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 .
In 2018, the UK saw 2.3% fall in property transactions, with 241 out of 374 local authority areas seeing no rise in sales. Stevenage was hit the worst, with a 27.5% fall in sales, with Newcastle-under-Lyme and Cambridge also suffering. Low mortgage rates and schemes 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 slowdown was attributed in part to a housing stock shortage, and to uncertainty ahead of Brexit causing house hunters to hold off.