According to research from Zoopla, average house prices in Britain have risen in 25 of the past 30 years.
The estate agent said less than one in seven (14%) of UK homes increased in value year-on-year between June 2021 and June 2026.
According to Zoopla’s latest house price index, the average property in Britain has increased in value by 15.3% over the past five years, equating to an average of £36,100 per property.
This latest analysis covers a five-year period marked by a shift in borrowing costs from the end of a period of ultra-low mortgage rates in late 2021 to more typical mortgage rates of 4-5% today.
Britain’s northern regions have proven to be the most resilient when it comes to steady house value growth.
Property in the North West leads the UK in consistent house price growth, with 30% of properties having consistently increased in value over the past five years.
This trend is also evident in other more affordable areas such as Yorkshire and the Humber, where 22% of homes continue to increase in value every year.
However, these areas are in stark contrast to southern England, where the impact of higher borrowing costs has had a greater impact on house prices, with fewer than one in twenty homes recording a consistent annual increase in home values.
Dagenham’s resilience reflects its position as one of the last affordable family home markets in London, with house values around 25% below the London average (£400,000 versus £525,000).
Affordability combined with transport improvements such as the Elizabeth Line and the extension of the Overground Line to Barking Riverside explain the above-average performance compared to London overall.
North of the border, Bonnybridge is seeing 60.8% of homes with consistent growth – the highest rate in Britain – with an average home value of £220,000. Bonnybridge offers good access to Falkirk, Stirling and Glasgow, all within 15-40 minutes travel.
In contrast, while Witham is the strongest performer in the East of England, only 13.3% of homes have increased in value each year – despite a 45-minute drive to Liverpool Street – as the average home value already averages £320,000.
At the other end of the scale, the continued year-on-year decline in value emerged as a rare event, affecting just 0.2% of UK homes (around 56,000 properties).
Where this consistent decline is occurring, it points to hyper-local economic or market factors rather than broader national trends, Zoopla said.
In Aberdeen, for example, 5.9% of homes fell in value annually over five years, reflecting the long-term structural transition of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Zoopla managing director Richard Donnell said: “Over the past five years, local housing markets have adapted differently to the impact of the move from record low borrowing costs to higher interest rates today.
“The housing markets in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland have seen homeowners continue to build equity in their homes as the local housing market has been less exposed to the affordability pressures that higher mortgage rates bring.”