In 2018 , the UK saw 2.3 % fall in property sales , with 241 out of 374 local authority areas seeing no rise in sales . Joseph Daniels, chief executive of Project Etopia, said: 'It might not be immediately obvious what transaction levels have to do with the housing crisis, but the answer is a great deal. Stevenage was hit the worst , with a 27.5 % drop in sales , with Newcastle - under - Lyme and Cambridge also affected . Low mortgage rates and services such as Help to Buy did little to allay the slump , according to Land Registry data , with sales falling in 64.4 % of markets by an average of 4.9 % . The market decline was attributed in part to a housing supply shortage , and to uncertainty ahead of Brexit causing house hunters to hold off .
In 2018 , the UK saw 2.3 % fall in property sales , with 241 out of 374 local authority areas seeing no rise in sales . Stevenage was hit the worst , with a 27.5 % drop in sales , with Newcastle - under - Lyme and Cambridge also affected . Low mortgage rates and services such as Help to Buy did little to allay the slump , according to Land Registry data , with sales falling in 64.4 % of markets by an average of 4.9 % . The market decline was attributed in part to a housing supply shortage , and to uncertainty ahead of Brexit causing house hunters to hold off .