Housing transactions edge up 2% in June as annual growth strengthens
The provisional seasonally adjusted estimate for UK residential transactions stood at 98,700 in June 2026, up 2% on June 2025 and marginally higher than the previous month.
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, transactions reached 103,050, an increase of 6% year-on-year and 11% higher than in May.
The non-seasonally adjusted total marked the strongest June performance since 2022, rising from 97,030 transactions recorded in June 2025.
Ryan Brailsford, distribution director at Pepper Money, commented: “An annual rise in transactions is a positive signal. This time last summer, buyers were still adjusting to a run of much higher mortgage rates, and confidence across the market was noticeably fragile, so a step up on those numbers reflects a chunk of that adjustment now being absorbed.”
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, said: “An increase in property transactions is an encouraging sign that buyers and sellers continue to have the confidence to move despite ongoing economic and political change. Healthy transaction levels are essential, not only for the housing market, but for the wider UK economy, supporting jobs, investment and local communities.”
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Avoid making too much of monthly growth
Richard Pike, sales and marketing director at Phoebus Software, commented: “A modest uptick in June’s transactions fits with the wider picture we’re seeing elsewhere – inflation has cooled more than expected, mortgage approvals ticked up slightly in June’s money and credit data, and the year-on-year comparison should be less distorted now we’re 15 months on from last year’s stamp duty deadline.
“I’d be cautious about reading too much into one month’s improvement. These figures reflect decisions made before recent rate increases, so doesn’t necessarily tell us much about appetite going into the autumn. Buyers and lenders alike are still navigating real uncertainty, and the next few months of data will tell us far more than this one.”
Ian Futcher, financial planner at Quilter said: “It’s worth noting that these transaction figures are inherently backward looking, reflecting deals agreed several months ago. Since then, households have faced renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a clouded global economic outlook and continued uncertainty around the path of interest rates.”
Richard Sexton, managing director of Legal & General Surveying Services (LGSS), said: “A rising tide does not lift all boats equally. In the housing market, stronger transaction numbers are welcome, but the real test is whether confidence is being matched by sound decision-making.”
