Fall-through rates have edged lower across most of the UK offering a modest but encouraging signal for estate agents navigating a volatile market.
Analysis from TwentyEA shows the national fall-through rate declined from 24% in Q1 2025 to 23.7% in Q1 2026, a 0.3 percentage-point drop.
Ten of the UK’s 13 regions recorded improvements, with the sharpest declines seen in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, pointing to stronger buyer commitment outside the South East.
The figures come against a backdrop of stamp duty changes, mortgage rate pressures and wider economic uncertainty, suggesting underlying transaction stability in much of the market.
DEAL FAILURES
Inner London was the clear outlier, with fall-through rates rising to 27%, meaning more than one in four agreed sales failed to complete. The increase follows policy uncertainty around higher-value property taxation and a wider slowdown in demand across the capital.
The data also shows a consistent pattern in deal failures, with around 38% of fall-throughs occurring within the first four weeks of a sale being agreed, reinforcing the importance of early-stage deal management.
PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION
Stuart Ducker, Strategic Solutions Director at TwentyEA, says: “While the overall decline in fall-through rates is modest, it’s still meaningful for agents operating in a challenging market. In absolute terms, fall-throughs dropped by 12.1%, from 76,814 in Q1 2025 to 67,489 this year.
“However, volumes only tell part of the story, which is why looking at fall-through rates provides a clearer view of underlying market stability. The regional variation is also notable, with some areas seeing significantly stronger improvements than others.”
He adds: “What the data clearly shows is that the first four weeks after a sale is agreed are where the greatest risk sits. If a deal is going to fall through, it’s most likely to happen within that window.
“Proactive communication with all parties during those initial weeks remains best practice, and the data shows it’s where agents can have the greatest impact.”
