Primary Sources
- HM Land Registry: The definitive source for sold property prices in England. We use this data to understand actual achieved prices rather than asking prices, which can be inflated. Data is typically subject to a reporting lag of several months.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS): Used for demographic information, employment data, and official rent indices.
- Liverpool City Council: Used for information regarding selective licensing zones, council tax bands, major planning applications, and infrastructure projects.
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Used for national housing statistics, EPC data, and regulatory guidance.
- Merseytravel: Used for verifying public transport routes, journey times, and infrastructure plans.
Limitations of Data
It is important to understand the limitations of any property market data:
- Averages hide nuance: An average price for an area may be skewed by a few very high or very low transactions. It does not mean you will find a specific property type at that exact price.
- Time lags: Official sold data (Land Registry) is retrospective. It tells us what happened months ago, not what is happening today.
- Asking vs. Sold: Market commentary often relies on asking prices (from portals like Rightmove or Zoopla). We try to distinguish clearly between what sellers are asking and what properties are actually selling for.
- Yield Estimates: Our rental yield calculations are illustrative. Gross yields are simple calculations based on asking rents and average prices; they do not account for void periods, maintenance, or management fees.
Verification
While we use these primary sources, we interpret the data through the lens of local knowledge. For example, a street might show low average property prices, but our local knowledge might attribute this to the condition of the stock rather than the desirability of the location.
If you have questions about specific data points used in our guides, please contact us.