UK property auction market saw a dip in activity last month, new data shows

There was a notable drop in activity levels in the UK property auction market last month, albeit it regional, with total lots sold down by 4% compared to last year.

However, the market remained resilient, as total revenue rose by 6.2% to £661.4m, according to the latest data from Essential Information Group (EIG).

Residential auctions followed a similar trend, with a 4.8% drop in sales but a9.2% increase in total funds raised to £530m. Meanwhile, commercial auctions struggled, with revenue dipping by 4.4% to £131.4m, reflecting a more selective investor approach.

EIG’s David Sandeman explained: “Regionally, London performed strongly over the past three months, with a 24.6% jump in total revenue to £294.9M. The East Midlands and East Anglia saw more properties listed, but weaker sales rates meant mixed results, while the North-East had a challenging period, with revenue down by 24.3%. Scotland also saw a sharp decline, with total funds raised falling by 34.2%.

“Overall, the market continues to hold firm but shifting demand and regional differences highlight the importance of adapting in the changing economic conditions.”

National Auction Analysis

Overall

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2025 December 2024 to February 2025 March 2024 to February 2025
Lots Offered 4,249 (4,281)  0.7% 9,178 (9,162)  0.2% 39,422 (37,032) ▲ 6.5%
Lots Sold 3,083 (3,210)  4.0% 6,486 (6,682)  2.9% 28,036 (26,087)  7.5%
Percent Sold 72.6% (75.0%)  3.2% 70.7% (72.9%)  3.0% 71.1% (70.4%)  1.0%
Total Raised £661.4M (£622.7M)  6.2% £1,316.7M (£1,243.1M)  5.9% £5,581.1M (£4,968.4M)  12.3%

Residential

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2025 December 2024 to February 2025 March 2024 to February 2025
Lots Offered 3,752 (3,813)  1.6% 8,158 (8,126)  0.4% 34,815 (32,497) ▲ 7.1%
Lots Sold 2,727 (2,864)  4.8% 5,777 (5,948)  2.9% 24,821 (22,921)  8.3%
Percent Sold 72.7% (75.1%)  3.2% 70.8% (73.2%)  3.3% 71.3% (70.5%)  1.1%
Total Raised £530.0M (£485.3M)  9.2% £1,068.1M (£985.3M)  8.4% £4,469.4M (£3,885.5M)  15.0%

Commercial

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2025 December 2024 to February 2025 March 2024 to February 2025
Lots Offered 497 (468)  6.2% 1,020 (1,036)  1.5% 4,607 (4,535) ▲ 1.6%
Lots Sold 356 (346)  2.9% 709 (734)  3.4% 3,215 (3,166)  1.5%
Percent Sold 71.6% (73.9%)  3.1% 69.5% (70.8%)  1.8% 69.8% (69.8%)  0.0%
Total Raised £131.4M (£137.4M)  4.4% £248.7M (£257.8M)  3.5% £1,111.8M (£1,082.9M)  2.7%

Regional Auction Analysis

As is usually the case, variations across all the measurable parameters can be seen across the regions.

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

East-AngliaEast Anglia

(Includes Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 439 (389)  12.9% 402 (353)  13.9% 37 (36) ▲ 2.8%
Lots Sold 297 (289)  2.8% 272 (263)  3.4% 25 (26)  3.8%
Percent Sold 67.7% (74.3%)  8.9% 67.7% (74.5%)  9.1% 67.6% (72.2%)  6.4%
Total Raised £49.2M (£46.9M)  5.0% £45.3M (£41.1M)  10.3% £3.9M (£5.8M)  32.3%

East-MidlandsEast Midlands

(Includes Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 763 (681)  12.0% 648 (574)  12.9% 115 (107) ▲ 7.5%
Lots Sold 539 (521)  3.5% 448 (436)  2.8% 91 (85)  7.1%
Percent Sold 70.6% (76.5%)  7.7% 69.1% (76.0%)  9.1% 79.1% (79.4%)  0.4%
Total Raised £111.0M (£101.1M)  9.8% £68.5M (£70.2M)  2.4% £42.5M (£30.9M)  37.5%

LondonLondon

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 790 (684)  15.5% 734 (632)  16.1% 56 (52) ▲ 7.7%
Lots Sold 587 (517)  13.5% 543 (480)  13.1% 44 (37)  18.9%
Percent Sold 74.3% (75.6%)  1.7% 74.0% (75.9%)  2.5% 78.6% (71.2%)  10.4%
Total Raised £294.9M (£236.6M)  24.6% £247.4M (£199.0M)  24.3% £47.5M (£37.7M)  26.2%

North-EastNorth-East

(Includes Cleveland, County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 583 (801)  27.2% 555 (757)  26.7% 28 (44)  36.4%
Lots Sold 439 (631)  30.4% 420 (599)  29.9% 19 (32)  40.6%
Percent Sold 75.3% (78.8%)  4.4% 75.7% (79.1%)  4.3% 67.9% (72.7%)  6.6%
Total Raised £31.4M (£41.5M)  24.3% £27.4M (£34.4M)  20.4% £4.0M (£7.1M)  43.4%

North-WestNorth-West

(Includes Cheshire, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 1,314 (1,383)  5.0% 1,188 (1,243)  4.4% 126 (140)  10.0%
Lots Sold 954 (1,014)  5.9% 872 (910)  4.2% 82 (104)  21.2%
Percent Sold 72.6% (73.3%)  1.0% 73.4% (73.2%)  0.3% 65.1% (74.3%)  12.4%
Total Raised £127.6M (£124.6M)  2.4% £107.2M (£102.0M)  5.1% £20.4M (£22.6M)  9.6%

North-West-Home-CountiesNorth-West Home Counties

(Includes Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Oxfordshire)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 645 (610)  5.7% 566 (554)  2.2% 79 (56) ▲ 41.1%
Lots Sold 464 (454)  2.2% 399 (412)  3.2% 65 (42)  54.8%
Percent Sold 71.9% (74.4%)  3.4% 70.5% (74.4%)  5.2% 82.3% (75.0%)  9.7%
Total Raised £121.2M (£122.2M)  0.8% £96.5M (£97.6M)  1.1% £24.7M (£24.6M)  0.3%

Northern-IrelandNorthern Ireland

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 52 (35)  48.6% 50 (34)  47.1% 2 (1) ▲ 100.0%
Lots Sold 25 (20)  25.0% 23 (19)  21.1% 2 (1)  100.0%
Percent Sold 48.1% (57.1%)  15.8% 46.0% (55.9%)  17.7% 100.0% (100.0%)  0.0%
Total Raised £2.5M (£2.4M)  5.1% £2.3M (£2.1M)  12.5% £0.2M (£0.3M)  40.8%

ScotlandScotland

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 300 (324)  7.4% 210 (213)  1.4% 90 (111)  18.9%
Lots Sold 113 (116)  2.6% 77 (80)  3.8% 36 (36)  0.0%
Percent Sold 37.7% (35.8%)  5.3% 36.7% (37.6%)  2.4% 40.0% (32.4%)  23.5%
Total Raised £12.9M (£19.6M)  34.2% £6.7M (£7.3M)  7.6% £6.2M (£12.3M)  49.8%

South-East-Home-CountiesSouth-East Home Counties

(Includes Channel Islands, East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 1,425 (1,444)  1.3% 1,289 (1,327)  2.9% 136 (117) ▲ 16.2%
Lots Sold 1,002 (1,042)  3.8% 908 (946)  4.0% 94 (96)  2.1%
Percent Sold 70.3% (72.2%)  2.6% 70.4% (71.3%)  1.3% 69.1% (82.1%)  15.8%
Total Raised £234.6M (£234.4M)  0.1% £199.0M (£192.6M)  3.3% £35.6M (£41.8M)  14.9%

South-WestSouth-West

(Includes Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, Somerset, Wiltshire)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 754 (692)  9.0% 665 (603)  10.3% 89 (89)  0.0%
Lots Sold 565 (503)  12.3% 501 (436)  14.9% 64 (67)  4.5%
Percent Sold 74.9% (72.7%)  3.0% 75.3% (72.3%)  4.1% 71.9% (75.3%)  4.5%
Total Raised £115.4M (£93.1M)  23.9% £100.9M (£74.8M)  34.8% £14.5M (£18.3M)  20.6%

WalesWales

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 503 (531)  5.3% 441 (447)  1.3% 62 (84)  26.2%
Lots Sold 317 (354)  10.5% 273 (297)  8.1% 44 (57)  22.8%
Percent Sold 63.0% (66.7%)  5.5% 61.9% (66.4%)  6.8% 71.0% (67.9%)  4.6%
Total Raised £41.3M (£40.5M)  1.8% £30.8M (£31.4M)  1.7% £10.4M (£9.2M)  13.9%

West-MidlandsWest Midlands

(Includes Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 891 (853)  4.5% 810 (737)  9.9% 81 (116)  30.2%
Lots Sold 652 (677)  3.7% 592 (586)  1.0% 60 (91)  34.1%
Percent Sold 73.2% (79.4%)  7.8% 73.1% (79.5%)  8.1% 74.1% (78.4%)  5.5%
Total Raised £101.2M (£109.9M)  7.9% £85.4M (£81.9M)  4.3% £15.8M (£28.0M)  43.6%

Yorkshire-and-The-HumberYorkshire and The Humber

(Includes North Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Humberside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire)

December 2024 to February 2025 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 719 (735)  2.2% 600 (652)  8.0% 119 (83) ▲ 43.4%
Lots Sold 532 (544)  2.2% 449 (484)  7.2% 83 (60)  38.3%
Percent Sold 74.0% (74.0%)  0.0% 74.8% (74.2%)  0.8% 69.7% (72.3%)  3.6%
Total Raised £73.5M (£70.3M)  4.5% £50.6M (£51.0M)  0.8% £23.0M (£19.3M)  18.7%

The figures are based on sales data provided to EIG by the auctioneers 

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