The number of Londoners looking to move outside the capital city has fallen over the past year, according to a new study.
Research by the UK estate agent group Hamptons shows Londoners will have purchased 81,200 properties outside the capital this year, nearly 20,000 fewer than last year.
In 2022, Londoners bought 7.3 per cent of all homes sold in regions outside the capital, down from a 14-year high of 7.8 per cent last year. Nonetheless, the 2022 figure is still higher than in 2019, when 6.8 per cent of homes outside of London were bought by Londoners.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many Londoners worked from home, which sparked some to move outside the capital. The logic was, if I can do my job remotely, why not move out of my high-priced London home into somewhere cheaper — and often larger — and pocket the difference?
While the figures from Hamptons show that this is still going on, the trend seems to have peaked.
Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, said: “London outmigration appears to have passed its peak. While 2021 was dominated by space seekers swapping the bright city lights for pastures green, 2022 signalled the return to the office. That said, the widespread popularity of flexible working has meant that Londoners continue to move that little bit further out of the city to gain more space, meaning outmigration numbers remain higher than pre-Covid times."
Affordability key for first-time buyers
Even though the peak seem to have been passed, Hamptons contends that what is driving some, especially first-time buyers, out of London is affordability. With rising interest rates and high inflation, first-time buyers based in London are increasingly looking further afield. Affordability meant that first-time buyers made up a record 28 per cent of those purchasing outside London.
Also, Londoners who made a permanent move out of the capital bought 62,210 homes this year, a fall of 23 per cent on last year, but still 8 per cent higher than in 2019.
“Next year, we expect the pace of London outmigration to cool further as pent-up demand from the Covid related trend wanes," Ms Beveridge said. "But affordability pressures, and in particular the cost of higher interest rates, may mean that more Londoners are forced to move further afield to buy a home. Our latest data suggests that first-time buyers in particular are sacrificing location in order to climb on to the housing ladder. And this looks set to put a floor under London outmigration numbers in 2023.”
Running out of steam
The property website, Zoopla, also sees the search for space in the UK's rural and coastal areas as finally "running out of steam".
"The pandemic saw people moving from urban areas in a ‘search for space’, afforded by the onset of more flexible hybrid working and a big increase in retirement by older workers," said Zoopla's latest House Price Index. "Many buyers relocated to rural and coastal areas across the UK, pushing up house prices in the South-west, Wales, Kent and Norfolk,"
For Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, the increase in the number of Londoners that moved out of the capital during the pandemic was really just a blip and now the market is returning to normal.
"London's housing market has got bigger as a result of the pandemic, in that people can now work in London two or three days a week, but actually live further afield," he told The National. "So, it eases some of the pressure on the old London housing market, which went out to the M25 [London orbital motorway]. That means that prices won't go up, even if people came back, because they wouldn't have to come back in the middle of London."
Figures from Zoopla show the pent-up demand that was prevalent during the pandemic is now fading, with many coastal and rural towns this year recording a greater slowdown in demand and sales than other areas nationally.
But this doesn't point to a mad rush back into city-centre living. What's happening is a spread of the urban housing markets, which means that the gradient between house prices in inner cities and the suburbs and further out is flattening, as the daily commute becomes increasingly less desirable and more sidelined in the face of changing working patterns.
"You've loosened the ties between where you work and where you live," Mr Donnell told The National. "So, every housing market in the UK has got that bit bigger and that eases the pressure on the core urban area, in that people can live further afield, Zoom calls are acceptable and you don't need to be in the office five days a week. Also, employers are having to be a lot more flexible towards employees in what's a tight labour market."
Data from the estate agents Knight Frank shows that between the July and September of 2020 and the same three months this year, completed house sales rose by 10 per in the UK's cities, but fell by 8 per cent in the rural areas.
“After a frenetic period for the country market, city living has come back strongly as workers have returned to the office, and the lifting of pandemic restrictions have boosted the appeal of urban living," said Chris Druce, senior research analyst at Knight Frank.
Buy to let
Property investing has seen some shifting patterns. A decade ago, only 26 per cent of London-based buy-to-let house buyers were purchasing outside the capital. This year, nearly two thirds (62 per cent) did so. One reason is that property investors have for a few years been chasing better yields outside London, as property costs in the capital soared. Together with buyers of second homes, London-based buy-to-let investors spent a total of £4.89 billion ($5.93 billion) on property outside the capital this year.
Looking northwards
Geographically, the picture is changing as well. Amid rising house prices, Londoners moving to pastures new have had to set their sights further afield than in previous years, to get the space they desire.
The average Londoner buying outside the capital now purchases 34 miles away, 1.2 miles further than last year.
Those involved in buy-to-let purchases look even further away, at an average of nearly 110 miles, a figure which has doubled since 2013.
In terms of a regional breakdown, the numbers from Hamptons point to the fact that the share of Londoners moving permanently to the Midlands or the North of England rose from 6 per cent in 2012 to 15 per cent this year. Meanwhile, more than half of London-based investors bought a buy-to-let property in the Midlands or the North, up from 20 per cent a decade ago.
London house price growth will show strength ... eventually
The conditions that enabled Londoners to go on a 'quest for space' in house-hunting outside the capital during the pandemic are largely non-existent now. The stamp duty holidays of a couple of years ago are largely back in force, except for first-time buyers. Mortgage rates are considerably higher than they were and there is a growing opinion among employers that they'd like to see their workers back in the office for two days a week at least. Plus, the UK economy is likely heading for a recession next year, with the Bank of England suggesting it is already in one.
All of which would serve to dampen down demand in the London housing market over the next year, but 2024 could see some recovery.
"London has underperformed in terms of house prices, because it was overvalued back in 2015," Mr Donnell said. "But it's had a succession of challenges, so for a dollar-backed buyer looking at central London, it's the cheapest for a decade. But I don't think it's enough yet to bring the money in, because we've still go the uncertainty over the Brexit dividend and so on.
"So, I think London's probably got a year of prices going down before [the market] begins to look like a buy, and it looks like a place where the relative pricing of London internationally and within the UK will start to attract buyers back into it."
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The five pillars of Islam
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Top 5 concerns globally:
1. Unemployment
2. Spread of infectious diseases
3. Fiscal crises
4. Cyber attacks
5. Profound social instability
Top 5 concerns in the Mena region
1. Energy price shock
2. Fiscal crises
3. Spread of infectious diseases
4. Unmanageable inflation
5. Cyber attacks
Source: World Economic Foundation
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
