Property sales falling through are still costing UK estate agents an estimated £2.8 million every day in delayed or lost commission income despite the number of failed transactions declining over the past year.
Research from GetAgent found an estimated 24,122 residential property sales collapsed during May 2026, down 13% compared with the same month last year.
Based on the average UK property value at exchange of £358,489 and a typical estate agency fee of 1%, those failed sales equated to £86.5 million in commission that was delayed or lost during the month.
The figures highlight the continuing financial impact of fall-throughs on estate agents, even as transaction certainty shows signs of improving.
BIGGEST HIT
The South East accounted for the largest financial hit, with 4,097 failed sales costing agents an estimated £19.4 million in commission during May. London ranked second, where higher average property values meant 2,453 failed transactions resulted in an estimated £16.3 million in lost or delayed fees.
The East of England followed with £11.7 million, while the South West (£9.4 million), North West (£7.9 million), West Midlands (£6.2 million) and East Midlands (£5.2 million) all saw more than £5 million of commission impacted by failed transactions.
Northern Ireland recorded the lowest financial impact, with failed sales costing agents an estimated £846,000 during the month.
The research comes as the government continues work on reforms designed to reduce transaction delays and fall-throughs by improving the speed, transparency and certainty of the home-buying process.
UNREWARDED EFFORT
Colby Short (main picture, inset), Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of GetAgent, says: “Every fall-through represents a considerable amount of work undertaken by an estate agent without any guarantee of payment at the end of the process.
“Agents invest significant time and resources into qualifying buyers, managing negotiations, progressing chains and helping transactions navigate the many hurdles that arise between offer and completion. When a sale falls through, much of that work goes unrewarded despite the value provided throughout the process.”
SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES
He adds: “The fact that fall-throughs are delaying or denying more than £2.8 million in commission income every day highlights just how important transaction certainty is, not only for buyers and sellers but for the professionals working hard to keep the market moving.
“It’s positive to see fall-throughs reducing year-on-year. Continuing this trend will improve confidence across the entire property sector.
“It would help consumers move with greater certainty while ensuring agents can spend more time focusing on delivering successful outcomes rather than revisiting transactions that should already have completed.”
