Prices for prime residential real estate in Central London were expected to decline slightly in 2024, followed by a gradual increase until 2028, according to a August 2024 forecast. During the five-year period, the prices are forecast to rise by 16.4 percent. In comparison, regional prime property prices and Outer London prime property prices are forecast to grow at a lower rate.

This statistic shows the 12-month development of the Prime Central London Index for Central London's prime property sales on the residential market, between June 2014 and June 2015. Annual growth in June 2015 slowed to 2 percent from 8.1 percent a year ago.

The monthly house price index in London has been steadily increasing in recent years. In June 2024, the index reached 129.9, up from 129 a year before. Nevertheless, prices widely varied in different London boroughs, with Kensington and Chelsea being the priciest boroughs for an apartment purchase.

Just as in many other countries, the housing market in the UK grew substantially during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled by robust demand and low borrowing costs. Nevertheless, high inflation and the increase in mortgage rates has led to house price growth slowing down. According to the forecast, 2024 is expected to see house prices decrease by three percent. Between 2024 and 2028, the average house price growth is projected at 2.7 percent. A contraction after a period of continuous growth In June 2022, the UK's house price index exceeded 150 index points, meaning that since 2015 which was the base year for the index, house prices had increased by 50 percent. In just two years, between 2020 and 2022, the index surged by 30 index points. As the market stood in December 2023, the average price for a home stood at approximately 284,691 British pounds. Rents are expected to continue to grow According to another forecast, the prime residential market is also expected to see rental prices grow in the next years. Growth is forecast to be stronger in 2024 and slow down in the period between 2025 and 2028. The rental market in London is expected to follow a similar trend, with Central London slightly outperforming Greater London.

According to the forecast, house prices in London are expected to fall slightly in 2024, followed by a recovery in the following years. The decline can be explained with the cost of living crisis and the dramatic increase in borrowing costs. As the economy recovers in the next five-years, house prices for mainstream properties are forecast to rise by almost 14 percent. In 2023, the average house price in London ranged between 350,000 British pounds and 1.4 million British pounds, depending on the borough. Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Newham, and Croydon were some of the most affordable boroughs to buy a house.

Prices for prime residential real estate in Outer London are expected to grow year-on-year, achieving a cumulative increase of over 15 percent until 2028. According to a August 2024 forecast, prices growth will be slower at first, but accelerate toward the end of the period. Meanwhile, Central London prime property prices are projected to experience a stronger growth rate.

Investments in the commercial property market in London peaked in 2017 and have since declined. In 2022, the value of investment in the sector was 11.5 billion British pounds, which was a slight uptick from the previous year. Many European countries followed the same trend and experienced an increase in investments in 2022. According to the forecast, investment volumes in London are expected to fall in 2023, as developed markets continue to tackle accelerating inflation. In the following years, the market is expected to grow year-on-year, reaching about 17.4 billion British pounds in 2027.

The house price index in London reached 129.9 index points in June 2024, which was an increase from a year ago, despite a mild correction. The house price index (HPI) is an easy way of illustrating trends in the house sales market and help simplify house purchase decisions. By using hedonic regression, the index models property price data for all dwellings and shows how much the price has changed since January 2015. How have regional house prices in the UK developed? House prices in other UK regions have risen even more than in London. In the North West, the house price index exceeded 160 index points, ranking it among the regions with the highest property appreciation. The UK house price index stood at 151 index points, suggesting an increase of 51 percent since 2015. Average house prices Location plays a huge role in the price of a home. Kensington and Chelsea and City of Westminster are undoubtedly the most expensive boroughs in London, with an average house price that can exceed one million British pounds. In comparison, a house in Barking and Dagenham cost approximately one third. Nevertheless, the housing market is the busiest in the boroughs with average house prices.

The UK commercial real estate market, valued at approximately £149.67 billion in 2025, is projected to experience steady growth, driven by factors such as increasing urbanization, robust economic activity in key sectors, and ongoing investment in infrastructure projects. The market's Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.31% from 2025 to 2033 indicates a positive outlook, although growth may fluctuate depending on macroeconomic conditions and interest rate changes. The office sector, while facing challenges from remote work trends, remains a significant segment, particularly in major cities like London. The retail sector is undergoing transformation, with a shift towards experience-led retail and e-commerce fulfillment centers driving demand. The industrial and logistics sector continues to thrive, fueled by the growth of e-commerce and supply chain optimization. The hospitality sector’s recovery post-pandemic is expected to contribute to market growth, although uncertainties remain. Investment is likely to focus on sustainable and technologically advanced properties, aligning with broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations. Within the UK, regional variations are expected. London and other major cities will continue to attract significant investment, while regional markets will demonstrate varying levels of growth depending on local economic conditions and infrastructure developments. Competition among established players like Hammerson, Land Securities Group PLC, and British Land, alongside emerging players, will likely intensify. The sector is also subject to regulatory changes and external factors like inflation and geopolitical events, which will influence investment decisions and overall market performance. Technological advancements, such as proptech solutions and data analytics, will further reshape the industry's landscape, impacting operations, asset management, and tenant relationships. This evolving market presents both opportunities and challenges for investors, developers, and businesses operating within the UK commercial real estate sector. Recent developments include: October 2023: British Land received a resolution to grant planning permission for an approximately 140,000 sq. ft multi-level last-mile logistics scheme on Mandela Way, Southwark. This project represents the latest addition to British Land’s 2.9 million sq. ft pipeline. Situated near the junction of New Kent Road, Old Kent Road, and Tower Bridge Road, the site will serve as a last-mile logistics hub for Southwark and central London., July 2023: British Land and Landsec formulated a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at regenerating UK towns and cities. Their goal is to stimulate more growth, create additional homes, and generate more job opportunities by enhancing how the planning system supports brownfield regeneration. As major players behind some of Britain’s most significant regeneration projects, including Landsec’s 24-acre Mayfield neighborhood in central Manchester and British Land and AustralianSuper’s 53-acre Canada Water development in London, these property companies bring extensive experience in large-scale, complex urban developments. The insights gained from such projects have been applied and refined in their latest paper.. Key drivers for this market are: Growth in the Country's Logistics Sector and Warehouse Space, Increasing Demand for Co-working Office Spaces; Increasing Infrastructure Investments. Potential restraints include: Rising Costs affecting the market. Notable trends are: Office Segment Showing Significant Growth in the Market.

The UK housing market continued to show significant regional variations in 2024, with London maintaining its position as the most expensive city for homebuyers. The average house price in the capital stood at 519,579 British pounds in October, nearly double the national average of 292,059 British pounds. However, the market dynamics are shifting, with London experiencing only a modest 0.2 percent annual increase, while other cities like Newcastle upon Tyne and Belfast saw more substantial growth of 8.8 percent and 6.8 percent respectively. Affordability challenges and market slowdown Despite the continued price growth in many cities, the UK housing market is facing headwinds. The affordability of mortgage repayments has become the biggest barrier to property purchases, with the majority of the respondents in a recent survey citing it as their main challenge. Moreover, a rising share of Brits have reported affordability as a challenge since 2021, reflecting the impact of rising house prices and higher mortgage rates. The market slowdown is evident in the declining housing transaction volumes, which have plummeted since 2021. European context The stark price differences are mirrored in the broader European context. While London boasts some of the highest property prices among European cities, a comparison of the average transaction price for new homes in different European countries shows a different picture. In 2023, the highest prices were found in Austria, Germany, and France.

Renters in the UK spent on average 32.5 percent of their income on rent as of January 2025. Scotland and Yorkshire and Humber were the most affordable regions, with households spending less than 28 percent of their gross income on rent. Conversely, London, South West, and South East had a higher ratio. Greater London is the most expensive region for renters Greater London has a considerably higher rent than the rest of the UK regions. In 2024, the average rental cost in Greater London was more than twice higher than in the North West or West Midlands. Compared with Greater London, rent in the South East region was about 600 British pounds cheaper. London property prices continue to increase In recent years, house prices in the UK have been steadily increasing, and the period after the COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. Prime residential property prices in Central London are forecast to continue rising until 2027. A similar trend in prime property prices is also expected in Outer London.

Rental rates of prime rental properties in Central London are forecast to increase by about one percent more than prime properties in the commuter zone between 2024 and 2028. Rental growth during this period is expected to reach 19 percent in Central London and almost 17 percent in Outer London. Most of the increase is forecast to take place in 2026. In comparison, rents of mainstream properties are expected to increase at a lower rate.

The prime property rental real estate market in Central London is expected to see an overall increase in rental rates during the five-year period between 2024 and 2028, according to a May 2024 forecast. Over the five-year period, the cumulative prime rental growth is forecast at 15.9 percent. Property price increase in Outer London is expected to be higher.

The 2013 round of projections featured a large number of variants including:

• Three variants of trend-based projection (Central, High, Low) that used different migration assumptions and which were used to inform the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) and Further Alterations to the London Plan (FALP).

• A further trend-based projection that took the migration assumptions from the Central projection, but updated the fertility assumptions to be in line with assumptions taken from ONS’s 2012-based National Population Projections.

• Two variants of development-linked projections using development trajectories derived from the 2013 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. These variants make use of different methodologies to incorporate development data into the population projections.

Two Updates were released as part of the 2013 round. These detailed results and methodologies for the initial projection releases. The capped-household size model was released subsequently in response to demand from colleagues in some local authorities. An explanation of this and other methodologies is presented in the Technical Note.

For general use, the GLA advises the use of the SHLAA-based projection using the capped household size model. This gives rise to a broadly similar total population for London as the Central trend-based projection used in the SHMA/FALP, but with a geographical distribution of population growth that better reflects likely future development.

For the 2013 round, the decision was made to release the results of the ward-based projections by single year of age and gender, rather than in five-year age bands as in previous years. This change was to allow users to aggregate to the age bands of interest to them. It is important to note that the provision of these projections by single year of age and at unit level is to facilitate their subsequent use and is not an indication of their level of accuracy. Users should be aware that small area population estimates and projections are subject to high levels of uncertainty and potential inaccuracy.

The custom-age population tool is here.

There is a more recent version, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Rates per Broad Rental Market Area BRMA, UK 2012-2025 v2.

This dataset contains the weekly Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs) across the UK from 2012/13 to 2024/25. LHA is a means-tested housing benefit for households in the private rented sector. BRMAs are the spatial units used for the administration of LHA. Since 2011, there have been 200 BRMAs in total (England: 152; Northern Ireland: 8; Scotland: 18; Wales: 23; but note that one BRMA spans England and Wales). LHA rates set the maximum level of housing benefit a household can receive in a given BRMA and is dependent on the size of their property. The dataset also includes estimates of the 30th centile rent for each BRMA as this is calculated separately by the Government agencies as a reference point for LHA.

LHA rates are set from April each year, based on evidence of market rents collected by the relevant government agency in each country. From April 2011, the maximum LHA rate was reduced from the median rent for each BRMA to the 30th centile rent. From 2012 onwards, limits were placed on the annual increases in LHA rates:

• 2012 - no increase;
• 2013 - increase limited to the Consumer Price Index;
• 2014 /2015 - maximum increase 1%;
• 2016-19 - no increases;
• 2020 - rates reset to 30th centile;
• 2021-23 - no increases; and
• 2024 - rates reset to 30th centile.

There are no 30th centile rents for any part of Great Britain for 2012/13 and none for Northern Ireland in 2018. There are a small number of cases where 30th centile rents are missing in some BRMAs, presumably due to insufficient data on which to make a market assessment.

Details on sources and method of contruction here: https://github.com/nick-bailey/LHA-rates-for-BRMAs.

The average price of houses bought by first-time buyers was notably lower than houses purchased by repeat buyers in London in 2023. Homebuyers spent on overage 383,000 British pounds when purchasing their first property in 2023. For repeat buyers, this figure amounted to 657,000 British pounds in that year. In London, the average house price was about 590,000 British pounds in 2023.

Prime London flats in Outer and Central London, have reduced in prices in the period between March 2020 and 2021 and so have the Central London prime houses. Outer London prime houses, regional and coastal prime properties, on the other hand, saw prices grow in the same period. The highest increase in prices was recorded among prime country houses over two million British pounds. According to the forecast, prime property prices both in Central and in Outer London are expected to increase in the next five year.

Central London is one of the biggest office real estate markets in Europe. In 2019, the market grew, reaching almost 3.7 million square feet of take up as of the fourth quarter of 2019. In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the period between April and June 2020 saw a steep decline in take-up, falling to almost one third of Q2 2019 take up.

The borough with the highest property prices in London, Kensington and Chelsea, had an average price for a flat that was about 600,000 British pounds higher than the London average. London is the most populous metropolitan area in the UK, and living in it comes with a price tag. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive boroughs in terms of real estate prices are located in the heart of the metropolis: Kensington and Chelsea, the City of Westminster, and the City of London. In Kensington and Chelsea, home to several museums such as the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Science Museum, as well as galleries and theaters, the average price of apartments was over million British pounds. How have residential property prices developed in recent years? The average house price in England declined slightly in 2023 after increasing year-on-year since 2008. The housing market in Wales also experienced a mild correction, but prices in Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to grow. Since 2015, the base year of the UK House Price Index, house prices in London have risen by over 30 percent. In London, the cost of a flat decreased by 0.3 percent year-on-year as of June 2024. However, some of the most expensive boroughs recorded a decline of over 10 percent. Are residential property prices in London expected to grow in the future? Despite property prices declining in 2023, the market is forecast to continue to grow in the next five years, according to a March 2023 forecast. Some of the reasons for this are the robust demand for housing, the chronic shortage of residential properties and the anticipated decline in mortgage interest rates.

All London boroughs exhibited a declining number of housing transactions in 2023. Wandsworth, Bromley, and Croydon were the boroughs with the most active housing markets in London in 2023. All three boroughs recorded more than 3,000 housing transactions in that period. At the other end of the spectrum was the City of London - one of the priciest housing markets in London, where 146 sales took place.