Calls to estate agents and letting agents to request viewings rose almost 71% in January, compared with December.

The increase in calls was noted by specialist phone answering firm Moneypenny.

In comparison, last year there was a 32.5% spike in January.

Last month, there were more calls requesting viewings by potential purchasers rather than potential tenants – a 77.6% rise, compared with an increase of 57%.

Samantha Jones of Moneypenny said: “We typically see a rise in viewing requests in January, but this year we anticipated that figure would increase.

“With major advertising campaigns run by portals like Rightmove and Zoopla over the Christmas period, as well as the April 1 Stamp Duty deadline looming, there have been a number of factors that could have acted as a catalyst for those looking to buy.”

The study by Moneypenny also looked at calls on Monday, January 4. The day dubbed ‘Divorce Day’ saw a 53.9% rise in calls regarding lettings in comparison to the average three Mondays in December.

Jones said: “There are of course a number of reasons why people could have been calling their estate or letting agent on this specific day.

“However, we do know from speaking to agents that many received a higher level of calls prompted by relationship breakdowns than they would normally receive on a ‘typical’ Monday.

“This was echoed by our legal team who saw a 106% rise in family law calls on the same date.”

Moneypenny currently handles over 1.2m calls a year on behalf of estate and letting agents across the UK.