More overseas buyers and tenants could be poised to enter the UK housing market following the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, new figures from Knight Frank suggest.

The agency said its web traffic data almost a quarter – 24% – of users looking at sales and lettings properties in August were based abroad – the highest figure since January 2020.

This was up on the average of 17% of overseas viewers in the 18 months to June this year. Knight Frank reports that the return of overseas corporate tenants and overseas students getting ready for the academic year has fuelled demand.

Knight Frank’s head of UK residential research Tom Bill said: “International demand is undoubtedly building as the feeling grows that the worst of the pandemic is behind us.”

Knight Frank is predicting prime central prices will end the year 2% higher with this increasing to 7% in 2022 as overseas demand has an impact on the market.

Despite growing international demand, uncertainty over the relaxation of travel rules means the precise timing of the return is uncertain.

Air traffic has been severely curtailed during the pandemic due to international travel restrictions that mean many visitors to the UK have needed to quarantine on arrival or their return. While the number of arrivals at Heathrow in July was the highest since the start of the pandemic, it was still more than 80% below the figure for the same month in 2019.

The international buyer landscape in prime central London changed as a result of the restrictions, meaning French nationals were the largest group of buyers in prime central London in 2020, with a number of those already based in the UK.

In the lettings market, some overseas students have arrived in the UK ahead of the academic year while others are waiting for more clarity around face-to-face learning, meaning tenant demand should be more evenly spread throughout the year than normal.

That said, overseas prospective tenant numbers are high in areas like Aldgate and the Southbank. “In some London branches, we have in excess of 80% of rental applicants searching for properties who are not based in the UK,” said Gary Hall, head of lettings at Knight Frank.

In the sales market, the presence of overseas buyers is patchier but numbers are expected to pick up from this month.

“We are getting more enquiries from overseas buyers who are keener to come over,” said James Cleland, head of Knight Frank’s country business. “The tide is definitely turning.”