UK House Price Index summary: July 2021
Published 15 September 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-summary-july-2021/uk-house-price-index-summary-july-2021
1. Headline statistics for July 2021
The average price of a property in the UK was £255,535
The annual price change for a property in the UK was 8.0%
The monthly price change for a property in the UK was -3.7%
The monthly index figure (January 2015 = 100) for the UK was 134.0
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 August 2021 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 20 October 2021. See the calendar of release dates for more information.
2. Economic statement
UK house prices increased by 8.0% in the year to July 2021, down from 13.1% in June 2021. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 3.7% between June and July 2021, compared with an increase of 0.8% during the same period a year earlier (June and July 2020).
House price growth was strongest in the North East where prices increased by 10.8% in the year to July 2021. The lowest annual growth was in London, where prices increased by 2.2% in the year to July 2021.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) July 2021 UK Residential Market Survey reported a much softer month for new activity in the housing market, due to the start of the phasing out of the Stamp Duty holiday from the end of June.
The Bank of England’s Agents summary of business conditions 2021 Q2 reported ongoing strong demand for housing across most of the UK and a shortage of properties for sale, which pushed up prices.
The UK Property Transactions Statistics showed that in July 2021, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the estimated number of transactions of residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 73,740. This is 4.2% higher than a year ago. Between June and July 2021, UK transactions decreased by 62.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a record level of transaction numbers in June 2021.
The Bank of England’s Money and Credit July 2021 release reported that mortgage approvals for house purchases (an indicator of future lending) in July 2021 was 75,200, which is down from 80,300 in June 2021.
3. Price changes
3.1 Annual price change
Annual price change for UK by country over the past 5 years
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Average house prices in the UK increased by 8.0% in the year to July 2021, down from 13.1% in June 2021.
At the country level, the largest annual house price growth in the year to July 2021 was recorded in Scotland, where house prices increased by 14.6%.
Wales saw house prices increase by 11.6% in the year to July 2021.
England saw house prices increase by 7.0% in the year to July 2021.
Northern Ireland saw house prices increase by 9.0% over the year to Quarter 2 (April to June) 2021.
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 | £270,973 | -4.5% | 7.0% |
| Northern Ireland (Quarter 2 - 2021) | £153,449 | 2.9% | 9.0% |
| Scotland | £177,166 | 2.0% | 14.6% |
| Wales | £187,960 | -4.0% | 11.6% |
| East Midlands | £214,169 | -5.5% | 6.9% |
| East of England | £312,076 | -3.8% | 6.8% |
| London | £494,673 | -2.0% | 2.2% |
| North East | £144,935 | -3.5% | 10.8% |
| North West | £185,171 | -7.6% | 8.1% |
| South East | £354,278 | -1.3% | 8.8% |
| South West | £277,178 | -5.8% | 5.2% |
| West Midlands | £220,759 | -4.9% | 8.5% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £180,324 | -6.8% | 6.9% |
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 decreased by 3.7% between June and July 2021, compared with an increase of 0.8% during the same period a year earlier (June and July 2020). On a seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 4.4 between June and July 2021.
Note: The Northern Ireland figure represents a 3-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 | July 2021 | July 2020 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £391,747 | £359,581 | 8.9% |
| Semi-detached | £245,218 | £225,782 | 8.6% |
| Terraced | £207,267 | £192,521 | 7.7% |
| Flat or maisonette | £218,829 | £206,198 | 6.1% |
| All | £255,535 | £236,687 | 8.0% |
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 | May 2021 | May 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| England | 26,733 | 30,798 |
| Northern Ireland (Quarter 2 2021 average monthly sales) | 2,396 | 670 |
| Scotland | 8,379 | 3,336 |
| Wales | 1,572 | 1,576 |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Note: The number of property transactions for May 2021 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index. See our Revisions Policy for more information
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for May 2020 with the provisional estimate for May 2021, volume transactions increased by 2.3% in England, 171.6% in Scotland and by 13.7% in Wales. Northern Ireland’s volume transactions increased by 335.0% in the year to Quarter 2 2021.
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 increased by 115.0% in England, 155.3% in Scotland, 141.2% in Wales and by 366.7% in Northern Ireland in the year to May 2021.
4.2 Sales volumes for the UK over the past 5 years
Sales volumes for 2017 to 2021 by country: May
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Note: The number of property transactions for May 2021 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index. See our Revisions Policy for more information.
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for May 2020 with the provisional estimate for May 2021, UK volume transactions increased by 25.5% in the year to May 2021.
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 increased by 122.0% in the year to May 2021.
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 May 2021 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New build | £329,801 | 0.3% | 12.0% |
| Existing resold property | £247,967 | 0.6% | 9.2% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
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 the methods used to produce the UK HPI.
6. Buyer status for Great Britain
First time buyer and former owner occupier
| Type of buyer | Average price July 2021 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First time buyer | £214,237 | -3.7% | 7.7% |
| Former owner occupier | £297,324 | -3.9% | 8.3% |
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 July 2021 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | £242,901 | -3.8% | 8.1% |
| Mortgage | £266,285 | -3.8% | 7.9% |
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