Escape from the Country! House hunters are heading BACK to London or deciding to stay in the capital amid easing of the Covid-era exodus - as rural dwellers tire of poor public transport, longer commutes and lack of opportunities

The London property market is bouncing back as fewer people in the capital search for countryside homes and others who have left consider moving back, experts say.

More Londoners are now deciding to stay in the capital as staff are encouraged back into the office and the city's property market appears to regain its appeal to buyers.

Others who have moved out from London to the countryside say they have been unimpressed by the lack of things to do, poor local transport and nosy neighbours. 

Some who have fled London for a rural area said they had made a 'terrible decision', while others who returned after leaving told how they 'feel like a weight has lifted'.

And one estate agent told MailOnline that some who moved from London to the Cotswolds during the pandemic are now getting back in touch with the firm again to 'move back to London as they either don't like the commute or find it too remote'.

Just under two years ago in August 2021, nearly half of London-based house-hunters were looking to leave the city, according to data from property website Rightmove.

But this proportion has now fallen significantly to the pre-pandemic average of about a third, based on hundreds of thousands of inquiries on its search platform.

Separate data from estate agent Hamptons found the percentage of Londoners looking for homes elsewhere in the UK is also now back at the pre-Covid average.

Further figures from Foxtons revealed the average number of buyer enquiries per month has risen by 41 per cent across the London market compared to last year, while the figure is as high as 153 per cent in Dulwich and 104 per cent in Hampstead.

Other areas to make the top ten include Ilford at 101 per cent; Kingston at 93 per cent; Stoke Newington at 89 per cent; Ealing at 87 per cent; London Bridge at 78 per cent; St John's Wood at 77 per cent; and Wapping and Putney both at 73 per cent.

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The average home in London now costs £539,336, which is up 0.1 per cent annually according to data from Halifax. This is compared to £288,949 for a typical UK home.

Foxtons chief executive Guy Gittins told MailOnline: 'It's been an extremely positive start to the year for the London property market and we've already seen a notable increase in the number of buyers enquiring across all but a handful of areas.

'This is despite the fact that mortgage rates are yet to come down and such a show of intent so early in the year only bodes well for the coming months as we head into what is traditionally the busiest time of year for market activity.'

And Tim Bannister, Rightmove's director of property data, told the Financial Times: 'We can see a resurgence in London back to pre-pandemic levels, and a general increase in the popularity of cities among buyers.

Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, also told the FT that the 'return to the office trend' was likely to be contributing to London's increased popularity.

The onset of Covid-19 and lockdown measures in spring 2020 prompted a surge of Londoners leaving the capital for more space as millions of people began working from home.

Houses with large gardens and more space with room for home offices became extremely desirable as people fled urban areas.

But as companies continue to push for staff to come back into the office and the London entertainment and hospitality industries fully reopened, many people are now looking at making a return or pushing back plans to leave.

In a recent discussion on Mumsnet, one user wrote: 'I hate the fact in the suburbs the car is used for everything. I miss being able to walk and use public transport. I would happily downsize and move back to a city.

'We have a lovely large house in the suburbs but with nothing to do. I can get the train into London in one hour which makes it sound totally accessible but it's a long journey to do often with kids.'

Another said that they moved from London to Glasgow pre-pandemic but then returned to the capital last year and 'are so glad we did'.

They added: 'We are all very happy and our daughter has settled into her new school well so far. She has yet to find her new best friend - early days - but I can see her independence and curiosity thriving being back in London. No regrets whatsoever. Feel like a weight has lifted.'

And a third wrote: 'We moved out from London to somewhere very pretty and rural in the South West and it's a been a terrible decision, for me personally.

'Left a house in an area we'd lived in happily for eight years, for a lovely looking, larger one in a pretty looking rural village and ever since we moved I've struggled.

'Everything around us currently is either dogs, horses, Land Rovers or sport, and while I can make polite conversation etc to get on with people around us I feel utterly blank inside.

'I think the root issue is we left because we thought we should, not because we wanted to, and didn't think hard enough about the realities because the pandemic made us panic about house prices.

'I grew up in the countryside and literally counted down the days until I could leg it at 18 - what was I thinking moving now?!'

Mortgage expert Dariusz Karpowicz, director at Doncaster-based Albion Financial Advice, told MailOnline: 'During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a noticeable surge in remote working, which prompted many Londoners to seek homes in the countryside.

'However, as restrictions have lifted and companies have noticed the drawbacks of long-term remote working—such as impacts on team spirit and work attitudes—they're encouraging staff back to the office.

'This shift isn't entirely voluntary for many; rather, it's becoming a necessity for those wanting to remain integrated in their professional environments.

'Consequently, we're starting to see a trend where more people are considering moving back to London to be closer to work and the social and professional opportunities the capital offers.'

Gary Bush, financial adviser at MortgageShop.com, added that Londoners are 'still headed for the countryside but just not in such a rush, as caused by the pandemic'.

He also said: 'The exodus from London property in 2024 started off well and then seems to have got bumped into touch by the upward swing on fixed rates again from March onwards.'

Meanwhile Tracey Dixon, a broker at Pure Mortgage and Protection, said that she had observed more conversations with borrowers in the capital who are considering staying put and looking to renovate their homes.

She added: 'It will be interesting to see if this trend continues and how it impacts housing markets in both the capital and surrounding areas.'

Meanwhile Chris Barry, director at Thomas Legal, said his firm has offices in London and the Cotswolds.

After the pandemic, they saw a spike in demand for people wishing to move from London to the Cotswolds with many having only visited once previously before making the move.

But he continued: 'We are now seeing those same clients requesting our services to move back to London as they either don't like the commute or find it too remote.

'In addition we are finding younger people growing up in the countryside are still trying to buy their first home in the capital to be closer to big employers.'

And Rob Gill, managing director at Altura Mortgage Finance, told MailOnline: 'Demand for good quality family homes in London is soaring with homeowners realising they need or want to be in the office two to three days a week.

'Swapping zone two for zone three or four gives buyers more for their money while allowing them to stay in London.'

It comes as a house price growth forecast from Savills was revised upwards today, based on an improved economic outlook.

Across Britain, property values are expected to have increased by just over a fifth (21.6 per cent) on average by the end of 2028, revised from a previous forecast of 17.9 per cent, the estate agent said.

The revised forecast could mean the average house price grows by £61,500, from £285,000 in 2023 to £346,500 by 2028.

The property firm expects house prices to grow by 2.5 per cent typically during 2024, rather than an expected 3.0 per cent drop which was predicted by the company in early November 2023.

Savills cautioned that the market remains sensitive to short-term fluctuations in the cost of debt and political uncertainty in the run-up to the general election.

Housing transactions are forecast by Savills to reach 1.05 million in 2024, slightly up from the 1.01 million it predicted towards the end of last year.

Also today, an index from Halifax revealed the average UK house price rose by 0.1 per cent in April month-on-month, after a fall of 0.9 per cent in March, according to an index.

Halifax said that typical house prices in early 2024 have 'largely plateaued'. Property values grew by 1.1 per cent annually, accelerating from a 0.4 per cent rise recorded the previous month.

A typical UK home cost £288,949 in April, compared with £288,781 in March, Halifax said.

Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages, Halifax, said: 'While there is always much scrutiny of monthly price changes - and a degree of volatility is to be expected given current market conditions - the reality is that average house prices have largely plateaued in the early part of 2024.

'This reflects a housing market finding its feet in an era of higher interest rates.

'While borrowing costs remain more expensive than a few years ago, homebuyers are gaining confidence from a period of relative stability.

'Activity and demand is improving, evidenced by greater numbers of mortgage applications so far this year, while at an industry level mortgage approvals have reached their highest point in 18 months.'

Are you hoping to move back to London? Email: [email protected]