House prices suffer biggest drop in three years

House prices suffered their biggest fall in more than three years in October, with buyers’ confidence now in danger of slumping lower after Thursday’s interest rate hike.

The average house price in the UK fell by 1.2 per cent to £296,285 in the 12 months to October, according to the Lloyds house price index.

This was the biggest drop in prices recorded since October 2023 and is much steeper than the fall recorded in the 12 months to September, when prices fell by only 0.1 per cent. 

Property market experts said the Bank of England’s decision to hike interest rates this week will only worsen the outlook facing buyers, who are holding off for better conditions, and sellers, who are pushing down asking prices to shift their homes.

London’s housing market continued to be the worst-hit by rising mortgage rates and fears of rampant inflation. The average house price in the capital fell by 3.1 per cent to £524,892 in the year to October.

This was compared to price growth of two and 2.2 per cent in the North East and North West of England. 

Andrew Asaam, mortgages director at Lloyds, said: “Renewed inflationary pressures, driven in part by the conflict in the Middle East, are keeping borrowing costs high and adding to the squeeze on household finances, making some buyers understandably more cautious.

“Looking ahead, conditions are likely to remain subdued in the near term, but we don’t expect this to lead to a sustained period of falling house prices.”

Homebuyers wait for revived Help to Buy

Homebuyers and housebuilders – who have suffered from subdued activity in the housing market – are looking forward to the beginning of the government’s revived Help to Buy scheme in April next year. 

The programme offers equity loans to help first-time buyers afford their deposits, and is modelled on the Help to Buy scheme created by former chancellor George Osborne.

Housebuilders and property experts have said the scheme will provide a positive boost to the housing market, though they criticised its delayed start time and the £650,000 cap on inner London homes.

Nathan Emerson, chief executive of estate agency trade body Propertymark, said the scheme will “potentially make homeownership more accessible to people across England.

“Nevertheless, renewed inflationary concerns and yesterday’s increase in the base rate will continue to weigh on consumer confidence, particularly as households remain mindful of the cost of living.”

Jason Tebb, president of property portal On The Market, said mortgage lenders had already priced in Thursday’s hike to interest rates, so the decision is unlikely to cause a huge surge in borrowing costs. 

“But with further rate increases expected if inflation continues to rise, this will inevitably result in higher borrowing costs and challenge affordability going forward,” he said.