The latest data from Propertymark highlights a mixed picture for the housing market in September, with the average number of new prospective buyers registered per member branch rising to 73, indicating positive momentum in buyer interest.
On the sales side, each member branch listed an average of nine homes for sale during the month, while the number of viewings per available property increased to 2.3, reflecting steady buyer engagement. Overall, the average number of registrations per branch jumped to 111 in September.
Despite these encouraging sales figures, the lettings market saw some softening. The number of new fully managed property instructions decreased, and the average number of properties available for rent per member branch contracted slightly to 12.47 per member. At the same time, the proportion of member agents reporting issues with arrears edged up slightly to 2.6%.
Meanwhile, transaction times remained a concern. In September 2025, around 35.9% of housing transactions took longer than 17 weeks to complete, highlighting ongoing delays in the sales process despite strong buyer activity.
Nathan Emerson, CEO Propertymark, said: “The latest housing insight figures are encouraging in parts, but they also signal clear challenges ahead for both the sales and lettings markets.
“Overall, we are seeing momentum in buyer registrations and in rental demand, which is heartening. But the two big caveats are: one, the transactional infrastructure needs to be more efficient to match that demand; and two, without growth in supply in both sales and rental sectors, we may see these positive signals muted by affordability and access pressures.
“Policymakers and the overall industry must focus not only on stimulating demand but on making sure the system can deliver. The next few months will be pivotal.”
