeowner says they believe clear defects were dismissed or limited by technicalities, leaving them to shoulder the impact.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A HousingUK user said endless chain collapses had left them ‘exhausted and heartbroken’ after losing their dream property multiple times in a row.

So slow we lost our buyer. After over 180 days of waiting... our buyer finally pulled out and I don't blame them.

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.

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.

No one at the firm seemed to take ownership; every message went unanswered for weeks.

They say too many firms still fail to explain costs clearly or manage expectations, especially when third-party delays threaten a purchase deadline.

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.

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.

Some buyers only discover after purchase that their flat’s service charges make it almost impossible to sell on at a fair price.

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.

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.

We were left stressed after an undervaluation during our purchase, causing delays and wasted time arguing it through.

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.

After terrible experiences with a previous solicitor and the housing association, having someone actually return calls and push the transaction forward was a relief.

They regularly hear from people who only found out about noise and harassment problems once they’d already moved in.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

purchase attempt that fell apart due to a lack of critical information being disclosed upfront

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.

A leaseholder claims basic issues and complaints were met with silence, feeding delays and stress for everyone involved.

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.

BLB Solicitors say you must disclose any neighbour dispute – even historic – and admit most buyers lose enthusiasm once they hear about a ‘troublesome’ neighbour.

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.

We’ve cut the asking price repeatedly but it still feels basically unsellable while the annual charges look like a second rent.

Sale attempted but fell apart due to critical information not being disclosed upfront.

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.

“Only the seller pulled out… they aren’t giving me my money back.”

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.

“Connells never respond to email enquiries.”

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.

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 only discovered right before exchange that the seller’s ongoing dispute with the freeholder hadn’t been disclosed; we walked away.

My solicitor refuses to send me copies of communications with the buyer’s side. I feel I have no control or visibility.

They warn that on top of daily stress, unresolved rows can make selling harder and encourage buyers to chip away at the price.

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.

‘Checks’ and investor packs claimed, but buyer says crucial info wasn’t disclosed upfront and deal collapsed.

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.

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.

When we complained about the filthy carpet, the agent offered a spray rather than doing the clean they had promised in writing.

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.

“I have no idea where the house sale is as no one is contactable.”

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.

Some managing agents invoice for services that were never carried out and cannot be verified.

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.

One article urges sellers to understand new material information rules or risk buyers walking away when hidden costs emerge.

Conveyancer delayed the whole chain because they insisted on sending everything by physical post rather than email.

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.

Expensive and happily miss deadlines

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Service charges on flats have jumped sharply and many leaseholders say the rising fees are making their homes harder to sell.

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.

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.

Mortgage adviser pushed us into a product that wasn’t even available. When the lender refused it, they blamed us for ‘choosing too slowly’.

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.

First-time buyer feels their solicitor is slow and uncommunicative, with the estate agent chasing too.

Booked viewing then cancelled shortly before; travel wasted and no proper handling.

Our conveyancer vanished for three weeks right before exchange; no replies to emails, no returned calls, nothing.

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.

Nightmare - Stay away. Made the sale so stressful and drawn out…

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.

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.

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.

Poster explains their sale collapsed when the buyer’s buyer pulled out the day after the stamp duty holiday ended.

Railroaded into some 3rd party digital ID process… felt uncomfortable.

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.

They’d already paid for legal work and paperwork and were left none the wiser about what scared the buyer off in the report.

Another commented that every time they spotted a listing reappear, they assumed the previous buyer had discovered something nasty in the survey or lease.

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.

The report contained basic factual mistakes about safety items that were clearly present, undermining trust and complicating the transaction.

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.

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.

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.

“Thirteen days of delay and losing money in interest.”

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.

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.

A cash buyer alleges the agent misled them and pushed them to look elsewhere, calling the conduct unprofessional.

NetLawman’s guide on neighbour disputes makes it clear you must disclose both resolved and ongoing disputes on the TA6 when selling your home.

A buyer says they waited with little clarity and felt the handling was disorganised and difficult to progress.

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.

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.

Avoid. I contacted them on 19th June to say our "seller" had withdrawn the property we were buying

Poor communication, all words no action… had to beg for viewers…

One first-time buyer group member says they were completely misinformed about how high the service charge would be after the first year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

they kept the deposit from the buyer

Our mortgage broker submitted the application with the wrong income figures; when the lender double-checked, the offer was pulled and the chain collapsed.

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.

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.

Reviews alleging organised scamming and attempts to remove genuine negative reviews.

They feel completely trapped – not just by the size of the bills, but by the stigma those charges create when the flat is marketed.

Let Property refused to refund my Buyers Premium

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.

“No communication since 30 October. Calls and emails all unanswered.”

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.

“I am extremely disappointed… purchase attempt that fell apart due to a lack of critical information disclosed upfront.”

“Do Not Use Conveyancing Direct… completion… didn’t occur until April 2025!”

Another agent advised to get indemnity insurance although this does not protect us against every lender

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.

Ten days of trying to contact them: no phone answers, no email replies, no progress updates.

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.

Our buyers are using this shambolic firm we now in month 6 of a simple convayncing empty house no chain

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.

A Guardian investigation into ‘affordable’ homes says some shared-ownership residents have seen service charges increase by up to 400%, leaving them effectively trapped.

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.

They add that the seller is threatening to pull out because four months without progress on a supposedly chain-free purchase feels unreasonable.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We’d booked removals, taken time off work and lined everything up, then were told completion ‘wasn’t happening today’ with no real explanation.

Chains involving certain online agents kept failing due to badly put together sales and lack of regulation.

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.

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.

On ReviewSolicitors, a GloverPriest client says buying their first property was a poor experience, with constant delays, very few responses and even lost documents.

“Lost two buyers due to lies he told our buyers.”

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.

“Took forever to chase up issues… ignored instructions… cost us money.”

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.

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.

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’.

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.

Our friend’s entire chain collapsed because a single buyer’s mortgage offer expired right before exchange and the lender refused an extension.

A Law Society Gazette piece summarises Ombudsman findings: nearly half of upheld complaints are again about poor communication and delay.

HSBC instructed a mortgage valuation which came back at £0 and ‘not habitable’ despite another valuation already existing.

HousePriceCrash posters complain that surveyors are routinely down-valuing homes in some areas, effectively preventing buyers from borrowing enough to pay the agreed price.

Buyer alleges they were effectively forced into an in-house mortgage appointment to be taken seriously on an offer.

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.

Our solicitor didn’t warn us about the ground rent clause at all – we only saw the details after completion when the demand arrived.

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?

fell apart due to a lack of critical information being disclosed upfront.

Buyer says the agent heavily pressured them to use an in-house mortgage adviser, making the buying process feel coercive.

They felt the broker was more focused on cross-selling life cover than actually finding the right mortgage for their circumstances.

Seller withdrew during completion; the firm then fought hard to keep the buyer’s funds.

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.

“Delay is built into the system… within a day the whole chain collapsed.”

Our buyer pulled out after three months and we still received a solicitor bill for over £1,000.

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.

Our house sale fell through twice but luckily the bungalow we were buying stayed available for us; not everyone is that fortunate.

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.

Some house sales don't happen, sad but things happen

They highlight how often buyers first learn of historic feuds only after they’ve moved in and started receiving aggressive letters or noise complaints.

They described the journey as ‘painful’, with months of uncertainty and repeated collapses before a determined solicitor and agent team finally made it happen.

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.

In a ‘spotlight’ article, the Ombudsman stresses that even if delays are caused by third parties, solicitors still need to keep clients properly updated.

Communication was well below expectations and we got almost no notice of completion.

Our solicitor took so long and communicated so little that the whole chain collapsed, leaving us feeling ignored and completely in the dark.

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.

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.

Industry pieces stress that councils, leases and charges are now considered core facts – not nice-to-have extras – in listings.

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.

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.

Our solicitor at Proddow Mackay stopped answering calls after the closure notice. The phone is constantly engaged and the website has vanished.

“Unresponsive solicitors… you need people you can trust.”

They are an organised group of scammers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Completion has been ‘next week’ for ages. Our conveyancer hardly answers calls or emails and I’m terrified the purchase will fall through.

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.

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.

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.

User complains about repeated nuisance calls asking about a sale even after being told it had completed.

They’re clear that hiding a live row is likely to end in either a fall-through or a nasty legal fight after completion.

The valuer behaved like they were rushing for overtime, then downvalued and mocked the property—felt deeply unprofessional.

Our housing association massively underestimated future service charges, so when bills quadrupled we found ourselves stuck with a home we couldn’t sell.

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.

We’d trusted them with all our documents, so it was galling to be blamed for ‘inaccurate information’ when the mistake was theirs.

Another buyer only discovered they were scammed when the real solicitor chased for payment.

Management pack chased for 2 months; hung up on repeatedly when trying to get the sale moving.

Buyer says solicitor did not disclose a pending planning application next door, even though it was visible on searches.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Many say the moment the lender’s number comes back, negotiations turn sour and one side walks away, killing the deal.

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.

Our purchase was undervalued by the lender’s surveyor, forcing stressful renegotiations and wasting weeks.

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.

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.

Nobody had explained that the historic claim would keep causing problems every time someone tried to get a mortgage on the house.

Buyer reported that their solicitor failed to verify crucial planning documents and only noticed after exchange.

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.

Buyer can’t get hold of their conveyancer by phone or email the week they hoped to exchange.

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.

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.

Seller says a survey report spooked their buyer, who backed out after reading it, despite the seller disputing the findings.

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.

Estate management delays and fees left people ‘stuck’ waiting, unable to progress sale timelines.

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.

I was told last week by my conveyancer ... but today, the sellers solicitor said it was applied for on 26th feb 2025.

“Sale fell through… cost me thousands… they kept the deposit from the buyer.”

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.

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.

Buyer alleges their transaction would have collapsed without constant chasing because nothing moved proactively.

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.

Sale fell through due to having no sign off from local building control for an extension.

Selling process described as ‘appalling’ with zero ownership — different person each call and no resolution.

Chain almost collapsed because the buyer’s ‘case handler’ setup built delays into every step.

They see buyers who moved in, discovered serious neighbour problems and only then learned the seller had ticked ‘no disputes’.

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.

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.

“I was promised an excellent service… I would avoid the entire firm.”

Kept waiting for callbacks that never came; the lack of continuity made the sale feel chaotic and out of control.

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.

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.

They guessed the first-time buyers had offered more than they were comfortable with, then panicked once reality and the survey costs hit.

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.

Our buyers walked away the day before exchange – one email and six months of planning, packing and paying fees just evaporated.

I would give zero stars... delays, no communication and me chasing them... almost losing my flat.

A reviewer says they paid before realising it wasn’t the government service and felt the branding was misleading.