---
title: UK house price growth picks up in March (March 2026)
source: Nationwide Building Society
url: https://www.nationwide.co.uk/media/hpi/reports/uk-house-price-growth-picks-up-in-march
date: 2026-03-31
indicator: Nationwide House Price Index
period: March 2026
id: 399392
---

# UK house price growth picks up in March

**Date:** 31 Mar 2026

## Headlines
- UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February
- Northern Ireland best performing area in Q1 2026, with prices up 9.5% year-on-year
- Outer South East weakest performing region, with prices down 0.7% compared with Q1 2025

| Headlines | Mar-26 | Feb-26 |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Monthly Index* | 552.6 | 547.7 |
| Monthly Change* | 0.9% | 0.3% |
| Annual Change | 2.2% | 1.0% |
| Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) | £277,186 | £273,176 |

*\* Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are revised when seasonal adjustment factors are re-estimated)*

## Commentary from Robert Gardner, Nationwide's Chief Economist:
“UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February. Prices increased by 0.9% month on month, after taking account of seasonal effects.

“The pickup in house price growth suggests that the market had regained momentum after the slowdown recorded around the turn of the year. However, the sharp rise in global energy prices in response to developments in the Middle East represents a significant shock to the global economy, clouding the outlook.

“In the near term, UK economic growth is likely to be slower and inflation higher than previously expected, although ultimately the impact will depend on the duration of the shock as well as the policy response. The outlook for interest rates is particularly uncertain and dependent on whether the demand or supply side of the economy is otherwise affected."

## Regional Performance (Q1 2026)
- **Northern Ireland:** Continued to outpace the rest of the UK with prices increasing by 9.5% over the year.
- **Scotland:** Annual house price growth picked up to 3.0%.
- **Wales:** Prices were up 2.7% year-on-year.
- **England:** Annual house price growth slowed to 0.9%.
  - **North West:** Top performing region in England with prices up 3.3% year on year.
  - **London:** Strongest southern region with 1.7% annual rise.
  - **Outer South East:** Weakest performing region at -0.7% year-on-year.
  - **East Anglia:** Prices down 0.4% year-on-year.

## Property Type Trends
- **Detached properties:** 2.4% year-on-year increase.
- **Terraced properties:** 2.1% year-on-year increase.
- **Semi-detached:** 1.5% year-on-year increase.
- **Flats:** -0.5% year-on-year decline.

## Quarterly Regional House Price Statistics - Q1 2026
| Region | Average price (Q1 2026) | Annual % chg this quarter | Annual % chg last quarter |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| N Ireland | £225,269 | 9.5% | 9.7% |
| North West | £229,173 | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Scotland | £191,747 | 3.0% | 1.9% |
| Wales | £215,411 | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| North | £170,378 | 2.6% | 2.2% |
| London | £538,181 | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| Yorks & The H | £214,866 | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| Outer Met | £430,260 | 1.0% | 1.4% |
| East Midlands | £236,016 | 0.3% | 1.0% |
| South West | £305,701 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| West Midlands | £249,722 | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| East Anglia | £273,237 | -0.4% | -0.8% |
| Outer S East | £336,036 | -0.7% | 0.1% |
| **UK** | **£274,930** | **1.5%** | **1.7%** |