8 Moving Home Facts & Trends 2022

Interesting Facts About the UK Housing Market in 2022

Facts About Moving House in 2022

Given that moving house is generally considered one of the most complicated and stress-inducing processes you can go through, we have compiled a list of the most interesting moving home facts in 2022 to ease your anxiety.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you move house more often than other people, or where in the UK is the most expensive housing, you’ll enjoy reading our collection of facts about moving house in 2022.

So, let’s get started! Delve into our moving home facts and learn a little more about what people go through when they choose to relocate.

Fact #1: How many times does the average person move house in 2022?

Our first moving house fact relates to how many times people tend to move house nowadays. On average, most people in the UK will move house a total of eight times in their lifetime. So, it can’t be that stressful, right? In fact, in an average month in the UK, around 100,000 households will move into a new home.

The majority of people choose to move the most between the ages of 18 and 30. This is because they are still trying to find the right place for them to settle while juggling changing jobs and family requirements.

If you think that’s a lot, you won’t believe that back in the 80s, when the market was more buoyant, people moved home much more frequently, with just 8.63 years as the average space of time between moves.

Determining how many times the average Brit moves house isn’t quite that simple though – there are wide variations between different regions in the UK. For example, people in Powys, Wales, stay put for much longer, moving every 33 years on average. By contrast, homeowners in Midlothian, Scotland, move every 15 years.

Fact #2: Where are the most expensive houses in the UK 2022?

Another interesting 2022 housing trend is that the most expensive houses in the UK in 2022 are in Winchester, in the south east of England, with the average property costing a whopping 14 times the average salary in the city.

Oxford, which used to be the most expensive on average, comes in second, followed by Bath and Truro in the south west of England, Chichester in the south east, and Cambridge. Surprisingly, London comes in eighth position, after Brighton & Hove.

Winchester, South East
Oxford, South East
Bath, South West
Truro, South West
Chichester, South East
Cambridge, East Anglia
Brighton & Hove, South East
London, South East
Chelmsford, South East
St Albans, South East

Fact #3: Where is the cheapest property to buy in the UK?

Our third 2022 home moving fact – Shildon, in County Durham, is home to the cheapest property in the UK this year, where the average property price is just £71,000.

The other top 10 most affordable cities in the UK include:

Shildon, County Durham
Cleator Moor, Copeland
Ferryhill, County Durham
Stevenson, North Ayreshire
Cumnock, East Ayreshire
Peterlee, County Durham
Egremont, Copeland
Girvan, South Ayreshire
Irvine, North Ayreshire
Millom, Copeland

Fact #4: What is the average size of a house in 2022?

When it comes to buying a home, bigger isn’t necessarily better. It all depends on what suits your needs. While larger homes offer more space, smaller homes may be more affordable and easier to maintain. Our fourth fact about moving home in 2022 reveals the average house size in the UK.

Research shows that the average property size in England is 729 sq ft, and with the average house price sitting at £266,742, homebuyers are paying £366 per sq ft in the current market.

In London, the average size of a home currently stands at 705 sq ft. With the average London property going for £513,997, that’s an average cost of £729 per sq ft. As a result, the average house price in England means homebuyers would secure a London property of just 366 sq ft, by far the smallest of all regions.

This is in contrast to the North East of England, where homes average 748 sq ft. With an average house price of £140,248, a property will sell for just £187 per sq ft. The current average house price in England means you could purchase a sizeable home at 1,423 sq ft in the region.

Fact #5: What is the best time of year to move house in 2022?

You might not be surprised to hear that the most popular time of year for moving house tends to be the summer. The warm weather can certainly make moving a more pleasant experience, while rain or snow can certainly make things more difficult (and more dangerous). So, make sure you keep our fifth house moving fact in mind when choosing a moving date.

If you have a family, the other advantage of moving in the summer is that the kids will be off school during the summer holidays. This will not only allow you to avoid them missing any lessons but will also help you to arrange for them to start fresh when the new school year starts.

However, while summer is the most popular house moving time, this also means that it is usually the busiest. Therefore, if you need to arrange things in a hurry, you may struggle to book your chosen removal company and are more likely to get stuck in traffic on the way to your new home.

Fact #6: Where is the best place to live in the UK 2022?

According to this year’s Sunday Times Best Places to Live list, Ilkley in West Yorkshire is the best place to live in the UK in 2022. Ilkley took the win thanks to its top-class schools, buzzing high street and beautiful views.

The average house price in Ilkley is £265,000 while the average rental price is £700 per month.

Fact #7: What is the average UK house deposit in 2022?

Our seventh 2022 housing trend is an important one for all house-movers to know – how much to save for a deposit. The amount of deposit you need for a mortgage is calculated as a percentage of the value of the house you’re buying. The mortgage is then based on the amount that is left – how much you will borrow.

The largest mortgages you can get are 95% mortgages, which means you would need a deposit of 5% of the cost of the house you’re purchasing.

Rounded down, the average UK house price in 2022 is £274,000 – representing a 9.6% increase in the past year. This would mean that the minimum deposit amount you would need for the average house in the UK in 2022 is £27,400.

Fact #8: What is the top reason for people moving house in 2022?

Our final home moving fact reveals the most common reason for people moving house in 2022. The number one reason people are moving house in 2022 is to have better access to practical amenities, such as shops and medical facilities, with over one third of people citing this reason.

The second most popular reason for relocating in 2022 is to be closer to friends and family, while the third most common reason is work.

We hope you found our facts about moving home in 2022 interesting. It can be handy to know a little bit about current housing trends when you’re planning on moving home. Knowing what other home-movers are experiencing can also be quite comforting and ease your nerves around relocating. To make the moving process even more stress-free, why not take a look at how our address changing service works.

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