UK property fall-throughs cost estate agents estimated £2.8m every day
The latest research from GetAgent has found that property fall-throughs are costing UK estate agents an estimated £2.8m per day in delayed or lost commission income, highlighting the substantial financial impact that failed transactions continue to have across the industry.
The research analysed residential property transactions that fell through during May 2026, alongside average regional house prices (at exchange) and a typical estate agency fee of 1.0%. By applying estimated commission earnings to the volume of failed sales, GetAgent calculated the potential value of fees delayed or lost due to transactions failing to reach completion.*
Across the UK, an estimated 24,122 property sales fell through during May 2026, with this figure down by -13% year-on-year. Based on the average UK price at exchange of £358,489 and an estimated estate agency fee of £3,585 per transaction, these failed sales equated to £86.5m in delayed or lost commission income during the month, or £2.8m per day based on an estimated average of 778 fall-throughs occurring every day.
The South East accounted for the largest financial impact of any UK region. During May, an estimated 4,097 sales fell through, representing 17.0% of all UK fall-throughs that month. With an average property value of £473,967 these failed transactions equated to £19.4m in delayed or lost fees, or £626,401 per day.
London ranked second in terms of financial impact. An estimated 2,453 transactions failed to complete during the month, resulting in an estimated £16.3m in delayed or lost commission income. The capital’s higher average property values mean that each failed transaction carries a particularly significant cost, generating a potential daily impact of £526,219 despite accounting for a smaller share of fall-throughs than the South East.
The East of England also saw a notable impact, with 2,841 failed transactions costing agents an estimated £11.7m in potential commission income during May. High property values across the region helped drive a daily cost of £380,099.
The South West followed with £9.4m in delayed or lost fees, while the North West (£7.9m), West Midlands (£6.2m), and East Midlands (£5.2m) each saw more than £5m in potential commission income impacted by failed sales.
At the other end of the spectrum, Northern Ireland saw the lowest volume of fall-throughs, accounting for just 1.6% of the UK total. As a result, agents across the region experienced an estimated £846,395 in delayed or lost fees during May, equivalent to £27,303 per day. The North East (£1.8m) and Scotland (£2.1m) also recorded comparatively lower levels of financial impact.
The findings demonstrate the significant amount of revenue that estate agents invest in progressing transactions that ultimately fail to complete, despite many of the causes of fall-throughs sitting outside an agent’s direct control.
Colby Short, CEO and Co-founder of GetAgent, commented:
“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.
The fact that fall-throughs are delaying or denying more than £2.8m 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.”
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