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The average UK home is now worth £271,295, with the latest Land Registry figures showing annual house price growth of 2.7%.
Data also shows that prices jumped up marginally, by 0.3%, between April and May.
Here, Which? analyses what's happening to house prices according to other indices, including 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 May 2026.
Over the past year, average UK house prices increased by 2.7%, according to the Land Registry.
There's a gap of £106,550 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 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 (July 2026) | -1.0% | -0.4% |
| Zoopla (May 2026) | 0.0% | +1.4% |
| Nationwide (June 2026) | 0.0% | +2.2% |
| Lloyds - previously Halifax (June 2026) | +0.2% | +0.6% |
London is the only region that registered a year-on-year drop in house prices, by 3.7%. Month-on-month, average house prices are also falling in the capital, but by just 1.2%.
Annually, average house prices are rising fastest in the North East and North West, with both regions just shy of 6% growth. House prices in Scotland and Wales are rising by more than 4% year-on-year.
Interestingly, house prices in the East and West Midlands fell between April and May. Although, the average price in both regions decreased by less than 1%.
| Country/region | Property price | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £292,000 | +0.1% | +2.3% |
| Scotland | £196,000 | +1.5% | +4.4% |
| Wales | £215,000 | +1.3% | +4.2% |
| Northern Ireland (January-March 2026) | £198,000 | n/a | +7.4% |
| East Midlands | £241,000 | -0.4% | +3.2% |
| East of England | £338,000 | +0.3% | +2.3% |
| London | £545,000 | -1.2% | -3.7% |
| North East | £164,000 | +0.6% | +5.9% |
| North West | £220,000 | +1.4% | +5.8% |
| South East | £381,000 | +0.8% | +1.2% |
| South West | £303,000 | -0.3% | +1.7% |
| West Midlands | £248,000 | -0.9% | +2.7% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £209,000 | +0.2% | +4.3% |
Source: UK House Price Index, 22 July 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 98,450 transactions took place in May 2026, up 17% from 2025. The number of residential property transactions fell 2% 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 62 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. It cited the impact of rising mortgage costs behind the change.
All ten of the largest mortgage lenders cut rates between mid June and mid July. However, since the middle of July lenders have started to increase rates again. This is in response to further instability in the Middle East.
The average two-year fixed rate is 5.54% and the average five-year fix stands at 5.56% (22 July).
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 22 July, which included the latest Land Registry house price index data.
