01.07.202606:13:10UTC+00UK House Price Growth Accelerates in June

The UK Nationwide House Price Index rose 2.2% year-on-year in June 2026, falling slightly short of market expectations of 2.4% but picking up from a 1.7% increase in May. Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner noted that easing geopolitical tensions and lower-than-expected inflation have reinforced expectations that the Bank of England may not need to raise interest rates further, or at least not as much as previously anticipated. He also highlighted that the recent decline in market interest rates, which feed into fixed-rate mortgage pricing, has already started to improve affordability. If these conditions persist, Gardner said, they should help rebuild household confidence and support a recovery in housing market activity over the coming quarters. Regionally, Northern Ireland remained the strongest-performing area in the second quarter, with house prices 8.6% higher than a year earlier. On a monthly basis, house prices were unchanged, as expected, after a 0.6% increase in May.