First week of housing market reopening in England – the stats so far
May 29, 2020
First week in the rental market
DEMAND
- Demand for rental property is up 33% compared to this time last year as the market reopens and renters jump into action, with Monday 18th May seeing the highest level of rental demand ever recorded in one day on Rightmove
STOCK & LET AGREED
- Almost 23,000 new rental listings have come to the market since the first day of reopening, down 10% on the same week last year
- Total available stock for rent is now up 13% since before lockdown
PRICES
- Asking rents are currently up 2.1% on 2019, down from an annual rate of 3% before lockdown. They are on average £1,089 per calendar month (for all of Great Britain)
BIGGEST RISERS
- Biggest increase in rental searches compared to last year are in Rotherham (+97%), Cambridge (+77%) and St Helens (+75%)
First week in the resale market
DEMAND
- Demand for property up for sale is now down just 7% compared to this time last year, and up 120% compared to the previous week
STOCK & SALES AGREED
- Almost 11,000 new sales listings have come to the market since the first day of reopening, 65% down on the same week last year although improving from 90% down during lockdown
- There is currently £230 billion worth of property currently on Rightmove, circa 95% of the housing market
- Total available stock for sale is down 2.5% since before lockdown
REDUCTIONS
- 1% of properties up for sale have been reduced over the past week, compared to 2% over the same week last year
- The average size of a reduction over the past week was 4.5%, the same size of a reduction as in the same week last year
ASKING PRICES
- Average asking prices of all property up for sale are up 2% on last year, the same as before the lockdown. The current average is £311,828 (for all of Great Britain)
BIGGEST RISERS
- Biggest increase in buyer searches compared to last year are Manchester (+60%), Liverpool (+54%) and Leeds (+38%)
TRAFFIC ON SITE
- On Tuesday 19th May Rightmove recorded the busiest day since Thursday 5th March, with almost 5.3 million visits, up 4% on the same day in May last year
Rightmove’s Housing Market expert, Miles Shipside, comments: “One week on from the surprise opening of the housing market and agents are still showing caution and quite rightly putting safety first, but many had already started to prepare during lockdown and so have been able to start reopening their branches and conducting viewings. The activity jump on Rightmove proves the determination of home-movers to continue with their plans over the next few months. The pause button put many of the usual metrics we report on out of kilter and so a week’s worth of data should only be taken as an early indication of activity, but it’s certainly encouraging.”
You May Also Enjoy
What the Autumn Budget 2025 means for downsizers
Now that the dust has settled on what was a hotly anticipated Autumn Budget from the UK government, over-50s property specialist Regency Living has produced a concise guide to the implications for the nation’s downsizers, and concluded that this Budget is going to further increase demand on England’s park home market. The 2025 Autumn Budget was…
Read More 
Boxing Day Bounce Set to Kick-Start 2026 Housing Market
Propertymark is forecasting another strong “Boxing Day Bounce” this year, as millions of prospective buyers and renters are expected to jump online on 26 December in search of a new home, triggering one of the busiest property marketing days of the year. Boxing Day has become a pivotal moment for the housing market. With families…
Read More 
Post-Budget Bounce in Homebuyer Activity
The latest research by eXp UK has revealed that the market could be set for a festive surge in homebuyer activity now that the Autumn Budget dust has settled, with the vast majority of prospective buyers preparing to resume their search and many even willing to conduct viewings during the Christmas period itself. The survey of…
Read More 
Nationwide House Price Index for November 2025
The latest Nationwide House Price Index for November 2025 shows: House prices increased by 0.3% between October and November of this year. On an annual basis, the average house price increased by 1.8%, down from a 2.2% annual rate of growth in October. As a result, the average UK house price now sits at £272,998.…
Read More 
Annual house price growth slows in November
Annual house price growth softens slightly to 1.8% House prices were up 0.3% month on month Headlines Nov-25 Oct-25 Monthly Index* 545.9 544.3 Monthly Change* 0.3% 0.2% Annual Change 1.8% 2.4% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £272,998 £272,226 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are revised when seasonal adjustment factors are…
Read More 
Real Estate 2026: Trends to watch, challenges to tackle, opportunities to seize
By Howard Sefton, Managing Director, Real Estate at Ingenious As we move into 2026, the UK real estate market stands at a pivotal crossroads. Economic uncertainty, political shifts, and changing lifestyles are converging to reshape how people live, work, rent, and invest. With a major Budget announced just weeks before year-end, the sector faces a…
Read More