Average house prices could rise by as much as 4% next year, according to forecasts from the UK’s major mortgage lenders. Both Nationwide and Halifax have published their outlooks for 2026, pointing to continued, though moderate, growth.
Nationwide is the more optimistic of the two, predicting house price increases of between 2% and 4% as affordability improves. The lender expects income growth to continue outpacing house price inflation, alongside further modest cuts to interest rates. Halifax, meanwhile, is forecasting slightly lower growth of between 1% and 3%.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said housing market activity is likely to strengthen further as affordability continues to improve. He added that recent changes to property taxation announced in the Budget are unlikely to have a major impact, noting that the high-value council tax surcharge will not be introduced until April 2028 and will affect a small proportion of properties. However, higher taxes on property income could further suppress buy-to-let activity, potentially limiting rental supply and putting upward pressure on rents.
Amanda Bryden, head of Halifax Mortgages, said that while wage growth is expected to slow and unemployment may rise slightly, falling interest rates and easing inflation should gradually improve buyers’ purchasing power, supporting house price growth in 2026.
It’s good to see the predicated upturn for the housing market and one that no doubt property professionals will welcome. At Sinclair Taylor, we work with a range of businesses within this sector, with an expertise in debt recovery services.
One of the areas in which we excel, is the identification and recovery of, missed sales fees. These can occur where a property taken on by an estate agency and listed, is then withdrawn from the market buy the seller, but which then goes onto sell privately to a buyer introduced by the agency. This can result in the estate agency not being paid commission fees they are rightfully owed, and of course depending on the value of the home these missed fees can add up to a significant amount. We recover thousands in each year for our clients.
Contact us to discuss how we may be able to assist your business.
Source: www.estateagenttoday.co.uk
