Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Mortgage Delays and Repeated Checks Drive Homebuyer Stress, Pexa Finds

Mortgage delays and duplicated verification processes are major sources of frustration for UK homebuyers, according to new research from Pexa. The findings highlight ongoing challenges in the property transaction process, with only 7% of surveyed buyers completing their purchase without delays.

Pexa’s Home Moving Experience Report, based on a survey of 1,050 homeowners who moved in the past 12 months, found that more than 80% of buyers experienced significant stress during multiple stages of their most recent property purchase. Mortgage delays were identified as one of the leading causes of this stress.

The report also revealed that three-quarters of respondents faced disruption linked to conveyancing, mortgage approvals, property chains, surveys, identity checks, or communication failures. Fragmentation between estate agents, mortgage brokers, lenders, and conveyancers was cited as a key issue, with buyers often required to provide the same information and documentation multiple times as data moves between organisations.

Pexa noted growing industry support for trusted, reusable data and digital verification tools that would allow information to be securely shared between authorised participants. The findings come as lenders continue to explore wider adoption of digital identity, smart data, and digital verification technologies.

For 82% of respondents, uncertainty over who to contact during different stages of the transaction was a major source of stress. Additionally, 78% said confusion around where to obtain updates contributed to delays. The report suggests that the role of mortgage brokers is evolving, with buyers increasingly viewing advisers as guides through the wider home moving process, and access to shared transaction data and greater visibility expected to play a larger role in supporting clients.

Pexa concluded that completion remains one of the least modernised stages of the transaction process, with manual coordination and fragmented systems still common. The report indicated that reducing uncertainty, improving data sharing, and removing duplicated checks could help create a more predictable and comprehensible mortgage and home buying experience for consumers.