These Are The Most Popular Towns For London Leavers

Despite the difficulty of moving house during the pandemic, the number of Londoners buying homes outside of the capital rose last year.

In fact, more Londoners bought property outside the capital in 2020 than in any of the previous three years, as working from home made leaving London a less daunting prospect.

Research by Hamptons International also found that the average age of Londoners buying homes outside of the capital has dropped considerably. It's now just 39 – compared to 47 a decade ago.

The average London leaver spent £358,000 on their home outside the capital – a full £100,000 less than the average house price in the city. Just under a quarter of London leavers were first-time buyers keen to get on the property ladder.

Nearly seven in 10 London leavers bought homes elsewhere in southern England. Hamptons International have named the following 10 towns as fast-growing hotspots for Londoners buying homes outside the capital.

Hamptons International's head of research, Aneisha Beveridge, said in response to the findings: "Historically, most homeowners leaving London did so for life-stage reasons and to take advantage of being able to buy a larger home, but for others, leaving London is the only way of getting onto the housing ladder.

"As a result, the average age of someone leaving the capital to purchase a home has fallen to the lowest level on record - just 39 years old, down from 47 ten years ago."

Though southern England remains most popular for London leavers, the research also found that growing numbers are relocating to the Midlands and the North. Some 13% of London leavers bought property in the North last year – up from 8% in 2016 – and 15% purchased in the Midlands.

Beveridge noted that for many first-time buyers, getting on the property ladder means "moving further afield to areas such as the Midlands and North where they can get more for their money."