The UK property market recorded 593,000 new listings year-to-date by late April 2026, representing a 0.9% decline compared to the same period in 2025 but 7.1% above 2024 levels, according to weekly market statistics for the period ending 26th April 2026.
Gross residential sales reached 394,000 properties sold subject to contract year-to-date, down 5.5% from 417,000 in the equivalent 2025 period. However, the figure remains 4.5% higher than 2024 and 15.3% above 2023 levels.
Transaction volumes and completion rates
Net residential sales, which account for transactions that fell through, totalled 308,000 year-to-date, down 3.2% from 319,000 in 2025. The figure stands 4.7% ahead of 2024 and 18.2% above 2023.
Exchange data for the first quarter of 2026 showed 214,000 completions by the end of March, representing a 13% decline from the 246,000 recorded in mid-March 2025. The comparison reflects the impact of a stamp duty holiday that concluded in April 2025, which accelerated transactions in the prior year’s first quarter.
The market recorded 26,400 sales agreed in week 16, up from 26,100 the previous week. The 2026 weekly average stands at 24,400, above the ten-year week 16 average of 23,200.
Property withdrawals and pricing
A total of 46.6% of properties that left estate agents’ books in March 2026 were withdrawn unsold, attributed primarily to overvaluation practices supported by extended sole agency agreements exceeding 20 weeks.
The average difference between listing prices and sale agreed prices stood at 25.2%, compared to a long-term ten-year average of 16% to 17%. Properties listed at an average of £455,000 sold subject to contract at an average of £363,000.
Price reductions affected 25,600 properties in week 16, with 13.2% of residential homes for sale reduced in March 2026, compared to 13.4% in March 2025 and 12.2% in March 2024.
Market efficiency and fall-through rates
The sell-through rate, measuring properties that went under offer as a percentage of agents’ total stock, reached 15.5% in March 2026, down from 16.3% in March 2025 and 17.2% in March 2024. The figure matches the pre-Covid average of 15.5%.
Fall-throughs totalled 5,793 in week 16 from a pipeline of 453,000 homes sold subject to contract. The fall-through rate stood at 25.8%, up from 22.5% the previous week but near the long-term average of 24.5%. During March 2026, 5.1% of all sales agreed in estate agents’ pipelines fell through, compared to a 2025 average of 5.3%.
The probability of selling, measured by the percentage of properties that exchanged versus those withdrawn, reached 53.4% in March 2026, below the seven-year average of 57.6%.
Pricing and stock levels
Properties agreed for sale in March 2026 averaged £345.64 per square foot, representing a 2% increase from £338.97 twelve months prior and 12.7% above the £306.76 recorded five years ago.
Stock levels stood at 717,000 homes on the market as of 1st April 2026, compared to 706,000 on the same date in 2025. The sales pipeline contained 453,000 homes, slightly below the 461,000 recorded on 1st April 2025.
Rental market data
The rental market showed average rents of £1,740 per calendar month in March 2026, down marginally from £1,747 in March 2025. Available rental stock totalled 312,000 properties in March 2026, compared to 313,000 in the previous year.
The data comes as the landlord sector awaits implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, while separate proposals have emerged for licensing regimes targeting HMO landlords.
The statistics indicate a market operating above pre-pandemic norms but showing signs of cooling from the elevated activity levels of 2025, with transaction volumes declining year-on-year despite remaining above longer-term averages.
