HMRC: UK residential property transactions edge up 1% to 104,070 in March, but stay 41% below post-SDLT-rush March 2025

HMRC's latest figures show 104,070 seasonally adjusted residential transactions in March 2026, up 1% on February and the highest monthly print since March 2025. The year-on-year drop of 41% is a base effect from last March's pre-stamp-duty completion rush rather than a genuine collapse. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, residential completions rose 16% month on month. For sellers, the gentle MoM rise confirms the early-spring pickup is real but slow; for buyers, agents report more realism in negotiations on flats while smaller family houses still see firmer demand.