First week of housing market reopening in England – the stats so far

Rightmove logo

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.”

Rightmove

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

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Tracker – 01/07/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.57% -0.05% -0.83% 5-year fixed 4.55% -0.04% -0.45%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.69% -0.13% -0.98% 5-year fixed 3.87% -0.01% -0.36%   Average…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report Covering May 2025

Sales On average, there were around 11.5 homes placed for sale per member branch in May 2025. Lettings The average void period reported by member agents increased to just over three weeks in May 2025. We are seeing an average of 37% of housing transactions taking longer than 17 weeks to complete. The timescales are…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental Market Hotspots Drive National Growth

New analysis from FCC Paragon reveals modest national growth in rental demand across England in Q2 2025, up by 1.2% to 29.4%. However, this overall increase masks significant regional variation, with several counties experiencing substantial quarterly surges that are driving the market forward. The research shows that rental demand across England strengthened in Q2, up 1.2%…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 – Thoughts from the Industry

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 shows House prices fell by -0.8% between May and June of this year. On an annual basis, the average house price increased by 2.1% although this rate of growth had slowed from 3.5% the previous month. As a result, the average UK house price now sits at £271,619.…
Read More
Breaking News

Clarity still needed on key areas in Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords later today, 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging the UK Government and Peers to amendment Bill, so it is fit for purpose. There remain long-standing concerns about the capacity and capability of the Courts, with the time from claim to hearing…
Read More
Cozy Pet Cat Tree Grey
Breaking News

Pet deposits only option following UK Government U-turn on Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords which kicks off later today, Tuesday 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging Peers to support an amendment that would allow for an additional pet deposit now that the UK Government has tabled amendments to remove pet insurance requirements. Since the introduction…
Read More