In the latest Hotspots report from OnTheMarket, in which average instructions, average leads and average onsite searches are compared to create an overall score, Swansea, Dundee and Edinburgh hold onto their first, second and third positions from the previous month. Meanwhile, Brighton now sits at the bottom for both sales and lettings markets.
Sales – Great Britain
Swansea topped this month’s Hotspots list, with Dundee and Edinburgh taking second and third. Bradford was England’s highest scoring location, sitting in fourth overall, followed by Blackburn, Glasgow, Liverpool and Aberdeen. Looking at the top 10 overall, only Wigan and Sunderland saw movement from the month before, with Wigan moving up three places and Sunderland dropping one.
At the other end of the list, Brighton sits in last place with Southend-on-Sea, Mansfield, Ipswich and Peterborough completing the bottom 5.
The biggest changes in the list include:
- Wakefield moved ↑16 places, now sitting in 17th
- Huddersfield moved ↑ 11 places, now sitting in 19th
- Slough moved ↓ 14 places to sit at 31st
- Reading dropped ↓ 17 places to sit at 32nd
- Crawley dropped ↓ 16 places to sit at 47th
Sales – London
The City of London has become the number one hotspot for London sales this month, taking over from Barking & Dagenham which now sits in second. Havering remains in third place while Bexley and Redbridge have swapped positions, sitting in fourth and fifth respectively.
Meanwhile, Tower Hamlets has dropped one position to now sit at the end of the list, with Lambeth climbing one spot above it. Southwark, Hammersmith & Fulham and Haringey also sit in the bottom 5.
The biggest changes within this list include:
- Ealing, moving up seven spots from 26th to 18th
- Barnet, moving up five spots from 21st to 16th
- Camden, moving up five spots from 22nd to 17th
- Bromley, dropping five spots from 16th to 21st
- Greenwich, dropping four spots from 20th to 24th
Lettings – Great Britain
Regarding lettings market throughout Great Britain, England has a larger presence in the top 10. Blackpool sits at the top of the list, followed by Edinburgh, Telford, Birkenhead and Wigan. Hull sits in sixth place, with Glasgow, Burnley, Middlesbrough and Exeter closing out the top ten.
At the bottom of the list Brighton continues as the “coldest” spot, with Nottingham. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, London and Cambridge closing out the bottom five.
The biggest changes seen on the lettings list include:
- Exeter moved ↑ 13 places to sit in 10th
- Aberdeen moved up ↑ 10 places to now sit in 21st
- Doncaster dropped ↓ 13 places, now sitting in 24th
- Blackburn dropped ↓ 13 places, now sitting in 37th
- Cardiff rose ↑ 13 places to sit in 41st
Lettings – London
In the London lettings market, Barking and Dagenham holds the top spot, with Havering and Redbridge swapping places to sit in second and third respectively. Sutton has moved up three places to fourth place while Enfield holds its place at fifth.
At the other end of the table, Westminster has dropped one place to sit at the bottom while Kensington & Chelsea, Camden Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham make up the bottom five.
The biggest movers in this market include:
- Bromley, up for to 6th place
- Tower Hamlets, down 5 spaces to 28th
Jason Tebb, President of OnTheMarket, said:
“Our latest Hotspots report underlines just how varied market conditions are across Great Britain, with different regions moving at very different speeds. This month we’ve seen strong momentum in places such as Swansea, Dundee and Edinburgh, while other areas have cooled, reflecting shifting consumer priorities and localised supply‑and‑demand dynamics.
What stands out is the level of movement across both sales and lettings. Significant jumps from locations like Wakefield and Exeter show how quickly markets can respond to changes in affordability, stock levels and lifestyle drivers. Equally, the declines seen in places such as Reading and Doncaster highlight the importance of staying close to evolving consumer behaviour.
The broader picture is one of a market in flux; not unstable but continually recalibrating. Regional divergence is becoming more pronounced, and this creates both challenges and opportunities for agents. Those who understand their local data, anticipate shifts and adapt their strategies accordingly will be best placed to succeed.
At OnTheMarket, our focus is on giving agents the insight they need to navigate these changes with confidence. The Hotspots report is a reminder that the property market is never static, and that informed, agile decision‑making is essential in a landscape where performance can change significantly from one month to the next.”
