Homes in London take 84 days to sell — longest in Britain

A home listed for sale in London now sits on the market longer than anywhere else in Great Britain — 84 days on average. The figure comes from Rightmove data published today, 8 October 2026, by the Office for National Statistics in its weekly set of real-time economic indicators.

A year ago, in the same week, the London figure was 73 days; two years ago it was 65. That is 11 days longer than last year and almost three weeks longer than in 2024. Across Great Britain as a whole a listing now takes 68 days, against 64 a year earlier.

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How long does it take to sell a house in the UK?

Sixty-eight days is the national average time a sales listing stays on the market. This is a four-week rolling average to 13 September 2026, the most recent point in the dataset.

The regional spread is wide. Scotland is fastest at 33 days: it runs a different system, with a home report prepared up front and sealed bids, and deals move at another pace. Next come the North East of England (57 days) and the North West (59). The slowest are London (84), the South East and South West (77 each) and the East Midlands (76). Wales is on 73 days, Yorkshire and the Humber 67, the West Midlands 68.

Why is London slower than other regions?

The main reason is the size of the cheque and the price of money. The Bank of England's Bank Rate stands at 3.75%, held at the 17 September 2026 meeting, with the next decision due on 5 November. At that level, monthly payments on London prices rule out a slice of buyers, and sellers have to wait for someone who can carry them.

Supply is the second factor. New sales listings in London in the week to 13 September stood at 135.3 index points (2023 average = 100), down from 143.5 a year earlier. Slightly fewer homes are coming to market, but there are fewer buyers too, so the backlog of unsold stock is not clearing.

Seasonality shows up clearly. January 2026 was the worst month: 81 days nationally and 88 in London. By May the figures had fallen to 61 and 68, and they have been climbing again since June.

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What does this mean if you are buying?

A long time on market is a bargaining chip. If a listing has been up for two or three months, the seller has already absorbed the costs and the waiting, and the odds of knocking money off are much better than on a fresh listing. Portals show the date a property was first listed — worth checking before you name your number.

For sellers the conclusion runs the other way. Pricing in a cushion for haggling is expensive in London right now. A home that has sat for three months reads as a problem property, and the price usually comes down anyway — later, and by more.

Is there more rental stock on the market?

No. New rental listings in London in the week to 13 September came in at 129.2 index points, against 132.2 a year earlier. Across Great Britain the figure was 128.1, against 125.0. Nationally there is marginally more choice; in London there is a little less. There is no sign that autumn will widen the field.

One important caveat: the data excludes new-build homes, auction lots, retirement properties, shared ownership, house shares, student lets, short-term lets, build-to-rent and anything with more than ten bedrooms. These are official statistics in development, and the ONS warns that the methodology is under review.

How much Stamp Duty will you pay?

Stamp Duty Land Tax in England and Northern Ireland is charged in slices of the purchase price: nothing up to £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% from £250,001 to £925,000, 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% above that.

First-time buyers get higher thresholds: 0% up to £300,000 and 5% on the slice from £300,001 to £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief disappears entirely and standard rates apply to the whole price.

Two surcharges matter. If the purchase leaves you owning more than one residential property, add 5% on top; replacing your only home is exempt provided the previous one was sold within 36 months. Buyers who are not UK residents for tax purposes pay a further 2% on top of everything else — which catches many people who have arrived recently and have not yet built up enough days of presence in the country.

When is the next update?

The next ONS real-time indicators release is on 15 October 2026. The same set also covers retail footfall, fuel demand, wholesale gas and electricity prices and advance notifications of redundancies.