UK annual house prices rise by most in two years, Nationwide says

British house prices rose in November at the fastest annual pace since November 2022, according to data from mortgage lender Nationwide on Monday that added to signs of resilience in the property sector despite higher borrowing costs.

Annual prices rose 3.7% in November, and rose 1.2% on a monthly basis, Nationwide said. Both the annual and monthly increases were greater than economists had forecasts in a Reuters poll.

"Housing market activity has remained relatively resilient in recent months, with the number of mortgage approvals approaching the levels seen pre-pandemic, despite the higher interest rate environment," Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said.

Other measures of Britain's housing market have also shown momentum picking up. Figures from the Bank of England last week showed lenders approved the most mortgages for house purchases since August 2022.

The BOE reduced borrowing costs last month for only the second time in four years and said future rate cuts were likely to be gradual.

Gardener expects the housing market to continue to strengthen in the coming months.

"Providing the economy continues to recover steadily, as we expect, the underlying pace of housing market activity is likely to continue to strengthen gradually as affordability constraints ease through a combination of modestly lower interest rates and earnings outpacing house price growth," he said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, which came to power in July, has promised to reform the planning system to allow for more construction.

It has also set mandatory targets to speed up house-building, though the shortage of home supply is likely to remain a factor driving up prices for the medium term.