House Price Index Apr 2026
The conflict in the Middle East over the past two months has pushed mortgage rates higher, weakening consumer confidence and softening buyer demand. Despite this, the major indices indicate that the market is holding up well, with transactions up month-on-month and year-to-date agreed sales just 3% below last year’s level. With a healthy supply of homes available for sale, house price growth has levelled off, with annual growth running at just over 1%.
What’s happening nationally
House prices have remained steady over the past month and are up on average +1.1% over the past year.
House prices have held over the past month,+0% on average across the indices. Land Registry reporting March figures -0.4%, Nationwide +0.4% in April, Halifax -0.1% in April and Rightmove +0.8% rise in asking prices. Rightmove isn’t included in our average change as they report on asking prices not sold prices.
Annual house price growth is up 1.1%, down from 1.4% last month. The indices report the following shifts in annual house price growth over the past month: Land Registry (0% vs 1.2%), Nationwide (3% vs 2.2%), Halifax (0.4% vs 0.8%) and Rightmove reporting asking prices (-0.9% vs -0.2%).
Indices based on:
Land Registry – registered property transactions in March.
Nationwide & Halifax – mortgage valuations in April.
Rightmove – asking prices posted on Rightmove in April.
*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 | -0.4% | 0.0% |
| Nationwide | +0.4% | +3.0% |
| Halifax | -0.1% | +0.4% |
| Rightmove | +0.8% | -0.9% |
| Average change | 0.0% | +1.1% |
House prices in your area
Regional house prices
Apart from Northern Ireland (+7.4%) Q1 2026 figures, annual house price growth is modest or down in other parts of the UK: -0.6% overall in England, +1.6% in Scotland and +2.9% in Wales.
Annual house prices are down in most regions in England, with the biggest drop in London: (-2.1%), the North East (-1.2%), North West/ South East/ South West (-0.8%), West Midlands (-0.3%), Yorkshire & Humber (-0.2%). The East of England (+0.1%) and the East Midlands (0.7%) have seen a slight increase.
Most expensive/ cheapest areas
In terms of average house price, the most expensive regions in the UK remain London (£542K), the South East (£378K) and the East of England (£337K). The cheapest regions are the North East of England (£162K), Scotland (£187K), Northern Ireland (£198K), Yorkshire & Humber (£208K) and Wales (£213K).
In terms of cities, the most affordable are: Aberdeen (£130K), Glasgow (£165K), Newcastle (£164K) and Sheffield (£178K). And, the most expensive cities in the UK are: London (£529K), Cambridge (£468K), Oxford (£450K), Bristol (£342K) and Bournemouth (£317K).
Prices by property type
House prices shifted in the last year for detached (+1.9%), semi-detached (+1.8%), terraced (+0.5%) properties and for flats/ maisonettes (-5.3%).
| 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
March 2026 transactions of 104K are up +1% vs February (103k) and down -41% vs transactions last March (176K), when transactions spiked ahead of the stamp duty change in April 2025.
Both Rightmove and Zoopla report year to date agreed sales are just 3% behind this time last year
In April 2026, buyer demand softened further and new sales instructions remained steady according to RICS. There is a good choice of available homes for sale.
The average time to secure a buyer reduced to 62 days in April from 66 days last month according to Rightmove; in line with the average over the last 12 months (which is 67 days).
How busy is the market?
- Not busy
- Normal
- Very busy
- Transactions in March 2026 are up
- Total transactions in March 104K
- +1% versus last month
- -41% vs last March (huge spike preceding stamp duty change)
Homes for sale vs homebuyers
- Good availability of homes
- Normal
- Shortage of homes
- Buyer enquiries fall (-34% RICS Apr) further softening in demand
- Seller instructions broadly flat (-3% RICS Apr)
- Average stock per agent up to 62 in April from 59 last month (incl under offer/ Sold STC Rightmove)
Average speed of sale
- Fast
- Normal
- Slow
- April 62 days down from 66 days last month; in line with 12 month average of 67 days (Rightmove)
What the experts say
Rightmove
“Increased mortgage rates and stiff competition to find a buyer are limiting new seller asking price growth this spring, with the number of homes for sale still at an eleven-year high for the time of year. Despite higher mortgage rates due to the global uncertainty, the housing market has remained surprisingly resilient so far. The latest real-time market snapshot shows that new buyer demand for April to date is 7% below this time last year but consistent with this year’s trend of lagging behind 2025. The number of sales agreed is also resilient, currently at just 3% behind this time last year. In addition, the number of homes newly coming to market is only 1% behind last year, and 13% higher than in 2024.”
Nationwide
“Despite the uncertainty caused by developments in the Middle East and the subsequent rise in energy prices, the UK housing market has continued to regain momentum following the slowdown recorded around the turn of the year. The market is likely being supported by the relative strength of household finances. In aggregate, household debt is at its lowest level relative to income for around two decades. Moreover, housing affordability had been improving steadily in recent years due to a combination of income growth outpacing house price growth by a wide margin and a modest decline in mortgage rates. While market interest rates have risen in recent months, the impact on affordability has so far been limited.”
Zoopla (Hometrack)
“Conflict in the Middle East over the last 2 months has pushed mortgage rates higher and led to a decline in consumer confidence. While some home buyers and sellers have exhibited greater caution, sales agreed are holding up well, running just 3% below last year and the average home is taking just 1 day longer to sell than a year ago. This tells us that households who need to move have found buyers at the same pace as last year. It is taking longer to sell in London and southern England. Buyers in these areas are more affected by higher mortgage rates, particularly first-time buyers. In London, homes are taking 6 days longer to find a buyer than a year ago.”
Halifax
“After a strong start to the year, recent global developments have added a greater degree of uncertainty to the outlook. In particular, higher energy prices have fed into inflation expectations, prompting markets to reassess the path for interest rates – a shift that has already pushed up borrowing costs for many buyers. This understandably leads to more caution among some households, with the cost-of-living once again front of mind and extra thought being given to planned property moves. Even so, the housing market continues to display the resilience. While activity is likely to cool in the near term, the underlying picture remains one of relative stability, supported by wage growth that continues to outpace house price inflation. The majority of existing homeowners are on fixed-rate mortgages, meaning they are largely insulated from short term changes in interest rates.”
RICS
“The April 2026 RICS Residential Market Survey results continue to reflect a challenging global macroeconomic backdrop, with the associated rise in interest rate expectations weighing on buyer demand. Moreover, near-term sentiment indicators suggest that these subdued conditions are set to persist over the coming months, while the outlook for the year ahead has softened noticeably.”
