Can A House Sale Fail After Exchange?

For most home sellers in the UK, exchanging contracts represents a huge milestone in the sales process. The buyer’s offer has been accepted, terms agreed upon, finances arranged and contracts signed. While not completely final, the exchange puts the scale firmly on the path towards completion. However, a house transaction can still potentially fall through even after contracts have been exchanged. This rare but disastrous outcome can leave sellers in limbo. Understanding why post-exchange sales collapse helps limit risks.

What Exchange of Contracts Means

Exchanging contracts represent the legal agreement between buyer and seller to complete the property sale under the agreed terms. This occurs after the offer is accepted and before full completion.

During exchange:

Both parties sign the final sale contract. This is legally binding.

The completion date is set, usually 1-2 months from the exchange.
The buyer pays their deposit, typically 5-10% of the purchase price.
The buyer and seller are legally obliged to complete the transaction on the set date.
The property is insured by the buyer from this point onward.
If either party pulls out without good reason, they face financial penalties.

Exchange is a critical milestone, signalling the sale should complete. But risks remain which we’ll explore.

Can a Sale Fall Through After the Exchange?

Yes, it is possible for a property sale to collapse even after contracts have been legally exchanged between buyer and seller. But this is relatively rare.

Most sales that fall through happen before exchange while deals are still being negotiated and terms are uncertain. Once both parties sign the contracts and commit to a completion date, the likelihood of the sale falling apart diminishes greatly.

However, there are certain circumstances where a sale can still fail between exchange and completion:

The buyer’s mortgage offer is unexpectedly withdrawn.
The buyer fails to insure the property from the exchange date.
Major issues arise on the title deeds or leasehold.
The seller goes bankrupt or into arrears before completion.
The property suffers significant damage requiring repairs.
The buyer discovers structural or other major defects.
The seller or buyer dies before completion.
One party simply decides to withdraw despite penalties.
Unforeseen delays mean completion dates are missed.
The buyer cannot sell their own home in time (for a property chain).

Though rare, these scenarios can derail the sale after contracts are exchanged. The buyer or seller must have strong legal grounds to pull out without facing penalties.

What Happens if a Sale Falls Through After Exchange?

If a sale collapses after exchange for reasons beyond the buyer or seller’s reasonable control, here’s what happens:

For the Buyer:

The deposit is returned in full unless specific conditions are breached.
The buyer remains liable for costs incurred between exchange and completion, like surveying or legal fees.
Insurance responsibilities revert to the seller from the date of exchange.
The buyer must prove valid reasons for withdrawing from the contract to avoid breach.

For the Seller:

The seller retains the deposit if the buyer is in breach of contract.
The seller pays reimbursement of the buyer’s reasonable costs leading up to the exchange.
The seller resumes insurance responsibilities and liabilities for the property.
The seller must relist and restart the sales process, typically facing delays.
The seller’s onward purchase may be jeopardised if they are mid-chain.

A collapsed sale post-exchange causes major stress, costs and delays for all parties. While the buyer loses their deposit if in breach, the seller also faces hassles to relist and secure a new buyer. That’s why it’s in all parties’ interest to ensure sales progress smoothly after exchange.

How to Limit the Risk of a Fall Through Sale

While rare, fallen through sales post-exchange do happen. Here are tips for buyers and sellers to limit risks:

For Buyers:

Ensure financing and mortgages are secured in advance, underwritten if possible.
Research the title deeds thoroughly and have a professional review.
Have independent surveys done rather than just relying on the seller’s information?
Gauge major renovations required that could impact costs and borrowing.
Carefully review the lease if purchasing a leasehold property.
Disclose any information to the seller that could delay completion.
Inspect the property carefully yourself before exchange.
Arrange property insurance to activate immediately on the exchange date.
Understand your legal rights and obligations before exchanging contracts.

For Sellers:

Disclose any known defects, damage or title issues upfront in writing.
Provide evidence of planning permissions, warranties, recent works etc.
Highlight any potential delays you foresee in your onward purchase.
Be transparent about any financial difficulties that could prevent completion.
Maintain the property condition so it doesn’t deteriorate before completion.
Review the buyer’s mortgage offer and proof of finances.
Check the credentials of the buyer’s solicitor/conveyancer.
Agree on sale dates that align with your next purchase.
Discuss timescale challenges honestly with the buyer.
Get strong insurance and legal protections in place.

Proper preparation, vigilance and open communication between both parties massively reduce risks of the sale falling through down the line. Don’t let your guard down just because contracts are signed.

Can the Seller Pull Out After the Exchange?

In most cases, the seller cannot simply pull out of a sale after exchanging contracts without facing serious penalties. When contracts are exchanged, the sale becomes legally binding.

However, in exceptional circumstances, the seller may be able to withdraw without breaching the contract:

The buyer misses the completion deadline or cannot close on time.
The seller discovers major defects not previously disclosed by the buyer.
The buyer fails to insure the property from the exchange date.
The seller’s circumstances drastically change, like bankruptcy or critical illness.
The buyer’s mortgage offer is unexpectedly withdrawn.

Even then, the seller would need strong written evidence and a watertight legal justification for withdrawing post-exchange. Otherwise, they risk forfeiting the full deposit and paying the buyer’s costs incurred. The buyer could also pursue legal action for breach of contract.

Withdrawing after exchange causes major disruption, expense and delay for the buyer. So sellers are strongly deterred from pulling out of a sale at the last minute without an airtight lawful reason. Most reputable conveyancers would not advise doing so without ironclad grounds. If the seller has doubts or cold feet, it is best to voice concerns before exchange rather than withdrawing unnecessarily afterwards. Open dialogue with the buyer pre-exchange can prevent a completion crisis.

What Can Delay Completion After Exchange?

While not necessarily jeopardising the sale long-term, several issues can delay the completion date after contracts have been exchanged:

A backlog at the Land Registry causing registration holdups.
Errors or clauses missed in the contract that require legal work to rectify.
Outstanding paperwork like the Energy Performance Certificate was not processed.
Title deed issues arise that need resolution.
Buyer’s mortgage lending is delayed by their lender.
Restructuring of the buyer’s finances is needed, like a bridging loan.
The seller’s onward purchase chain is delayed, impacting their move.
Tradespeople cannot access the property to fix the required issues.
Final surveys flag problems needing correction before completion.
Unforeseen circumstances like illness or injury.
Buyer’s property sale takes longer than expected.

While frustrating, most of these completion setbacks can be rectified in a matter of weeks. The buyer and seller would normally agree to a new completion date and exchange supplemental contracts. However, major delays could ultimately lead one party to withdraw if not resolved.

Staying flexible and communicating about any obstacles well in advance mitigates delays derailing the completion. Be upfront about foreseeable issues. Build in a buffer between exchange and completion of at least six weeks. This allows hiccups to be smoothed out without the buyer or seller pulling out of the contract.

How Fall Throughs Impact Property Chains

Fallen through sales can severely impact property chains when buyers or sellers are reliant on related transactions completed in sequence. If one link in the chain fails, it collapses the entire sequence of sales.

For example, Seller A cannot complete the sale of their current home until Buyer B’s purchase of Seller A’s new home is completed. If Buyer B’s sale suddenly falls through after the exchange, it prevents Seller A from completing its sale. The entire chain unravels.

To limit chain collapse risks:

Check all links are finalised before exchanging any contract.
Build in longer completion timeframes between sales.
Be honest about any expected delays.
Consider bridging finance as a backup if needed.
Avoid buyers dependent on selling their property to fund their purchase.
Prioritise buyers who can proceed immediately with no chain.

Fallen through sales can be truly disastrous mid-chain with domino impacts. Proper planning, patience and prevention help mitigate this risk for all parties.

Can Exchange Be Postponed?

If either the buyer or seller gets cold feet before the proposed exchange date, it may be possible to postpone the exchange rather than withdraw fully from the transaction. This gives more time to resolve concerns.

For example, the exchange could be delayed if:
The buyer needs longer to finalise finances or mortgage lending.
The seller requires more time to prepare for their onward move.
There are title deed errors to correct before contracts can be signed.
Survey or valuation issues arise needing renegotiation.
Agreed completion dates are unrealistic.
Unexpected delays crop up in a related chain.
Major works overrun, preventing access to the property.

By communicating openly about obstacles before the exchange deadline, the completion date can often be pushed back by mutual consent if needed. This keeps the sale on track without anyone breaching contracts. However, delays cannot be extended indefinitely. At some point, one party may need to withdraw if issues cannot be resolved within a reasonable timeframe.

Tip: Don’t propose a new exchange date unless you’re certain you can meet it. Reneging multiple times erodes trust. Be realistic.

Conclusion: Mitigating Post-Exchange Fall Through Risks

Once contracts are exchanged, most home sales are completed without major hurdles. However, there is still a slim risk of the sale falling through even after this stage for a variety of reasons. While rare, this outcome can be financially and emotionally damaging for sellers in particular. Managing expectations, allowing ample time, securing finances proactively, and maintaining open communication between both parties leading up to the exchange vastly reduces the chances of a collapse. Though not guaranteed, the exchange provides a reasonable level of assurance that the transaction will finalise smoothly. Stay vigilant and transparent even after contracts are signed to prevent the sale from slipping away at the last minute. If you’re wondering, which is the worst month to sell a house UK, remember that with careful preparation by the buyer and seller, a fallen-through completion after exchange should be an extremely unlikely outcome.