UK house prices rose 0.9% in the year to August 2026, ONS data shows
The average UK house price was £273,000 in August 2026, up 0.9% in a year, while average private rents rose 3.8% in the year to September.
Primary source: ONS / HM Land Registry
The average UK house price was £273,000 in August 2026, up 0.9% in the year to August and up 0.3% month on month, according to the ONS and HM Land Registry UK House Price Index. Average private rents across the UK rose 3.8% in the year to September 2026, to an average of £1,406 a month.
The primary source for this update is the ONS "Private rent and house prices, UK" bulletin published on 21 October 2026, which combines the UK House Price Index with the Index of Private Housing Rental Prices.
What changed
The UK HPI records an average house price of £273,000 in August 2026, an annual rise of 0.9% and a monthly rise of 0.3%. The private rent index shows average UK rents of £1,406 a month in September 2026, up 3.8% in a year. The rent figure is provisional and is revised in later releases.
Who it affects
The figures matter to buyers and sellers gauging where prices are heading, and to tenants and landlords tracking how rents are moving. A single month is a snapshot rather than a trend, so this update is one data point to read alongside mortgage approval figures and the other house price indices.
Why it matters
House prices and rents moving in different directions is worth watching: prices rising modestly while rents rise faster points to different pressures in the buying and renting markets. The ONS index is based on completed sales, so it is a lagging measure of the market compared with asking-price indices.
Source: ONS - Private rent and house prices, UK: October 2026 — UK HPI August 2026 and private rent year to September 2026, checked 22 October 2026
Source: UK House Price Index summary - August 2026 — Average price and annual change checked 22 October 2026
Read the full guideHow the different house price indices and transaction data fit together.Sources
- ONS - Private rent and house prices, UK: October 2026 - UK HPI August 2026 and private rent year to September 2026, checked 22 October 2026
- UK House Price Index summary - August 2026 - Average price and annual change checked 22 October 2026
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