Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property Industry Eye. Read the original article for full details.

UK Property Market Faces Blockages Despite Healthy Supply and Demand

The latest UK Property Market Stats for week 33 indicate that while buyer demand and housing supply remain relatively healthy, a significant proportion of properties are struggling to progress to a sale. The figures for the week ending 23 August 2026 cover new listings, sales agreed, price reductions, fall-throughs, and other key market indicators.

Market Activity and Sales Progression

In week 33, there were 31,800 new property listings, slightly down from 32,600 the previous week. The year-to-date total for new listings stands at 1.198 million, which is 0.4% lower than the same period in 2025 but 2.9% higher than 2024. Gross residential sales agreed for the week were 23,300, below the 10-year week 33 average of 25,100. Year-to-date, 809,000 UK homes have been sold subject to contract, 7.2% lower than 2025 but 10.9% higher than 2023.

Net residential sales (gross sales less fall-throughs) for week 33 were 17,700, with a year-to-date total of 627,000. This is 5.8% lower than 2025 but 13.7% ahead of 2023.

Withdrawals, Price Reductions, and Sell-Through Rates

In July 2026, there were 79,500 exchanges and 75,600 withdrawals. Only 51.3% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged and completed, while 49% were withdrawn unsold. The seven-year average exchange-to-listings ratio is 57.6%.

Price reductions remain a notable feature, with 23,300 reductions recorded in the week and 13.7% of UK homes for sale reduced in July. The 2026 year-to-date average for reductions is 13%, compared to a six-year average of 11.2%.

The difference between the average asking price of listings (£385,000) and those that go under offer (£358,000) is 7.8%, lower than the long-term average of 16-17%.

The sell-through rate in July 2026 was 14.2%, slightly up from 13.8% in June but below the pre-Covid average of 15.5%.

Fall-Throughs and Stock Levels

The sale fall-through rate stands at 23.9%, close to the decade average of 24.5%. In July 2026, 5.32% of homes sold subject to contract fell through, in line with recent averages.

Stock levels remain steady, with 767,000 homes on the market as of 1 August 2026. The sales pipeline included 487,000 homes, down from 508,000 a year earlier.

House Prices

Agreed sales in July 2026 averaged £345.41 per square foot, 1.2% higher than 12 months ago and 11.9% higher than five years ago.