Property Market News

85,000 homes changed hands in October, according to HMRC's data - 52% fewer than in September, during the last of the stamp duty holiday rush.

Build-to-rent investors are primed to fill a widening supply gap in the lettings market, says Savills, as it predicts strong growth for most prime and mainstream rental markets.

"At this point of year, we expect buyer enquiries to tail off but we have been seeing the opposite," says Chestertons.

London's average property price dropped by a sharp 2.9% in September, according to the latest official statistics, taking annual growth in the capital down to +2.8% (from +6.7% in August)

The property market is "far less frenzied" than it has been over the last year, says national buying agency Garrington, although prices continue to rise and buying activity continues to be "robust".

"Living and working remotely will transcend the pandemic," declares Airbnb as it ramps up its share of the long-term rental market.

“The swing back of demand into city centres, including London, has underpinned another rise in rents in Q3, especially as the supply of rental property remains tight," says Gráinne Gilmore, Head of…

A 0.6% dip in average asking prices is "an early Christmas present" for home-buyers, says Rightmove, while a jump in valuation requests from potential property vendors is "a sign of building momentum.

Surveyors reported a small dip in sales volumes despite rising buyer enquiries in October, as house-hunters struggled to find suitable homes to buy.

Two-thirds of homes listed for sale on Rightmove are already marked as Sold Subject to Contract, up from around half last Autumn.

"Property in the capital’s most prestigious postcodes is overdue a recovery," says Savills, as it reveals its prime and mainstream market forecasts for the next five years.

National estate agency Strutts is forecasting price growth of between 20% and 35% by 2025 across the UK, and somewhere between 15% and 35% over five years in Prime Central London.