ONS Adds Rightmove Data to Economic Tracker as New Sales Listings Fall 5% Year on Year

The Office for National Statistics has incorporated Rightmove property data into its Real Time Indicators series, with seasonally adjusted new sales listings down 2 per cent month on month and 5 per cent year on year in June 2026.

New property sales listings fell 5 per cent in June 2026 compared with June 2025, the figures show — and 2 per cent compared with May 2026 — after the ONS this week added Rightmove house rentals and house sales data to its Real Time Indicators publication. The series is designed to give timely signals on economic activity before fuller official statistics become available.

The Rightmove data is based on advertised asking prices and listings rather than completed transactions, so it captures early-stage market activity. That distinction matters: a drop in new listings means fewer properties are reaching the market at the start of the sales process, not necessarily that agreed sales have fallen by the same margin.

For Kent households, the national picture carries real weight. Fewer fresh sales listings reaching the market could mean less choice for buyers — chiefly first-time buyers in commuter towns where demand has stayed strong. The average two-year fixed mortgage rate stood at 4.92 per cent around the same period, according to Rightmove, keeping affordability tight. On the rental side, average UK monthly private rents were £1,381 in the 12 months to April 2026, up 3.5 per cent annually, with average advertised rents outside London running at £1,397 per calendar month in Q2 2026.

Sellers aren’t the only ones watching this. Kent estate agents and conveyancers could feel the pinch if new instructions continue to soften and agreed sales volumes follow.

The ONS uses seasonally adjusted figures to strip out predictable calendar patterns, so the June 2026 numbers reflect an underlying shift rather than a routine summer dip. Whether the trend extends into the second half of 2026 will become clearer as further monthly data is published.