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Revealed: The UK’s chain-free property hotspots

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
03/12/2020

Buying a chain-free property can speed up the purchase process and mean less chance of the sale falling through due to other parties

Cambridge is the chain-free property hotspot of the UK, according to Yes Homebuyers.

The homebuying platform found that a huge 46% of all homes listed in the city offer the chance of a chain-free sale, a less stressful transaction and a quicker sales process.

Chain-free properties mean that there are only two parties involved in the transaction – you as the buyer and the current owner. There are no onward sales to worry about and the seller isn’t reliant on buying another home before they can sell to you. As a result, chain-free sales can be less stressful, and take a lot less time.

Chain-free hotspots

Belfast is home to the second-highest number of chain-free homes for sale, with 44% of all properties currently listed for sale online as chain-free.

Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool share the accolade of the third best city for a chain-free sale, with 42% of current property stock listed as such.

Southampton and Cardiff were also home to a notable level of chain-free homes with 40% to 41% of all stock listed as chain-free.

At the other end of the spectrum, Glasgow and Edinburgh rank last with just 7% of all homes currently listed for sale marked as chain-free.

Aberdeen also scored low at 18% along with London (32%).

Matthew Cooper, managing director of Yes Homebuyers, said: “Being stuck in a chain can be an incredibly stressful process when selling or buying a property and waiting for the stars to align can drag on for months on end, before the whole thing comes crashing down and your back to square one.

“The good news is, there are plenty of chain-free properties out there for homebuyers looking to avoid the current market delays caused by heightened demand since the introduction of the stamp duty holiday.

“While a chain-free sale won’t help you skip the legal backlogs that are building at the back end of the transaction process, it will certainly reduce the time it will take for the transaction to reach its final stages.”

Top 10 chain-free locations

The top chain-free hotspots and what percentage of total stock currently listed for sale online is marked as a chain-free property sale.

Cambridge – 46%
Belfast – 44%
Sheffield – 42%
Manchester – 42%
Liverpool – 42%
Southampton – 41%
Cardiff – 40%
Plymouth – 39%
Portsmouth – 39%
Nottingham – 39%

Source: Yes Homebuyers, with data sourced from Rightmove and Zoopla