Property Recruitment Insights - June 2025
Understanding the latest hiring trends in the UK property sector
For estate agency directors and hiring managers, navigating the current UK residential sales and lettings landscape requires a keen understanding of shifting dynamics.
The past month has seen a market in transition, balancing sustained buyer interest with increasing supply, all while adjusting to recent government policy changes.
Residential Sales and Lettings Sector: June 2025 Trends
House Price Movements:
May 2025 brought a new record for average asking prices, reaching £379,517 (Rightmove).
However, the monthly increase was a modest 0.6%, the smallest May rise in nine years.
This indicates a move towards a more balanced market. Annually, house price growth has been varied.
Nationwide reported a 3.5% annual increase in May, while Halifax showed a 2.5% annual growth after a slight monthly dip.
The overall picture suggests a resilient market, but with more subdued price increases compared to recent years.
Regional variations remain significant, with the North East showing strong annual growth (14.3% to March 2025), while London's annual growth has been more muted (0.8% to March 2025).
Rural areas continue to outpace urban areas in price growth over the longer term.
Buyer/Seller Activity:
Buyer demand, whilst still robust, saw a slight easing in April (down 4% year-on-year) following the rush to complete transactions before the April 1st Stamp Duty changes. However, there are signs of a bounce back in May, with sales agreed still running 5% higher than last year.
The number of new properties coming to market is at a decade-high, up 14% year-on-year.
This increased supply is providing buyers with more choice and naturally putting pressure on sellers to price competitively.
Essentially, buyers are more selective, and sellers need to ensure their properties are accurately priced and well-presented.
In the lettings sector, demand continues to outstrip supply, leading to ongoing upward pressure on rents.
While the pace of rent increases appears to be slowing slightly, average UK private rents were still up 7.7% year-on-year in April.
Tenant demand remains high, particularly for family homes and pet-friendly properties, while rental stock remains low in many regions.
Government Policy Changes:
The most significant policy change impacting the market this past month was the implementation of new Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rates from April 1st, 2025.
This saw the zero-rate threshold for main residences decrease from £250,000 to £125,000, and for first-time buyers, from £425,000 to £300,000.
This change prompted a surge in transactions in March and is contributing to the current buyer behaviour. While the initial impact saw a slight dip in demand, the market appears to be absorbing these changes.
Additionally, the Renters' Rights Bill continued its progression through Parliament, with the committee stage in the House of Lords concluding in May.
This bill, which includes the abolition of Section 21 evictions, is set to bring major reforms to the private rented sector, and its ongoing development will continue to shape the operational landscape for lettings agencies.
Market Dynamics and Recruitment Trends
The property market's current state directly impacts recruitment and hiring within estate and lettings agencies:
Demand for Roles:
Despite the cooling of price growth, the overall market remains active, and this is translating into a busy recruitment landscape.
We're seeing sustained demand for key client-facing and revenue-generating roles.
Job vacancies in residential sales and lettings are reported to be up around 30% compared to last year in some regions.
Agencies are actively hiring across a broad spectrum of roles, driven by branch expansions, staff turnover, and consistent client demand.
Skill Gaps:
While there's a good flow of candidates, a significant challenge remains in finding skilled professionals, particularly those with a proven track record.
There's high demand for Sales and Lettings Negotiators with five or more years of experience and a strong ability to generate fees.
Valuers and Listers are also in critical demand, given their role in winning new instructions in a more competitive market.
Property Managers with up-to-date legal and compliance knowledge are also proving difficult to source, especially with the impending changes from the Renters' Rights Bill.
Agencies are also increasingly preferring candidates confident with CRM systems, digital marketing, and virtual tools.
Regional Variations:
Recruitment demand is not uniform across the UK.
Regions experiencing stronger house price growth and higher activity levels, such as parts of the North and Midlands, are seeing more aggressive hiring.
For instance, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Oxford, and Reading are particularly busy.
Conversely, London, despite being a high-value market, is exhibiting a more selective hiring approach, focusing on experienced professionals and senior valuers.
Salary Changes:
The market currently favours job seekers, particularly those with in-demand skills and experience.
This has led to rising salary expectations, with candidates often seeking 10-15% increases on their previous packages.
Agencies are having to adjust compensation structures to attract and retain top talent.
While nominal wage growth across the economy is showing signs of slowing, in the property sector, the competition for talent is keeping salary pressures elevated.
Outlook for the Next 4 Weeks
Looking ahead, we anticipate the UK residential property market to remain resilient but competitive over the next 4 weeks.
Buyer interest is expected to hold steady, supported by the potential for further mortgage rate reductions if the Bank of England continues to cut the base rate.
This could further improve affordability and transaction volumes.
The increased supply of properties will likely continue to give buyers more choice, necessitating realistic pricing from sellers.
In the lettings sector, the supply-demand imbalance is set to persist, keeping rent levels elevated.
For recruitment, this means continued, albeit selective, hiring.
The demand for experienced, skilled professionals will remain high, especially those who can immediately contribute to revenue generation and navigate evolving market conditions.
Agencies will need to maintain competitive remuneration packages and streamline their hiring processes to secure the best talent.
Partner with the Experts
In this evolving landscape, securing the right talent is paramount to maintaining your competitive edge.
Our deep understanding of the UK residential property market and extensive network of vetted professionals can provide your agency with unparalleled access to the individuals who will drive your success.
👉
Contact Us Today!
- 📞 Call: 0116 232 5181
- 📧 Email: contact@windmill9.uk
- 💻 Website: www.windmill9.uk
- Visit The Windmill9 LinkedIn Page
