More Londoners moving out of capital to search for new home according to Hamptons International

New figures recently published by Hamptons International show that there were 61% more Londoners leaving the capital and buying homes elsewhere in the first half of this year than at the same period 10 years ago. The number of Londoners who bought homes outside the capital rose to 30,280 in H1 2018, a 16% rise following last year’s dip.  In H1 2017 a total of 26,180 Londoners moved out of the capital, down from 32,360 in H1 2016.

Hamptons International reveal that in the first half of 2018 Londoners bought over 30,000 homes outside the capital, 16% more than the same period last year and 61% more than in H1 2008.

Since 2010 the proportion of Londoners leaving the capital for Northern England or the Midlands has tripled, the average price of a home bought by a Londoner leaving the capital rose to £424,610, the highest on record.  The figures also reveal that 31% of first-time buyers living in London bought outside the capital, down 2% on H1 2016.

Commenting Aneisha Beveridge, Research Analyst at Hamptons International, said:

“With affordability stretched, more Londoners are moving out of the capital to find their new home.  The proportion of London leavers heading North has tripled in the last 10 years.  More people are making a bigger move and buying a larger home sooner to avoid having to pay stamp duty on additional moves as they trade up.  But for many, this means heading further North.

“However, more first-time buyers are staying in the capital to purchase their first home than last year.  The savings from stamp duty relief and the availability of Help to Buy has meant that more first-time buyers are able to remain in London than before.  But raising a deposit remains a hurdle for many, which helps explain why increasing numbers of first-time buyers who leave London are heading North.”

Read the recent news release from Hamptons International 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

UK monthly property transactions for May 2025

Headline statistics from the latest transactions data include: the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 81,470, 12% lower than May 2024 and 25% higher than April 2025 the provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 80,530, 13% lower than May 2024 and…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) shows the Government has a plan

The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its first board meeting today (26 June 2025), where it set out a roadmap for recruiting 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of Parliament. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition…
Read More
Paint Stripper Tools
Estate Agent Talk

5 Strategies to Optimise Your Warehouse for Real Estate

The term fixer-upper can mean many things, from ‘slap some paint on the walls and it looks brand new’ to ‘will this building collapse if we open the front door?’ Indeed, in the dicey world of commercial property acquisition, each warehouse you buy will probably fall into both camps. Thinking about the viability of warehouses…
Read More
Breaking News

HMOs sell for up to 50% above market average

New research from Excellion Capital, the boutique debt advisory and investment firm, reveals that HMOs sell for as much as 50% above the average house price, further increasing their investment potential after it was revealed that HMOs also create rental yields of up to 12.5%. After previous research from Excellion Capital recently showed that the…
Read More
Breaking News

UK buyers struggle while 50,000 homes sit empty

As the UK housing crisis deepens, new analysis by Open Property Group exposes a worrying surge in so-called “zombie homes”- properties that sit unoccupied and deteriorating while millions struggle to access affordable housing. Key insights: 50,000+ long-term vacant homes in England alone 23,000+ of these have been empty for more than two years Estimated £13.6…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   The UK is Europe’s second most distressed market despite headline GDP growth Retail and Consumers Goods has emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, with distress levels now the highest since the global financial crisis, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI). The…
Read More