UK Asking Prices September 2026: Rightmove's 0.7% Rise and What It Means for Surveys

Last updated: September 28, 2026

Quick Answer

Rightmove's September 2026 House Price Index, published 21 September 2026, shows average new seller asking prices rose 0.7% (+£2,441) month-on-month to £367,440, though prices remain 0.8% lower than September 2025. Only 61% of listed homes nationally are finding a buyer, and with homes for sale at a 12-year high, buyers and sellers have more room than usual to lean on independent RICS home survey evidence when agreeing a price.

Key Takeaways

• Average asking prices in September 2026 hit £367,440, up 0.7% month-on-month but down 0.8% year-on-year, per Rightmove.
• Buyer enquiries and agreed sales are both down 9% year-on-year; new listings fell 3%.
• Stock levels are at a 12-year high, roughly 65 homes per estate agent branch, according to Rightmove data via The Intermediary.
• National sell-through rate sits at 61%, ranging from 91% in Scotland to just 42% in London (ValuQ/Rightmove).
• It now takes an average of 64 days to find a buyer and a further 150 days to complete, per Rightmove.
• 74% of homes sold in 2026 needed no price reduction at all, Rightmove reports.
• The average 2-year fixed mortgage rate climbed from 5.09% in August to 5.29% in September 2026.
• Rightmove's Colleen Babcock calls the uptick "a modest recovery rather than a major turning point."
• More stock and slower sales mean more scope for buyers to use survey findings in negotiation, particularly in London and the South East.

What were average UK house asking prices in September 2026

The average new seller asking price across Great Britain reached £367,440 in September 2026, according to Rightmove's House Price Index published on 21 September 2026. That is a rise of 0.7%, or £2,441, compared with August, but it still sits 0.8% below the level recorded in September 2025.

For context, this is the kind of small monthly bounce that estate agents often see as the autumn selling season gets going after the summer lull. It does not reverse the softer trend seen over the past year. Rightmove's own commentary, via spokesperson Colleen Babcock, frames the movement as "a modest recovery rather than a major turning point", a deliberately measured read of the numbers rather than a signal of renewed price growth.

For anyone pricing a purchase offer or a sale this autumn, the headline figure is a national average across a very wide mix of property types and regions. It is a useful barometer, not a valuation tool for any individual home, which is exactly why a RICS-regulated surveyor's inspection still matters more than the index itself when money is changing hands.

Rightmove asking prices report September 2026: the full picture

Rightmove's September 2026 report is built from asking prices on properties newly listed for sale on its platform, tracked monthly against a fixed representative basket of homes. Alongside the price data, Rightmove and its housing market analysts also published wider activity figures for the month.

Key figures from the September 2026 release:

Metric	September 2026 figure	Change
Average asking price	£367,440	+0.7% month-on-month, -0.8% year-on-year
Buyer enquiries	Down 9%	Year-on-year
Agreed sales	Down 9%	Year-on-year
New listings	Down 3%	Year-on-year
Homes for sale per agent	Around 65	12-year high
Average 2-year fixed mortgage rate	5.29%	Up from 5.09% in August

Taken together, these figures describe a market with plenty of choice for buyers but less urgency to transact. More homes are being listed than are being sold, enquiries are softer than last year, and mortgage costs have edged upward again after several months of relative stability. That combination is precisely why price negotiation, backed by hard evidence of a property's condition, has become more common this autumn than it was a year ago.

How do Rightmove surveys work and what do they measure

Rightmove's House Price Index measures asking prices at the point of listing, not completed sale prices, and is compiled from data across thousands of estate agent branches each month. It is a market-sentiment indicator, useful for tracking trends, but it does not measure the condition, structural soundness, or true market value of any single property.

This distinction matters for readers of a surveying blog. Rightmove's index answers the question "what are sellers asking for, on average, across the country?" It does not answer "what is this specific house actually worth, given its roof, damp levels, and subsidence risk?" That second question is the domain of a RICS Home Survey, whether a Level 2 (Home Survey) or Level 3 (Building Survey), and of a RICS Red Book valuation where a formal opinion of value is required, for example for mortgage lending.

Separately, Rightmove and its ValuQ data partnership track sell-through rates, the percentage of listed homes that actually go on to find a buyer, and typical timescales from listing to sale and from sale to completion. These are activity metrics, gathered by monitoring listing status changes over time, and they are the figures most relevant to anyone deciding how quickly, and how hard, to negotiate.

UK property market trends in September 2026

The UK property market in September 2026 is best described as well-supplied but slow-moving, with sellers competing for a shrinking pool of active buyers. Rightmove's data shows both buyer enquiries and agreed sales down 9% year-on-year, even as the average asking price ticked up slightly on the month.

Several forces are visible in the September data:

• Stock is high. Around 65 homes for sale per agent branch is a 12-year high, meaning buyers can afford to be selective.
• Demand has softened. A 9% year-on-year drop in both enquiries and agreed sales points to buyers taking longer to commit.
• New listings are down slightly. A 3% year-on-year fall suggests some sellers are holding back rather than testing a sluggish market.
• Mortgage costs rose. The average 2-year fixed rate moved from 5.09% to 5.29% between August and September, adding to monthly repayment pressure for new borrowers.

A market with rising stock, falling demand, and pricier borrowing tends to reward buyers who do their homework, including commissioning a proper condition survey before making an offer, rather than relying on estate agent photographs and asking price alone.

Asking price vs selling price difference in September 2026

The asking price is what a seller and agent choose to list a property for; the selling price is what a buyer actually agrees to pay after negotiation, which can be higher, lower, or the same. Rightmove's September 2026 figures suggest the gap between the two has been unusually favourable to buyers in some regions, because national sell-through sits at just 61%.

Rightmove reports that 74% of homes sold in 2026 needed no price reduction at all before finding a buyer, which tells a more nuanced story than the sell-through rate alone. It suggests that where sellers price realistically from the outset, often informed by comparable sales and sometimes by a pre-sale survey, deals are going through without a public reduction. The remaining properties, particularly in slower regional markets, are more likely to see price cuts or to sit unsold.

For buyers, the practical takeaway is this: a lower sell-through rate in your target area (see the regional breakdown below) generally means sellers have more incentive to negotiate, and a survey report that documents genuine defects, such as damp, roof wear, or drainage issues, gives that negotiation real substance rather than guesswork.

Regional breakdown: UK house prices and sell-through rates in September 2026

Sell-through rates vary sharply by region in September 2026, ranging from 91% in Scotland to just 42% in London, according to ValuQ data reported alongside Rightmove's index. This gap is one of the most important figures in the whole release for anyone weighing up negotiation strategy or survey timing.

Region	Sell-through rate (September 2026)
Scotland	91%
North West	71%
South East	56%
London	42%
National average	61%

Alongside these regional figures, the average UK property now takes 64 days to find a buyer and a further 150 days to complete once a sale is agreed, per Rightmove. That is a long window during which a survey can be commissioned, findings can be discussed with the vendor or their agent, and, where necessary, the agreed price renegotiated before exchange.

Why London's 42% sell-through matters for surveyors and buyers

London's low sell-through rate, combined with its higher average property values, gives buyers more genuine negotiating leverage this autumn than in faster-moving regions. Homes are taking longer to sell and more of them are sitting unsold at any given time, which means sellers in the capital are often more willing to engage seriously with survey findings that support a reduced offer.

A RICS Level 3 Building Survey is particularly useful here for London's older housing stock, converted flats, and period terraces, where structural movement, roof condition, and damp are common negotiation points. Buyers who commission a survey early, rather than after exchange, are in a stronger position to use documented defects as leverage while 42% sell-through gives them room to walk away if the seller won't budge.

Why fast markets in the North West and Scotland still need an independent check

A high sell-through rate does not mean a survey is unnecessary; it means buyers need to move quickly and decisively once they have the report in hand. Scotland's 91% sell-through rate and the North West's 71% reflect strong demand relative to supply, but neither figure says anything about the condition of any individual property.

In fast-moving markets, buyers sometimes feel pressure to skip a survey to avoid losing a property to a rival offer. RICS-regulated surveyors would caution against this: a Level 2 Home Survey can usually be turned around quickly enough to fit within a competitive timetable, and it protects buyers from inheriting undisclosed defects, structural issues, or costly repairs that would not be obvious on a casual viewing. Where a property is older, extended, or unusual in construction, a Level 3 Building Survey remains the safer choice, even under time pressure.

Why do asking prices differ from actual sale prices

Asking prices reflect what a seller hopes to achieve; sale prices reflect what the market, and often a buyer's survey findings, will actually support. Rightmove's own data shows this gap clearly: national sell-through of only 61% means nearly four in ten listed homes are not converting into a sale at the advertised price, or at all, within the current market cycle.

Several factors widen or narrow this gap:

• Local supply and demand, reflected in the regional sell-through rates above.
• Condition issues uncovered at survey stage, which frequently lead to price renegotiation after an offer has been accepted but before exchange.
• Mortgage valuation outcomes, where a lender's valuer may value a property below the agreed price, sometimes prompting further negotiation or a mortgage shortfall for the buyer.
• Realistic initial pricing, which Rightmove links to the 74% of 2026 sales that needed no reduction at all.

A pre-sale condition report commissioned by the seller can help narrow this gap from the outset, by flagging issues before a buyer's own survey does, and by giving the seller a chance to fix or disclose problems on their own terms.

Rightmove data accuracy and methodology: are asking prices reliable indicators

Rightmove's asking price index is a well-established and widely cited barometer of seller sentiment and short-term market direction, but it is not a substitute for an individual property valuation or condition assessment. It is reliable for spotting trends across the market as a whole, less so for pricing any single home.

The index's strength lies in its scale and consistency: it draws on a large, regularly updated sample of new listings each month, allowing month-on-month and year-on-year comparisons like the 0.7% rise and 0.8% annual fall reported for September 2026. Its limitation is equally clear: it measures what sellers ask for, not what buyers actually pay, and it cannot account for the condition of a particular roof, foundation, or damp course.

That is where RICS-regulated professionals fit in. RICS members carrying out home surveys follow the Home Survey Standard, which sets consistent expectations for how a property's condition is inspected and reported, and, where a formal valuation opinion is needed, the RICS Valuation, Global Standards (the Red Book) governs how that opinion is reached. Together, these standards give buyers, sellers, and lenders a level of assurance that a national price index simply cannot provide.

First-time buyer asking prices and luxury property trends in September 2026

Rightmove's September 2026 release does not break out separate national averages for first-time buyer homes or luxury property in the headline figures released via The Intermediary, but the broader trends still apply across the price spectrum. Both ends of the market are affected by the same rise in average 2-year fixed mortgage rates, from 5.09% to 5.29%, and by the same national stock surplus.

For first-time buyers, the combination of higher borrowing costs and abundant stock (around 65 homes per agent) means less pressure to rush into an offer, and more room to insist on a survey before proceeding. Historically higher-value and luxury properties, meanwhile, are concentrated in regions like London, where the 42% sell-through rate is lowest, meaning sellers of higher-value homes are often more willing to negotiate on price when a survey identifies genuine issues.

How historical Rightmove price data supports long-term market context

Historical Rightmove index data, going back well over a decade, lets buyers, sellers, and surveyors compare September 2026's figures against previous years to judge whether current conditions are typical or unusual. The 12-year high in homes for sale per agent, cited in the September 2026 release, is itself a historical comparison drawn from Rightmove's own longer-running dataset.

Anyone wanting to understand whether today's 0.8% annual price fall and 9% drop in agreed sales are part of a longer downward trend, or a short-term blip, should look at Rightmove's published monthly indices over the preceding 12 to 24 months rather than relying on a single month's snapshot. Surveyors and valuers routinely use this kind of longer-run context alongside local comparable evidence when advising clients on realistic pricing.

What this means if you are buying, selling, or letting

For buyers, sellers, and landlords, September 2026's mix of high stock, softer demand, and rising mortgage rates changes the calculus around surveys and negotiation in practical ways.

Buyers: With sell-through rates below 70% in London, the South East, and nationally, buyers have genuine room to negotiate. A Level 2 Home Survey suits straightforward, conventionally built homes in reasonable condition; a Level 3 Building Survey is the better choice for older, altered, or higher-value properties where structural risk is greater. Given the average 64 days to find a buyer, there is little reason to rush a survey purely to beat other bidders.

Sellers: A Pre-Sale Condition Report, sometimes called a Vendor Survey, can help sellers price realistically from the start, which Rightmove links to the 74% of 2026 sales that avoided a reduction entirely. Identifying and, where sensible, fixing issues before marketing can protect against late-stage renegotiation once a buyer's own survey comes back.

Landlords: A slower sales market with rising mortgage rates changes the buy-to-let arithmetic. Longer void periods between tenancies, combined with the 150-day average from agreed sale to completion when exiting a property, mean landlords should factor holding costs into any decision to sell, and should commission an independent survey before purchasing additional stock rather than relying on estate agent particulars alone.

Down-valuation risk: Where a lender's valuer values a property below the agreed price, having an independent RICS survey report in hand, documenting the property's actual condition, gives buyers stronger grounds to challenge the figure or renegotiate with the seller, rather than accepting the shortfall.

Frequently asked questions

Are UK house prices rising or falling in September 2026? Both, depending on the timeframe. Average asking prices rose 0.7% month-on-month to £367,440 in September 2026, but they remain 0.8% lower than September 2025, according to Rightmove's House Price Index.

Should I still commission a building survey if the market is slow? Yes. A slow market with high stock, as seen in September 2026, gives buyers more time to arrange a survey and more leverage to negotiate on the back of its findings, making it more useful, not less, to commission one.

How can a survey help me negotiate? A RICS survey documents specific, evidenced defects, such as damp, roof wear, or structural movement, which buyers can use to request a price reduction or repair contribution, particularly in regions like London where only 42% of listings are currently finding a buyer.

What is the difference between a RICS Home Survey Level 2 and Level 3? A Level 2 Home Survey suits conventional, reasonably modern properties in fair condition and provides a condition rating for key elements. A Level 3 Building Survey offers a more detailed structural assessment, suited to older, altered, or higher-value homes where the risk of hidden defects is greater.

Do I need a survey if the seller has already provided a Pre-Sale Condition Report? An independent buyer's survey is still recommended. A seller's Pre-Sale Condition Report or Vendor Survey reflects the vendor's instruction, so a separate RICS survey commissioned by the buyer provides an unbiased, buyer-focused assessment.

Why do mortgage rates matter to the survey decision? With the average 2-year fixed rate rising to 5.29% in September 2026, borrowing costs are higher, so buyers have more financial reason to ensure a property's condition matches its price before committing, making a survey a cost-effective safeguard rather than an optional extra.

Conclusion

September 2026's Rightmove House Price Index describes a market catching its breath: a small monthly price rise against a softer annual backdrop, record stock levels, and buyer demand that has cooled by 9% year-on-year. Colleen Babcock's description of "a modest recovery rather than a major turning point" is a fair summary, and it is a market where condition evidence, not asking price alone, increasingly decides what a property actually sells for.

Whether negotiating in London's slower 42% sell-through market, moving quickly in Scotland's fast-paced 91% market, or weighing up a buy-to-let purchase against rising mortgage costs, an independent RICS survey remains the most reliable way to separate a fair asking price from an inflated one.

The Survey Merchant's RICS-regulated surveyors offer both Level 2 Home Surveys and Level 3 Building Surveys across the UK. Contact The Survey Merchant today to book a survey and enter your next negotiation with the facts, not just the asking price, on your side.