Official Statistics

UK House Price Index Wales: December 2017

Published 13 February 2018

Applies to Wales

1. Headline statistics for December 2017

the average price of a property in Wales was

£154,398

the annual price change of a property for Wales was

5.4%

the monthly price change of a property for Wales was

1.0%

the index figure for Wales (January 2015 = 100) was

113.4

Estimates for the most recent months are provisional and are likely to be updated as more data is incorporated into the index. Read the revision policies.

2. Price change

2.1 Annual price change

Annual price change for Wales over the past 5 years

Annual price change for Wales over the past 5 years

In Wales, the average price increased by 5.4% in the year to December 2017 (up from 4.5% in the year to November 2017).

Annual price change by local authority for Wales

Low numbers of sales transactions in some local authorities can lead to volatility in the series. While efforts are made to account for this volatility, the change in price in these local levels can be influenced by the type and number of properties sold in any given period.

Local authorities December 2017 December 2016 Difference
Blaenau Gwent £85,884 £82,587 4.0%
Bridgend £149,473 £138,518 7.9%
Caerphilly £127,228 £118,491 7.4%
Cardiff £200,363 £189,115 5.9%
Carmarthenshire £142,664 £134,759 5.9%
Ceredigion £183,729 £172,275 6.6%
Conwy £164,322 £150,868 8.9%
Denbighshire £144,829 £142,220 1.8%
Flintshire £166,094 £158,419 4.8%
Gwynedd £152,876 £148,223 3.1%
Isle of Anglesey £168,412 £159,919 5.3%
Merthyr Tydfil £99,862 £91,891 8.7%
Monmouthshire £242,459 £226,046 7.3%
Neath Port Talbot £114,522 £108,102 5.9%
Newport £168,000 £153,269 9.6%
Pembrokeshire £165,450 £161,088 2.7%
Powys £181,038 £171,812 5.4%
Rhondda Cynon Taf £106,175 £101,567 4.5%
Swansea £141,087 £138,488 1.9%
Torfaen £131,451 £127,957 2.7%
Vale of Glamorgan £208,828 £206,172 1.3%
Wrexham £152,225 £152,153 0.0%
Wales £154,398 £146,442 5.4%

Average price by local authority for Wales

Average price by local authority for Wales

In December 2017, the most expensive area to live in was Monmouthshire, where the cost of average house was £242,000. In contrast, the cheapest area to purchase a property was Blaenau Gwent, where an average house cost £86,000.

2.2 Average price change by property type

Average price change by property type for Wales

Property type December 2017 December 2016 Difference
Detached £231,947 £221,813 4.6%
Semi-detached £148,968 £140,572 6.0%
Terraced £119,490 £113,104 5.6%
Flat or maisonette £111,811 £105,614 5.9%
All £154,398 £146,442 5.4%

3. Sales volumes

Due to a period of 2 to 8 weeks between completion and registration of sales, volume figures for the most recent two months are not yet at a reliable level for reporting, so they are not included in the report.

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.

3.1 Sales volumes by local authority

Sales volumes for Wales by local authority

Local authorities October 2017 October 2016 Difference
Blaenau Gwent 77 69 11.6%
Bridgend 180 160 12.5%
Caerphilly 217 194 11.9%
Cardiff 402 517 -22.2%
Carmarthenshire 233 268 -13.1%
Ceredigion 93 77 20.8%
Conwy 188 175 7.4%
Denbighshire 139 96 44.8%
Flintshire 176 220 -20.0%
Gwynedd 160 158 1.3%
Isle of Anglesey 96 104 -7.7%
Merthyr Tydfil 61 43 41.9%
Monmouthshire 132 129 2.3%
Neath Port Talbot 148 185 -20.0%
Newport 196 215 -8.8%
Pembrokeshire 156 158 -1.3%
Powys 141 160 -11.9%
Rhondda Cynon Taf 269 284 -5.3%
Swansea 261 280 -6.8%
Torfaen 121 121 0.0%
Vale of Glamorgan 185 204 -9.3%
Wrexham 138 138 0.0%
Wales 3,805 3,957 -3.8%

3.2 Sales volumes

Sales volumes for Wales over the past 5 years

Date Sales volumes for Wales
October 2013 3,632
October 2014 4,129
October 2015 4,500
October 2016 3,957
October 2017 3,805

4. Property status

New build and existing resold property for Wales

The first estimate for new builds is based on a small sample which can cause volatility in this initial estimate.

Property status Average price October 2017 Monthly change Annual change
New build £217,588 2.9% 14.6%
Existing resold property £151,322 1.1% 5.0%

Note: since the 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 Improvement to the calculation of provisional estimates within the UK HPI.

5. Buyer status

First time buyer and former owner occupier for Wales

Type of buyer Average price December 2017 Monthly change Annual change
First time buyer £133,522 1.1% 5.4%
Former owner occupier £178,701 0.9% 5.4%

6. Funding status

Cash and mortgage indicator for Wales

Funding status Average price December 2017 Monthly change Annual change
Cash £150,562 1.0% 5.4%
Mortgage £156,678 1.0% 5.5%

7. Repossession sales volume

Due to a period of 2 to 8 weeks between completion and registration of sales, repossession volume figures for the most recent two months are not yet complete, so they are not included in the report.

Repossession sales volume

Country Repossession sales volume October 2017
Wales 64

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 for Wales queries

Eileen Morrison, Data Services Team Leader, HM Land Registry

Email eileen.morrison@landregistry.gov.uk

Telephone 0300 006 5288