Almost half of UK home sellers involved in a property chain have experienced it breaking during the sales process, research from House Buyer Bureau has found.

A survey of 1,072 UK home sellers, commissioned by ProperPR on behalf of House Buyer Bureau, found that 52% formed part of a property chain when selling their most recent home. Of these, 45% experienced a chain break.

In 38% of cases, a buyer or seller dropped out but the chain was eventually restored, while 7% saw their chain collapse completely.

Buyer indecision accounted for 60% of chain breaks, putting it well ahead of mortgage or financing problems and sellers changing their minds, both at 8%.

Property surveys identifying problems accounted for 6%, while conveyancing or legal delays and changing personal circumstances each accounted for 4%.

Gazumping was responsible for 2% of chain breaks, while mortgage lender down-valuations accounted for 1%.

The disruption caused by broken chains can be significant. More than a third (36%) of affected sellers experienced delays to their property sale, while 24% saw delays to their onward purchase. A further 10% saw their sale fall through, 10% lost money on legal, survey or mortgage costs, and 10% had to find another buyer.

For those who eventually completed, delays were often substantial. Just 7% completed within a month, while 29% took one to three months. Some 38% waited four to six months, 21% took seven to 12 months and 5% waited more than a year.

House Buyer Bureau managing director Chris Hodgkinson said: “Property chains have always been one of the weakest links within the traditional sales process, but what’s particularly concerning is that buyer indecision is causing far more problems than mortgages, surveys or the legal process.”

He added that a single buyer changing their mind can bring “an entire chain crashing down”, leaving sellers facing additional costs and months of delays.