Lettings Market Pressure from OpenRent

The headlines for the 8th week of the 2026 UK Property Market (week ending Sun 1st March 2026) 🟩 Listings YTD 
282k new properties have come onto the market YTD , 1% ahead of 2025, 9% above 2024, and 20% higher than the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Gross Sales YTD 
194k UK homes sold STC YTD , 6% lower than 2025, 11% higher than 2024 and 19% above pre Covid norms. 🟩 Net Sales YTD 
150k UK net home sales YTD (Net Sales being Gross sales less Fall Thrus). 4% lower than 2025, 11% ahead of 2024, 28% ahead of 2023 and 16% above the 2017–19 average. 🟥 Overvaluing 48% of the homes that left UK Estate Agents books in February were withdrawn unsold. Main cause - blatant overvaluing supported by long sole agency agreements of 20+ weeks.     ✅ The YouTube Show   The YouTube  ‘UK Property Market Stats Show’ for the week ending Sunday, 1st March 2026 (week 8) with the brilliant Verona Frankish , boss of Yopa   https://youtu.be/9AeDocO3WOo Detailed Breakdown …   ✅ New Listings   •           36.8k new properties came onto market this week, slightly up from 36.4k last week. •           2025 weekly average: 30.6k. •           10-year week 8 average : 34k   ✅ Price Reductions   •           20.9k reductions this week, up from 19.8k last week •           11.4% of resi homes for sale were reduced in February. Feb 25 - 12%. Feb 24 - 11.5% •           2025 average was 12.8%, versus the 6-year long-term average of 10.7%.   ✅ Sales Agreed   •           26.6k homes sold stc this week 8, up slightly from 26.2k last week. •           Week 8 average (for last 10 years) : 25.7k •           2026 weekly average : 24.2k.   ✅ Price Difference between Listings & Sales •           22.4% difference (long term 10 year average is 16% to 17%). (£433k ave Listing Ave Asking price vs £354k Sale Agreed ave Asking price)     ✅ Sell-Through Rate   •           15.4% of homes on agents’ books went SSTC in February ’26. (Feb ’25 - 16.1% / Feb ’24 - 16.7%) •           Pre-Covid average: 15.5%.   ✅ Fall-Throughs   •           5,306 fall-throughs last week (pipeline of 422k home Sold STC). •           Weekly average for 2025: 6,100. •           Fall-through rate (Fall thru expressed as a % of the Gross sales that week): 19.9%, down from 20.2% last week. •           Long-term average: 24.2% (post-Truss chaos saw levels exceed 40%). •           5.39% of all the sales agreed in Estate Agent’s Sales pipelines fell thru in January (6.13% in Jan 25 and 5.3% in Jan 25 . 10 year average - 5.8%). February figures to follow next week.   ✅ Net Sales   •           21.3k Net Sales, up slightly from 21.1k last week •           Ten-year Week 8 average: 20.6k. •           Weekly average for 2026: 18k. •           Weekly average for the whole of 2025: 18.8k. ✅ Probability of Selling (% that Exchange vs withdrawal)   •           Feb ’26 Stats : 51.7% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged & completed in Feb. (Note this figure will change throughout the month as more Feb stats come in). •    57.6% is the 7 year average (which includes the crazy years post lockdown 18 months) ✅ Stock Levels   •           682k homes on the market on the 1st of March ’26. (675k - 1st March 25) •           422k homes in agent’s sales pipeline on the 1st Feb 2026, slightly lower than 12 months ago on 1st Feb ’25 (433k). (NOTE - I haven’t got the 1st March stats yet - should have them for next week) ✅ UK Rental Data •           Average Rent in Feb 2026 - £1,711 pcm (£1,745 in Feb 25) •           305k UK Rental Stock available to rent in Feb 26 (310k in Feb 2025)   ✅ Local Focus Stevenage