UK hotspots with highest demand for homes with garages
Analysis by property portal Zoopla has revealed the areas in the UK experiencing the highest demand for homes with a garages, along with the average asking prices for these properties.
Zoopla highlighted that garage was the second most searched keyword on its platform in both 2023 and 2024, with the keyword "double garage" entering the top §five terms for the first time last year.
"This sustained level of interest suggests that a garage is not just a desirable feature but a significant priority for the vast majority of home buyers," Zoopla said.
Despite the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2023 — where a daily charge is applied to vehicles that don't meet certain emissions standards to drive in the zone — four of the city's boroughs featured in the top 10 UK areas where demand for a garage is the highest.
"Parking is often restricted in bigger cities like London, making garages a valuable asset for homeowners in the capital," Zoopla said. "Additionally, in a city where space comes at a premium, some homeowners may see an opportunity to utilise garages for extra storage or additional living and work areas."
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Zoopla found that the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is experiencing the highest demand across the UK for homes with a garage. The average asking price in the borough for a home with a garage is £500,000, compared to £371,000 for a typical property in this area.
Leicester, in the East Midlands, saw the second highest demand in the UK. The average asking price for a home with a garage in Leicester is £325,000, compared with £262,000 for a typical home in the area.
For those looking to buy homes with a garage for less of a premium, Zoopla also highlighted the areas where these types of property are the cheapest in each region.
Hull, in Yorkshire and the Humber, topped the list, with the average asking price for a home with a garage in this area standing at £180,000 — £30,000 more than the asking price of a typical property.
This was closely followed by Blackpool, in the North West, where the average asking price for a home with a garage is £185,000, compared to an asking price of £139,500 for the typical property.
Read more: UK house prices rise for the first time since January
Barking and Dagenham and the borough of Bexley were both found to be the areas with the cheapest average asking prices for homes with a garage, at £500,000. However, Zoopla found that demand for these types of homes in Bexley was lower and the asking price of a typical home in the borough was £450,000.
Daniel Copley, consumer expert at Zoopla, said: "Our data paints a clear picture: for many homebuyers, a garage isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a serious priority, consistently ranking as one of the most sought-after features on Zoopla."
"The intense demand we're seeing in areas like Barking and Dagenham, and Leicester, very much underscores the premium buyers are willing to pay for that secure parking or extra space, particularly in densely populated urban centres where parking is often a headache."
Toby Leek, president of estate agents' professional body NAEA Propertymark, said: "There is a continued increase in people looking for garages and parking spaces as the number of drivers on the road rises, and trends such as having space for electric vehicle charging at home grows in popularity.
"Alongside this, the surge in desire for outside space post-pandemic is pushing more buyers to pursue larger properties with driveways, garages and gardens, moving away from apartments and flats."
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