Sales of traditional family homes have fallen across 40 of the UK’s 50 largest cities compared with the second half of the last decade, according to analysis of Land Registry data.
Research by Trade Door Handles found the largest reduction in Liverpool, where sales of a defined group of detached and semi-detached family homes were 30.8% lower in 2023-25 than during 2015-19.
Leicester recorded a 30.6% decline, followed by Portsmouth at 27.1%, Southampton at 25.4% and Manchester at 25.1%.
The findings point to reduced turnover of conventional family housing across many major cities, although lower transaction numbers alone do not establish whether the change is being driven by buyer demand, affordability or fewer homeowners bringing properties to market.
FAMILY HOME TURNOVER
For the research, a traditional family home was defined as a detached or semi-detached property with 80 to 110 sq m of floor space and four or five habitable rooms.
Trade Door Handles compared Land Registry transaction data for 2015-19 with 2023-25 across the UK’s 50 largest cities.
Liverpool recorded 640 transactions meeting the definition in 2015 and 565 in 2025, while Leicester fell from 566 to 432.
Manchester recorded 590 such sales during 2025 compared with 726 in 2015. Portsmouth fell from 203 to 155 and Southampton from 504 to 402.
The wider housing market also recorded lower transaction volumes in several of the cities covered by the research.
OWNERS STAYING PUT
Trade Door Handles suggests part of the explanation may lie with older homeowners remaining in larger properties rather than downsizing.
A spokesperson says: “First-time buyers are now entering the property market at an average age of 34, because deposit requirements and prices have made earlier purchase almost impossible.
“But the more structural problem is on the supply side. Older homeowners sitting in large family homes account for a significant share of total housing stock, and they’re not moving because downsizing often means paying more in stamp duty than they’d save on running costs.
“The result is a market where around 36% of homeowners in England are aged 65 and above, while under-35s represent just 15%.”
