Agents who have been struggling to sell their businesses could be beneficiaries of the Boris bounce.

Broker Adam Walker, who transacts estate agency and lettings firms, said: “During the last two weeks of December, including over the Christmas period, we sold more businesses than in the whole of the previous six months.”

Recruiters have also been reporting a sudden surge in business after a very slow 2019.

Seasoned business broker Walker said that between previous prime minister Theresa May’s resignation and the December General Election, there was a state of suspended animation.

Walker said: “There was complete paralysis. We had virtually no completions at all. Buyers were holding off because of all the uncertainty – and who could blame them?”

Walker said that in the build-up to last month’s election the paralysis continued, with many agents fearing the business climate if Jeremy Corbyn were to get in.

But after the comprehensive victory for Boris Johnson, Walker says he saw immediate results.

“The first email came in at 3.35am with the buyer saying they would complete that day,” he said.

“Since then, it has been extremely busy. We have done millions of pounds worth of business and we have more completions lined up for this month.

“I am cautiously optimistic about this year, and we shall have to see how long the Boris bounce lasts, but agents are clearly feeling a lot more confident.

“I have read that over the last three and a half years – since the EU referendum – 937,000 sales have failed to happen. That could translate into a lot of pent-up business for agents.”

Walker said he has known huge swings in his own business since the EU referendum.

He said: “We had a lot of sales due to complete. But the following week, every single one fell through.”

Walker cautioned that while sales of estate agency and lettings businesses have been strong beneficiaries of the Boris bounce less than a month ago, the effect so far has been purely one of numbers.

“We haven’t seen prices of businesses alter at all,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rayner Personnel, specialists in recruitment within the property industry, had a record day on January 2, agreeing 20 new placements.

Some 60% of these new placements are taking up lettings positions within London and the south-east which are either additional roles or positions that had been mothballed in early 2019.

The surge in demand from employers should encourage the job seekers: in November and December, applications rose 68% year on year.

Josh Rayner, CEO of Rayner Personnel, said: “Immediately after the results of December’s election were announced we received an influx of jobs from clients.

“It seems that the confidence of a majority government released this pent-up demand. Many of our clients view now as a good time to invest, expand staffing, fill empty seats and take advantage of a more confident market driven by the Boris bounce.

“The outlook for 2020 is very positive.”