Can’t agree completion date

[Iamsodonewith2020]

Buyer at top of chain (our buyer) eager to move into first marital home wants to complete 22/8, top of chain will not budge on 18/9. We can’t exchange contracts currently as knowone will come to mutual agreement. Rest of us in the middle not fussed as long as we exchange ASAP. What do we do ( insert many crying emoji!!!)

Someone has to give way ultimately, depends who has most to lose!

Do you mean the buyer at bottom of chain, or do you mean your seller is the top buyer? If it's bottom of chain could it be to align with rental dates? Otherwise if it's your seller, then surely it depends on what you agree as well so if you say yes fine 18th September doesn't have much to give way on. Plus 22nd doesn't give people a lot of time to get removals and stuff sorted, is that the issue the top is having?

One very unrecommended and advised against way is for someone to break the chain and go somewhere else temporarily. Me and dh did this years ago. We moved into my parents as our chain was a nightmare and our buyers (bottom of chain) were getting very gittery.