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House prices are still higher than a year ago, but they dipped slightly at the end of 2025.
Land Registry figures show prices rose by 2.4% in the 12 months to December, taking the average UK home to £270,259.
However, prices fell by 0.7% between November and December, a bigger monthly drop than the 0.2% decline seen a year earlier.
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 December 2025.
The Land Registry says the average price of a property in the UK increased by 2.4% between December 2024 and 2025.
There is a gap of £103,707 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):
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 Halifax also publish their own monthly data, based on mortgage lending.
| House price index | Month-on-month change | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Rightmove (January 2026) | +2.8% | +0.5% |
| Zoopla (December 2025) | 0.0% | +1.2% |
| Nationwide (January 2026) | +0.3% | +1.0% |
| Halifax (January 2026) | +0.7% | +1.0% |
Land Registry data shows that average prices fell across most regions between November and December.
In Scotland and the South West, property prices saw the largest monthly falls, decreasing by 1.7%. Month-on-month, average prices increased only in Wales and the East Midlands.
Over the past year, prices have fallen in just one region. In London, they are down by 1%. In the South East, prices have remained flat over the same period.
House prices in Northern Ireland are rising the fastest. Annually, prices are increasing by 7.5%.
| Country/region | Property price | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £292,000 | -0.7% | +1.7% |
| Scotland | £191,000 | -1.7% | +4.9% |
| Wales | £215,000 | +2.6% | +5.0% |
| Northern Ireland (October-December 2025) | £196,000 | n/a | +7.5% |
| East Midlands | £244,000 | +0.4% | +2.4% |
| East of England | £338,000 | -0.4% | +1.5% |
| London | £551,000 | -0.8% | -1.0% |
| North East | £165,000 | -1.4% | +4.6% |
| North West | £217,000 | -0.4% | +4.5% |
| South East | £379,000 | -0.7% | +0.0% |
| South West | £301,000 | -1.7% | +0.3% |
| West Midlands | £246,000 | -1.0% | +2.0% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £208,000 | -0.5% | +3.3% |
Source: UK House Price Index, 18 February 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 changes to stamp duty were introduced.
The most recent data from HMRC shows that an estimated 100,440 transactions took place in December 2025, up 7% from the figure in 2024.
The graph below illustrates the fluctuations in numbers over the past three years.
This depends on lots of factors, but broadly speaking, properties have been taking longer to sell due to a high number of homes for sale compared to the number of buyers.
Rightmove says that sellers are currently taking an average of 76 days to secure a buyer.
There's a consensus among experts that house prices will rise this year:
Mortgage rates continue to fall. The average two-year fixed-rate mortgage was priced at 4.85% on 18 February 2026 compared with 5.52% on 1 February 2025.
Experts forecast that mortgage rates will fall further over the next 12 months, with the Bank of England likely to continue to reduce its base rate.
For the latest information, see our guide on the best mortgage rates, which is updated daily.
If you're approaching the end of your fixed term, our guide on what to do if you need to remortgage offers advice on 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.
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This story is regularly updated with the latest house price index figures and expert views. The last update was on 18 February to include the latest Land Registry house price index data.
