The Halifax House Price Index showed UK house prices rose 0.3% year-on-year in December 2025, slowing from a revised 0.6% gain in November and below expectations of a 1.1% increase. This marks the smallest growth since a decline in November 2023. On a monthly basis, prices declined 0.6%, following a 0.1% drop, missing forecasts for a 0.2% rise. The average house price fell by £1,789 to £297,755, the lowest level since June. Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at Halifax, said the softer end to 2025 likely reflected late-year uncertainty that should begin to ease, while overall market activity remained resilient and broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels. She added that lower mortgage rates and a broader range of high loan-to-value products should support demand into 2026, with Halifax forecasting house price growth of 1%–3%. Regionally, Northern Ireland led gains at 7.5%, followed by Scotland (3.9%) and Wales (1.6%).
