Busiest ever start to the year as home-hunters seek New Year moves

January 8, 2021
Rightmove logo
  • Rightmove has recorded its busiest ever start to a new year, with visits to the site up 30% on the same time period in 2020
  • Very early signs of activity continuing to grow during the new lockdowns in England and Scotland, with over six million daily visits to the site on Tuesday and Wednesday
  • People contacting estate agents about a property to buy is 11% higher than at the start of 2020, and those enquiring about a property to rent is up by 22%

 

The impending end to the stamp duty holiday, more people re-evaluating where they live and the housing market staying open have all contributed to Rightmove recording its busiest ever start to a new year.

 

Despite the new lockdowns beginning this week in England and Scotland, visits to Rightmove continued to grow across Tuesday and Wednesday, giving hope to those who already have or those who are planning to put their property on the market to sell or rent out in early 2021.

 

Rightmove’s Director of Property Data Tim Bannister said:”January is usually one of our busiest months of the year as people start to make new year plans to move, as was the case at the start of last year when we also had the post-election bounce that gave hope of an active spring market, before that all changed with the temporary closure from March until May. We didn’t know how this year would start with so much change and uncertainty around restrictions, but it’s been reassuring for those people hoping or needing to move that the demand we’ve seen so far is the highest we’ve ever had in January.

 

“The housing market has been allowed to stay open during these latest lockdowns and agents have already spent months working in a covid-secure way and creating a number of property videos, so buyers and renters starting out on their search this year will find that, alongside the safe viewing protocols, more agents are offering virtual viewings to help buyers and renters better shortlist the properties they want to go and see.”

Rightmove

UK Property news updates shared directly from Rightmove PLC - the country's leading property portal.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Private rent and house prices, UK: December 2025

Main Points Average UK monthly private rents increased by 4.4%, to £1,366, in the 12 months to November 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 5.0% in the 12 months to October 2025. Average rents increased to £1,422 (4.4%) in England, £820 (6.1%) in Wales, and £1,012 (3.3%) in Scotland, in the…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 17/12/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. How to get Proptechs from MVP to EXIT Reporter Zara S. Proptech has spent years trying to prove its relevance to the property industry. New platforms appear daily, capital flows in cycles, and “disruption” is promised more often than it is delivered. What is far less…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Why Real Estate Pros Should Care About the RoHS Directive in Smart Home Tech

Some of the tasks that real estate pros perform nowadays include negotiating and posting, and checking houses on property listings. You also have to deal with buyers who expect “smart-everything,” landlords who want long-term reliability, and tenants who care about safety and sustainability. In the middle of these expectations, there’s rohs directive. Why should you…
Read More →
Breaking News

A fifth of ‘second-steppers’ received financial help from friends or family to buy their home

 ‘Second-steppers’ who had financial help received £81k on average towards purchasing their home Three in 10 second or third-time owners who received financial help for their current property, say they also received support for a previous home Barclays data shows spending on rent and mortgages rose by 3.5 per cent year-on-year in November, the smallest…
Read More →
Breaking News

NPPF review is a chance to fix planning, build homes, restore wildlife and help SMEs

The latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) unveils an ambitious package of reforms designed to speed up the planning process and make smaller sites more viable. This includes trimming environmental regulations and cutting Building Safety Levy on smaller sites, as well as providing more funding to local authorities to process planning applications faster, whilst taking…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Five key tax mistakes made by landlords

By Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director, Leaders Landlord tax is a hugely complicated area, so if you are investing in buy-to-let or renting out any property you own, it’s well worth consulting a specialist property tax adviser. They can help ensure you: a. Own, let, take income and realise gains from your investment in…
Read More →