Should you sell your London property now?

London flat prices are down roughly £19,000 year-on-year by mid-2026 (HomeOwners Alliance) — a sustained softening, not a one-quarter blip. The causes stack: higher mortgage rates squeezing buyer affordability, leasehold-reform uncertainty suppressing leasehold-flat demand, and a shift in buyer preference toward houses and compliant new-builds. Prime inner-London flats have held better than outer-zone new-builds. If you own a leasehold flat with a lease below 85 years in an outer zone, the headwinds are strongest.

If you own a leasehold flat and the lease is nearing 80 years, the sell-or-extend decision becomes urgent. Below 80 years the flat is harder to sell — fewer lenders will finance a buyer — and the extension cost rises because marriage value becomes payable. Extending before you sell, even at a premium, typically adds more value than it costs, because it removes the lease risk from the buyer's calculation. Budget 6–12 months for the process and get a RICS surveyor's premium estimate first.

If you cannot achieve the price you need and are not forced to sell, letting buys time. A Zone 2 flat at £600,000 renting for £2,700 a month yields about 5.4% gross — before mortgage interest, service charge and management fees. Net yield after costs is typically 3–4% in inner London. Whether that covers your mortgage and reserve-fund obligations depends on your specific numbers.

FIFSCORE™ models the let-vs-sell decision on your actual figures rather than a rule of thumb.

This is background context rather than a decision input if you are selling because of a fixed life event — divorce, probate, relocation — where the timeline holds regardless of the market. It is built for the discretionary decision, when timing is genuinely yours to choose.