Published on 23 Jan 2026
By Jamie Hope, managing director of sales, Maskells
As had become the status quo in recent years, there were numerous challenges to overcome in the Prime Central London (PCL) property market in 2025, with uncertainty a word that is now part of our everyday life. However, periods of uncertainty are nothing new to us, with the past decade characterised by Brexit stalemates, global pandemics and political tensions (both domestic and international).
Through 2026, we are looking forward to a period of relative stability, where buyers can offer with clarity on the tax position and confidence that they are buying in what remains, one of the best cities in the world. Beginning the year as we mean to go on, we have already agreed a number of transactions, several with competitive bidding, so all the signs are there that London is alive and well.
Our expectation for 2026 is that we will have to remain ultra-realistic on where values stand, but correctly priced properties will continue to attract firm interest from multiple buyers, which we believe will result in a busy year ahead.
On the lettings side, the PCL rental market quietly but decisively shifted from the conditions landlords enjoyed over the last cycle. The era of indiscriminate demand, rapidly rising rents and tenants competing at almost any cost has given way to a more selective, value-sensitive market in which tenant quality, presentation and pricing discipline matter again. Demand has not disappeared, but it has become discerning, slower to commit and far less forgiving of compromise, particularly in the core £1,500–£5,000 per week bracket.
Looking at the year ahead, if 2025 marked the end of the post-pandemic rental boom, 2026 will be the year that finally exposes it. Prime Central London is no longer a market where scarcity alone delivers pricing power. We expect activity to remain functional but uneven: well-priced, well-managed, low-friction properties will continue to let strongly, while anything mis-positioned will languish.