UK housing sales remain subdued according to RICS
July 17, 2018
Latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey published 12th July 2018 headlined ‘UK housing sales remain subdued as rent expectations continue to heat up’.
The RICS survey reveals that: significantly, over the month, newly agreed sales have recorded the sixteenth successive month of continued decline, with 7% more respondents reporting a fall in agreed sales.
The survey states: For the second month in a row, new instructions have risen, with 10% more respondents seeing an increase in the flow of properties being put up for sale. However, with average stocks remaining close to historic lows at 43 it would be too early to suggest that this issue is lessening as an obstacle.
Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist said:
“It is hard to see what is going to provide much impetus for activity in the housing market in the near term. Meanwhile the on-going challenges around lifting the delivery pipeline, reflected in last week’s disappointing data on housing starts, is captured in the suspicion in the survey that prices are likely to resume an upward course over the coming year. The challenge is also visible in the response of the private lettings market to change to the tax treatment on investment properties. While it is understandable that the government wanted to provide a lift for first time buyers, this may well come at the cost of higher rents as the appeal of buy to let diminishes.”
Read the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey 12th July 2018 in full click here.
You May Also Enjoy
Breaking Property News 20/8/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Why Angela Rayner Housing Secretary is in the wrong job – again A smile, bluster and vague soundbites will not solve the UK housing crisis Thought Leadership by Andrew Stanton – CEO Proptech-PR ‘I have been involved in the UK property industry since the mid 1980’s…
Read More 
Buyers Looking Beyond London
London new-build demand plummets behind commuter belt as buyers look beyond the capital Demand for new-build homes in Essex more than three times higher than in London, while Hertfordshire faces supply squeeze amid growing buyer appetite The latest research by UK Property Development has revealed a growing divide between London’s new-build market and…
Read More 
Top six tips for first-time buyers
Independent mortgage broker, Flagstone Financial, has outlined key advice for first-time buyers, pointing to flexible options as signs of an improving mortgage market. With high loan-to-value lending (80–95%) becoming more widely available, the property ladder is more accessible than in recent years, and experts at Flagstone Financial, partner of the Beresfords Group, are advising…
Read More 
England’s rental stock surges by as much as 86.6% in a year
Rental listings have almost doubled in Tyne and Wear since August 2025, with Greater Manchester and a host of other markets also recording double-digit growth The latest research from Propoly has revealed that England’s rental listings have climbed by an average of 7.4% in the past year, led by an 86.6% increase in Tyne and…
Read More 
One in five homebuyers have been ‘catfished’
The latest research from House Buyer Bureau has found that, with the rise of A.I, “homebuyer catfishing” is becoming an increasingly familiar experience for UK buyers, with one in five saying they viewed a property where the listing photos had been digitally enhanced to make the home appear better than it actually was. However, while the…
Read More 
Only 31% of letting agents confident their onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud
The latest research from Propoly has revealed that just 31% of UK letting agents are absolutely confident that their tenant onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud, as lengthy onboarding times and delays with referencing continue to create challenges for the industry. Propoly surveyed UK letting agents to understand how long tenant onboarding currently takes,…
Read More