Property activity is growing considerably faster across northern England and the Midlands than in London, new analysis of HM Land Registry data reveals.
Dealing applications across the North increased by 30.1% year-on-year between April and June, while the North West recorded growth of 29.4%, according to Access Legal.
The West Midlands saw applications rise by 27.8% and Yorkshire and the Humber by 27.2%.
Greater London recorded the slowest growth, although dealing applications were still 21% higher than during the same three months of 2025.
REGIONAL SHIFT
The figures come from Access Legal’s State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report, which analyses 15 months of published HM Land Registry data.
Access Legal links the changing geographical pattern partly to the Stamp Duty thresholds introduced in April 2025, when the standard nil-rate threshold returned to £125,000.
The report also points to the relative affordability of northern housing markets, with average property prices in northern regions now standing at 58% of those in southern England – which it says is the narrowest gap since 2013.
Andrew Stevens (main picture, inset), General Manager at Access Legal, says: “The UK property market is expanding far beyond London, and it is this regional growth that is now driving national DLG volumes.
“The reversion of the SDLT threshold in April 2025 created a clear dividing line, where the more affordable regional markets have recovered fastest.”
CONVEYANCING DEMAND
Access Legal argues that stronger transaction activity outside London could also change where demand for conveyancing services is concentrated.
Stevens adds: “What is particularly interesting is how this impacts conveyancers. Homebuyers in these booming regional markets are actively seeking out legal teams that are rooted in their own communities.
“As regional markets strengthen, the firms best positioned to capture that growth are those with the operational infrastructure to handle rising volume without compromising on the client experience.”
Read the full report HERE.
