The UK’s post-pandemic cottage boom is over
Key Points
- After the Covid-19 pandemic, people in the United Kingdom flocked to cottages and the idyllic lifestyle, but the boom has now gone bust.
- Buyer interest in cottages has dropped by 32% since the first half of 2023, and sales agreed fell by 13% over the past year.
- The average price of a cottage has bucked national trends of growth, instead declining by 0.3% in the past year.
- Even in Cornwall, the average price of a cottage dropped by 1.3% in the last 12 months.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, people in the United Kingdom flocked to cottages and the idyllic, rural lifestyle which accompanies them.
In the last couple of years, however, it has become clear that the ‘cottagecore’ boom inspired by social media and remote working is over.
New data from online property platform Zoopla shows that buyer interest in cottages has dropped by 32% since the first half of 2023.
In 2024, the term ‘cottage’ was the fourth most searched for on Zoopla, which the platform attributes in part to the ‘cottagecore’ social media trend that romanticised rural living in picturesque cottages.
However, interest in cottages has abated significantly in the years since, with people forgoing idyllic fantasies in the face of rising living costs, higher mortgage rates, and additional taxes for those who are buying a second home.
The sales of cottages agreed in the first half of 2026 are down by 13% year on year, and the number of cottages for sale has dropped by 9%.
Comparing the price of cottages in the UK to other types of houses, the impact of this trend’s faltering becomes clear. While average house priced have grown across the country, the average price of a cottage fell by 0.3% annually to £321,641, bucking the market’s wider trend.
Price drops have been especially severe in hotposts such as North Devon, Ceredigion, the Isle of Wight, and East Lindsey.
Even Cornwall, the UK’s largest single market for character cottages and second homes, saw the average price of a cottage drop by 1.3% over the past year.
“Cottages in picturesque rural or coastal areas have commanded strong buyer interest in recent years, but the market reality has now shifted,” Zoopla executive director Richard Donnell.
“Higher mortgage rates, extra taxes for second home owners explains why buyer interest in cottages is down by a third since 2023. Fewer sales and weaker demand is filtering into lower prices for cottages.”
“If you’re a buyer searching for a cottage in Wales, Cornwall or the Lake District, the balance of power has shifted your way. Competition has eased and it’s more of a buyers market,” he said.
