What is a chain?

In simple terms, a property chain is a line of buyers and sellers who are all linked together because each sale depends on another.

For example:

• Your buyer needs to sell their house to buy yours.
• The person they’re buying from needs to buy another house.
• And so on.

It becomes a “chain” because everyone has to complete on the same day for the transactions to work smoothly.

If one person pulls out, has mortgage issues, or faces delays, it can affect everyone else in the chain.

A chain-free sale means there’s no linked transaction — for example, a first-time buyer purchasing from someone moving into rented accommodation — which can make things quicker.