Market kick starts with rise in visits, new listings and enquiries to agents on Rightmove

May 14, 2020
Rightmove logo
  • Visits to Rightmove were up 45% on Wednesday morning compared to the previous day following the government’s surprise announcement to reopen the housing market1
  • Email enquiries sent to agents rose by 70% now that physical viewings can again take place2
  • New listings are also starting to rise, with 2,115 new properties added in just five hours3

 

Early signs on Rightmove show a surge of home-mover activity now that the government has eased restrictions on moving home in England. Ahead of the announcement, activity was already starting to steadily recover, with yesterday (Tuesday 12th May) being the busiest day of lockdown for visits to Rightmove. The surprise announcement last night has ignited further interest.

 

Rightmove’s Housing Market Expert Miles Shipside commented: “These are clear signs that the news from the government has prompted more home-hunters to start looking for their next home, and we anticipate further uplift in activity once agents have time to adjust to the new social distancing guidance specific to the home moving sector. Home movers who have been eagerly waiting to take their home moving plans to the next stage should show some patience with agents given the unexpected announcement, to ensure there’s time to adapt to the new guidelines and ensure everyone is kept safe.”

 

Rightmove has created some guidelines on how to view property safely based on the government’s published guidance for home-movers, available at:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/property-news/how-to-view-property-safely/

Rightmove

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

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

The UK cities with the largest property price increases revealed

A new study has unveiled the most challenging UK cities for first-time buyers. Newry leads Northern Ireland’s ranking, with a property price increase of 12.8%, while Hull leads Great Britain’s ranking, recording an increase of 6.6%. The research examined data from HM Land Registry to reveal the cities that have faced the highest property price…
Read More →
Breaking News

The UK’s Most Expensive Property Hotspots Revealed

More than one in three homes sold in Camden last year fetched at least £1 million, making it the UK’s leading million-pound property hotspot in a new study of England and Wales. But despite London’s dominance at the top of the rankings, the research reveals a surprising trend: median sale prices in several expensive London…
Read More →
Breaking News

Lloyds House Price Index – October 2026

House prices in October 2026 were 1.2% lower compared to the same month a year earlier. House prices fall in October as market remains subdued • House prices fell by -0.6% in October, following a -0. 1% decrease in September • The average property price is now £29 6 ,285 , compared to £29 8…
Read More →
Breaking News

Britain’s most affordable towns revealed

Britain’s most affordable towns revealed, where homes cost less than two years worth of household earnings   Zoopla reveals 36 British towns where a typical home is worth less than twice the combined annual earnings of two local full-time workers Across Great Britain, a typical home costs 4.3 times annual household earnings, compared with just…
Read More →
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England raises rates to 4%

The Bank has raised interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4%. Policymakers were unanimous in their decision. Here is the reaction from the industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, comments: “As the Bank of England continues to navigate wider economic pressures, including rising inflation, it comes as little surprise that base rate decisions remain…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 5/11/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. The Greatest Return on AI May Not Be the Work It Eliminates, but the Human Potential It Releases Time to look at artificial intelligence as a growth engine that upgrades humans working life Thought Leadership By Author Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR For decades, businesses have…
Read More →