Number of property millionaires in Britain climbs 6% in 2010

But the North sees its property millionaire ranks decimated.

  • 12,811 more property millionaires now than at end of last year

  • Equivalent to 35 new property millionaires created daily in 2010

  • Ranks swell in the South but decline sharply elsewhere in country

  • 1 in 118 homes in Britain now worth £1m or more (1 in 97 at peak in .07)

Never has the widening gap between North and South been so stark as is shown by the latest figures on the number of property millionaires in Britain from leading property website Zoopla.co.uk. Overall, 2010 saw the creation of an additional 12,811 British property millionaires, taking their ranks to 226,344 or one in 118 homeowners in Britain today. At the peak of the market in 2007, one in 97 properties were valued at over £1 million.

The biggest gains were seen in London, the South East and East of England, all regions where the percentage of property millionaires grew by double-digits throughout 2010. At the other end of the scale, the number of property millionaires in Wales and Yorkshire & the Humber halved over the past 12 months, according to the research by Zoopla.co.uk which provides free, instant value estimates for every home in the country.

London and the South East are now home to four out of every five (79%) million-pound properties in Britain with London alone accounting for over half the national total (54%). And whilst the number of property millionaires in London and the South East grew by 11.1% and 11.9% respectively in 2010, Scotland saw its property millionaire ranks fall by 13.7% and the number of Welsh property millionaires fell by a staggering 48.8%.

London is also, not surprisingly, home to nine of the top ten areas in Britain with the highest proportion of homes that are valued at over £1m, led by Kensington (W8) where more than half (52%) of all homes are worth more than £1m. The only area outside London making the top ten was Virginia Water in Surrey (GU25) where 30% of homes are in the million pound plus bracket.

Nick Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk said: "The North vs. South wealth divide is now starker than ever. Whilst property values have recovered well at the top end of the property market, the rest of the market and particularly the North have seen a steep decline in high-end property values. The prime market in the South has been impacted far less by the mortgage squeeze as a result of the inflow of foreign money and the strength in the City keeping demand for million pound pads at peak levels."

Change in number of property millionaires in Britain

Region

No. of Property Millionaires

(Dec .10)

No. of Property Millionaires

(Dec .09)

% change over last 12 months

East of England

18,454

16,068

14.9%

South East England

56,026

50,066

11.9%

London

123,236

110,890

11.1%

South West England

9,357

8,953

4.5%

Scotland

6,062

7,023

-13.7%

East Midlands

1,634

1,927

-15.2%

West Midlands

3,393

4,942

-31.3%

North West England

4,746

7,354

-35.5%

North East England

1,698

2,762

-38.5%

Wales

578

1,129

-48.8%

Yorkshire & Humber

1,159

2,420

-52.1%

TOTAL BRITAIN

226,344

213,533

6.0%

Source: Zoopla.co.uk

Highest proportion of property millionaires

Area

Avg. property values

% £1m+ properties

Kensington (W8)

£1,599,573

52%

South Kensington (SW7)

£1,315,246

46%

Chelsea (SW3)

£1,315,315

40%

Barnes (SW13)

£905,140

33%

Virginia Water, Surrey (GU25)

£1,004,283

30%

Notting Hill (W11)

£1,116,144

30%

West Brompton (SW10)

£1,023,909

29%

Westminster (W1)

£876,857

26%

Hampstead & Belsize Park (NW3)

£932,686

26%

St John.s Wood (NW8)

£893,209

25%

Belgravia & Pimlico (SW1)

£913,209

23%

Source: Zoopla.co.uk

- Ends -

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