News & insights - House prices

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Demand from UK homebuyers weakened in February as uncertainty surrounding interest rates dented confidence, according to the latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

House prices rose 0.7% in January, according to Halifax, taking the average UK property price to £300,077, the first time it has exceeded £300k.

Here’s our round up of some of the main predictions for the property market in 2026.

Mortgage lending is expected to rise in 2026 according to UK Finance, despite ongoing affordability challenges that are likely to keep the number of property transactions broadly flat.

Speculation surrounding the upcoming Budget appears to be affecting property asking prices, with Rightmove reporting a bigger-than-usual seasonal slowdown this month.

UK house prices rose at their fastest pace since January last month, pushing the average property value to a record high, according to Halifax.

House prices edged up slightly in October, according to Nationwide’s latest House Price Index, rising 0.3% month-on-month to reach £272,226.

Homeowners selling detached properties over the last 18 months have pocketed more than three times the gains of flat owners, new figures from Zoopla reveal.

First-time buyers are paying more for their first homes than they were a year ago, according to new research from Zoopla.

UK house prices edged up by 0.5% month on month in September, according to Nationwide, with annual growth holding steady at 2.2% - just above August’s 2.1%.

City homebuyers are prepared to pay an often-significant premium to live close to transport links, according to research carried out by Nationwide.

House prices rose by 0.3% in August, according to Halifax’s latest House Price Index, taking the average price of a property in the UK to £299,331 – a new record high.

More people are looking to buy than this time last year, according to property website Zoopla, with homes in the north of England typically selling an average of 12 days faster than those in the south.

Prices are up 2.4% over the past 12 months, although this is lower than the 2.7% seen in June. The average price of a home in the UK now stands at £298,237.

One million UK homes have surged in value by 50% or more since the pandemic, according to new research from property website Zoopla, with average gains reaching £117,500.

Buyer demand turned positive for the first time this year in June, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), suggesting that the property market may be entering a more stable phase.

UK house price growth slowed to 2.1% in June, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index, down from 3.5% in May.

New seller asking prices dipped in June, according to Rightmove’s latest house price index, despite strong buyer demand and property sales reaching a three-year high.

Average UK house prices fell by -0.4% in May, according to Halifax’s latest House Price Index, after changes to Stamp Duty came to effect in April.

Rural properties have seen the strongest rate of price growth over the past five years, according to Nationwide, with prices up 23% compared to 18% in urban areas.

Property prices have reached a new record high of £379,517 according to Rightmove, with average asking prices up 0.6% compared to April.

UK house prices rose on average by 0.3% last month, according to Halifax, following a 0.5% drop recorded in March.

Falling mortgage rates may be good news for homebuyers, but affordability remains a major obstacle to those wanting to buy a home.

Inflation rose by less than expected in March, raising hopes that the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee may vote to cut the base rate at their next meeting in May.