The Office for National Statistics has published its latest private rent and house prices bulletin, showing average UK house prices reached £268,950 in the year to February 2026, with England’s growth trailing Wales and Scotland.
Average UK house prices rose by 1.2 per cent in the 12 months to February 2026, reaching £268,950 — a provisional ONS estimate that may be subject to revision, according to the ONS Private rent and house prices, UK: April 2026 bulletin. England’s average of £290,000 represented just 0.8 per cent annual growth, a gain of around £2,000 year-on-year, compared with 2.5 per cent in Wales (£210,000) and 2.3 per cent in Scotland (£187,000).
A separate HM Land Registry series puts the average UK house price at £270,080 for April 2026, reflecting 3.8 per cent annual growth and a 0.7 per cent monthly rise — a notably higher annual figure than the ONS provisional estimate for February, illustrating how the two official series can diverge depending on timing and methodology.
The figures show a wide gap in private rent inflation across England. The North East recorded the highest annual rental growth at 6.5 per cent in the 12 months to March 2026, while London saw the lowest at just 1.7 per cent over the same period. That 4.8 percentage point spread points to sharply different pressures on renters depending on where they live.
For Kent households, the picture is shaped by the county’s position in the South East, where average prices have historically run above the national figure. Specific county-level data for Kent are not published in the national bulletin, so direct local comparisons are not possible from these figures alone. But the England-wide trend — modest price growth alongside continued rental inflation and a CPIH rate of 3.0 per cent in the 12 months to May 2026, still above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target — means affordability pressures remain real for first-time buyers and private renters across the county. Housing campaign groups argue that even low single-digit price rises, set against stagnant wages and higher mortgage costs, continue to squeeze those trying to get onto the property ladder in commuter areas like Kent.
Kent County Council and district councils use ONS and Land Registry data to inform planning decisions, affordable housing programmes, and homelessness prevention work. Local estate agents and housing associations also use the indices as benchmarks when setting asking prices and negotiating rents.
Source: @ONS