The Q2 Residential Property Trends Report from Landmark Information Group shows the housing market remained relatively stable in the second quarter of 2026, despite ongoing economic and political uncertainty.
The data suggests the industry is “resilient but restrained”, Landmark said, and strengthens the need to implement the government’s roadmap for reform to “insulate the industry against future external shocks and build consumer confidence”.
Year-on-year comparisons for the quarter suggest activity softened across parts of the market, but should be viewed in line with the unusually high benchmarks set by the March 2025 stamp duty changes.
Beyond the heightened activity in Q1 2025, the data in Q2 2026 suggests an “active but cautious” market. Buyers and sellers continue to enter the market, albeit with some hesitation, and listing volumes across England and Wales were just 1% lower than the same period last year.
Buyer demand strengthened as the quarter progressed and June recorded the strongest month of 2026 for new conveyancing instructions, finishing just 4% below June 2025. The data points to a steady flow of new transactions continuing to enter the pipeline despite wider uncertainty, Landmark said.
Explaining what the trends mean for conveyancers, Rob Gurney, managing director of Ochresoft, Landmark Information Group, said: “Positively for conveyancers, the data paints a resilient picture, with a steady stream of new instructions entering the pipeline throughout Q2 and June proving the strongest month of the year so far, with SSTC volumes 7% down overall when compared to Q2 2025.
“That consistency creates a more predictable workload than the peaks and troughs seen around the stamp duty deadline last year.
“The opportunity now is to ensure those transactions continue to progress efficiently through to completion. While firms are seeing encouraging levels of new instructions, longer transaction times continue to slow the pace at which cases leave the pipeline. Reducing those delays will be key to giving consumers greater certainty and helping more agreed sales successfully reach completion.”
Search order activity further demonstrates measured buyer behaviour, with a March peak followed by an 8% reduction in volumes compared to Q2 2025.
“We’d normally expect to see search order activity build steadily through the spring as the market gathers momentum, but that seasonal uplift didn’t materialise this year,” Elizabeth Jarvis, divisional director of legal and search at Landmark Information Group said.
“Instead, volumes peaked in March before easing through the remainder of the quarter, even as conveyancing instruction volumes continued to strengthen.
“This suggests that affordability pressures, along with wider economic and geopolitical uncertainty, continue to influence decision making. While activity continues to move through the pipeline, buyers are progressing at a more measured pace.”
Mortgage offers spiked in April as lenders processed a backlog of applications submitted in March, and eased through May and June as this earlier demand moved through the pipeline.
Simon Brown, CEO, Landmark Information Group, said: “Our data for Q2 2026 demonstrates the market remains resilient despite a challenging backdrop. Healthy stock levels and strengthening transaction pipelines show the appetite to move is still there, but affordability pressures and wider uncertainty are influencing how quickly buyers are progressing through the transaction process.”
“While government and industry cannot control wider economic conditions, we can address the friction and uncertainty within the transaction process itself. As homebuying and selling reform progresses, the focus must be on creating a more transparent and predictable experience, in continued partnership with the sector, that gives consumers greater confidence to move.
“The data reinforces the need for a more connected home buying and selling process, where better collaboration and the seamless flow of information help reduce delays, improve certainty and keep transactions progressing, regardless of wider market conditions.”
