deverellsmith publishes 2026 Real Estate Salary Guide & Trends Report

• Salary alone is no longer enough - 41% of professionals cite higher salary as their top priority, but work-life balance, flexibility and culture are closing the gap fast.

• Nearly half haven't had a pay rise in over a year - 44% of respondents had not received a rise in over a year, or ever, with most increases landing at just 0 to 5%.

• The UK real estate workforce is in a holding pattern - Workforce growth hit -0.40%, with hiring more deliberate and candidate movement more measured across every division.

• The office vs work from home - Three days in the office is now the clear preference, yet 84% would sacrifice some salary for the right benefits package.

• Regulation is reshaping hiring across the board - From the Renters' Rights Bill to the Building Safety Act, legislative change is now one of the most significant forces driving hiring decisions across the sector.

London, UK, 14 July 2026: deverellsmith, the specialist property recruitment and talent solutions consultancy, has published its 2026 Real Estate Salary Guide & Trends Report, an annual benchmark of pay, hiring activity and workforce sentiment across the UK real estate sector.

Now underpinned by insights from a dedicated Workforce Sentiment Survey, the 2026 edition marks a significant evolution in the report's scope, providing a clearer picture of what is driving talent decisions across the property lifecycle, from Investment and Development to Construction, Sales, Lettings, and corporate functions.

A market in recalibration 

The report paints a nuanced picture of a sector adjusting to new realities. While many areas remain employer-favourable in the short term, underlying pressures are building. 

Salary growth has moderated across most divisions, hiring has become more deliberate, and candidate movement is more measured. 

Georgia Zambakides, Executive Director of deverellsmith, commented: "Competitive pay remains a baseline requirement, but it is no longer sufficient on its own."

She continued: "The organisations best positioned to outperform over the next 12 months are those that take a broader, more considered approach to their employee value proposition, aligning remuneration with flexibility, development, clear communication and trust."

Inside the 2026 Workforce Sentiment Survey: Pay, flexibility and retention

Drawing on responses from the 2026 Workforce Sentiment Survey, which asked professionals spanning Construction, Estate Agency, New Homes, Commercial, Property Management, Development and Land, Rental Living, Operations and Finance, and ranging from entry level through to C-suite, the survey captures sentiment across the full breadth of the UK real estate workforce.

• While 41% of respondents cite higher salary as their top priority, this is closely followed by work-life balance, flexibility, culture and career development.

• Earning potential ranks as the number one driver when professionals consider moving to a new employer, ahead of team culture and leadership and business stability. Meanwhile, bonus potential tops the list of retention drivers, followed by flexible working options and equity or profit-share schemes.

• A significant proportion indicated they are not actively seeking to move, but would be open to the right opportunity, creating a deceptively stable market in which movement can accelerate quickly once conditions change.

• This is borne out in pay review data: 44% of survey respondents had not received a pay rise in over a year, or had never received one, with the majority of those who had received a rise seeing increases of just 0 to 5%.

• On bonus structure, 60% of respondents favour a combination model spanning personal, team and company performance, suggesting that purely individual or purely company-wide schemes are misaligned with workforce expectations.

• On flexible working, 40% of respondents said three days in the office is their preferred pattern, and only 4% want to work fully remotely. Critically, 84% indicated they would consider sacrificing some salary for the right benefits package, signalling the real monetary value professionals place on flexibility and total reward.

About the report

The deverellsmith 2026 Salary Guide & Trends Report covers salary benchmarks across seniority levels in Investment, Development, Construction, Sales, Lettings, Real Estate Management, Operations, Marketing, Finance and Office Support. It draws on deverellsmith's market-wide hiring intelligence alongside responses from real estate professionals across the full property lifecycle who participated in the Workforce Sentiment Survey. You can download the full report here.

Georgia Zambakides, Executive Director - deverellsmith