UK House Price Index summary: May 2019
Published 17 July 2019
© Crown copyright 2019
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-summary-may-2019/uk-house-price-index-summary-may-2019
1. Headline statistics for May 2019
the average price of a property in the UK was
£229,431
the annual price change for a property in the UK was
1.2%
the monthly price change for a property in the UK was
0.1%
the monthly index figure (January 2015 = 100) for the UK was
120.3
Estimates for the most recent months are provisional and are likely to be updated as more data is incorporated into the index. Read Revisions to the UK HPI data.
Next publication of UK HPI
The June 2019 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 14 August 2019. See the calendar of release dates.
2. Economic statement
UK house prices grew by 1.2% in the year to May 2019, down from 1.5% in the year to April 2019. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK increased by 0.1% between April 2019 and May 2019, compared with a rise of 0.4% during the same period a year earlier (April 2018 and May 2018)
House price growth was strongest in the North West where prices increased by 3.4% in the year to May 2019, up from 3.3% in the year to April 2019. The lowest annual growth was in London, where prices fell by 4.4% over the year to May 2019, down from a fall of 1.7% in April 2019.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) May 2019 UK Residential Market Survey results point to overall market trends remaining very similar to those reported in recent months, with headline indicators of demand and supply remaining in negative territory.
The Bank of England’s Agents‘ summary of business conditions – 2019 Q2 reported that sentiment in the housing market continued to weaken, with Brexit-related uncertainty deterring buyers. Affordability also continued to be a constraint in London and the South East.
The UK Property Transactions Statistics for May 2019 showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of transactions on residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 89,810. This is 11.3% lower than a year ago. Between April 2019 and May 2019, transactions fell by 6.4%.
The Bank of England’s Money and Credit release showed that mortgage approvals for house purchase (an indicator of future lending) fell slightly in May 2019 to around 65,400 but remained roughly in line with previous years.
3. Price changes
3.1 Annual price change
Annual price change for UK by country over the past 5 years
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Average house prices in the UK increased by 1.2% in the year to May 2019 (down from 1.5% in April 2019).
At the country level, the largest annual price growth was recorded in Wales, increasing by 3.0% over the year to May 2019.
Scotland saw house prices increase by 2.8% over the last 12 months.
The slowest annual growth was in England where prices increased by 1.0% in the year to May 2019.
Northern Ireland house prices increased by 3.5% over the year to Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2019.
3.2 Average price by country and government office region
Price, monthly change and annual change by country and government office region
| Country and government office region | Price | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | £245,817 | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| Northern Ireland (Quarter 1 - 2019) | £134,811 | -1.0% | 3.5% |
| Scotland | £152,801 | 1.2% | 2.8% |
| Wales | £159,428 | -1.4% | 3.0% |
| East Midlands | £189,622 | -1.2% | 0.4% |
| East of England | £291,239 | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| London | £457,471 | -2.5% | -4.4% |
| North East | £127,885 | -1.0% | -0.7% |
| North West | £164,261 | 0.8% | 3.4% |
| South East | £323,745 | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| South West | £257,563 | 1.2% | 2.6% |
| West Midlands Region | £196,489 | 0.2% | 2.7% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £162,520 | 0.4% | 1.9% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Price changes by country and government office region
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK increased by 0.1% between April 2019 and May 2019, compared with a rise of 0.4% during the same period a year earlier (April 2018 and May 2018). On a seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK were unchanged (0.0%) between April 2019 and May 2019.
Note that the Northern Ireland figure represents a three-month change and is not comparable with the other regions and countries.
3.3 Average price by property type
Average monthly price by property type
| Property type | May 2019 | May 2018 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £347,706 | £342,543 | 1.5% |
| Semi-detached | £219,087 | £213,572 | 2.6% |
| Terraced | £186,418 | £183,811 | 1.4% |
| Flat or maisonette | £200,341 | £202,901 | -1.3% |
| All | £229,431 | £226,671 | 1.2% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
4. Sales volumes
The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information varies. It typically ranges between 2 weeks and 2 months but can be longer. Volume figures for the most recent 2 months are not yet at a reliable level for reporting, so they are not included in the report. Published transactions for recent months will increase as later registered transactions are incorporated into the index.
Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read Revisions to the UK HPI data for more information.
4.1 Sales volumes
Number of sales volumes by country
| Country | March 2019 | March 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| England | 58,636 | 68,184 |
| Northern Ireland (Quarter 1 - 2019) | 4,272 | 5,471 |
| Scotland | 8,255 | 8,043 |
| Wales | 3,329 | 3,800 |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Note: The ‘Difference’ column has been removed from this table as the latest month’s data are not yet complete.
The estimate for March 2019 is calculated based on around 85% of the final registered transactions. The number of property transactions for March 2019 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index.
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for March 2018 with the provisional estimate for March 2019, volume transactions increased by 0.7% in England, 5.0% in Scotland and fell by 1.2% in Wales and 6.0% in Northern Ireland.
UK Property Transaction Statistics published by HM Revenue & Customs (which differ in coverage but are more complete for this period) report that on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, volume transactions fell by 2.5% in England, 2.5% in Scotland and increased by 0.2% in Wales in the year to March 2019.
4.2 Sales volumes for the UK over the past 5 years
Sales volumes for 2015 to 2019 by country: March
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
The estimate for March 2019 is calculated based on around 85% of the final registered transactions. The number of property transactions for March 2019 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index. See our [Revisions Policy] for more information.
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for March 2018 with the provisional estimate for March 2019, volume transactions increased by 0.7%.
UK Property Transaction Statistics published by HM Revenue & Customs (which differ in coverage but are more complete for this period) report that on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, UK volume transactions fell by 2.3% in the year to March 2019.
5. Property status for UK
Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and need more time to process. This means they can take longer to appear in the land registers. The volume of new build transactions for the most recent 2 months are not at a reliable level for reporting the breakdown between new build and existing resold property, so they are not included in the report.
New build and existing resold property
| Property status | Average price March 2019 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New build | £288,690 | -1.4% | 2.4% |
| Existing resold property | £223,090 | 0.0% | 1.5% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Note: Since October 2017 release, amendments have been made to our estimation model when calculating our provisional estimate. Find out further information and the impact of this change in methods used to produce the UK HPI.
6. Buyer status for Great Britain
First time buyer and former owner occupier
For Great Britain only, Northern Ireland data is not available for buyer status.
| Type of buyer | Average price May 2019 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First time buyer | £193,410 | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Former owner occupier | £266,455 | 0.1% | 1.4% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
7. Funding status for Great Britain
Cash and mortgage
For Great Britain only, Northern Ireland data is not available for funding status.
| Funding status | Average price May 2019 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | £218,448 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Mortgage | £239,544 | 0.2% | 1.3% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
8. Access the data
Download the data as CSV files or access it with our UK HPI tool.
Data revisions
View any revisions to previously published data in the data downloads or find out more about revisions in our guidance About the UK HPI.
9. About the UK House Price Index
The UK House Price Index (UK HPI) is calculated by the Office for National Statistics and Land & Property Services Northern Ireland. Find out about the methodology used to create the UK HPI.
Data for the UK House Price Index is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, The Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
Find out more about the UK House Price Index.
10. Contact
Eileen Morrison, Data Services Team Leader, HM Land Registry
Email eileen.morrison@landregistry.gov.uk
Telephone 0300 006 5288
Aimee North, Head of Housing Market Indices, Office for National Statistics
Email aimee.north@ons.gov.uk
Telephone 01633 456400
Ciara Cunningham, Statistician for the Northern Ireland HPI
Email ciara.cunningham@finance-ni.gov.uk
Telephone 028 90 336035
Anne MacDonald, Land & Property Data Team, Registers of Scotland
Email Anne.MacDonald@ros.gov.uk
Telephone 0131 378 4991