The London commuter town named the best place to live as house prices rise faster than anywhere else

A London commuter town has been named the UK's property hotspot for 2024. Sunbury-on-Thames, in Surrey, is located just north of the River Thames and not far at all from the West London border of Feltham.

Both the M3 and A308 cut through it, making it a convenient place for drivers looking to commute in and out of London. And many Londoners seem to have been seduced by what it has to offer, as well as its proximity to the capital, over the past year.

In a report published this week, Rightmove revealed which areas in the country saw the biggest house price increases in 2024. Sunbury was crowned the property price hotspot, where prices climbed by an average of 12.5 per cent.

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This represents a jump from £527,005 in 2023 to £592,976 in 2024. This is above the average asking price in the South East, which stands at £466,971.

Beyond its location, the suburban town is appreciated for the amenities it boasts. Sunbury mainly consists of homes, shops and some large superstores including Tesco Extra and Costco.

But it's also on the cusp of Bedfont Lakes Country Park and Bushy Park, offering miles of walking routes and plenty of fresh air. Kempton Park is likewise just a stone's throw away, with floodlit race days and race evenings throughout the year.

The town is sandwiched between Hampton and Ashford, and is divided into two areas. Lower Sunbury, the older part, lies closest to the river, while Sunbury Common, known as Sunbury Cross, lies to the north, next to the M3 slip road.

Both areas have easy access to Sunbury station, from where trains can reach Waterloo station in around an hour. Upper Halliford and Feltham railway stations are nearby too.

Other locations making Rightmove's list

You may expect that the rest of the Rightmove housing price hotspots 2024 list is full of other suburban towns to London, but you would in fact, be wrong as Sunbury is the only area on the list which is in the South East. The second highest year-on-year average housing price increase was in Bristol city centre, which saw a nine per cent increase to £391,042. The third highest increase came from Greater Manchester's Swinton which also rose by an average of nine per cent to £264,081.

Rightmove also released their statistics for the regional averages of house price growth across the UK, with some surprising data. London, despite still being by far the most expensive place to live in the UK, saw a 0.8 per cent decrease in average house prices. This a trend that will hopefully continue for those looking to buy a house in the capital.

The region which saw the highest price increase according to Rightmove was the North East of England, which consists of cities such as Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. House prices rose by an average of 4.2 per cent in the region.

For the South East, it was relatively middle-of-the-road house price increases in 2024 when compared to the rest of the UK, with a 2.5 per cent rise. The region still sits as the second most expensive place to buy a home in the UK according to Rightmove; with the average house price being £466,971.

Looking ahead for 2025, Rightmove are predicting a 4 per cent rise in average asking prices across the UK. Additionally their analysists are expecting the year to be a big one for housing purchases, with predictions of around 1.15 million transactions to take place.

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