Fewer homes put on market in February according to RICS

RICS UK Residential Market Survey – February 2018 released today headlines   ‘Further fall in housing stock as demnd also falls for the eleventh month’

The survey reveals the indicators for future activity in the UK housing market remain subdued. New buyer enquiries fall for the eleventh consecutive month as average stocks on estate agents’ books hits fresh record low. Results continue to signal significant regional variation across the country.

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist said:

“The consultation announced earlier this week on housing delivery put the onus squarely on developers and planning departments to up their game to lift the supply pipeline, but the feedback to the latest RICS Residential Market Survey casts some doubt as to whether this will be sufficient to address the challenge.

“Significantly, the longer term national house price indicator has begun to creep upwards once again in recent months despite the current somewhat mixed climate and the private rent series also remains firm, in both cases pointing to increases of at least fifteen percent over the next five years.

“Meanwhile, the divergent regional picture is becoming increasingly pronounced with key RICS indicators across huge swathes of the country still showing considerable resilience but data for London, the South East and East Anglia rather more subdued.”

Read the RICS UK Residential Market Survey – February 2018 released 8th March 2018 in full click here.

Read also RICS UK Residential Market Survey: Devolved Regional Outlook released 8th March 2018 in full click here.

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Rural housing markets in full bloom

Rural housing markets in full bloom with price growth of up to 9.6% Countryside locations outperforming urban areas and the overall national average   As the country basks in spring sunshine, it comes as no surprise that new research from Yopa has revealed rural housing markets are enjoying hotter market conditions than their urban counterparts, with…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

ProvenDeals: The Smarter Way to Manage, Find, and Close Property Deals

If you’re a landlord, property investor, or deal sourcer, you’ve probably noticed something… The current system is broken. • Landlords are paying high management fees that eat into profit • Investors spend hours digging through low-quality, unverified deals • Deal sourcers struggle to find serious buyers who can actually close Everyone is busy. But not…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 6/5/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Commercial property data – who owns it? Commercial real estate is rushing toward AI, automation, and smart building technology. But there’s a critical question many owners still aren’t asking: Who actually owns the building’s data? Across commercial property portfolios, valuable operational data is generated…
Read More
Breaking News

Demand for qualifications doubles as Rightmove helps agents get ahead of reform

New data reveals a jump in estate and letting agents looking to get qualified, with Rightmove exam bookings more than doubling (+128%) compared to last year Leading property industry body Propertymark has seen a 51% uplift in demand for qualifications since April 2020, highlighting a long-term shift in the industry wanting formal qualifications The insight…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 5/5/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   New AI Real Estate Market Intelligence Platform Launches in the U.S.   Press Release – New York, May 2026 — Rodland Real Estate, a leading independent brokerage headquartered in The Bahamas, has announced the U.S. launch of RoRo, an advanced AI-powered real estate market intelligence…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage affordability at tightest level since 2008

UK Finance has today published a new Lending Where We Live report, revealing sharp differences in mortgage affordability and buy‑to‑let returns across the UK. Key findings 723,000 house purchase mortgages advanced in 2025, up 17 per cent year-on-year Average borrower spends 21.3 per cent of gross income on repayments Significant regional differences: North Norfolk and Hillingdon top the list with borrowers spending over 25 per cent of gross income Seven…
Read More