Keep knowledgeable with free updates
Merely signal as much as the UK home costs myFT Digest — delivered on to your inbox.
The common UK home value rose greater than anticipated in January, hitting a brand new report excessive, in response to mortgage lender Halifax.
Home costs rose 0.7 per cent within the month following a dip of -0.2 per cent in December, taking the typical property value to £299,138 in response to new knowledge on Friday.
This was a lot stronger than the 0.2 per cent progress anticipated by economists polled by Reuters.
Nevertheless, annual progress in costs eased barely to three per cent, down from 3.4 per cent within the earlier month.
Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, mentioned the UK housing market had “started the year on a positive note”.
“Affordability is still a challenge for many would-be buyers, but the market’s resilience is noteworthy. There’s strong demand for new mortgages and growth in lending,” she mentioned, including that some first-time consumers may need been keen to finish purchases earlier than an increase in stamp responsibility on the finish of March.
On Thursday, the Bank of England cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 per cent, the lowest since June 2023, supporting the property market.
BoE deputy governor Dave Ramsden said the gradual reduction in rates since August last year was feeding through into mortgage rates, supporting demand.
Friday’s figures distinction with separate knowledge from mortgage lender Nationwide, which confirmed home costs rising solely 0.1 per cent in January, a slowing of the expansion fee.