Coronavirus lockdown: More Londoners consider moving out of capital
Estate agents have seen an uptick in Londoners considering moving out of the capital as city-dwellers seek more green space and enjoy working from home during the coronavirus lockdown.
The latest research by Rightmove showed there has been an increase in Londoners searching for properties outside of the city during the coronavirus lockdown.
In total 51 per cent of property enquiries from Londoners are for homes outside of the capital, up from 42 per cent last April.
Similar shifts have been seen in other UK cities including Edinburgh and Birmingham during the coronavirus lockdown.
Rightmove housing market analyst Miles Shipside said: “The longer people are spending in their homes the more they may be considering not just a new home but also a new location, and are starting to research and search for their next move, leading to this slow but steady recovery in activity.”
He added: “It remains to be seen how people’s commutes may change when lockdown is over.
“Some people may already be thinking of moving further out from their current place of work if they can perhaps work from home a few days a week, which opens up a number of new areas they had never considered before.”
Reece Giles, branch manager at Douglas Allen Estate Agents in Brentwood, said the company had seen a spike in enquiries from Londoners during the coronavirus lockdown.
“We’ve definitely seen an uplift in people looking to move out of the more built-up areas from nearby London boroughs,” he said.
“Interest has kind of gone through the roof, really.”
The Rightmove research also showed that 94 per cent of buyers and sellers currently in market say they’re going ahead with sales already agreed or plan to continue when the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.
Visits to Rightmove are up over 20 per cent when compared with the first few days of lockdown as more people staying at home start to think about moving.