Overcoming chain-pain: Using bridging finance to battle housing delays

Property chains are a maddening blight on the UK housing market. Infamously known for jamming up transactions and trapping thousands of homeowners, chains have left 57% of buyers tempted to walk away due to costly delays and individual severe emotional distress.

Research that we recently conducted at Together has shown that 49,000 property chains tied up buyers and sellers in the past year, with nearly six in ten homeowners having experienced the severe emotional turmoil that comes with being tied up in a chain. 

The average completion time from sale agreement to exchange is 109 days - 65% longer than in 2007. With 66% of respondents stating the overall experience was more stressful than raising a deposit, and more than half admitted they’d been put off making offers on other homes. This miserable knock-on effect leaves families stuck in limbo, first-time buyers blocked out and the rental market under intense strain. 

However, a solution does exist; regulated bridging finance - though awareness of it remains low. 

Together’s research found that whilst only 25% of homeowners used bridging loans to break chains, over half (59%) said they would consider bridging finance if it guaranteed breaking a chain. These short-term loans can help buyers secure properties quickly or help fund renovations, offering flexibility where traditional mortgages fall short. 

This is where brokers can play a crucial role. By being fully informed, and by working with specialist lenders such as Together to position bridging loans as a proactive solution, brokers can place themselves in a unique position that separates them from their competitors to champion and educate clients. Through bridging, brokers can turn frustration into opportunity, keep transactions moving in a challenging market and retain a positive client relationship. 

With thousands of homeowners stuck in property chains and the housing market under pressure, innovative solutions like bridging finance could be the key to undoing Britain’s broken system. But until awareness grows, many buyers will remain trapped in an anxious cycle of delays, stress, and uncertainty.

For brokers, this is an opportunity. Take the time to learn about regulated bridging finance and how it can help your customers escape property chains. Take the time to understand their circumstances, work with the right lenders, and find solutions. In a climate that already puts so many barriers in the way to homeowners, those brokers who are able to provide the right products for their customers’ needs will stand out from the crowd.