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Is gazundering set to return?

ended 19. March 2026

Are you seeing evidence of the return of gazundering, as buyers use the ongoing uncertainty caused by the Middle East war to renegotiate price? Or, if not, are you seeing examples of sellers accepting offers that they may have rejected a few weeks ago when the base rate was due to be cut? Are sellers softening up and what are your views on gazundering more generally? Is it simply “not cricket” or a fair strategy given the extreme mortgage rate volatility we're currently experiencing?

10 responses from the Newspage community

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Patricia Ogunfeibo
Founder & non-practicing Solicitor at tenant2owner
Gazundering could be back. With mortgage rate volatility driven by geopolitical uncertainty and the Bank of England holding firm, the numbers that worked a few weeks ago might no longer work. For savvy first-time buyers, this is a window, not a crisis. If your borrowing costs have materially changed since your offer was accepted, you are entitled to revisit that offer. Get an updated mortgage illustration, show the seller the numbers, and make your case. That is not gazundering for sport, that is financial self-defence. People in the middle of a chain might be able to absorb moderate higher costs, but it is not prudent for a first time buyer to. My advice: know your numbers, protect your position, and never sign up to a deal that no longer adds up just to be polite.
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Bob Singh
Founder at Chess Mortgages
Gazundering looks 100% set to return to rattle a few chains, causing palpitations and headaches for estate agents. Committed sellers will have to grapple with the fear of losing their onward purchase and starting all over again. Most will accept a slight price adjustment to keep the deal alive and estate agents may reduce their fees too just to make the deal work for all parties. In English law the legal commitment only happens at the exchange of contracts stage. In troubled times, buying choices are either deferred or, if already in process, reviewed. Questions arise as to whether it’s the right thing to do and whether the price being paid reflects the perceived value. The geo-political tensions we see today have not only affected the UAE market confidence but sent tremors to other parts of the world, not least the UK. With spiking interest rates, buyers will be questioning their move and those deals agreed well before the conflict are the most at risk of a price renegotiation.
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Ben Perks
Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers
Gazundering is a massive thorn in the side of the mortgage and property industries and should be outlawed. But it is likely that we will see instances of it reappear in the near future. If the UK economy does have a wobble in reaction to events in Iran, people's budgets will start to creak. This could mean they reevaluate and renegotiate on pricing.
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Michelle Lawson
Director at Lawson Financial
We are seeing credible buyers putting offers on the table and vendors taking longer to consider them and holding out for a higher price. Vendors and agents need to be aware of the market and not look a gift horse in the mouth. There are a lot of properties available so there is buyer choice which will naturally surpress prices. Ultimately, don’t be greedy or you might regret it.
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Martin Rayner
Financial Adviser at Compton Financial Services
We’re not seeing a clear return of gazundering at the moment. Once a price is agreed, buyers typically secure their mortgage rate early, so later renegotiations aren’t being driven by rate movements. Where prices do change, it’s usually down to survey findings rather than market uncertainty.

The bigger shift is for landlords. With the proposed Renters’ Rights changes, buyers increasingly want certainty a property will be vacant—often by exchange. That may force landlords to serve four months’ notice using the selling clause.

If the sale then falls through, they could be unable to re-let for up to 12 months. That creates a risk: once the property is empty, buyers may push for a price reduction knowing the seller has limited options.

This looks like an unintended consequence the Government may not have fully thought through—and it could bring gazundering back.
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Dariusz Karpowicz
Director at Albion Financial Advice
Gazundering should be illegal. The UK property process is already long, stressful, and fragile. Letting buyers rip up their offer at the last minute just makes it worse for everyone involved.
If your mortgage costs have genuinely changed, be upfront early. Do not wait until completion week to spring it on the seller. Nothing is legally binding until exchange, and that is the real flaw here. Transparency beats brinkmanship every time.
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Simon Bridgland
Broker at Charwin Private Clients
Thankfully its not showing any signs for buyers I'm helping but it could easily happen. Looking over the last few days I have seen over 88% of newly listed properties have price reductions, this could be coming as a very immediate reaction to market fears over rate hikes we've seen in the last two weeks. Vendors desperate to sell, some of which could be argued were overpriced, are starting to see the issue from a couple of years ago where higher rates caused stagnation in the market. Those in chains already will no doubt start to wonder if the property they are buying still holds the good value they once believed.
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Richard Davidson
Mortgage Advisor at onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk
The rise in gazundering is often attributed to rising costs or a shift in market leverage, but a deeper trend is emerging, the hyper-informed buyer. Today’s purchasers are utilising an unprecedented level of data to renegotiate terms as new information surfaces. No longer a simple tactical move, this 'savvy repricing' is frequently driven by comprehensive structural surveys and forensic research, allowing buyers to adjust their offers to reflect the true value of the asset
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Rohit Parmar-Mistry
Founder at Pattrn Data
Gazundering is underhanded. You agree a price, everyone plans their lives around it, then someone tries to shave it at the last minute because they think you are trapped. We might see more of it if rates jump or headlines spook buyers. Some people will treat that as an excuse to push their luck. But it is still a choice. If you are using volatility to bully a seller who has kept their side of the bargain, the blame sits with you. Yes, surveys and valuations can surface real issues and sometimes the number genuinely needs to move. But that should be evidence-led and rare, not a tactic. A simple rule would cut most of this out: once you have a deal, do not reopen the price unless you can point to a material change, in writing.
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Nick Harris
Founding Director at Quarters
We’re not seeing any meaningful return of gazundering at present. Despite geopolitical uncertainty and mortgage rate volatility, behaviour on the ground in Wokingham remains disciplined. Agreed sales are largely holding together, with buyers not routinely renegotiating late in the process. Gazundering isn’t making a comeback - the market is simply less forgiving. Price correctly and deals hold together; push too far and buyers just won’t engage. What we are seeing is a highly price-sensitive market. Buyers are well-informed and quick to disengage if a property feels overpriced. Sellers who launch at the right level generate strong interest and progress smoothly, while those who aim too high face longer timeframes and price adjustments. Gazundering remains rare and widely viewed as poor form, with most moves still driven by life events rather than opportunism.