James Whitfield
Whitfield & Co
020 7000 0000
james@whitfieldco.co.uk
Company 01234567
Residential market report · May 2026
Watford
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · Sales through July 31, 2026 · Rents through July 31, 2026
Postcode districts in this local authority: WD25, WD17, WD18, WD24. Each has its own report.
Period covered: Jun 24 to May 26 · Ref AR-292-202605
Key takeaways
- Median price for flats: £275,000, up 17.0% year on year.
- 15 sales registered so far for May 2026, with more still to come; Watford ranked #308 of 318 local authorities by volume.
- 0% of the flats sold in May 2026 were new build.
- ONS average rent for flats across the council: £17,076 a year, an indicative 6.2% gross yield.
- Semi-detached houses: median £550,000 across 13 sales.
1.Flats15 sales · May 2026
Small sample: medians for May 2026 are based on only 15 recorded sales and can swing month to month. Read the trend, not a single point.
Median sale price and monthly sales · 24 months
Average annual rent · ONS, council level · 24 months
Six-month summary
| Month | Sales | Median price | Avg rent | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 15 | £275,000 | £17,076 | 6.2% |
| April 2026 | 24 | £241,250 | £17,052 | 7.1% |
| March 2026 | 18 | £270,000 | £17,064 | 6.3% |
| February 2026 | 23 | £257,000 | £17,088 | 6.7% |
| January 2026 | 20 | £278,500 | £17,112 | 6.1% |
| December 2025 | 22 | £269,000 | £17,100 | 6.4% |
2.Semi-detached houses13 sales · May 2026
Small sample: medians for May 2026 are based on only 13 recorded sales and can swing month to month. Read the trend, not a single point.
Median sale price and monthly sales · 24 months
Average annual rent · ONS, council level · 24 months
Six-month summary
| Month | Sales | Median price | Avg rent | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 13 | £550,000 | £23,952 | 4.3% |
| April 2026 | 13 | £530,000 | £23,916 | 4.5% |
| March 2026 | 24 | £545,250 | £23,928 | 4.4% |
| February 2026 | 14 | £640,000 | £23,952 | 3.7% |
| January 2026 | 9 | £540,000 | £23,976 | 4.4% |
| December 2025 | 7 | £500,000 | £23,940 | 4.8% |
3.Terraced houses9 sales · May 2026
Small sample: medians for May 2026 are based on only 9 recorded sales and can swing month to month. Read the trend, not a single point.
Median sale price and monthly sales · 24 months
Average annual rent · ONS, council level · 24 months
Six-month summary
| Month | Sales | Median price | Avg rent | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 9 | £420,000 | £20,784 | 5.0% |
| April 2026 | 14 | £410,000 | £20,736 | 5.1% |
| March 2026 | 17 | £440,000 | £20,748 | 4.7% |
| February 2026 | 22 | £417,500 | £20,760 | 5.0% |
| January 2026 | 18 | £440,000 | £20,772 | 4.7% |
| December 2025 | 24 | £447,000 | £20,748 | 4.6% |
4.Detached houses6 sales · May 2026
Small sample: medians for May 2026 are based on only 6 recorded sales and can swing month to month. Read the trend, not a single point.
Median sale price and monthly sales · 24 months
Average annual rent · ONS, council level · 24 months
Six-month summary
| Month | Sales | Median price | Avg rent | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 6 | £860,000 | £30,324 | 3.5% |
| April 2026 | 6 | £852,851 | £30,312 | 3.5% |
| March 2026 | 5 | £1,015,000 | £30,360 | 3.0% |
| February 2026 | 5 | £690,000 | £30,432 | 4.4% |
| January 2026 | 6 | £955,000 | £30,504 | 3.2% |
| December 2025 | 12 | £765,000 | £30,480 | 4.0% |
5.Methodology and source
Units. Floor areas come from Energy Performance Certificates in square metres and are shown per square foot at 1 sqm = 10.764 sqft; per-square-foot figures rest on the sales that have a certificate, and the share is shown beside them.
Source. Sales registered with HM Land Registry and published as Price Paid Data (standard price paid entries only), and private rents from the Office for National Statistics' Price Index of Private Rents (sales through July 31, 2026, rents through July 31, 2026). No listings, asking prices, or estimates.
Statistics. All sale figures are medians. Sale records with a price outside the 1st to 99th percentile of their district and property type are excluded. Rents are ONS average rents for the local authority, by bedroom count; they are modelled averages, not registered contracts. The headline month sits three months back because sales keep registering for months after completion; counts are shown as registered so far and carry a small-sample note under thirty sales.
Gross yield. ONS average monthly rent for the local authority and bedroom count, times twelve, divided by the median sale price for the district, month and property type. Indicative only; it does not account for service charges, ground rent, fees, or vacancy, and the rent and the price are rarely the same home.
Limitations. HM Land Registry registers sales two weeks to several months after completion, and new-build completions register latest of all, so recent months understate volume and under-represent new builds. This report is informational and is not a valuation or investment advice.