What’s Happening in the

Medway Property Market?

Covering Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and surrounding Medway areas

If you own a home, rent out a property, or invest in Medway, you’ve probably sensed a shift in the air. The Medway property market feels different to this time last year – and that instinct is right.

More homes are coming to market across Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester and Strood, buyers are moving again, and rents continue to climb. But this isn’t a free-for-all. Right now, how you price and present your property is doing most of the heavy lifting.

This update cuts through the noise to tell you what’s happening in the Medway housing market – and what it means for sellers, landlords and buy-to-let investors in 2026.

Q4 2025 ended on a steady footing rather than a sprint. Sellers sat tight, buyers were measured, and the Medway housing market moved cautiously into winter.

Early 2026 tells a different story.

New listings have picked up across the area, buyer enquiries are rising, and the overall picture has shifted towards something more balanced – not a boom, but a genuine return of momentum. For anyone thinking of selling property in Medway, that brings opportunity. It also brings competition.

We’re moving into a healthier, more sustainable Medway property market. But ‘more balanced’ means buyers have options – and they know it.

Stock levels across Medway have risen noticeably since the close of 2025. That’s good news for buyers, but it changes the equation for anyone looking to sell a house in Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester or Strood.

When buyers have more choice, they become more selective. In practical terms, here’s what that looks like on the ground:

• Overpriced homes are sitting on the market longer without offers
• Well-presented properties, priced realistically, are still selling in Medway
• First impressions – especially online listings – matter more than they did 12 to 18 months ago

The key shift for anyone thinking of selling in Medway: you’re no longer just competing against ‘the market’ in the abstract. You’re competing against your neighbours.

The positive news is that buyer demand across Medway has meaningfully improved since January. Sales agreed numbers jumped between January and February – a strong signal that confidence is returning to the local property market.

But buyers today are more considered than they were in 2021 or 2022. Before committing, they’re asking:

• Is this priced correctly for what it is and where it is in Medway?
• How does it compare to the other homes available in Chatham, Rochester or Gillingham?
• Is there any urgency to act, or can I take my time?

The homes selling fastest in Medway right now share three traits: priced correctly from day one, presented well online and in person, and not ‘testing the market’ at an aspirational figure.

Getting your strategy right at launch – not after three months of silence – is what separates a successful Medway house sale from a stale listing.

Average property prices across Medway remain slightly ahead of last year, with ONS data putting the average house price in Medway at around £299,000. Year-on-year growth sits at approximately 3.7% – modest, but positive.

This is not a Medway housing market where values are racing forward month by month. Instead, the picture is one of:

• Stable pricing across most property types in Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester and Strood
• Small but consistent year-on-year increases
• Very little tolerance for overpricing – buyers are well-informed

For sellers: you can still achieve a strong result – but only if you meet the Medway property market where it is, not where you’d like it to be.

For buyers: price stability is helping restore confidence, which is one reason more people are moving again after months of hesitation.

Currently, the average time to secure a buyer locally is around 10 to 11 weeks. That tells you a lot about the pace of the Medway property market right now.

It’s not slow – but it isn’t rushed either. Sellers should plan for a proper marketing period. Quick sales are still happening, but almost exclusively for well-priced homes with strong presentation.

If your home isn’t generating genuine interest within the first two to three weeks of being listed, it could be a combination of the pricing and presentation not matching– not a lack of buyers in Medway.

Patience and positioning are the watchwords for selling property in Medway in 2026. Get both right, and the buyers are out there.

For landlords, the Medway rental market remains one of the most resilient parts of the local property landscape. Average private rents in Medway have reached around £1,234 per month – up approximately 6% year-on-year, running ahead of the South East average.

Tenant demand across Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester and Strood shows no signs of easing, and rental properties are letting in around 5 to 6 weeks on average.

Typical rental prices in Medway right now:

• 1-bedroom: approximately £900 pcm
• 2-bedroom: approximately £1,140 pcm
• 3-bedroom: approximately £1,340 pcm
• 4-bedroom+: approximately £1,800+ pcm

Gross rental yields in Medway of around 5% remain achievable for well-chosen buy-to-let investments – strong by Kent and South East standards. For buy-to-let investors, the combination of stable purchase prices and firm rents is keeping returns attractive.

One topic every Medway landlord should be across is the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in October 2025. The main provisions are due to take effect on 1 May 2026, making this the biggest overhaul of the private rented sector in England in nearly 40 years.

Key changes that will affect landlords in Medway include:

• The abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions – landlords will need a specific ground to recover possession
• A new single system of periodic tenancies, replacing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies
• Strengthened tenant rights around rent increases and conditions
• A new Private Rented Sector Database that landlords must register on

This doesn’t mean the Medway buy-to-let market is becoming unviable – far from it. Demand from tenants remains very strong. But it does mean that managing your tenancy professionally, and working with an experienced local letting agent, matters more than ever.

Thinking of selling property in Medway?

• You’re entering a market with improving buyer activity and rising confidence
• But also more competing listings than 12 months ago in Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester
• Pricing your home correctly from launch is not optional – it’s critical to a successful sale

If you’re a Medway landlord:

• Rental demand remains strong and rents are outpacing the South East average
• The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 brings significant changes from May 2026 – get ahead of it now
• Tenant quality, affordability checks and professional management matter more than ever

If you’re a buy-to-let investor in Medway:

• Medway still offers some of the best rental yields in Kent and the South East
• The balance between average house prices and rental income is working in your favour
• Opportunities exist in properties needing light refurbishment or repositioning – particularly in Chatham and Gillingham

Medway’s property market has moved into a healthier, more grounded position than it was 12 to 18 months ago. More stock. More active buyers. Steady house prices. Strong rental demand outpacing the region.

But it’s also more competitive, and less forgiving of mistakes than before.

Realistic, well-prepared properties are succeeding in Medway. Overpriced or poorly presented ones are being left behind – and the gap between the two is widening.