Nearly four out of ten apartments in London that were resold within 12 months as of August 2026, after five to ten years of ownership, were sold for less than their original purchase price. This is according to an analysis by e.surv Chartered Surveyors.
The share of loss-making apartment resales in the British capital reached 39.5%, the highest rate among regions in the United Kingdom. By comparison, among homes owned for the same period, the share of sales below the original purchase price was less than 4%.
In Southeast and East England, approximately one-third of apartments that owners had held for five to ten years were also sold for less than their purchase price. In central and northern England, such transactions accounted for about 20%, while the UK-wide average was slightly more than a quarter. In Scotland, the figure remained below 10%.
According to e.surv’s assessment, price trends for apartments and single-family homes began to diverge noticeably around 2017. Among the factors holding back apartment prices, analysts cite leasehold issues, high service charges, safety concerns regarding buildings, the cost of replacing cladding following the cladding crisis, and rising mortgage costs.
Additional pressure is coming from the general weakening of the London real estate market. According to the e.surv index, the average housing price in the United Kingdom in September 2026 was approximately £328,900, which is 1.5% higher than a year ago. However, London was the only major region to see a year-over-year decline in prices—by approximately 2.3%, to 594,200 pounds
A separate analysis by ValuQ also shows an increase in the number of loss-making transactions in England and Wales. In the first half of 2026, 16.3% of residential properties resold less than five years after purchase were sold for less than their original price. Among apartments, this figure reached 29.5%. The total difference between the purchase price and the resale price of such properties was estimated at approximately £210 million.
It is important to note that this is strictly a nominal comparison of purchase and sale prices. The calculation does not include stamp duty, mortgage interest, real estate agent commissions, renovation costs, maintenance fees, or other owner expenses. Therefore, the actual financial outcome for some sellers may be even worse.
Experts attribute the weak performance of the apartment market primarily to the fact that buyers are increasingly carefully evaluating the ongoing maintenance costs of apartment buildings and potential legal and technical risks. At the same time, demand for single-family homes and townhouses remains relatively more stable.
The amount real estate agents earn per transaction in the world’s largest cities varies by nearly four times, even though property prices remain relatively high. This is according to a study by the global real estate agent network AgentWise.
According to the study, Paris ranks first in terms of an agent’s earnings per transaction: with an average property price of approximately £669,950 and a 5.5% commission, the average real estate agent’s earnings amount to £36,847. Next are New York with £25,824, Singapore with £22,515, Berlin with £18,618, and Madrid with £15,692 per transaction.
London is at the other end of the spectrum. Despite having one of the most expensive housing markets in the world, the average agent commission there is only 1.7%, which amounts to approximately £9,963 in income per transaction, with an average home price of £586,050. Figures are slightly higher in Dubai—£9,993—while in Toronto, the average income for a realtor from a sale is estimated at £10,018.
The study shows that an agent’s income level depends not so much on the price of the property itself as on local regulations, market structure, and the intensity of competition among agencies. In the most competitive markets, such as London and Dubai, agents have to work with minimal margins even when property prices are high.
Ukraine will participate in The London Book Fair, which will take place from March 10 to 12, according to the Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI).
“The London Book Fair is one of the largest and most prestigious business events in the book world, with over 1,000 exhibitors and around 30,000 visitors each year. The fair will traditionally be held at the Olympia exhibition center,” the Institute said in a statement.
It is noted that Ukraine will be represented in London by a national stand organized by the UIC.
In particular, 12 publishing houses and a literary agency will present their books at the national stand: Summit-Book, Artbooks, Educational Book – Bohdan, ORLANDO Publishing House, Vydavnytstvo Staroho Leva, Vivat, Vydavnytstvo Ukraїner, CREATIVE PUBLISHING, Ukrainian Fashion Publishing, Ranok, Creative Women Publishing, Freimut Books, and the OVO Literary Agency.
The ministry announced that the official opening of the stand, attended by Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Bohdana Lauk, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Valery Zaluzhny, and Director of the London Book Fair Emma Lowe, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on March 10.
As reported, in 2025, the Ukrainian national stand at the London Book Fair was represented by 14 Ukrainian publishers and literary agencies, with 199 Ukrainian publications.
Average rent in London reached a record high of £2,736 ($3,648) per month in the third quarter, according to Rightmove.
In annual terms, the figure rose by 1.6%, the slowest rate since the second quarter of 2020.
Outside the British capital, the average rent increased by 3.1% year-on-year to £1,385.
The total number of real estate properties on the British rental market grew by 9% year-on-year, but is still 23% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Rightmove analysts. At the same time, demand from tenants also fell by 14% compared to last year.
http://relocation.com.ua/average-rent-in-london-reaches-record-high-of-2736/
Reuters reports that Uzbek startup Uzum, the largest player in the fintech and e-commerce sector in Uzbekistan, is considering listing on the London Stock Exchange. This was announced in an interview with the agency by the company’s co-founder Nikolai Seleznyov.
According to him, London has been added to the list of potential venues for an IPO, alongside the Nasdaq (New York), Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong exchanges, where interest in Uzum has grown following investments by Chinese company Tencent.
Founded in 2022, Uzum quickly became Uzbekistan’s most valuable startup, valued at $1.5 billion. In August, the company raised $70 million in equity capital from Tencent and the American fund VR Capital, becoming the first “unicorn” (startup unicorn) in the country’s history. Currently, about 17 million Uzbeks use Uzum’s services every month.
Seleznyov noted that the initial public offering (IPO) is planned for 2027, but it is too early to discuss a specific target valuation.
“If we were to go public on the London Stock Exchange, we would definitely consider the FTSE 100,” he said.
During the latest round of funding, Uzum also attracted the attention of investors from the UK and the Middle East. According to Seleznyov, many of them are interested not only in the company itself, but also in the economic potential of Uzbekistan, which in recent years has been actively pursuing reforms under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, opening the country to international investment.
Seleznyov explained that Uzum is considering a foreign IPO due to liquidity and investor base structure issues that affect the company’s valuation. At the same time, he stressed that strengthening its position in the domestic market remains a priority:
“We are not seeking overly rapid geographical expansion. First, we want to truly conquer and dominate Uzbekistan to prove that we are capable of building a system that is competitive on a global level,” he said.
Thus, as Reuters notes, Uzum is not just a fast-growing fintech startup, but a symbol of a new wave of technological development in Uzbekistan, demonstrating the growing confidence of international investors in the country’s economic reforms.
In London, judicial authorities have confirmed the arrest of Chinese citizen Zhimin Qian (also known as Yadi Zhang), who pleaded guilty to cryptocurrency transactions linked to large-scale fraud.
According to British investigators, Qian ran a financial scheme in China between 2014 and 2017, involving approximately 128,000 victims. She converted the money she received into bitcoins and attempted to launder it through transactions in the UK.
During a search of a house in north London, 61,000 bitcoins were seized, which at the time of the investigation were valued at over £5 billion. This seizure is considered one of the largest in the history of crypto crimes.
Qian pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal possession, acquisition, and laundering of crypto assets. Her extradition and final sentence are expected later.
This case is significant not only for British law enforcement in the field of cryptocurrencies, but also for global law enforcement cooperation in combating transnational money laundering schemes involving digital assets.
