Property transactions up by 5% in December: "Confidence is returning to the housing market"
PROPERTY transactions are up 5% on a year ago with experts saying “confidence is slowly returning to the housing market”.
The number of UK residential transactions in December 2025 was 100,440, 5% higher than December 2024 and marginally lower (less than 1%) than November 2025, government data has revealed today.
The number of UK non-residential transactions in December 2025 was 10,640, 7% higher than December 2024 and 10% lower than November 2025.
Babek Ismayil, CEO at homebuying platform OneDome, said the data shows the housing market is thawing.
He added: “The rise in transactions points to a market that’s beginning to thaw. Lower mortgage rates and changes to affordability testing are helping buyers progress, even against a backdrop of wider economic uncertainty.
"After months of hesitation, buyers are starting to act where prices have softened, especially on properties that have been listed for longer and are open to negotiation.”
Omer Mehmet, Managing Director at Trinity Finance, said buyers are becoming more confident.
He continued: “Transaction numbers picking up year-on-year suggest confidence is slowly returning to the housing market. Improved mortgage affordability and more competitive fixed rates are giving buyers greater room to move, particularly those who have been waiting on the sidelines.
"With more stock available and sellers increasingly realistic on price, many buyers now feel they have time to negotiate and make considered decisions.”
Aaron Strutt, Product and Communications Director at London-based Trinity Financial, said more first-time buyers are getting on the housing ladder.
He added: "There is little doubt that changes to mortgage affordability rules, along with cheaper fixed rates, are starting to make a difference by helping more people to get on the property ladder.
"It really is a buyers' market at the moment, and confidence is starting to return even though there is still a lot of global economic uncertainty. Lots of potential buyers have been holding off for property prices to come down, and they have dropped in certain areas, especially when homes have been on the market for a long time."
