A national valuations firm says that activity plummeted last month, while a supplier of estate agency boards said business was well down because of election uncertainty.
Agents may need to brace themselves for weeks of more of the same – with the BBC raising the possibility of another general election in July.
Connells Survey & Valuation said the number of valuations it conducted in April was 32% down on March.
Despite the monthly fall, there were 13% more valuations than in April last year. Without buy-to-let activity, however, the annual rise would have been far less.
John Bagshaw, corporate services director of Connells Survey & Valuation, said: “The dip from March is generally a seasonal effect at this time of year. However, if this monthly slowdown continues further, we’ll know that something has changed more fundamentally.
“Yet so far, there is no sign of a serious housing market slowdown as the UK wakes up to polling day.”
The biggest monthly fall was in the buy-to-let market which contracted 36% in April but was up 29% on April 2014.
Bagshaw said talk of rent controls and extended tenancy periods could have stopped landlords investing pending the outcome of today’s election.
The number of valuations carried out on behalf of new buyers fell 33% since March, leaving first-time buyer activity up 7% compared to the same month last year.
Valuations for established home movers contracted 27% compared to March and were up just 3% over the year since April 2014.
Separately, boards firm Agency Express said that the “normally robust” month of April had seen business deteriorate.
Properties converting to Sold status dropped by 4.9% and new For Sale listings by 3.8%.
The last declines in April were in April 2010 – the month before that year’s general election – although they were smaller.
Stephen Watson, managing director of Agency Express, said: “What is usually a robust and active market across the nation, has seemingly halted in anticipation of today’s election.
“This trend did occur five years ago, although to a higher degree this year.
“It will be interesting to see the result of this general election and how that is going to impact the UK property market moving forwards.”
Last night estate agent Kevin Hollinrake – chairman of Hunters and who is standing in the safe Tory seat of Thirsk and Malton – sent this message to Eye readers: “Vote Conservative! Alternative is unthinkable for our industry and the wider economic health of the country.”
Yesterday, the BBC lunchtime news carried speculation that the election uncertainty could continue for weeks, with the possibility of another general election in July if no politician is able to form a government.
We’d better hope for the Tories. Labour will savage the property market – ultimately hurting consumers – with their headline grabbing, poorly thought through proposals.
Rent caps, 3 year tenancy, mansion tax. I can see how it proves they are socialist, but where is the common sense?!
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Good morning E, I am not disagreeing that the Tories offer a far brighter outlook for the industry than Ed Miliband and his somewhat dubious and un workable manifesto on homes and housing, but based on the past 5 years what real progress has been made since Grant Shapps sat himself in housing, did nothing, passed housing onto an ex surveyor with a total net gain of errr nothing at all?
A solution for mid sector and social housing will not come from legislation, attempting to impose regulation and controls on investors who have a choice not to invest or to withdraw investment from the sector is trying to push water up a hill.
Whatever happens today (or in July) the solution ought to come from within the industry, those people who have positioned themselves to advise government but by are either sector novices, or sector celebrities with the wrong domain knowledge have to be replaced by those with a genuine understanding of economics, finance, property and people.
It was heartening yesterday to read Michael Robson echoing the need for Housing to be apolitical; independent of party politics. Only when strategy and policy are allowed more than 5 years to work through can the faults and inconsistencies be ironed out. Only that way will policy be immune from vested interest groups who are surreptitiously attempting to influence the PRS to pick up the tab, responsibility and problems of social housing.
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Oh, Robert… you used the ‘b’ word to EH.
Everything was going smoothly – you agreed with her (well… you said you didn’t disagree – she will take that inch and call it a kilometre) – THEN you drop in a little insignificant “…but…”
Prepare for the backwash, mon ami… it’s nearly gin’o’clock…
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You know full well that wasn’t a disagree but and so did E. I genuinely want to engage with non AM members. I said before ‘Moron’ gate that I specifically want her to be in touch but as yet she hasn’t accepted the invitation (perhaps she never saw it)
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I’m a little minx, Robert, and you know it! I know you genuinely want to engage with folk like EH but the more I see of her I genuinely believe that the last thing ‘she’ wants to do is engage with anyone.
She is acting like Peter Hendry in Dorothy Perkins clothing, and that’s not an easy route to endearment and is counterproductive in the first degree.
I hope you do get your opportunity to prove me wrong.
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As you have probably gathered I am the little chromed pimple in the middle if the Dansette. While I certainly don’t want the whole industry to revolve around me I am stuck very firmly in the middle so the industry can resolve around me.
For over 20 years people of all colours, creeds genders and attitudes have thrown objections at me, telling in why they didn’t need, weren’t going to buy software or solutions from me. 80% of the people I ever saw failed, failed in their attempts to resist. In the same way E Henderson got so close to your profile (without the insult) I can see what E Henderson is up against and why they post as they do. Of course EHenderson might be a fictional persona invented to make a point on here and could well be one of those stereotype characters made up to make a point. It would not be the first time someone has carried that off for years!
There is no getting away from the fact I am now gearing up to release a playing field levelling product that will fill the G5 need of the industry. There is simply no point in creating a product that fits an easy and obvious stereotype, OTM did that already. I need the full range of Agency owners to realise what it is I am proposing and tell me if I have it wrong for their sector of the industry, whether that is the type of property sold, the location , the price, whatever. Very few people have but a service that crosses all boundaries including market sector and business ownership, I have. When Ehenderson called you a moron I know why, I also know why you were doing what is was to prompt that outburst and what you are doing now.
Don’t take it too far is all I need to say. E Henderson will get in touch when I have proven I am safe to talk to and have no agenda other than making things equitable in the industry.
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Where is Brewsters “None of the above” when you need them!
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NOTA (none of the above)….They are standing in many constituencies(including mine)…They are a pressure group that campaign against the current 1st past post electoral system. I wasn’t going to bother to turnout until I saw they were going to be on the ballot paper (at the bottom of the list, of course) Definitely getting my vote.
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That is great! Sadly though they don’t feature on mine 🙁
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