As 2025 draws to a close, we’ve taken a moment to look back at the year – the market shifts, the highlights, and the stories behind the homes we helped our clients buy and sell. It has been a year full of contrasts for us: quieter headline numbers across the industry, yet great results and record deals for our company.
This year, AZ Real Estate passed £15M in property sold and acquired, with the mid-prime apartment segment remaining the most active. Our clients continued to favour high-quality developments, good layouts, and predictable management – and this is where the market still behaves rationally, despite the broader noise.
Among the stand-out purchases were a £3.5M apartment at Native Land’s 100 George Street and a £2.85M home at Abell & Cleland in Westminster, chosen by international buyers looking for London secondary residences. Classic mansion blocks in Chelsea and Marylebone remain as charming as ever, and demand for them has been consistently healthy. We also acquired a £2.3M family home for our clients in Muswell Hill.
On the sales side, we completed transactions at Pan Peninsula (Canary Wharf) and several Berkeley Group schemes – from new phases at Grand Union to resales at One Tower Hill, Goodmans Fields, Abell House and Regal House. With Regal House, the deal took us 7 months to complete due to slow progression on the buyer’s solicitor’s side. Still, we stayed on it, were proactive in coordinating multiple stakeholders and delivered the sale for our client. We also secured a buyer for a wondeful townhouse at 30 Wellington Square in Chelsea – widely believed to be James Bond’s fictional address.
The spread of these deals across London tells an interesting story: while the very top end of the market (above £5M) has been slow, the mid-tier continues to move, with buyers responding well to realistic pricing and a good supply of stock.
One theme we cannot ignore this year is the rise in service charges and the growing number of poorly organised management companies. Both are becoming real pain points for buyers and are slowing down transactions across the capital. It’s not the market fundamentals that create these delays – it’s the administration behind the buildings. This is something we are vocal about, and something we help our clients navigate with care.
A Budget we all waited for… and little changed
Like many in the industry, we waited months for the new government’s Budget. In the end, not much changed. No major reforms to property taxation, no sweeping updates to SDLT, and no new measures that meaningfully affect transactions in London. The most notable announcement for high-value property owners was the government’s plan to introduce a High Value Council Tax Surcharge from April 2028. It will be applied to homes valued above £2M, with annual charges expected to fall between roughly £2,500 and £7,500 depending on banding. There were no immediate changes to capital gains tax. We expect the usual pre-Budget pause now to remain a seasonal feature, as people wait to understand what might change before committing. If you are considering a move, this is precisely why it’s worth getting started now – so your plans align with the busy spring market, when activity and demand typically peak.
As we move into the new year, our focus stays the same: thoughtful advice, honest conversations, and high-quality service for every client.
If you’re considering selling or buying in 2026, we would love to support you. The right strategy, the right timing, and the right representation can make all the difference – and we’re here to guide you through every step.
Wishing you a warm and peaceful end to the year,
The AZ Real Estate Team
