UK Property Auction Market Report: May 2026
Updated: 11 hours ago
May 2026 auction activity, reported by EIG in June 2026. Auction entries rose faster than sales, while total proceeds were little changed.
National auction results
Residential property auction results
Commercial property auction results
These sector tables cover May 2026 alone. Sale-rate movements are percentage-point differences between EIG's rounded published rates; other annual changes follow EIG's reported percentages. The newsletter presents sale-rate changes as relative percentages.
Regional property auction results: March 2026 to May 2026
EIG's regional figures cover the rolling three months from March 2026 to May 2026. This period is distinct from the May-only national and sector figures above. Each table separates the overall result into residential and commercial property.
Res. means residential; Comm. means commercial; m means million pounds. Totals follow EIG's published rounding and regional definitions. North West Home Counties is EIG's separate category for Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Oxfordshire, distinct from the North West.
East Anglia
East Midlands
London
North East
North West
North West Home Counties
Northern Ireland
Scotland
South East Home Counties
South West
Wales
West Midlands
Yorkshire and The Humber
Source: EIG's June 2026 newsletter, National and Regional Auction Analysis. The original release linked below contains the equivalent prior-year regional figures and EIG's annual comparisons.
What the figures suggest
May's tables show growth in both entries and sales compared with the previous year, alongside a weaker reported sale rate. My interpretation is that buyers were still transacting, but the expanding choice of stock made selection more important.
An increase in supply does not automatically translate into lower prices for sound investments. The opportunity is to distinguish a seller whose expectations can adjust from a property whose problems would absorb any apparent discount.
What investors should take from this
Work backwards from realistic rent, comparable value and the total cost of ownership to set your price. Where a lot remains available after auction, ask the auctioneer about the seller's position and test your assumptions before negotiating.
About this report
National statistics are attributed to Essential Information Group (EIG). Commentary is Dominic Farrell's independent interpretation. EIG's reported sale rate is not a separately verified measure of lots sold live under the hammer.
Archive date: 30 June 2026, used for chronological filing. Compiled on 5 November 2026 from EIG's historical national tables. Resource links reflect current offerings.
Data note: the opening commentary in this EIG release differs from its statistical tables. This report uses the Overall Statistics and National Auction Analysis tables consistently.
