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Oct
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Andrew McColl - Chairman - 14 October 2026
Blog
A recent Property Soup article reports calls from David Jabbari, Chief Executive of Nova Conveyancing, for the Government to prioritise homebuying reform rather than make further changes to property taxation.
His wider argument is about confidence, delays and uncertainty. However, one figure in particular caught our attention at the RPSA: people are moving home far less frequently than they once did.
Research by Connells Group, based on Land Registry data, found that the average seller in England and Wales had owned their property for 12.3 years, compared with 9.2 years a decade earlier. Just 5% of homes sold in 2026 had been owned for less than three years, compared with 15% in 2006.
A significant change in moving habits
An increase from 9.2 to 12.3 years represents an additional 3.1 years between moves, or a rise of nearly 34%.
Another way of looking at it is to consider the implied rate at which existing homeowners move. Someone moving once every 9.2 years has a higher annual likelihood of entering the market than someone moving once every 12.3 years. On that simple basis, the underlying rate of repeat movement has fallen by approximately 25%.
That does not mean transactions have fallen by exactly 25%. The housing stock has grown, while first-time buyers, new homes, landlords, inherited properties and other types of transaction also contribute to the market. Nevertheless, it shows how a gradual change in homeowner behaviour can significantly reduce the flow of properties coming to market.
What do the transaction figures show?
The latest HMRC statistics provide a useful ten-year comparison.
In August 2016, there were 97,660 seasonally adjusted UK residential property transactions. In August 2026, the provisional figure was 95,220. That is a reduction of 2,440 completed transactions in the month, or approximately 2.5%.
A single month should not be treated as a complete picture of the market, particularly when transaction volumes can be distorted by interest rates, Budgets and changes to Stamp Duty. However, the comparison helps put a tangible number against the broader change in moving habits.
If a monthly gap of 2,440 transactions continued for a full year, it would represent approximately 29,280 fewer completed sales.
How many survey instructions might that represent?
There is no reliable national record showing how many purchasers commission an independent survey. Some buyers rely on a mortgage valuation, some purchase without borrowing, and others decide not to obtain any independent advice.
We therefore cannot say that every missing transaction represents a lost survey instruction.
For illustration, if between 50% and 75% of those transactions would ordinarily have generated a survey, a monthly difference of 2,440 completions could represent approximately 1,220 to 1,830 potential survey instructions.
If that difference persisted throughout the year, it would equate to somewhere between 14,640 and 21,960 potential instructions across the UK.
These are illustrative figures rather than a measured national total, but they demonstrate why even a modest percentage change in transaction volumes can be felt sharply by surveyors, conveyancers, estate agents, mortgage brokers and removals firms.
Fewer moves, but potentially more complex properties
There is another side to the figures.
When people remain in their homes for longer, those properties have more time to accumulate alterations, extensions, ageing components and deferred maintenance. Ownership may span several changes to building regulations, construction methods and energy-efficiency expectations.
A property returning to the market after 12 or 15 years may therefore present a different level of complexity from one sold only a few years after its previous purchase.
This increases the importance of a thorough independent survey. Buyers need to understand what has changed, what has deteriorated and which alterations may require further investigation. Surveyors also need enough time, information and access to identify the issues that matter.
Why homebuying reform matters
Jabbari argues that confidence, rather than further tax changes, is what the market needs. His comments follow proposals for mandatory upfront property information, digital sales packs and binding conditional contracts.
The intended objectives are familiar: reduce avoidable delays, identify important information earlier and lower the number of transactions that collapse before completion.
Approximately one in three agreed sales currently falls through, while the process from accepting an offer to completion takes around 120 days. A market that is expensive, uncertain and slow gives existing homeowners another reason to stay where they are.
Reform will not resolve affordability or create confidence on its own. However, a clearer and more dependable process could remove some of the practical barriers that discourage people from moving.
For residential surveyors, the issue goes beyond the number of available instructions. Earlier property information could give buyers a better understanding of why an independent survey matters, provided condition information is prepared by appropriately qualified professionals and does not create false reassurance.
The figures show a market in which people are remaining in their homes substantially longer. That affects transaction volumes, the businesses supporting home moves and potentially the condition and complexity of properties when they eventually come to market.
Getting Britain moving again will require confidence, affordability and a homebuying system that works more effectively for everyone involved.
This blog was prompted by Property Soup’s reporting of David Jabbari’s comments and the research cited within that article.
