Three out of five home sales at risk of delays

Vendors and agents are facing new challenges with struggling listings, slower sales, and expiring property searches, it has been revealed.

Research from data group TwentyEA warns that more than 60% of property transactions could be at risk of delay because they take longer than six months to reach exchange.

It increases the likelihood that property searches will need to be refreshed before a sale can complete.

Most property searches are only valid for six months and lenders will typically not release mortgage funds once they have expired unless the searches are updated or suitable search indemnity insurance is put in place, TwentyEA warned.

With 60.8% of transactions exceeding the six-month mark, according to the research, many buyers and sellers could therefore face additional costs and delays as searches need to be refreshed.

So far this year we’ve seen a frenetic mortgage market.”

The six-month validity of the property search data over time was one of the concerns raised by those surveyed in the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap, announced in June.

This figure was 36% in 2019 and has risen to 60.8% so far this year. It means that of the properties that reach exchange, in these cases, the legal searches would have had to be repeated or refreshed, possibly resulting in delays.

The findings are part of TwentyEA’s latest Property & Homemover Report covering the second quarter of 2026.

Nationally, TwentyCi found that buying a home now takes around seven months on average. In 2019, this was just 5.5 months.

Despite the increasing time required, the time to sell has remained relatively consistent. It currently takes around 2.5 months for a property to progress from being listed to a sale agreed, the same timescale as 2019.

However, the time taken to exchange contracts has increased considerably, from around three months in 2019 to nearly four and a half months in 2026.

The need for reform

Nick Huntley (pictured), Director of TwentyEA, says: “As part of the Government’s reforms, they propose to initiate the preparation of upfront information, which will include property searches and, eventually, a property condition report.

“These sales packs will need to be provided by sellers and estate agents at the point of listing rather than later in the process when the buyer instructs a conveyancer.

“These property details, provided to buyers and their advisers upfront, should enable faster, more informed decisions and reduce delays, fall throughs and any late surprises. What’s interesting is that these proposals will shift housing transactions from a buyer-led model to a front-loaded seller-led one.”

In terms of supply and demand across the market, the report shows that the number of properties coming to market is up 2.4% annually to 1,109,403. Demand is showing signs of fatigue and is down 5.1% compared to 2025 to 736,108.

It has fallen across all price bands and all British regions – and in England has decreased most sharply across inner London, the report shows.

Sales of flats are down 9.1% annually, semi-detached purchases have fallen 4.6% and detached homes are down 4.3%.

However, demand is still higher now than in 2019 across all these types of properties.

Price reductions

Price changes have remained static compared with last year and have risen only marginally by 0.1%, the report reveals.

They have increased the most in the up to £200,000 price bracket, while they have fallen most heavily in the £1m-plus bracket by more than 5%.

We’ve seen a frenetic mortgage market as swap rates surged following the war in Iran.”

Huntley adds: “So far this year we’ve seen a frenetic mortgage market as swap rates surged following the war in Iran. At the last Budget, the Mansion Tax was announced and there will be further anticipation around the Chancellor’s plans for this coming year.

“However, there is good news. The base rate has eased to 3.75% and the Government’s home buying reforms aim to reduce fall throughs from one in three to one in seven. While demand has dropped, it is still keeping pace with 2019’s market so all things considered, we believe the market is doing pretty well.”