Its study found that a quarter (25%) of people are definitely planning to buy a property this year, with a further 28% saying they are considering doing so.

By contrast, a paltry 4% of homeowners are definitely looking to sell this year, with a further 12% considering it. In fact around three in five (61%) of homeowners have absolutely no plans to sell this year.

Some regions see particularly significant mismatches in terms of appetite to buy or sell. In the capital for example more than two-thirds (66%) of respondents are planning to buy, with just 12% of current residents saying they would consider selling. Similarly in Wales 50% of respondents want to buy, but only 11% of residents are planning to sell.

The smallest gap between buyers and sellers was found in the South West, where 52% of people planned to buy while almost one in four (23%) planned to sell.

Kevin Roberts, director of Legal & General Mortgage Club, said the high levels of activity are a sign that the market is resilient and has the potential to keep the market “buoyant into 2021”. However, the mismatch between buyers and sellers has the potential to dry up housing stock, making it far harder for homebuyers to find a new property.

He added: “Supply and demand continues to be a challenge facing the housing market and while the Government has already announced its plans to ‘build, build, build’, delivering on its commitments to build thousands more new homes will clearly need to be a priority to meet the demand from hopeful homeowners and landlords.”