How does a quick sale work in London?
A cash sale trades some of the price for speed and certainty: no chain, no mortgage valuation and no months on the market.
The four steps
- Tell us about your home. The postcode, the type of property, roughly what it is worth and how quickly you need to sell.
- We match you with buyers who buy in London. Vetted investors, consortiums and funds who buy homes like yours, and only with your consent.
- A buyer contacts you. They will usually look at recent sales near you and may visit before putting an offer in writing.
- You decide. If you accept, your own solicitor handles the sale. Completion can be possible in as little as 7 days in some cases; most sales take longer. Timing depends on the buyer, your solicitor, searches, any mortgage to repay and whether you need probate or a leasehold pack.
When does the sale become binding?
In England, a sale becomes legally binding when contracts are exchanged. Until then either side can pull out, which is why a buyer with funds ready and a quick-acting solicitor matters so much.
What are houses selling for in London?
The average home in Greater London sold for £554,430 in August 2026, down 2.2% on a year earlier, according to the UK House Price Index.
That puts local prices 89% above the England average of £293,525, and prices have fallen here over the year while rising across England as a whole (+0.4%).
Of the 328 towns and cities we cover, London is the 7th most expensive on average price.
Around 22 homes changed hands for every 1,000 households in the latest 12 months of sales data, fewer than the typical area on our list (32). A busier market usually means more recent sales for a buyer to compare your home against.
Flats, the most common kind of home here, averaged £427,310.
Average price in London
Show the figures as a table
| Month | Average price |
|---|---|
| December 2016 | £505,701 |
| December 2017 | £510,491 |
| December 2018 | £506,642 |
| December 2019 | £512,959 |
| December 2020 | £529,060 |
| December 2021 | £547,837 |
| December 2022 | £572,384 |
| December 2023 | £549,112 |
| December 2024 | £556,882 |
| December 2025 | £550,040 |
| August 2026 | £554,430 |
Average price by property type
| Type | London | Change in a year | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,164,439 | +1.8% | £472,671 |
| Semi-detached | £730,580 | +1.8% | £291,962 |
| Terraced | £648,650 | +0.1% | £247,371 |
| Flats and maisonettes | £427,310 | -5.0% | £218,563 |
Detached homes are the most expensive at £1,164,439 on average, and flats and maisonettes the least expensive at £427,310. Over the past year, detached houses have seen the strongest change (+1.8%) and flats and maisonettes the weakest (-5.0%).
Cash buyers in London paid £583,137 on average in August 2026, 6% more than buyers with a mortgage (£548,866). That gap reflects the kinds of homes each group buys, so it is not a guide to what a quick-sale buyer would offer.
HM Land Registry recorded 73,817 sales in London in the 12 months from July 2025 to June 2026.
These are averages across London. To see what homes on your own street sold for, search HM Land Registry's house price records on GOV.UK.
An average is not a valuation. To see what a buyer would actually pay for your home, you can get offers for your home from vetted cash buyers on our panel, free and with no obligation.
Which London boroughs are dearest?
Average prices vary more across London than anywhere else in the UK. Figures for August 2026.
| Borough | Average price | Change in a year | Flats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | £369,881 | +4.7% | £245,845 |
| Barnet | £592,892 | -4.4% | £364,239 |
| Bexley | £414,833 | +1.9% | £245,833 |
| Brent | £555,687 | -0.3% | £383,498 |
| Bromley | £520,253 | -0.5% | £306,823 |
| Camden | £798,486 | -10.6% | £656,955 |
| City of London | £726,633 | -14.6% | £726,060 |
| City of Westminster | £887,206 | -14.3% | £784,694 |
| Croydon | £396,718 | -1.5% | £257,891 |
| Ealing | £589,875 | +1.8% | £410,282 |
| Enfield | £474,855 | +0.8% | £300,325 |
| Greenwich | £462,868 | -2.2% | £350,603 |
| Hackney | £619,408 | -1.6% | £535,923 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £754,825 | -5.1% | £579,711 |
| Haringey | £633,221 | -1.4% | £467,608 |
| Harrow | £532,173 | -2.5% | £319,799 |
| Havering | £444,572 | +1.1% | £249,212 |
| Hillingdon | £482,137 | 0.0% | £291,852 |
| Hounslow | £528,051 | -1.5% | £353,291 |
| Islington | £654,286 | -8.6% | £542,886 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £1,204,072 | -13.8% | £947,855 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £597,587 | +4.9% | £368,099 |
| Lambeth | £540,198 | -6.5% | £441,815 |
| Lewisham | £486,416 | -1.6% | £374,267 |
| Merton | £623,791 | +0.1% | £409,754 |
| Newham | £388,045 | -4.7% | £320,546 |
| Redbridge | £484,378 | -2.8% | £301,680 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £813,931 | 0.0% | £492,607 |
| Southwark | £569,160 | -2.1% | £466,671 |
| Sutton | £458,954 | +1.5% | £287,646 |
| Tower Hamlets | £447,950 | -13.3% | £429,851 |
| Waltham Forest | £532,212 | +0.7% | £390,968 |
| Wandsworth | £694,210 | -5.3% | £532,028 |
What kind of homes are there in London?
The most common kind of home in London is flats (54% of households), and 47% of households own their home.
Housing in Greater London ranges from Georgian districts such as Mayfair and older brick streets, commonly built in yellow London stock brick, to landmark post-war schemes like the 1960s Barbican Estate. In the early 20th century the Metropolitan Railway's own estates company laid out new suburbs in the north-west, at Wembley Park, Kingsbury and Pinner, while the densest central areas are built up mainly with medium and high-rise blocks.
According to the 2021 Census, 21% of households own outright and 26% own with a mortgage.
30% rent privately and 23% rent from a council or housing association, and terraced houses are the next most common type (21%).
After the docks closed, the London Docklands were redeveloped from the 1980s into a mix of homes and offices around Canary Wharf, and the Lower Lea Valley was transformed into the Olympic Park for 2012. The Metropolitan Green Belt limits outward expansion, and London has Europe's largest concentration of higher education, with more than 500,000 students enrolled in 2023.
The Thames Valley is a flood plain, and the Thames Barrier has protected the city against tidal surges since 1982.
London is the hub of the national rail network, with the Underground, the Elizabeth line and the DLR within the city, the M25 orbital motorway around it and major airports including Heathrow and Gatwick.
Areas covered in London
- City of London
- Westminster
- Mayfair
- Camden
- Islington
- Southwark
- Hackney
- Canary Wharf
- Greenwich
- Wimbledon
- Wembley
- Harrow
What should you know before selling quickly in London?
Before you speak to any buyer in London, get two things straight: what your home is worth today, and what you owe on it.
If you are selling a flat in one of the capital's many medium or high-rise blocks, gather your lease, service charge details and any building safety information early, as these are often what slows a buyer's checks.
What to check first
- Check your lease if you are selling a flat. Flats make up 54% of homes in London. If yours is leasehold, find out how many years are left and ask the managing agent for the leasehold information pack early, as it is often what holds a quick sale up. Selling a flat with a short lease.
- Gather the tenancy paperwork if the home is let. Private renting is more common in London (30% of households) than in the typical area we cover. Investors often buy with tenants in place, and they will want the tenancy agreement, deposit protection details and safety certificates. Selling a rental property.
- Bought under Right to Buy? If you bought from the council or a housing association in the last few years, check whether a discount would have to be repaid or the landlord offered first refusal before you accept an offer. Selling an ex-council home.
- Use the most recent sales as your guide. Average prices in London are 2.2% lower than a year ago, so sales from a year or two back may overstate what homes fetch today. Compare any offer with the latest sold prices and a current agent's valuation.
- Work out your figures before you talk to buyers. Recent sold prices on your street and a mortgage redemption figure from your lender tell you what an offer really means for you.
- Instruct a solicitor early. Having your own independent solicitor ready, with ID and paperwork to hand, is one of the biggest factors in how fast a sale completes. The documents you need.
- Check the buyer. Ask for proof of funds and redress scheme membership, never pay an upfront fee, and be wary of a big price cut just before exchange. How to spot a rogue buyer.
Which London postcode areas are covered?
Buyers on our panel cover all 19 postcode areas in London. We pass your details only to buyers who cover your own postcode, and only with your consent.
- E
- EC
- N
- NW
- SE
- SW
- W
- WC
- BR
- CR
- DA
- EN
- HA
- IG
- KT
- RM
- SM
- TW
- UB
Why do people sell quickly in London?
Almost always for one of these reasons, and each one changes what matters in the sale. Our guidance for each situation is below.
Selling a house in London: common questions
How much is my house worth in London?
The average price in Greater London was £554,430 in August 2026, according to the UK House Price Index. By type, averages were: detached houses £1,164,000, semi-detached houses £731,000, terraced houses £649,000, flats and maisonettes £427,000. Your own home could be worth more or less depending on its size, condition and street, so check what nearby homes sold for on GOV.UK before judging any offer.
How quickly can I sell my house in London?
Completion can be possible in as little as 7 days in some cases, where a cash buyer has funds ready, the title is straightforward and both solicitors can act quickly. Most sales take longer. Timing depends on the buyer, your solicitor, searches, any mortgage to repay and whether you need probate or a leasehold pack.
How much less than market value will a cash buyer offer in London?
There is no fixed figure, but quick-sale buyers price in their costs, risk and profit, so offers sit below what a home would fetch on the open market given time. On a home worth the London average of £554,000, every 5% below that is about £27,500, so compare any offer with an estate agent's valuation before you decide.
Which London postcodes can I get offers for?
You can send details for any home in London, including the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC and surrounding postcode areas. We only pass your details to buyers on our panel who cover your postcode, and only with your consent.
Which nearby areas do we cover?
Where does this data come from?
Prices, annual changes, cash and mortgage averages and sales volumes come from the UK House Price Index for Greater London, latest month August 2026. It is published by HM Land Registry with the ONS, Registers of Scotland and Land and Property Services Northern Ireland.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Household figures: ONS Census 2021, TS054 and TS044. Postcode districts come from the ONS Postcode Directory via postcodes.io.
Local background: Wikipedia: London, Wikipedia: Metro-land, Wikipedia: London Docklands.
Local council: Greater London Authority.