2026 Statistics on Moving House in Kent
Moving house in Kent looks different in 2026 than it did even two years ago. Prices have steadied after the post-pandemic surge, sales volumes have settled into a more predictable rhythm, and demand for storage has kept climbing as people bridge the gap between selling and buying.
We pulled together the most recent verified data from the official sources, HM Land Registry, HMRC, the Office for National Statistics and the Self Storage Association UK, to give estate agents, journalists, property professionals and anyone planning a move a clear, current picture. Every figure below is dated and sourced. Where a figure comes from a single source or an industry survey rather than an official series, we have flagged it.
Note on dates: Housing data lags publication. The most recent official UK House Price Index figures available at the time of writing (June 2026) cover March 2026. Reference periods are stated against each figure.
Average House Prices in Kent and Its Districts, 2026
The average Kent house cost £344,780 in the year to March 2026, down a marginal 0.3% on the year, but still well above the England average of £290,000 and the UK average of £268,000.
Across the districts the picture is mixed. Maidstone, Ashford and Folkestone & Hythe rose over the year, while Canterbury and the Kent average edged down. Every Kent area listed below outperformed England’s annual change of -0.6%.
| Area | Average house price (March 2026) | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| Kent (county average) | £344,780 | -0.3% |
| Maidstone | £365,560 | +2.3% |
| Ashford | £341,710 | +1.9% |
| Canterbury | £341,331 | -0.2% |
| Folkestone & Hythe | £312,914 | +2.0% |
| England (for comparison) | £290,000 | -0.6% |
| UK (for comparison) | £268,000 | 0.0% |
Source: HM Land Registry, UK House Price Index, March 2026 (all property types). England figure provisional.
Of the districts measured, Maidstone is the most expensive place to buy at £365,560, while Folkestone & Hythe is the most affordable at £312,914, a gap of more than £52,000 between the two ends of the county.
How Many People Are Moving: Sales Activity in 2026
Transaction volumes are the clearest signal of how much moving is actually happening. After the stamp duty distortions of early 2025, the market in 2026 has settled into a steadier pattern.
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| UK residential transactions (monthly, seasonally adjusted) | 101,030 | April 2026 |
| UK property sales (quarter) | 199,035 | Oct–Dec 2025 |
| Kent residential property sales (annual) | 18,185 | 2024 |
| England transaction volumes, annual change | -3.0% | year to Jan 2026 |
Sources: HMRC Monthly Property Transactions (April 2026); HM Land Registry / ONS UK House Price Index (Q4 2025, Jan 2026); Kent County Council House Price Annual Bulletin citing HM Land Registry (2024).
A word of caution on the headline numbers: UK transactions were reported up 53% year on year in April 2026, but that figure is misleading. It reflects an unusually weak April 2025, when stamp duty threshold changes pulled a spike of completions forward into March 2025. Stripping that distortion out, the genuine 2026 trend is broadly flat with a slight downward tilt. In Kent, the most recent full-year count showed 18,185 residential sales in 2024, down 5.7% on the 19,293 sales recorded in 2023.
When Do People Move House?
Moving activity is highly seasonal, and the pattern is remarkably consistent.
- August is the most popular month to move, and has been for 13 years running, with roughly 2.1 million moves a year taking place across the UK.
- Late summer and the end of the school holidays consistently drive the year’s busiest moving days, as families aim to settle before the new term.
For anyone planning a Kent move, this seasonality matters: the closer you book to that late-summer peak, the more competition there is for removals dates and crews. Booking early is the single simplest way to secure the date you want.
Source: industry moving-day study reported via Mortgage Strategy. Figure is survey-based, not an official statistic.
Who Is Moving in 2026?
Two groups stand out in the most recent mover data:
- First-time buyers made up 58% of all buyers, just 1% lower than the previous year.
- Downsizers accounted for 27% of home-mover activity, releasing an average of almost £129,000 in equity as they moved to smaller homes.
Source: Reallymoving home-mover data, 2025. Industry survey figures.
Downsizing in particular shapes the kind of move we see across Kent: it often involves long-held family homes, decades of belongings, and a genuine need for short-term storage while the right smaller property is found.
Storage Demand and the House Move
Self-storage and house moves are closely linked, and the storage sector has grown into one of the UK’s fastest-expanding areas of commercial property.
| Measure | Figure (2026) |
|---|---|
| Total UK self-storage space | 67.5 million sq ft across 3,143 stores |
| Annual industry turnover | £1.3 billion |
| Average occupancy (all stores) | 74.5% (79.6% for mature stores) |
| Share of household storage demand that is move-related | around 34%, with 22% bridging the gap between selling and buying |
Sources: Self Storage Association UK (SSA UK) Annual Industry Report 2026; move-related demand figure via reporting on the 2026 report.
The takeaway for movers is simple: roughly a third of household storage demand comes from people in the middle of a move. When sale and purchase dates do not line up, storage is what keeps a move on track. Stranks runs a 13,000 sq ft warehouse at its Ashford depot with capacity for up to 250 containers, exactly the kind of bridge this data describes.
Sources and Methodology
Every figure on this page is drawn from a named, publicly available source and dated to its reference period. We have not estimated or modelled any figure ourselves.
- House prices: HM Land Registry, UK House Price Index, March 2026 (the official ONS / Land Registry series). Available at landregistry.data.gov.uk and gov.uk.
- Transactions: HMRC Monthly Property Transactions (April 2026); HM Land Registry / ONS UK House Price Index (Q4 2025); Kent County Council Kent Analytics House Price Annual Bulletin citing HM Land Registry (2024).
- Moving behaviour and mover types: Reallymoving home-mover data (2025) and an industry moving-day study reported by Mortgage Strategy. These are survey-based and flagged as such.
- Storage: Self Storage Association UK (SSA UK) Annual Industry Report 2026, produced with Cushman & Wakefield.
This page is updated as new official data is released. Estate agents, journalists and property sites are welcome to cite or link to it.
Planning a Move in Kent?
If your own move is on the horizon, it helps to work with a firm that knows the county. Stranks Removals and Storage has been moving Kent families since 1941 and is a full BAR member certified to BS EN 12522.
Explore , or see local pages for , and . If your dates do not line up, our facility in Ashford can bridge the gap. When you are ready, or call 0800 0195 525.
FAQ’s
The average house price in Kent was £344,780 in the year to March 2026, according to the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index. That is down 0.3% year on year, but remains well above the England average of £290,000. See our house removals across Kent.
Of the Kent districts in the latest data, Maidstone was the most expensive at £365,560 (March 2026), while Folkestone & Hythe was the most affordable at £312,914, a gap of over £52,000. Figures are from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index.
August is the most popular month to move and has been for over a decade, with around 2.1 million moves a year across the UK. Demand for removals dates peaks around the end of the school summer holidays, so booking early is worth it. Get a quote as soon as you have a date.
Around a third of household self-storage demand is move-related, with many people using storage to bridge the gap between selling one home and buying the next. Our storage facility in Ashford holds up to 250 containers for exactly this purpose.
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