Published 27th August 2026

Executive summary

• Buyer demand is starting to recover with home searches 7% higher than a year ago and increasing across Britain
• Higher mortgage rates have cut buying power by 9% since the start of the year, weighing on sales and prices over the summer
• UK house price inflation has slowed to 0.9%, with prices flat to falling across much of southern England
• The Autumn bounce is starting to emerge, but buyers have plenty of choice with 5% more homes for sale than a year ago
• Sellers need to price carefully to attract buyers, with
  affordability still a constraint and market conditions varying widely across local markets

See our London House Price Index and detailed price metrics for 65 cities.