Broadband connectivity is a top consideration when moving house in the UK

roadband is now seen as essential for the majority of home movers in the UK, up from 48% to 57%, new research has found.

Providing financial support for relatives has now become one of the key reasons to move home, up from 15% to 22%, according to research from agents Strutt & Parker.

The firm looked at five years of survey results and found that a desire for a more relaxed, accessible lifestyle lies behind the most popular reasons for moving home. Along with privacy, mentioned by 66% of respondents, access to local shops and amenities, digital connectivity and public transport are among the top reasons for moving.

Access to public transport was mentioned by significantly more respondents, some 48% compared to 37% in 2013. Even in the digital age, more people wanted to be close to family and friends, up from 37% to 48%.

Walking to work was also seen an increasingly attractive option, up from 25% to 36%. This year’s survey also showed marked changes when it comes to the size and type of home respondents expected to move into in the future.

‘When we look back at the past five years of Housing Futures survey results, a clear pattern emerges showing that homebuyers have an ever increasing desire to be connected. Connected to good local shops and amenities, connected to work via convenient public transport, connected digitally to the internet,’ said Vanessa Hale, director in research at Strutt & Parker.

‘Since 2013 when we first ran our survey, the number of people who rated good broadband as a key motivation for moving had grown from 48% to 57%. Digital connectivity is now seen as essential for the majority of movers,’ she explained.

Likewise, public transport connectivity was a big consideration, up from 37% to 48%, and more people want to walk to work, up from 25% to 36%, something which is usually more possible in a city or big town than it is in the countryside, the report also pointed out.

‘Overall, our survey showed that urban living has become more popular over the past five years, up from 9% to 15%. People seem to want more speed and ease in all areas of their hectic life,’ Hale said.

‘However, at the same time and perhaps counterintuitively, home buyers still value their privacy. They want to feel secure in their homes, not cramped or overlooked. It is a delicate balance to strike as they want shops and cafes and train stations in walking distance, but don’t necessarily want everything that city life brings, such as dense terraced housing or high density flats with smaller living spaces,’ she added.

She believes that this sentiment could partly explain why detached homes dramatically decreased in popularity from 83% to 49% over the past five years, and semi-detached homes became more aspirational, growing from 5% to 14%.

‘Perhaps home buyers are starting to realise that they can have it all when it comes to connectivity, but they may need to compromise on the privacy of a detached home if they want everything on their doorstep,’ Hale added.

The research also compiled a top 10 list of best connected locations. Top is Banbury in Oxfordshire, followed by Buxton in Derbyshire, Horsham in West Sussex, Linlithgow in Scotland, Llandudno in North Wales, Loughborough in Leicestershire, Malton in Yorkshire, Penrith in Cumbria, Sevenoaks in Kent and Totnes in Devon.

‘Banbury is ideally located for commuters on the Chiltern line looking for an Oxford alternative. The line goes into Marylebone which is much more manageable and less busy than Kings Cross or Paddington,’ said Mark Smith, head of sales at Strutt & Parker’s Banbury office.

‘As a market town, Banbury is thriving and has moved on from its traditional heritage supporting the local farming community, to a business centre and the home of many well-known corporations. Buyer demand remains steady thanks to keen families looking to upsize,’ he added.

According to Alice Protheroe, head of lettings at Strutt & Parker’s Banbury office, it has been a record year for lettings. ‘There has been an increase in demand during the past 12 months from families looking to rent and make the most of Oxfordshire’s improved transport links into London,’ she explained.

‘The Banbury M40 corridor is an area which is likely to see healthy returns in the next few years. Aside from excellent schooling, plentiful amenities and countryside views, as Oxford becomes increasingly populated with properties being snapped up fast, North Oxfordshire is becoming more attractive to renters,’ she added.