Britain’s home-buying market needs a “thorough overhaul” after new research found thousands of stressed-out homeowners caught up in housing chains facing costly delays lasting months.
The new study by specialist lender Together has laid bare the frustrations of those caught up in often-lengthy housing chains, with chaotic delays causing buyers and sellers feeling trapped, out-of-pocket and suffering sleepless nights.
These maddening chain delays are also jamming the housing market, making it difficult for first-time buyers to get onto the housing ladder.
The study found 60% of UK homeowners have been tied up in a property chain when trying to buy a home, with a quarter (24%) delayed in the last five years. With the latest English Housing Survey reporting 618,000 households moved in the past 12 months, that means there could be a staggering 49,000 property chains in the last year alone.
More than half who are currently in a property chain (57%) admitted they’ve since been put off making offers on other homes and 66% said the experience was more stressful than raising their deposit. 59% of buyers have been left so frustrated they’ve been tempted to walk away from house purchases altogether.
The analysis comes amid a campaign by the housing market industry to cut the amount of time it takes to sell a house to 28 days, after separate research suggested it takes 109 days from the moment a sale is agreed to exchange — 65% longer than in 2007.
However, Together found that although the largest proportion of buyers (29%) were waiting two to three months for completion, 7% of respondents were waiting four to five months and more than 5% for six months or more.
The research comes as Together sees a growing movement among frustrated buyers and sellers using bridging loans to break chains. A quarter of those who have used bridging loans said they were a solution to help them break out of a property chain and purchase their home - but more education and awareness of how this type of financing works is still needed.
59% of those currently in a property chain admitted that if it was guaranteed that using bridging finance would break or would have broken the property chain they were tied up in, they’d consider taking out this type of loan.
Ryan Etchells, chief commercial officer at Together, said: “While a common occurrence, maddening property chains can ramp up the costs involved with buying a home, and adding to the emotional stress and admin that home movers have to deal with. Our property market is broken and needs a thorough overhaul; we must take steps to address it.
“This is why it’s important to increase the awareness of simple solutions like bridging as a significant portion of potential buyers and sellers simply aren’t aware of how beneficial these loans can be. Whether to break out of a time and money draining property chain, to help fund renovations or for buying at auction; this type of financing can be quickly accessed and help people move forward with their property plans now and in the future.”
