Despite some significant “bumps” along the way, the property market in 2025 managed to hold its own. Last year saw the end of Stamp Duty relief, higher council tax on second homes, and the introduction of a mansion tax.  

As we step into 2026, there are some positive signs emerging. The Bank of England's decision to cut the base rate back in December - coupled with healthy levels of sales that are moving towards completion - suggests that we can expect steady growth in transactions.  

There’s a clear desire among people to relocate, which we can see from the number of homeowners putting their properties on the market. What’s more, sales activity in 2026 is looking optimistic. It hasn’t quite matched the high levels we saw in 2025, but we must remember that last year’s figures were inflated due to the changes in the Stamp Duty thresholds.  

Demand this year feels much more sustainable, as it’s not driven by a deadline. 

Supply is starting to reflect the mansion tax impact 
We're seeing an increase in new properties for sale as we start 2026, with listings up 3.5% compared to 2025.  

The data from January 2026 reveals that the impact of the mansion tax could be starting to show in the housing market, with properties in the £1m+ price band seeing the strongest growth in supply of 5.9% year-over-year. 

If we look regionally, the South, where there is a significant proportion of high-value homes, is experiencing a bigger boost in supply compared to the North, with the South East leading the way with the largest increase of 7.1% year-on-year. Removers could see more work coming their way from premium properties in this region. 

On the flip side, Inner London, home to many high-end properties priced over £2m, is seeing a slight dip in supply of 0.5%. It is buyer demand that has taken a hit in the capital, with sales agreed in Inner London down 18.1%, followed by a 10.7% decline in Outer London. This could indicate that the High Value Council Tax Surcharge is causing potential buyers to be more cautious in the capital. 

Demand 
In 2025, the number of properties that had a sale agreed hit over 1.25 million, which is a 2.3% rise compared to 2024.  

Looking at early 2026, enquiries may not have been coming through as thick and fast as last year, as January’s SSTCs were 6.7% lower than the prior year. This dip, however, can mainly be attributed to those rushing to complete their 2025 sales before the end of Stamp Duty relief. 

On a positive note, we’ve also seen a slight improvement in the number of fall-throughs, which decreased by 12% when comparing January 2026 to January 2025. 

Transactions 
Last year, collectively, it was a busy one, with HMRC reporting transactions in 2025 reached 1.21 million, representing a 10% increase from 2024 and a 3% rise compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. 

In 2026, we anticipate movers will be equally busy with transaction volumes remaining stable or even exceeding the 1.2 million mark. 

Time to exchange 
The average time to exchange in 2025 was 123 days. This is 1.4% higher than 2024.  

For January 2026, this has jumped up to 137 days. Meaning those properties that agreed a sale back at the end of October, beginning of November will be looking for your removal services this March. 

Rental 
There's a positive trend in rental supply - up 21.7% - which is good news as supply is outpacing demand. However, tenant demand is at a seven-year high, 3.7% up on 2025. With more tenants wanting to move and more properties available, this suggests there will be more movement in the lettings sector for removal companies to reap opportunities from. 

To summarise, removal companies probably experienced a slower January than last year, thanks to the lack of the Stamp Duty deadline.  

Going forward, the industry should see a healthy and stable number of enquiries come through and we anticipate this continuing throughout the year ahead. 

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