The RICS UK Residential Market Survey showed that the house price balance improved to -28% in August 2026 from an upwardly revised -29% in July, reaching a five-month high as the housing market showed signs of stabilizing. The net balance for new buyer enquiries rose to -19%, its strongest reading since January, while the sales expectations balance improved to -3% from -13%. RICS said key activity indicators have become progressively less negative, although any recovery remains fragile. Property prices are still expected to fall over the next three months but stabilize over a 12-month horizon. London reported the weakest price balance, while Northern Ireland remained the strongest. In the rental market, stronger tenant demand and fewer properties from landlords pushed the three-month rent expectations balance to +44% from +33%. RICS warned that higher interest rates or heavier property taxation after October’s budget could weigh on prices. source: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

RICS House Price Balance in the United Kingdom decreased by 28 percent in August from -29 percent in July of 2026. RICS House Price Balance in the United Kingdom averaged 13.89 percent from 1978 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 100.00 percent in January of 1978 and a record low of -92.32 percent in April of 2008. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom RICS House Price Balance. United Kingdom RICS House Price Balance - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on September of 2026.

RICS House Price Balance in the United Kingdom decreased by 28 percent in August from -29 percent in July of 2026. RICS House Price Balance in the United Kingdom is expected to be -25.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom RICS House Price Balance is projected to trend around 8.00 percent in 2027 and 12.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-12 11:01 PM
RICS House Price Balance
Jul -30% -32% -31% -30.0%
2026-09-09 11:01 PM
RICS House Price Balance
Aug -28% -29% -31% -28%
2026-10-07 11:01 PM
RICS House Price Balance
Sep -28 -25.0%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average House Prices 298468.00 299153.00 GBP Aug 2026
Construction Orders YoY -18.10 -11.90 percent Jun 2026
Construction Output YoY -2.50 -2.30 percent Jul 2026
Mortgage Lending 4292.00 7677.00 GBP Million Jul 2026
Home Ownership Rate 64.50 64.70 percent Dec 2023
Lloyds House Price Index MoM -0.20 0.10 percent Aug 2026
Lloyds House Price Index YoY -0.40 0.10 percent Aug 2026
Housing Index 514.70 515.90 points Aug 2026
Housing Starts 33960.00 37230.00 units Mar 2026
Mortgage Approvals 56.05 58.22 Thousand Jul 2026
BBA Mortgage Rate 6.58 6.58 percent Aug 2026
Nationwide Housing Prices 549.50 551.70 points Aug 2026
Nationwide Housing Prices MoM 0.20 -0.10 percent Aug 2026
Nationwide Housing Prices YoY 1.60 1.40 percent Aug 2026
Price to Rent Ratio 110.05 110.71 Mar 2026
Private Rental Prices YoY 3.70 3.30 percent Jul 2026
Residential Property Prices 0.88 2.27 Percent Mar 2026
RICS House Price Balance -28.00 -29.00 percent Aug 2026


United Kingdom RICS House Price Balance
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) House Price Balance measures the percentage of surveyors reporting a house price rise in their designated area, minus those reporting a fall. A level above 0% indicates more surveyors reported a rise in prices; below indicates more reported a fall.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-28.00 -29.00 100.00 -92.32 1978 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
UK House Price Balance Improves to 5-Month High
The RICS UK Residential Market Survey showed that the house price balance improved to -28% in August 2026 from an upwardly revised -29% in July, reaching a five-month high as the housing market showed signs of stabilizing. The net balance for new buyer enquiries rose to -19%, its strongest reading since January, while the sales expectations balance improved to -3% from -13%. RICS said key activity indicators have become progressively less negative, although any recovery remains fragile. Property prices are still expected to fall over the next three months but stabilize over a 12-month horizon. London reported the weakest price balance, while Northern Ireland remained the strongest. In the rental market, stronger tenant demand and fewer properties from landlords pushed the three-month rent expectations balance to +44% from +33%. RICS warned that higher interest rates or heavier property taxation after October’s budget could weigh on prices.
2026-09-09
UK Housing Market Remains Subdued
The RICS UK Residential Market Survey showed that the house price balance edged up to -30% in July 2026 from -32% in June, remaining firmly negative as buyer demand and agreed sales continued to struggle for momentum. New buyer enquiries and agreed sales were both unchanged from June, at -28% and -30%, respectively, pointing to limited improvement in market activity. New vendor instructions improved sharply to -4% from -23%, although the pipeline of new listings remained constrained. London, the South East and South West continued to report the weakest price balances, while Northern Ireland remained an outperformer. Looking ahead, three-month price expectations stayed weak at -31%, while the 12-month outlook turned slightly positive at +4%. Sales expectations also improved, with the 12-month balance rising to +3%. In the rental market, landlord instructions remained weak at -27%, keeping supply constrained, while 28% of respondents expected rents to rise over the next three months.
2026-08-12
UK Housing Market Remains Weak
The RICS UK Residential Market Survey showed that the house price balance edged up to -33% in June 2026 from -34% in May, pointing to only tentative signs of improvement despite the recent easing in global geopolitical tensions and the decline in oil prices. New buyer enquiries rose to -29% from -34%, the least negative reading since February, while the agreed sales balance improved to -32% from -35%, pointing to a gradual easing in market weakness. Meanwhile, new instructions to sell fell sharply to -23% from -10%, marking the weakest reading in over a year and signaling a tighter supply pipeline. Regionally, the South East and South West remained under the greatest price pressure, while Northern Ireland and Scotland continued to outperform. Looking ahead, the three-month house price expectations index improved to -32% from -44%, while the 12-month outlook turned slightly more optimistic at +8%, reflecting modest price growth over the coming year.
2026-07-08