The start of 2026 has seen an uplift in the UK housing market as average prices for properties hitting the market rise by the biggest monthly amount seen in a decade.
Rightmove data said that in just five weeks, the average asking price in Britain went up by almost £10,000, largely due to a rebound after the slump caused by November budget fears when many owners decided to hold fire on property sales, purchases and even bedroom renovations.
Big boosts
The Rightmove figures revealed that the average figure for a property reached £368,031, a rise of £9,893 or 2.8% month-on-month. This was the largest increase seen during any month in 10 years and the biggest rise for January in a quarter of a century.
The Rightmove data was based on properties hitting the market between December 7 2025 and January 10 2026, both with and without improvements carried out by companies such as www.thekitchenrefurbishmentcompany.co.uk/bedroom-renovations/.
It offered a more positive outlook than recent figures from Nationwide and Halifax, which both had house prices falling in December. Nationwide did report a rise in house prices in January but by 0.3% month-on-month.
Increased activity
The Rightmove data focuses on asking prices rather than selling figures, however, and experts generally agreed that activity on the UK property market is increasing. This is being buoyed by falling inflation and mortgage rates. Many buyers and sellers are also getting back in action as budgetary tax changes on properties turned out to not be as punishing as some had feared.
