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 Sees Strong Listings and Sales in May 2026

The UK property market recorded robust activity in the week ending 10 May 2026, with high levels of new listings and sales agreed, according to the latest data. Price reductions and fall-through rates remained below long-term averages, providing a stable environment for letting agents and inventory clerks.

Market Activity and Listings

In Week 20 of 2026, there were 39,600 new property listings, compared to 41,800 the previous week. The weekly average for 2026 stands at 37,600, which is above the 10-year Week 20 average of 34,900. Year to date, 753,000 new listings have been recorded, 0.7% ahead of 2025 and 6.6% ahead of 2024.

Price Reductions and Sales

There were 27,200 price reductions on 731,000 UK homes for sale during the week. In April 2026, 13.1% of homes for sale were reduced, slightly down from 13.2% in March. The 2025 average was 12.8%, compared to a six-year long-term average of 10.7%.

Gross residential sales agreed (sold subject to contract) reached 27,200 in Week 20, up from 27,000 the previous week. The 10-year Week 20 average is 25,300, and the 2026 weekly average is 24,900. Year to date, 499,000 homes have been sold subject to contract, 5.3% lower than 2025 but 3% higher than 2024.

Sale Prices and Sell-Through Rates

The difference between the average asking price of listings (£447,000) and those sold subject to contract (£368,000) was 21.6%, above the 10-year average of 16% to 17%. In April 2026, 14.6% of homes on agents’ books went sold subject to contract, down from 15.5% in March and matching the pre-Covid average.

Fall-Throughs and Exchanges

The sale fall-through rate was 22.5%, below the decade average of 24.5%. In April 2026, 5.1% of homes sold subject to contract fell through, lower than both the 2025 average (5.3%) and the 10-year average (5.8%).

In April 2026, there were 73,900 exchanges, compared to 69,400 in April 2025. Year to date, 288,000 UK exchanges were recorded to the end of April 2026, 8% lower than the same period in 2025, when a stamp duty holiday was in effect.