Common Problems
How to handle the issues that most commonly delay or derail a house sale in the UK.
Around one in three agreed house sales in England and Wales falls through before completion. Chain collapse, gazumping, survey problems, slow solicitors, and buyer financing issues are among the most frequent causes. These guides explain what can go wrong at each stage of the process and, more importantly, what practical steps you can take to prevent problems or deal with them quickly if they arise.
78 guides in this category · View all guides
Why Do House Sales Fall Through? (And How to Prevent It)
The most common reasons UK house sales collapse before exchange, and what sellers can do to reduce the risk.
No Building Regulations Certificate: What to Do When Selling
What happens if you do not have a building regulations completion certificate for past work, and the options available to still sell.
Gazumping: How to Protect Yourself as a Seller
What gazumping is, the legal position in England and Wales, and how to handle situations where you receive a higher offer after accepting one.
What to Do If Your Buyer Pulls Out
Your options if a buyer withdraws before exchange, including remarketing, seeking compensation, and preventing it happening again.
Boundary Disputes When Selling a House
How boundary disputes affect a property sale, what you must disclose, and how to resolve disputes before or during the sale process.
Japanese Knotweed: How It Affects Selling Your Property
What Japanese knotweed means for your sale, disclosure requirements, treatment options, and whether buyers can still get a mortgage.
Selling a House with Damp: What You Need to Know
How damp issues affect your sale, whether to fix them before selling, and what buyers and surveyors will look for.
Selling a House with Subsidence: A Seller's Guide
How to sell a property with a history of subsidence, what buyers need to know, and how it affects insurance and mortgages.
Restrictive Covenants When Selling a House
What restrictive covenants are, how they appear on your title, and what to do if a covenant could affect your sale.
Selling a House with an Outstanding Mortgage
How selling works when you still have a mortgage, including redemption figures, early repayment charges, and negative equity scenarios.
Party Wall Issues When Selling a House
How the Party Wall Act affects your sale, what to disclose about past or ongoing party wall matters, and getting the right notices in place.
Selling a House with Planning Permission Refused
How a refused planning application affects your property's saleability and value, and what to disclose to prospective buyers.
Chain Collapse: What to Do When Your Property Chain Breaks
How to respond when a chain collapses, your options for keeping the sale alive, and strategies for preventing chain-related problems.
Buyer's Mortgage Declined: What Happens Next?
What to do when your buyer's mortgage application is refused, how long to wait, and when to remarket your property.
Down Valuation: What Are Your Options as a Seller?
What happens when the mortgage valuation comes in below the agreed price, and the options available to both seller and buyer.
Slow Solicitor: What to Do When Conveyancing Drags
How to chase a slow solicitor, when to escalate complaints, and whether switching solicitors mid-transaction is practical.
Missing Title Deeds: How to Sell Without Them
What to do if your original title deeds are lost, how to get replacements from the Land Registry, and selling unregistered land.
Selling a House with Sitting Tenants
How to sell a property with tenants still living in it, your legal obligations, and whether to sell with vacant possession.
Asbestos in Your House: How It Affects Selling
What to do if your property contains asbestos, your disclosure obligations, and whether removal is necessary before selling.
Selling an Underpinned House: What Buyers Need to Know
How previous underpinning affects your property's value and saleability, insurance challenges, and what to prepare for buyers.
Selling a House with Woodworm
How active or historic woodworm affects your sale, what treatment is needed, and what to disclose.
Selling a House with Mould
How mould problems affect your sale, what buyers will ask, and how to resolve issues before listing.
Selling a House with Structural Cracks
How to distinguish structural from cosmetic cracks, what surveys reveal, and how cracks affect your sale.
Selling a House with Rising Damp
How rising damp affects your sale, what damp surveys show, and treatment options for sellers.
Selling a House with Wet Rot
How wet rot affects your property sale, the difference from dry rot, and what repairs buyers expect.
Selling a House with Lead Pipes
How lead plumbing affects your sale, what to disclose, and whether to replace before listing.
Selling a House with Electrical Issues
How outdated or faulty electrics affect your sale, what certificates help, and when to rewire.
Selling a House with Drainage Problems
How drainage issues affect your sale, what drainage surveys reveal, and your disclosure obligations.
Selling a House with a Single Skin Extension
How a single-brick extension affects your sale, what buyers and lenders think, and your options.
Selling a House with a Flat Roof
How flat roof sections affect your sale, what surveys check, and when to replace before selling.
Selling a House with Cavity Wall Insulation Problems
How failed or inappropriate cavity wall insulation affects your sale and what options you have.
Selling a House with Artex Ceilings
How artex ceilings containing asbestos affect your sale and what options you have.
Selling a House Near Power Lines
How proximity to power lines or pylons affects your sale price and buyer interest.
Selling a House Near a Railway Line
How railway noise and vibration affect your sale, and how to present the property positively.
Selling a House on a Busy Road
Tips for selling a property on a main road, including noise, safety, and pricing considerations.
Selling a House with Shared Access
How shared driveways, paths, or access points affect your sale and what buyers need to know.
Selling a House on an Unadopted Road
How an unadopted road affects your sale, who is responsible for maintenance, and what buyers ask.
Selling a House with Aluminium Wiring
How aluminium wiring affects your sale, what insurers think, and whether to rewire before listing.
Selling a House Near a Landfill Site
How proximity to a landfill affects your sale, what environmental searches reveal, and buyer concerns.
Selling a House with High Radon Levels
How radon test results affect your sale, what mitigation costs, and your disclosure obligations.
Selling a House on Contaminated Land
How contaminated land affects your sale, what environmental reports show, and buyer concerns.
Selling a House with a Flooding History
How a history of flooding affects your sale, insurance, and what you must disclose to buyers.
Selling a Timber Frame House
How timber frame construction affects your sale, mortgage availability, and what surveys check.
Selling a Non-Standard Construction House
How non-standard construction affects mortgage availability and what sellers need to prepare.
Selling a House with Bats
How a bat roost affects your sale, your legal obligations, and how to manage the situation.
Selling a House with a Rodent Problem
How mice or rat infestations affect your sale, what to disclose, and treatment options.
Selling a House Next to Noisy Neighbours
What you must disclose about noise complaints and how neighbour issues affect your sale.
Selling a House with Missing Guarantees
What to do when you cannot find building work guarantees and how it affects your sale.
Selling a House with a Retaining Wall
How retaining walls affect your sale, who is responsible, and what buyers will check.
Selling a House with Chimney Problems
How chimney defects affect your sale, what surveys flag, and repair options for sellers.
Selling a House with Foundation Problems
How foundation defects beyond subsidence affect your sale, including underpinning and heave.
Selling a House Where the DPC Has Failed
How a failed damp proof course affects your sale, what surveys show, and remediation options.
Selling a House with Condensation Problems
How condensation affects your sale, the difference from damp, and how to address it before listing.
Selling a House in a Mining Subsidence Area
How coal or other mining subsidence affects your sale, what searches reveal, and insurance issues.
Selling a House with Cladding Issues
How external wall cladding issues affect house sales, not just flats, and what to check.
What Happens After a Buyer's Survey on Your Property
What to expect after your buyer's surveyor has visited, how survey results affect the sale, and how to respond to findings.
Common Survey Issues That Delay House Sales
The most frequent problems surveyors find, how each one affects your sale timeline, and what you can do about them.
Rights of Way and Easements: What Buyers Will Ask
What rights of way and easements mean for your property sale, how they appear on the title, and what buyers and solicitors check.
Selling a Property with an Easement Across It
How an easement across your land affects the sale, what buyers need to know, and how to handle common easement issues.
Roof Problems Found in Survey: Repair or Reduce Price?
What to do when the buyer's survey finds roof defects, typical repair costs, and how to decide between fixing the issue or adjusting the price.
Boiler Issues in Buyer's Survey: What to Expect
How boiler problems flagged in a survey affect your sale, typical costs, and whether to repair or reduce the price.
Dry Rot Found When Selling: Cost and Implications
What dry rot means for your house sale, how much treatment costs, and how to handle the buyer's concerns.
Homebuyer's Report vs Full Building Survey: What They Check
The differences between a RICS Level 2 and Level 3 survey, what each covers, and what the findings mean for your sale.
Selling a House with Flood Risk in South Yorkshire
Yorkshire has 64,600 properties at high flood risk. What sellers in Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham, and York need to know about disclosure and insurance.
Selling a House With No Central Heating: What to Expect
You can sell a house without central heating, but expect 5–15% lower offers. See how it affects EPC ratings, mortgage approvals, and buyer demand.
Selling With a Shared Septic Tank: Legal Guide 2026
Selling a house with a shared septic tank? You need to prove compliance with 2020 general binding rules and clarify maintenance agreements.
Survey Found Damp: What Sellers Need to Do Next
What to do when a buyer’s survey flags damp in your property. Types of damp, getting specialist reports, TA6 disclosure, and negotiation tactics.
Survey Found Japanese Knotweed: A Seller’s Action Plan
What to do when Japanese knotweed is found during a survey. Treatment plans, insurance-backed guarantees, mortgage implications, and TA6 disclosure.
Survey Found Asbestos: What It Means for Your Sale
How asbestos findings in a survey affect your sale. Management vs removal, common locations, costs, and your disclosure obligations.
Survey Found Subsidence: A Seller’s Guide to Next Steps
What to do when a survey reveals subsidence. Certificate of Structural Adequacy, insurance, monitoring, underpinning, and disclosure obligations.
Electrical Issues on Survey: EICR, Rewiring and Your Options
What to do when a survey flags electrical issues. EICR explained, Part P regulations, consumer unit upgrades, rewiring costs, and impact on your sale.
Survey Retention: What It Is and How It Affects Your Sale
What mortgage retentions are, when lenders impose them after a survey, common triggers, how to get a retention released, and the impact on completion.
Survey Delaying Your House Sale: Causes and Solutions
Common causes of survey delays, solutions for each, when to chase, impact on your chain, and when delays become a red flag.
Title Defects When Selling: Common Issues, Their Impact and How to Fix Them
Title defects are a leading cause of sale collapse. The most common defects, how they’re spotted, and the practical options for resolving them.
Missing Seller on the Title: How to Sell When a Registered Proprietor Is Absent or Deceased
What to do when a registered owner can’t sign the transfer — deceased, missing, or estranged. A complete walkthrough of your options.
Restrictive Covenant Breach When Selling: What to Do
A breach of a restrictive covenant is one of the most common title issues flagged during conveyancing. What counts as a breach, how to fix it, and when indemnity insurance works.
Selling Unregistered Land: First Registration and the Sale Process
Unregistered property can still be sold, but the process relies on paper deeds and triggers compulsory first registration. What to expect and how long it takes.
Possessory Title: Selling With It or Upgrading to Absolute First
Possessory title is HM Land Registry’s weakest class of registered freehold title. What it means for a sale, how it differs from absolute, and when to upgrade.
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