House price growth holding steady

The average price of a home in the UK went up by nearly £2,000 to £223,000 in June, according to official figures.

The annual rate of increase is running at 4.9%, down from 5% in May, while prices rose 0.8% between May and June.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the wide variation in price movements across the UK.

In the month of June, the average price of London home fell £3,000 to £482,000, while a house in the North East of England gained £2,000 to £130,000.

The ONS analysis of the housing market is widely followed because it is based on actual transactions compiled by the Land Registry and shows movements at a local level.

The biggest change was in Orkney where the average price is 28% higher than a year ago at £148,000.

In the City of London, the average dropped by 20% to £724,000.

The ONS said: "While the annual growth rate has slowed since mid-2016 it has remained broadly around 5% during 2017".

Last week, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said its members believed prices had stood still on average in recent months and that a slowdown was spreading from London to other parts of the South East of England.

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