House price growth slows in December - Nationwide

(Sharecast News) - House price growth slowed in December, industry research showed on Monday, as the UK housing market ended an otherwise resilient year on a more subdued note. According to the latest Nationwide house price index, growth was 0.6%, against November's 1.8% jump. It was the slowest pace of growth since April 2024.

The average house price is now £271,068.

Nationwide's research tallies with official data released by the Bank of England on Friday, which showed a surprised slide in mortgage approvals in December.

However, despite the softer end to the year, Nationwide said the housing market had proved "resilient" over the course of 2025.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: "Even though consumer sentiment was relatively subdued, with households reluctant to spend and mortgage rates around three times their post-pandemic lows, mortgage approvals remained near pre-Covid levels.

"Looking ahead, we expect housing market activity to strengthen a little further as affordability improves gradually - as it has been in recent quarters - via income growth outpacing house price growth and a further modest decline in interest rates."

The BoE is widely expected to leave the cost of borrowing on hold when it next meets on Thursday, at 3.75%. But most analysts have pencilled in cuts throughout the year, as inflation tracks back towards target.