Bradford has once again been named the UK’s leading property hotspot, according to new data from property portal OnTheMarket. The city claimed the top spot in the first quarter of 2025, continuing its reign from the previous quarter and building on strong performances earlier in 2024.
The latest Hotspots Index from OnTheMarket shows that Bradford ranked first in both Q1 and Q2 of 2024, only briefly losing its crown in Q3 to Newcastle—now sitting in sixth place—before reclaiming it in Q4 and maintaining it into the new year.
This quarter also saw notable movements further down the rankings. Barnsley and Stoke-on-Trent made their debut appearances in the top ten, climbing from 13th to 8th and 17th to 10th place, respectively. In contrast, Derby and Blackburn fell out of the top ten entirely, slipping to 15th and 24th positions.
North vs. South
The north/south divide remains firmly in place. Northern cities—typically more affordable and offering vibrant local markets—dominate the upper tiers of the index. Meanwhile, southern coastal towns such as Brighton, Worthing and Bournemouth continue to languish at the bottom. Southend-on-Sea remains the coolest market in the country, holding the lowest ranking for the fourth consecutive quarter.
Among other significant movers, Luton jumped seven places to 14th, pushing Middlesbrough down to 21st. Crawley climbed from 29th to 20th, and Gloucester surged from 40th to 28th as demand picked up.
London boroughs saw less dramatic shifts. The City of London and Barking and Dagenham maintained their grip on the top two positions for another quarter. However, Newham and Hounslow exited the top ten, replaced by Harrow and Waltham Forest, both of which made modest gains.
Q1 2025 Hotspots UK top 10
| Town/City | Current Ranking | Previous Ranking (Q4 2024) |
| Bradford | 1 | 1 |
| Sunderland | 2 | 4 |
| Burnley | 3 | 2 |
| Wigan | 4 | 5 |
| Leicester | 5 | 3 |
| Newcastle | 6 | 9 |
| Liverpool | 7 | 6 |
| Barnsley | 8 | 13 |
| Coventry | 9 | 8 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 10 | 17 |
“Affordability continues to be a concern for many, even following two base-rate reductions in the second half of last year and a further quarter-point cut in February," comments OnTheMarket president, Jason Tebb.
"It is perhaps not surprising that buyers are seeking out better-value locations where their money will go further. Despite strong wage growth, average property values have also increased, making it difficult for many to bridge the gap,"
He adds, “It will be interesting to see whether the drive by employers to encourage more workers to return to the office will have an impact on activity in more remote locations where a longer commute is acceptable as long as it doesn’t have to be undertaken every day.”
