September Housing Update
As usual, there's never a quiet moment in the property industry. In this blog, we'll cover the latest housing updates and look at other interesting developments too. We've also got some amazing news to share with you.
Rightmove
It's always great to start off with positive news. The average September asking prices rose by 0.7% (+£2,441) this month to £367,440 - this is the first monthly price increase since May!
Sellers continue to face a very crowded market, as the number of homes for sale are at at a 12-year high! Buying activity has also seen an expected bounce since August, however, the number of buyers enquiries are still 9% lower than in September 2025. There's a decrease in number of newly-listed homes for sale, down 3% down on 2025.
A key point - Rightmove state that Autumn sellers need to price very temptingly to beat the average of 64 days to find a buyer. They report that its taking an additional 150 days to complete the sale, on average, so this means a move in date of Easter 2027 if you got an offer accepted in September!
Rightmove confirm that of the 74% of homes that have sold this year, these were priced right first time and didn’t need a subsequent asking price reduction. So nearly 30% have been launched for sale with unrealistic pricing and did not sell!
Source: Rightmove
Colleen Babcock, Rightmove property expert says:
“September’s above-average price rise is a welcome sign of confidence after a particularly subdued summer, but it should be viewed as a modest recovery rather than a major turning point. Property prices have largely underperformed against the long-term average this year, but September is an exception.
While buyers and sellers are returning to the market after the summer holidays to potentially fuel an Autumn bounce, sellers face stiff competition from a 12-year high number of other homes for sale. With a large crowd of sellers chasing a smaller number of buyers, realism on pricing or a high-quality finish are absolutely key to attracting a buyer and making a sale.
It's always good to have an overview of the longer term picture - as you can see, there's an upward turn in asking prices below.
Source: Rightmove
Since publishing their original 2026 forecast in December 2025, market conditions have inevitably changed. Based on the latest housing market data and economic trends, Rightmove have updated their outlook for the remainder of 2026. They forecast that average UK house prices could fall by up to 2% by the end of 2026.
They state the largest factors influencing this are:
Changes in mortgage rate expectations
The October Budget
The latest asking price and affordability trends
Unexpected global events having a knock-on effect on things like mortgage rates
Learn more here.
Zoopla News
UK housing price growth has slowed to 0.8%, although, in some regions, the value is above average. Zoopla report that the number of homes for sale is 5% higher compared with 12 months ago although the volume of sales agreed is 9% lower. Buyers are being selective and are being restricted by higher borrowing costs and rising house prices.
Source: Zoopla
Zoopla state that sellers who are realistic when setting their asking price, while taking into account demand, can still find a buyer "relatively quickly".
They acknowledge the conflict in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices and mortgage rates, tempering the Autumn rebound in housing activity. In turn, buyers are more cautious.
Richard Donnell, Executive Director, Zoopla says:
With borrowing costs likely to remain high and house prices set to keep rising – although by a modest 0.5% by the end of the year – buying power will remain subdued. We’re still on course for close to 1.1 million homes to sell in 2026.
Learn more here.
Bank of England
On 17 September 2026, six members voted to hold and three members voted to increase the rate to 4%. The Bank of England therefore maintained the Bank Rate at 3.75%. It's remained unchanged since December 2025.
The Middle Eastern conflict has impacted the transportation and supply of energy and they stated that it is "difficult to predict what is going to happen." Mortgage rates and borrowing costs are higher than before the conflict in the Middle East, which in turn makes consumers more cautious about spending. Businesses may be forced to increase their bills to cover this rise. There are more people looking for work than jobs available, so employers are less likely to increase salaries.
Inflation has risen to 3.1% and is expected to increase further as energy prices rise. The Bank reiterate their priority to get inflation back to its target in the medium term.
Source: The Bank of England
Learn more here.
Mortgages
Rates
The number of fixed-rate deals below 5% dropped drastically over the course of September, with the average two-year fixed mortgage rate at 5.97% and five-year fixed mortgage rate at 5.99%. For broader context, this is up from 4.25% before the war in Iran started and down from around 5.43% at the peak of tensions in April 2026.
Equity Loan Scheme
On 26 September, the government set out their plans for a new equity loan scheme - Your First Home. This will be introduced in England and will be confirmed at the October Budget. This is intended to help tackle the deposit barrier for first time buyers.
This is planned to support 2.5% deposits, backed by 20% government-backed equity loans, for prospective first-time buyers purchasing a new-build property from a developer signed up to the scheme. Buyers will be able to access equity loans with an initial interest free period, meaning that those who use the scheme could save hundreds of pounds per month compared to a 95% mortgage.
Changes in Goverment Policy
On 29 September 2026, the government announced its plans on two key housing policy areas, which will now undergo public consultation:
New regulation of property agents – giving leaseholders, tenants and homebuyers a route towards better rights and protections. An independent regulator will be able to set codes of practice, such as standards of conduct and a proper complaint handling for those they regulate. Significantly, property agents will be required to obtain a licence to do their job, as well as appropriate qualifications to operate. If they fall foul of the required standards, the regulator will have the ability to remove their licence.
New legislation to be introduced to:
set caps on fees that landlords can charge their leaseholders and those living on freehold estates relating to simple requests for example, a request to keep pet, request to make minor cosmetic changes to a property.
clamp down on administrative fees. Landlords are currently able to charge for providing documents on request, or even when a property owner notifies them of a change in mortgage provider.
Learn more here.
Mansion Tax
The Mansion Tax, or the High Value Council Tax Surchage, is due to be introduced in April 2028, adding an extra Council Tax charge on homes worth above £2million. The annual surcharge will range from £2,500 to £7,400 – dependending on the value of the property. This is in addition to a household’s regular Council Tax bill. There are already rumours that the threshold could be lowered to £1.5million, which would hit more homeowners and potentially cause more uncertainty for the housing market. Further details are expected in the October budget.
Mark Cunningham, a Partner at tax and business advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg, says:
The Government is reported to be considering reducing the Mansion Tax threshold from the originally proposed £2million to £1.5million.
A reduction would capture significantly more of the property market, and this would only increase as fiscal drag comes into play.
Properties are currently expected to be revalued every five years, while the charges themselves will increase in line with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) each year.
However, there is no automatic indexation of the property value thresholds. Instead, the Government has said that decisions on whether to uprate the bands will be taken alongside each revaluation and therefore left to future governments.
“Once the Government has established the infrastructure to regularly identify and value higher value properties, adjusting the thresholds or rates in future also becomes much easier.
There is therefore clear potential for this new taxation to ‘silently’ bring more and more properties into the Mansion Tax over time!
Our Perspective
Staging is not just about fluffy cushions, its much more that. Its following and understanding the market as ultimately global events and national policy directly impact the housing market. It's then listening to this and reflecting on that so that we can give the right recommendations to our clients.
For our Stage & Sell model, we take that understanding and application to another level so we maximise our client's return so they achieve the best possible resale value. Learn more here.
Ceri Owen, says:
Listening to the market is critical if you want to sell quickly and for the highest possible resale value.
Before you even thinking of listing your property for sale, spend the time sensibly investing in getting your home sale ready, use professional photos and an estate agent that truly understands your priorities, will dedicate sufficient time to you, know your property inside out and has a targeted marketing plan.
Supporting the Future Workforce!
On Wednesday, Ceri (the one in pink!) attended a Learning to Work event for year 9 pupils at Slough and Eton College hosted by the headteacher, Mr Peter Collins. Learning to Work is a not-for-profit organisation; set up to facilitate links between education and the world of work. Large corporate businesses, educational establishments such as Universities, blue light services, retired professionals and local businesses such as ours provide time to Learning to Work so we can share our insight on working so school children get a sense of what's to come, what career choices they have and how to begin to prepare for that. At Wednesday's event, there were breakout sessions faciliated by Ceri and the other guests and then a Q&A Panel.
Ceri was asked such questions as:
how do you know how to stage a property? Her response - understand the target market and come up with a solution which delivers what's needed. She talked about how different properties require different solutions and its not a one size fit all approach.
what value of sales have been achieved because of staging? Over £80m in sales!
one pupil even asked Ceri to sell a pen! Rather than jumping in with a generic sales pitch, her response was - what are the features of the pen and who is the target audience! She's never far away from doing what she does best - understanding how to add tangible value.
Very Exciting News
We're delighted to share the incredible news below ...
Shortlisted in this year's The Negotiator and Personal Estate Agent Awards 2026
Hot on the heals of our Great British Awards in August, we have been shortlisted for The Negotiator Awards 2026 — Supplier of the Year: Products and Services (Marketing). The Negotiator is a national publication for the estate agency industry, and its awards recognise achievements across the sector. Alongside this, Ceri has been shortlised for the Personal Estate Agent Award 2026 - this recognises the preparation, marketing and personal service that underpin our Stage & Sell approach.
The above would not be possible without the drive and determation of Ceri, the team effort from everyone at sort style and stage and the wider business community who enable us to do what we do. Finally, a huge thank you to our clients as none of this would be possible without them.
Do reach out to us at info@sortstyleandstage.com, if you need any help.
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