House Price Index Jul 2026
The housing market lost momentum over the summer as political uncertainty and Middle East tensions pushed borrowing costs higher. Agreed sales fell 9% year on year as buyer demand weakened between May and July. Despite fewer new listings, the supply of homes for sale remains at a ten-year high, increasing buyer choice and slowing house-price growth. Geopolitical uncertainty, volatile mortgage rates and October’s Budget may continue to weigh on activity.
What’s happening nationally
House prices are up on average +0.1% over the past month and +1.3% over the past year.
House prices across the indices are up on average +0.1% this month. Land Registry reporting June figures +0.1%, Nationwide +0.1% in July, no change reported by Halifax in July and Rightmove -1% reports a slight fall in asking prices in July. Rightmove isn’t included in our average change as they report on asking prices not sold prices.
Annual house price growth slowed to 1.3% from 1.8% last month. The indices report the following shifts in annual house price growth over the past month: Land Registry (2% vs 2.7%), Nationwide (1.8% vs 2.2%), Halifax (0.1% vs 0.6%) and Rightmove reporting asking prices (-0.4% vs -1.0%).
Indices based on:
Land Registry – registered property transactions in May.
Nationwide & Lloyds (formerly Halifax) – mortgage valuations in June.
Rightmove – asking prices posted on Rightmove in June.
*Rightmove is not included in the index average as the basis for its index is different (asking price vs agreed sale price)
| Index reports: | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| Land registry | +0.1% | +2% |
| Nationwide | +0.1% | +1.8% |
| Lloyds (formerly Halifax) | 0.0% | +0.1% |
| Rightmove | -1.0% | -0.4% |
| Average change | +0.1% | +1.3% |
House prices in your area
Regional house prices
House prices in your area
Annual house price growth is highest in Northern Ireland (9.2% Q2 data) and lower in Scotland (2.3%), England (1.8%). Annual and in Wales 1.8%.
Annual house prices are up in most regions in England, apart from London (-2.5%). The areas with highest annual growth in England include: the North West (+4.7%), North East (+4.3%), and Yorkshire & Humber (+3.6%).
Most expensive/ cheapest areas
In terms of average house price, the most expensive regions in the UK are London (£554K), the South East (£381K) and the East of England (£339K). The cheapest regions are the North East of England (£166K), Scotland (£195K), Northern Ireland (£198K), Yorkshire & Humber (£208K) and Wales (£213K).
In terms of cities, the most affordable are: Aberdeen (£131K), Glasgow (£165K), Newcastle (£165K) and Sheffield (£180K). And, the most expensive cities in the UK are: London (£527K), Cambridge (£464K), Oxford (£449K), Bristol (£341K) and Bournemouth (£316K).
Prices by property type
House prices shifted in the last year for detached (+2.3%), semi-detached (+3.4%), terraced (+3.0%) properties and for flats/ maisonettes (-1.6%).
| UK Region | Average price £ | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | |||
| Nothern Ireland | |||
| Scotland | |||
| Wales | |||
| North West | |||
| Yorkshire and The Humber | |||
| North East | |||
| West Midlands | |||
| East Midlands | |||
| South West | |||
| East of England | |||
| South East | |||
| London |
| UK City | Average price | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
Market Monitor
June 2026 transactions of 98.7K vs 98.5K in May are steady and up 2.5% vs transactions June 2025 (96.3K), when transactions were below average (transactions had been brought forward in the year) with the stamp duty change in April 2025.
In July 2026, buyer demand softened further and new sales instructions fell slightly. Zoopla reports that sales agreed in July are down 9% with the North East the only region with more sales agreed (+4%) this year. with buyer enquiries 15% lower.
The average time to secure a buyer was up slightly to 63 days in July from to 62 days according to Rightmove; faster than the average over the last 12 months (which is 67 days).
How busy is the market?
- Not busy
- Normal
- Very busy
- Transactions in June 2026 are steady and lower than typical levels
- Total transactions in June 98.7K
- unchanged versus last month
- +2.5% vs last June (low after stamp duty change April last year)
Homes for sale vs homebuyers
- Good availability of homes
- Normal
- Shortage of homes
- Buyer enquiries fall again (-28% RICS July)
- Seller instructions down slightly (-4% RICS July)
- Average stock per agent 65 in July same as last month (incl under offer/ Sold STC Rightmove)
Average speed of sale
- Fast
- Normal
- Slow
- July 65 days vs 62 days last month; faster than the 12 month average of 67 days (Rightmove)
What the experts say
Rightmove
“Many summer sellers slash their price expectations in reaction to the quieter holiday period and 12-year high number of homes for sale at this time of year and are lower than this time last year. Buyers have the widest choice of homes for sale at this time of year in more than a decade, so standing out on price for the right reasons is hugely important. The average two-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.09%, up from 4.95% last month as uncertainty continues in the Middle East. Rightmove downgrades its national average 2026 price forecast to between 0% and -2%. The uncertain geopolitical picture, changing mortgage rate landscape, and new Chancellor’s first Budget in October making it difficult to predict the rest of the year.”
Nationwide
“Prices remained broadly flat in month-on-month terms, after taking account of seasonal factors. Market activity and house prices have remained soft in recent months, in part reflecting the uncertain economic backdrop. Geopolitical tensions remain high, with the conflict between Iran and the US again exerting upward pressure on energy prices and market interest rates in recent weeks. Financial market expectations for the future path of Bank Rate have been volatile, reflecting shifting views about the inflationary implications of events at home and abroad.”
Zoopla (Hometrack)
“Higher mortgage rates and political uncertainty have driven a sharper-than-usual summer slowdown. Sales agreed are down 9% on last year and the weakest reading of 2026 so far as more buyers adopt a wait-and-see approach to buying a home. Average mortgage rates eased from April’s peak of close to 5% to around 4.65% in June , before ticking back up to around 4.75% in July as tensions in the Middle East pushed up wholesale funding costs. The stock of homes for sale is rising in eight of 11 regions, giving buyers more room to negotiate on price – a direct contributor to the slowdown in house price growth.”
Lloyds (formerly Halifax)
“Average house prices have remained relatively stable for almost two years, moving within a narrow range over that period and sitting just +0.5% higher than they were in November 2024. That trend has persisted even as buyers and sellers have faced a more uncertain economic backdrop this year. Affordability remains a challenge for many would -be buyers and, following recent events in the Middle East, mortgage rates have edged higher again after easing earlier in the summer. Sensitivity to borrowing costs is reflected in the latest industry data, which show a modest increase in both mortgage approvals and completed transactions in June following a bigger dip in May. While housing demand remains broadly steady, activity continues to respond quickly to changes in mortgage rates. Looking ahead, we expect market activity and house prices to remain relatively stable over the remainder of the year. Developments will be shaped by both how mortgage rates respond to the outlook for inflation and wider household confidence.”
RICS
“The July 2026 RICS UK Residential Market Survey results point to little change in the overall subdued narrative reported over recent months, with metrics on buyer demand and sales still languishing in negative territory. That said, short-term sales expectations have become gradually less pessimistic, although they remain far from signalling a meaningful turnaround in market conditions at this stage.”
