The UK housing market remains flat, with Q3 2025 residential property data revealing stalled momentum amid mounting speculation over potential tax reforms in the upcoming Autumn Budget.
Landmark Information Group’s newly released Q3 2025 Residential Property Trends Report shows that while overall transaction volumes remain steady, uncertainty is keeping activity subdued across England, Wales, and Scotland. Buyers and sellers are hesitant to commit, awaiting clarity on possible changes to property taxes.
After the expected summer lull, September failed to deliver a rebound. Listing volumes across England and Wales fell by 1% compared to Q3 2024, while properties marked as Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC) were down 6% over the same period. Activity levels remained broadly in line with other quarters this year, echoing the caution seen in the post-election market of 2024.
Search order volumes declined by 2% year-on-year, while completions edged up just 1%, reinforcing the picture of a market in pause mode rather than decline.
Compounding the slowdown are persistent inefficiencies in the transaction process. In response, Landmark recently launched Project 28: A Charter for Faster, More Certain Property Transactions — a cross-industry initiative aiming to cut completion times to 28 days. The Charter lays out eight key pledges to modernise the system and help the market rebound with resilience once confidence returns.
Simon Brown, CEO, Landmark Information Group, said: “People want to move, but speculation around potential changes to property taxes in the forthcoming Autumn Budget has caused activity to stall, with movers likely to be waiting for clarity before making their decisions.
“This moment should be seen as an opportunity. Housing is a cornerstone of economic growth, yet the process of buying and selling homes remains too slow and uncertain. The Government’s newly announced homebuying reform consultation is a vital and long-overdue step towards change.
“Through the Project 28 Charter, we and our industry partners are committed to proving what’s possible: delivering faster, more certain transactions and cutting transaction times to just 28 days. If we modernise the process, we not only restore confidence to the market, we help unlock growth across the wider economy.”
