Are Fall-Throughs Getting Worse? What the Latest 2026 Figures Mean for Your Agency

If a sale falls through, it can mean more than losing a fee. You may be explaining the news to a disappointed seller, revisiting the marketing, and wondering what the lost time means for the rest of your pipeline.

So, are fall-throughs getting worse? The latest figures are a useful prompt to look closely at your process, but they need a little context. They don’t predict what will happen to every sale in your branch, and they don’t mean you can prevent every transaction from collapsing.

What they do show is that fall-through risk is part of the job. The sensible response isn’t panic. It’s making sure each agreed sale has a clear owner, a visible next action and a reliable rhythm of communication.

What does “around one in five” actually measure?

There isn’t one universal fall-through figure. The result depends on the source, the period covered and how “fall-through” is defined.

A PurchaseSecured index reported 21.6% for England and Wales in the 28 days to 1 October 2026. It counts properties listed as sold subject to contract (SSTC) that subsequently returned to the market, compared with the number of properties recorded as SSTC during that same period. In simple terms, that’s roughly one in five in the listings tracked. Read the index and its methodology.

That figure is a listing-based measure, not a complete register of every property sale. The source notes that it tracks public estate agency listings, excludes Scotland and may count a property withdrawn and relisted with another agent as a fall-through. It also won’t capture a sale that collapses after exchange.

There’s another useful point of comparison. PropertyWire reported that TwentyEA’s national fall-through rate was 23.7% in Q1 2026, down slightly from 24% in Q1 2025. Read the Q1 figures.

These figures are close enough to underline the scale of the issue, but they’re not interchangeable. Different datasets and methods can produce different rates. So it’s more accurate to say that recent measures put fall-throughs at roughly one in five to one in four, rather than claim there is one exact figure for every UK agency.

And a market-wide rate isn’t a forecast for your branch. Your own results will depend on your local market, the sales you agree and the way your pipeline is managed.

Why does a fall-through hit a small agency so hard?

For a large business, one failed sale may sit among many transactions and a sizeable team. In a small, owner-led agency, it can land much closer to home.

There’s the fee that won’t arrive if the property doesn’t complete. There’s also the time already spent negotiating the offer, handling enquiries, updating clients and trying to keep the chain moving. If the property comes back to market, the team may need to revisit the marketing and begin the buyer search again.

Then there’s the effect on confidence. Sellers may feel disappointed or question whether the sale was properly managed. Buyers can lose confidence too, particularly if communication has been sparse. Your team may feel the frustration of having put in a lot of work without reaching completion.

That doesn’t mean every failed sale reflects badly on your agency. Some problems are outside your control. But clear communication and consistent follow-up can help protect your relationship with clients, even when the outcome isn’t the one anyone wanted.

The late-stage problems worth being ready for

A sale can look positive and still run into difficulty. A few common issues can change the picture quickly:

• A chain breaks. Another buyer or seller withdraws, changes their plans or can no longer proceed.

• The mortgage position changes. A lender may raise further questions, revise an offer or decide it cannot lend on the terms expected.

• A survey prompts renegotiation. New information about the property leads to a request for a price change or further work.

• Communication falters. A party is waiting for an answer, but nobody has confirmed who is chasing it or when they’ll follow up.

These issues aren’t all preventable. Your role isn’t to control a lender’s decision, carry out legal work or guarantee the behaviour of another party in the chain. It is to help make the position visible, keep the right people informed and make sure important questions don’t quietly disappear into an inbox.

One in five is a reason to make ownership clear

The useful takeaway from a one-in-five figure isn’t that you should treat every buyer as a risk. It’s that every agreed sale needs enough structure to keep the process moving and the client informed.

Start with three questions for each file:

Who owns progression? Name the person responsible for keeping track of the transaction. That doesn’t mean they do everyone else’s work. It means they can see the current position and make sure the next step has an owner.

What happens next? Record the next specific action, who needs to take it and when you’ll review it. “Waiting for an update” leaves too much open to interpretation. “Buyer’s solicitor to confirm searches have been ordered; review on Thursday” gives the team something concrete to follow up.

When will the client hear from you? Agree a regular update rhythm, even if there’s no major news. A short, honest message explaining what’s outstanding and when you’ll check again can prevent avoidable uncertainty.

This isn’t about creating more admin for its own sake. It’s about making the status of a sale easier to understand, hand over and explain. If a colleague is away or a busy week gets in the way, a clear record helps the whole team pick up the thread.

A better response than chasing harder

When a transaction gets quiet, it’s tempting to chase everyone more often. But repeated chasing without a clear question or follow-up plan can take time without bringing much clarity.

Try to keep contact purposeful. Ask for the specific information needed, note the response, and set a sensible date to review anything still outstanding. If the expected timescale changes, let the client know rather than waiting for them to ask.

The aim is not to promise that a sale will complete or to create pressure for the sake of it. It’s to know what is happening, what remains unresolved and who needs to act next.

You can’t get to zero, but you can improve the experience

No estate agent can prevent every fall-through. A chain can break, a mortgage application can fail or a buyer can change their mind. Some of the biggest causes sit outside your control.

But you can make sure each sale has a named owner, a visible next action and a regular update rhythm. That gives your team a clearer view of the pipeline and helps clients feel that their sale is being looked after, even when there’s a problem to work through.

If your team is stretched between winning instructions, negotiating offers and keeping agreed sales moving, outsourced sales progression for estate agents can provide additional, people-led support as an extension of your agency. At Easy Progression, we help keep transactions organised and communication moving during business hours. There’s no promise that every sale will complete, just calm, professional support to help your team manage the process with care.

The figures are a reason to pay attention, not a reason to panic. Start with your current pipeline: can you see who owns each sale, what happens next and when your client will hear from you?