House prices increase in October, but remain lower than a year ago

  • UK house prices rose by 0.9% month on month in October
  • House prices down 3.3% on October last year

Headlines

Oct-23

Sep-23

Monthly Index*

517.2

512.8

Monthly Change*

0.9%

0.1%

Annual Change

-3.3%

-5.3%

Average Price

(not seasonally adjusted)

£259,423

£257,808

* Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are revised when seasonal adjustment factors are re-estimated)

Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide's Chief Economist, said:

“October saw a 0.9% rise in UK house prices, after taking account of seasonal effects. This resulted in an improvement in the annual rate of house price growth to -3.3%, from -5.3% in September.

“Nevertheless, housing market activity has remained extremely weak, with just 43,300 mortgages approved for house purchase in September, around 30% below the monthly average prevailing in 2019.

House purchase approvals Oct23

“This is not surprising as affordability remains stretched. Market interest rates, which underpin mortgage pricing, have moderated somewhat but they are still well above the lows prevailing in 2021.

“The uptick in house prices in October most likely reflects the fact that the supply of properties on the market is constrained. There is little sign of forced selling, which would exert downward pressure on prices, as labour market conditions are solid and mortgage arrears are at historically low levels.

“Activity and house prices are likely to remain subdued in the coming quarters. Despite signs that cost-of-living pressures are easing, with the rate of inflation now running below the rate of average earnings growth, consumer confidence remains weak and surveyors continue to report subdued levels of new buyer enquiries.

RICS Oct23

“With Bank Rate not expected to decline significantly in the years ahead, borrowing costs are unlikely to return to the historic lows seen in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“Instead, it appears likely that a combination of solid income growth, together with modestly lower house prices and mortgage rates, will gradually improve affordability over time, with housing market activity remaining fairly subdued in the interim.” 

Monthly UK House Price Statistics

 

Monthly % Change Seasonally Adjusted

3 month on 3 month

% Change

Annual % Change

Average Price

Oct-21

0.9

2.4

9.9

250,311

Nov-21

1.2

2.6

10.0

252,687

Dec-21

1.2

3.0

10.4

254,822

Jan-22

1.0

3.1

11.2

255,556

Feb-22

1.7

3.6

12.6

260,230

Mar-22

1.2

3.8

14.3

265,312

Apr-22

0.1

3.7

12.1

267,620

May-22

0.6

3.0

11.2

269,914

Jun-22

0.1

1.9

10.7

271,613

Jul-22

0.1

1.2

11.0

271,209

Aug-22

0.9

0.9

10.0

273,751

Sep-22

0.0

1.0

9.5

272,259

Oct-22

-1.2

0.6

7.2

268,282

Nov-22

-1.4

-0.6

4.4

263,788

Dec-22

-0.3

-1.9

2.8

262,068

Jan-23

-0.7

-2.6

1.1

258,297

Feb-23

-0.5

-2.2

-1.1

257,406

Mar-23

-0.8

-1.9

-3.1

257,122

Apr-23

0.4

-1.4

-2.7

260,441

May-23

-0.2

-1.1

-3.4

260,736

Jun-23

0.1

-0.4

-3.5

262,239

Jul-23

-0.3

-0.2

-3.8

260,828

Aug-23

-0.7

-0.3

-5.3

259,153

Sep-23

0.1

-0.7

-5.3

257,808

Oct-23

0.9

-0.5

-3.3

259,423

 

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