UNCERTAINTY around today's general election has led to a drop in housing demand, say industry experts.

The number of house hunters registered per estate agent branch fell to 381 in April, says NAEA Propertymark, the national association of estate agents. Housing supply has also fallen, with vendors delaying the marketing of their homes.

In March there were 397 potential buyers registered per branch, down from 425 in January and February - and April saw a further drop of four per cent, to 381.

According to industry body NAEA Propertymark, this is "most likely down to uncertainty triggered by the snap general election", with buyers putting plans on hold until the result is clear.

"Periods of political uncertainty tend to halt activity in the housing market, and this is exactly what we’re seeing this month," said Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAEA Propertymark.

"All of the main political parties have outlined significant housing promises in their manifestos and we’d hope to see these policies rolled out in the new government’s first six to 12 months in Parliament.

"Buyers and sellers alike are recognising this and adopting a ‘wait and see’ strategy to decipher how or if the value of their existing or future homes will be affected.

"However, despite the fact that increasing housing stock is playing a part in the election campaigning, more often than not we find these pledges are unachievable and turn out to be empty promises.

"It’s therefore important the market doesn’t totally stall as this could trigger an unintended domino effect, which we could still feel the effect of years later before supply increases.

"A business-as-usual approach will ensure house hunters are met with a healthy supply of properties to view, and sellers get a fair price and a good buyer."

Housing supply dropped in April, with 36 properties available to buy per branch, compared to 39 in March - the lowest level seen since April 2016, when agents had an average 35 properties to market, as sellers held off until after the EU referendum.