New survey findings from Hayter®, the heritage petrol and battery mowers manufacturer, reveal that garden size has become the most influential factor for UK homeowners when moving house.

The survey of 1000 respondents highlights a clear shift in buyer priorities, with outdoor space now outweighing traditional considerations, including internal living space, transport links and even modern bathrooms.

Exploring the nation’s evolving relationship with gardens, the findings show that well-maintained, sizable outdoor spaces are increasingly shaping perceptions of property value – reinforcing the growing role gardens play in influencing buyer behaviour across the UK housing market.

Key Findings:

• 80% say the garden is extremely important when choosing a new home.
• 75% say the size of the garden is the most important factor in moving home.
• 76% would not buy their dream home if the garden was small or non-existent.
• Only 5% wouldn’t pay more for a home with a larger garden.

One of the most striking findings, 75.24% of all participants said that the size of the garden and outdoor spaces was the most important factor when purchasing a new property, with the size of the living space coming in second (46.39%), number of bedrooms third (32.08%) and outdoor privacy fourth (30.36%).

The importance of the school catchment area (3.66%), emphasis on a modern bathroom (3.98%) and transport links (8.93%) took the bottom three places – with energy efficiency just missing the bottom three at 12.7%.

These findings reflect the broader consensus among 1,000 respondents across the UK, including Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland – of whom 79.44% said having a garden was a must when choosing an outdoor space. In fact, this was such a priority to UK homebuyers, that only 5.8% of respondents would consider purchasing a property with a small or non-existent garden, even if all other aspects of the home were perfect.

For those seeking a larger garden, the most common reason was to relax and socialise with others (82.45%), closely followed by growing plants (74.60%), hosting parties (59.31%) and growing veg (41.98%).

This new data reveals the importance that gardens are continuing to have in swaying buyers to spend more on properties, as well as reminding evaluators not to underestimate the value a well-curated garden can add to a home. Indeed, 76% claim a garden increases their perception of a home’s value and 40.8% would pay significantly more for the privilege of a larger garden.

Chris Cooper, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Hayter, had this to say about the findings:

“These new findings prove what we had expected for a long time: for buyers, outdoor space is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it’s the deciding factor.

“A good-sized, well-maintained garden can significantly influence both perception and price when buying a property. As these findings show, homeowners increasingly see their garden as an extension of their living space.

“As people continue to prioritise wellbeing, relaxation and socialising at home, the role of the garden in the property market is only set to grow.”

Read the full findings of the UK-wide survey.