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The average UK home is now worth £272,188, with the latest Land Registry figures showing annual house price growth of 2.0%.
Data also shows that prices jumped up ever so slightly, by 0.1%, between May and June.
Here, Which? analyses what's happening to house prices according to other indices, including Lloyds (previously Halifax), Nationwide, Rightmove and Zoopla, explores regional differences and explains what might come next for property prices in 2026.
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The Land Registry's UK House Price Index is the most reliable barometer of what's happening to house prices, as it's based on actual property sales rather than asking prices. It works on a two-month lag, so the most recent figures are for June 2026.
Over the past year, average UK house prices increased by 2.0%, according to the Land Registry.
There's a gap of £106,245 between the average price paid by first-time buyers and those already on the housing ladder in Great Britain (data isn't available for Northern Ireland), highlighting the higher costs faced by those moving up the property ladder:
In addition to Land Registry data, several other property price indices provide insight into current house prices.
The property listing portal Rightmove provides the most up-to-date figures, but they're based on asking prices set by sellers rather than confirmed sales. Zoopla's figures are based on sold prices, mortgage valuations and recently agreed sales.
Nationwide and Lloyds also publish their own monthly data, based on mortgage lending.
| House price index | Month-on-month change | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Rightmove (August 2026) | -2.0% | -1.0% |
| Zoopla (June 2026) | 0.0% | +1.3% |
| Nationwide (July 2026) | 0.1% | +1.8% |
| Lloyds - previously Halifax (July 2026) | 0.0% | +0.1% |
London remains the only region to have registered an annual drop in house prices, on average by 2.5%. However, prices in the capital rose by 1% month-on-month.
Annual house price growth is strongest in the North East and North West, with both regions recording increases of more than 4%.
Since May, half of areas have registered house price rises month on month, and half have seen falls – but these have been minor. Wales recorded the largest fall, of just 0.9%. Month-on-month, prices are rising fastest in London, the North East and West Midlands, but the change was just 1%.
| Country/region | Property price | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £293,000 | +0.2% | +1.8% |
| Scotland | £195,000 | -0.5% | +2.3% |
| Wales | £213,000 | -0.9% | +1.8% |
| Northern Ireland (April-June 2026) | £202,000 | n/a | +9.2% |
| East Midlands | £240,000 | -0.7% | +2.4% |
| East of England | £339,000 | -0.2% | +1.1% |
| London | £554,000 | +1.0% | -2.5% |
| North East | £166,000 | +1.0% | +4.3% |
| North West | £220,000 | +0.4% | +4.7% |
| South East | £380,000 | -0.3% | +0.3% |
| South West | £305,000 | +0.6% | +1.9% |
| West Midlands | £251,000 | +1.0% | +2.6% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £208,000 | -0.6% | +3.6% |
Source: UK House Price Index, 19 August 2026. Monthly data isn't available for Northern Ireland; figures are released each quarter. Average prices are rounded to the nearest thousand.
Housing transactions spiked in March 2025 as buyers rushed to complete before stamp duty changes were introduced.
The most recent HMRC data shows that an estimated 98,700 transactions took place in June 2026, up 2% from 2025. The number of residential property transactions increased marginally by 1% month on month.
The graph below illustrates the fluctuations in numbers over the past three years.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla said: 'Housing transactions tell us about sales agreed 5-6 months ago – this latest data shows sales completions starting to slow in May compared to April, which reflects the impact of last year's Autumn Budget on sales.
'Looking ahead, while there is a healthy pipeline of sales from recent months, higher mortgage rates over April have hit new sales agreed, which are down 7% year on year in June. This will feed into fewer completed housing transactions, which we expect to be 6-8% lower than last year, compared to the 2% drop we forecast at the end of last year.'
The time taken to find a buyer is currently falling. This is mostly due to seasonal increases in the number of people looking to move home.
The graph shows how the time taken to find a buyer falls during the summer months and rises during the winter.
Rightmove says that sellers are currently taking an average of 63 days to secure a buyer.
At the start of the year, there was a consensus among experts that house prices will rise in 2026:
At the start of June, Savills updated its forecast to a 2% fall in house prices. In August, Rightmove downgraded its UK 2026 price forecast to between 0% and -2%. Zoopla has also reduced its UK house price forecast to a 1% rise in 2026.
All cited rising mortgage costs as the reason for the changes.
Rates have fluctuated over the past month. This has been driven by periods of lower tensions in the Middle East, followed by further conflict.
The average two-year fixed rate is 5.61%, and the average five-year fix stands at 5.64% (19 August).
Just two sub-4% mortgages are still available for borrowers, and to secure a rate beginning with a '3', consumers will have to choose a variable-rate tracker.
For the latest information, see our guide to the best mortgage rates, updated daily.
If you're approaching the end of your fixed term, our guide on what to do if you need to remortgage outlines your options.
Finally, if you're struggling to make your current repayments, see our guide on what to do if you can't pay your mortgage.
This story is regularly updated with the latest house price index figures and expert views. The last update was on 19 August, which included the latest Land Registry house price index.
