Big houses ‘driving the housing market’ as sellers ‘seek to beat Budget tax rises’, Rightmove data suggests

The number of big houses being listed on the property website has gone up by a double-digit percentage across most regions of Great Britain.

A middle-aged couple look back at a large house from its garden (image: Getty Images)
Rightmove has found the number of big houses for sale has leapt in September (image: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There has been a surge in big houses appearing on the property market amid speculation about tax rises in the Budget, Rightmove analysis has suggested.

The property listing site - which is currently at the centre of a takeover bid - found that sales listings for top-of-the-rung houses were 15% higher year-on-year last week. It comes amid reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could hike Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and change Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules in her fiscal speech in October.

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Henry Sandercock has spent more than eight years as a journalist covering a wide variety of beats. Having studied for an MA in journalism at the University of Kent, he started his career in the garden of England as a reporter for local TV channel KMTV.

Henry then worked at the BBC for three years as a radio producer - mostly on BBC Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine, but also on major BBC Radio 4 programmes like The World at One, PM and Broadcasting House. Switching to print media, he covered fresh foods for respected magazine The Grocer for two years.

After moving to NationalWorld.com - a national news site run by the publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post - Henry began reporting on the cost of living crisis, becoming the title’s money editor in early 2023. He covered everything from the energy crisis to scams, and inflation. He also has bylines in MoneyWeek.