The amount of gazumping going on in the British housing market has fallen but London is still sees the highest amount of the frowned upon practice.
Gazumping, where a seller accepts a verbal offer on their property from one potential buyer, but then accepts a higher offer from someone else, is down by 11% so far this year, compared to the same period in 2017, with 25% of buyers finding themselves in this position.
In London, 66% of buyers experienced gazumping, an increase of 31% over last year, according to research from Emoov. Elsewhere, the number is much smaller, with 22% in the North East and 21% in the Midlands and the North West of England, and 19% in the South West.
Only 15% in East Anglia and Northern Ireland were affected by gazumping, 10% in both Yorkshire and Wales, just 8% in Scotland and just 7% in the South East of England.
The research also found that first time buyers are most likely to be gazumped with 58% of 25-34 year olds saying they have experienced it and 41% of 35-44 year olds being gazumped during a property purchase.