Moving home is one of the biggest and most stressful transactions most people go through, and the UK moving house statistics below show why. This guide brings together published figures on how many homes change hands, what a move costs, why sales get delayed, when the busiest periods fall, and how often people use storage, with a link to every source. Move In Matters handles the physical side of this process from our depot at 2 and 4 Wedgwood Road, Bicester, OX26 4UL, and every quote we give is free, itemised, and comes with no hidden fees.
How Many Homes Change Hands Each Year
Around one million homes change hands in the UK in a typical year. HMRC recorded 1,022,820 residential property transactions in 2023, which was about 19% down on 2022, and market analysis by Savills put 2024 at roughly 1.1 million transactions as the market recovered. More recent HMRC monthly data has run ahead of the previous year, with September 2024 at 91,820 seasonally adjusted transactions, up around 9% year on year.
| Period | UK residential transactions | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (full year) | 1,022,820 | HMRC |
| 2024 (full year) | ~1.1 million | Savills market analysis |
| September 2024 (month) | 91,820 (seasonally adjusted) | HMRC |
Volumes swing with the wider economy: they fell sharply during the 2020 lockdowns and spiked in 2021 during the temporary Stamp Duty holiday, before settling back toward the one-million mark.
Sources: HMRC Monthly Property Transactions, Savills UK housing market 2024.
The Average Cost of Moving House in the UK
The average UK house price was £272,188 in June 2026, up 2.0% year on year, according to the official UK House Price Index. No single source publishes a combined moving cost, so the total is built from several components. The HomeOwners Alliance put the average cost of moving in 2025 at around £13,018, based on buying and selling a home priced at about £292,000.
| Cost component | Typical figure (2025) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average cost of moving (all-in) | ~£13,018 | HomeOwners Alliance |
| Estate agent fee (seller) | ~1.42% incl VAT, about £4,000 on a £290,000 home | HomeOwners Alliance |
| Conveyancing (selling) | £610 to £950 | HomeOwners Alliance |
| Conveyancing (buying) | £500 to £1,150 plus disbursements | HomeOwners Alliance |
| Removals, 1 to 2 bed home | ~£1,300 | HomeOwners Alliance |
| Removals, 3 bed home | ~£1,700 | HomeOwners Alliance |
Removal costs vary with the volume of possessions, distance, access at both ends, and whether packing or storage is included. Move In Matters runs the full service from one base, so house removals, packing, furniture dismantling and reassembly, containerised storage, and re-delivery are all quoted together rather than discovered separately on the day. You can get a quote with every element itemised up front.
Sources: UK House Price Index (Land Registry), HomeOwners Alliance cost of selling, HomeOwners Alliance removals costs.
Why So Many Moves Get Delayed
A large share of agreed UK sales do not reach completion. Quick Move Now data put the 2024 fall-through rate at around 28.8%, close to one in three, and estimated that failed transactions cost movers roughly £8.6 billion in 2024. Most fall-throughs happen around eight weeks into the process.
The move itself also takes longer than many expect: industry analysis puts the average time from sale agreed to completion at roughly five months (around 139 days), and closer to 216 days from first listing.
The most common causes of delay and collapse are consistent:
- Chain collapse, where a break anywhere in a linked chain unravels several sales at once
- Mortgage delays, from lender processing, down-valuations, or changed circumstances
- Conveyancing and local authority searches running slow
- Withdrawal before exchange, which is legal in England and Wales right up to exchange
- Survey findings prompting renegotiation
- Leasehold complications such as management packs and lease terms
Scotland works differently: once missives are concluded the deal is binding, so fall-through rates there are lower.
Sources: Quick Move Now fall-through data via The Negotiator, ReadySteadySell fall-through report.
The Busiest Times to Move
August is the single busiest month to move in the UK, accounting for around 12% of moves, followed by July and September at about 10% each, based on 711,531 removals quotes collected by reallymoving over 13 years. Friday is comfortably the most popular day, chosen for around 29% of moves, and peak-season prices can run up to 20% higher than quieter months.
The pattern is driven by families timing moves around the school holidays, longer daylight hours in summer, and sellers listing so buyers can complete before September. Because Fridays and end-of-month dates fill first, planning early for a summer completion, or choosing a mid-week, mid-month date, tends to give more flexibility on both date and price.
Source: HomeOwners Alliance busiest day to move.
How Often People Use Storage When Moving
The self-storage sector has grown steadily. The Self Storage Association UK’s 2026 Annual Industry Report puts the UK at over 700 SSA members representing more than 1,600 facilities, with industry turnover reaching £1.3 billion, growth the SSA links to strong domestic demand and pressure on the housing market. Industry analysis of SSA data indicates roughly 73% of self-storage customers are domestic users, and around 29% are moving house.
Moving home is one of the most common reasons households turn to storage, usually to bridge a gap between moving out and moving in, whether from a chain delay, a renovation, or downsizing. Containerised storage, where a crew collects items from the property and returns them on request, suits people who do not need frequent access. Move In Matters runs containerised storage from its Bicester depot in units from 50 sq ft up to 150-200 sq ft. If you are weighing the options, our guide to self storage versus removal company storage explains the difference.
Sources: Self Storage Association UK, WhatStorage UK industry statistics.
The Most Common Moving Day Problems
Beyond the legal and financial delays, moving day itself throws up a predictable set of issues:
- Key release delays, when completion funds arrive late and keys are held up
- Access and parking, narrow streets or permit zones that add time, sometimes needing a council permit
- Items not fitting, furniture that fitted the old home but not the new doorways or stairs
- Underestimated volume, self-estimates that leave a move underbooked and needing a second trip
- Packing not finished, the most common reason a move overruns
- Damage in transit, which is why you should confirm a mover’s goods-in-transit cover before booking
Most of these are avoidable with an accurate pre-move survey and packing booked for the day before. Our crews work to a labelled, room-by-room plan and flag any access or parking issue ahead of move day rather than on it. Nothing is too much trouble.
Method and Sources
The figures above are drawn from published government and recognised industry sources, quoted with their originator. Where a figure comes from an industry analyst rather than a raw government table, that source is named. Housing data is updated regularly, so check the primary sources for the latest releases.
- HMRC Monthly Property Transactions
- UK House Price Index, HM Land Registry
- Savills UK housing market analysis
- HomeOwners Alliance (cost of moving, removals costs, busiest day)
- Quick Move Now fall-through data
- Self Storage Association UK and WhatStorage industry statistics
FAQs
Around one million. HMRC recorded 1,022,820 residential transactions in 2023, and 2024 was roughly 1.1 million according to Savills. The figure falls in uncertain markets and spikes when temporary Stamp Duty reliefs are in place, as it did in 2021.
The HomeOwners Alliance put the all-in average at about £13,018 in 2025 for a home priced around £292,000, covering estate agent fees, conveyancing, surveys, removals and other costs. Removals alone typically run about £1,300 for a one to two-bed home and £1,700 for a three-bed.
Around 28 to 30% of agreed sales did not complete in 2024, with chain collapse the most common cause. Failed transactions were estimated to cost movers about £8.6 billion that year.
August is the single busiest month at around 12% of moves, with Friday the most popular day at around 29%. Peak-season prices can be up to 20% higher, so a mid-week, mid-month date usually gives more flexibility.
Moving home is one of the most common reasons for domestic storage, and industry data suggests around 29% of self-storage customers are moving house. If your completion date is at risk or you must vacate before the new property is ready, containerised storage from our Bicester depot runs from 50 sq ft up to 150-200 sq ft, with items collected and re-delivered when keys are confirmed.
Plan Your Move with Move In Matters
Moving in Bicester, Banbury, Brackley, Buckingham, or across Oxfordshire and beyond? Move In Matters covers house removals, packing, furniture dismantling and reassembly, and containerised storage from our Bicester depot. Every quote is free, itemised, and comes with no hidden fees.
Get a free removals quote or call the team to talk through your move.