Property transaction activity is strengthening more quickly in northern England and the Midlands than in London, according to analysis of HM Land Registry data.
Research from Access Legal found that dealing application volumes increased most sharply in the North, where they rose by 30.1% year on year between April and June 2026.
The North West recorded growth of 29.4%, followed by the West Midlands at 27.8% and Yorkshire and the Humber at 27.2%.
Greater London recorded the weakest increase in the country, with applications up 21.0% compared with the same three-month period in 2025.
The figures form part of Access Legal’s State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report, which examines 15 months of published HM Land Registry data and considers how changes in the housing market are affecting conveyancing firms.
REGIONAL DIVIDE
Access Legal said part of the change in activity followed the reduction in the Stamp Duty Land Tax nil-rate threshold to £125,000 in April 2025.
The legal software provider argued that the change had a greater impact on higher-value transactions in southern England, while comparatively lower property prices had helped activity recover more strongly elsewhere.
According to the report, average house prices in northern regions are now equivalent to 58% of those in southern England, representing the narrowest gap since 2013.
The changing distribution of transactions could also have implications for conveyancing firms, with greater volumes in regional housing markets increasing demand for legal capacity outside London and the South.
Andrew Stevens, general manager at Access Legal, said: “The UK property market is expanding far beyond London, and it is this regional growth that is now driving national DLG volumes.
“The reversion of the SDLT threshold in April 2025 created a clear dividing line, where the more affordable regional markets have recovered fastest.
“What is particularly interesting is how this impacts conveyancers. Homebuyers in these booming regional markets are actively seeking out legal teams that are rooted in their own communities.
“As regional markets strengthen, the firms best positioned to capture that growth are those with the operational infrastructure to handle rising volume without compromising on the client experience.”
