House prices by region: 3.3% down in London, 4.9% up in the North East

open for offer is the pre-market, the market that exists before a property is ever advertised. House prices did not move evenly: in the 12 months to July 2026, HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index shows average prices up 4.9% in the North East and down 3.3% in London, with England as a whole up 1.1%.

That 8.2-point gap is why one national figure tells a homeowner little about their own street. These are the figures a homeowner usually sees first. They should not be the last thing read before deciding.

How much did house prices change in each region?

The table lists every English region and Wales, with England as a whole, ordered from the biggest 12-month rise to the biggest fall. All figures are HM Land Registry's, for July 2026.

Region	Average price, July 2026	Change over 12 months	Change in July
North East	£166,943	4.9%	1.1%
North West	£221,445	4.4%	1.0%
Yorkshire and the Humber	£209,116	3.0%	1.3%
West Midlands	£236,098	2.9%	0.6%
Wales	£215,037	2.6%	1.0%
East Midlands	£242,274	1.9%	1.7%
England	£293,479	1.1%	0.7%
East of England	£337,518	0.5%	0.5%
South East	£380,878	0.2%	0.5%
South West	£302,298	-0.2%	-0.2%
London	£550,037	-3.3%	-0.1%

Eight of the ten regions rose over the year. Two fell: London, by 3.3%, and the South West, by 0.2%. England's 1.1% is an average of both groups, so it sits between them and matches neither.

Which regions are rising fastest?

The three highest 12-month changes were all in the north of England, and the four lowest were all in the south:

• Highest: the North East (4.9%), the North West (4.4%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (3.0%).
• Lowest: London (-3.3%), the South West (-0.2%), the South East (0.2%) and the East of England (0.5%).

The pattern is worth knowing, and it is also a reason to be careful with it. A region is a wide net. It covers cities, towns and villages that sell very differently, so the regional figure is a better guide than the England figure but still not a guide to one home.

Did prices move in July itself?

The last column shows the change in the single month. England's average rose 0.7% in July. The East Midlands had the largest monthly rise, at 1.7%. The South West fell 0.2% in the month and London fell 0.1%.

One month is a thin slice. London's fall of 0.1% in July sits inside a 12-month fall of 3.3%, so the monthly figure alone would have hidden how far the year had gone. That is the reason to read the 12-month column first.

How far apart are the prices themselves?

The regions differ in level as much as in direction. London's average in July 2026 was £550,037. The North East's was £166,943. The difference is £383,094.

That matters for how a percentage feels. The same few points mean very different sums of money in each place, and a seller in a high-priced region has more at stake in getting the starting figure right.

Why does a single national figure mislead a seller?

Anchoring is the habit of reading one number and then judging everything else against it. A seller who hears that prices rose 1.1% across England starts from the idea that their home did the same. In London that was not the average experience: the region's average price fell 3.3% over the same 12 months, from a level of £550,037.

The reverse also holds. A seller in the North East, where the average is £166,943, may read the England figure and assume prices there barely moved. The index says they rose 4.9%.

The same national headline can be read as good news in one place and as a warning in another, which is why the headline is a poor basis for a decision about a particular address.

How reliable are the latest monthly figures?

HM Land Registry says a sale only appears in the index once the purchase has been registered, so there can be a delay before transactions feed in. It advises caution with the most recent periods, because the price changes "can be revised". July 2026 was published on 16 September 2026. HM Land Registry says the August 2026 report will be published at 9.30am on 21 October 2026.

So treat the July column as a reading that may move, and the 12-month column as the steadier picture. Neither describes a single home.

What should a homeowner do with a regional figure?

Use it to set expectations, not a price. If you are thinking about selling, the useful question is what buyers would pay for your home, as a range with the confidence behind it, rather than what the average home in your region did.

You can get a market estimate for your address without listing. That is the pre-market: finding out first, then deciding.

Where do these figures come from?

Every figure above is from HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index for July 2026, published 16 September 2026. Because the composition and type of property sold can differ between periods, HM Land Registry adjusts for it, using what it calls hedonic regression and mix-adjustment. The change over 12 months is the Index's own figure, not a calculation made here. The gap of 8.2 points is the highest 12-month change (4.9%) minus the lowest (-3.3%).

Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.