UK house sales plunge by 41% year-on-year with one factor blamed for ‘distorting’ market
UK home sales fell by 41% in March 2026 compared to the same month the previous year, according to HM Revenue and Customs data. The decline is largely attributed to a surge in transactions in March 2025 ahead of the end of the stamp duty holiday, which created a distorted year-on-year comparison. Despite the drop, sales rose slightly from the previous month and showed signs of market resilience amid ongoing economic pressures.
- ▪UK house sales dropped by 41% year-on-year in March 2026, with around 104,070 properties sold.
- ▪The sharp decline is primarily due to a rush of purchases in March 2025 before the stamp duty holiday ended.
- ▪Mortgage rates recently increased due to uncertainty stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.
- ▪March 2026 sales were 1% higher than February 2026 and the highest monthly total since March 2025.
- ▪Experts note that completions typically lag behind agreed sales by two to four months, so current data may not yet reflect recent market conditions.
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NewsUKHome NewsUK house sales plunge by 41% year-on-year with one factor blamed for ‘distorting’ marketAround 104,070 properties were sold in March 2026Vicky Shaw Friday 01 May 2026 14:48 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2968610To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/house-sales-uk-property-mortgages-stamp-duty-hmrc-b2968932.html","title":"UK house sales plunge by 41% with one factor blamed for ‘distorting’ market"}}What steps can homeowners worried about mortgage rate rises consider?Your support helps us to…
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