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Flat price index – England and Wales

Replica, miniature blocks of flats in England and Wales made out of porcelain

Property prices change all of the time, hence, if you are thinking about buying or selling, it makes sense to keep an eye on the data. Using information from the Land Registry, which reports on sales actually achieved, below is a price index specifically for flats and maisonettes. The data listed is for July 2015.

Highlights:

– North East is the cheapest region
– London is the most expensive region
– The cheapest average flat sale price was £32,684 in Blaenau Gwent
– The most expensive sale was recorded in Chelsea and Kensington, at £1,121,191.

Regional average flat sale prices

RegionAverage price £Previous month £Index*Monthly changeYearly change
North East69,22768,744184.830.70.4
North West108,329108,058206.940.31.4
Yorks & Humber111,141109,504212.771.53.1
West Midlands98,85496,942237.7923.2
East Midlands96,94095,152246.321.95.1
Wales94,30194,545230.23-0.31.5
Eastern England137,554133,762339.032.88.9
London438,634427,754531.752.58.3
South West133,238132,061316.330.94.2
South East156,173153,173352.411.78.2

It’s no great surprise to see the disparities in average price between Northern and Southern regions, and that London values have far surpassed the rest of the England and Wales. What is surprising, however, is that increases were recorded in every single region bar Wales.

That said, there are some huge differences noted within the separate regions. The below makes for some interesting reading:

Regional breakdown

North East

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Darlington109,719111,976193.06-2
Durham61,03460,724160.640.5
Hartlepool58,72357,108125.692.8
Middlesbrough58,72958,519124.640.4
Northumberland61,66661,870217.52-0.3
Redcar & Cleveland59,90658,862182.181.8
Stockton-on-Tees67,63467,700168.991.8
Tyne and Wear73,75173,260203.840.7

Darlington is far and away the most expensive area to buy a flat in the North East – you can find one for half the price in neighbouring Hartlepool. That said, the sales prices have dropped by some £2,250.

North West

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Blackburn with Darwen47,69147,007145.771.5
Blackpool54,32454,590153.55-0.5
Cheshire East131,156130,883243.60.2
Cheshire West & Chester147,032146,725263.510.2
Cumbria103,657103,382229.880.3
Greater Manchester122,185121,352213.620.7
Halton66,95966,038189.561.4
Lancashire82,73982,346183.440.5
Merseyside109,048107,605200.551.3
Warrington102,927102,503236.130.4

Once again, there is an interesting spread in prices for flats with some of the cheapest in the country taking place in Blackburn with Darwen. The price changes in this region have remained fairly steady in July, without too many significant fluctuations.

Yorkshire & The Humber

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
City of Kingston upon Hull60,63460,258141.140.6
East Riding of Yorkshire77,79777,771219.220
North East Lincolnshire56,70856,483165.290.4
North Lincolnshire56,27756,750200.93-0.8
North Yorkshire126,740125,982263.50.6
South Yorkshire96,10095,452204.950.7
West Yorkshire117,246116,371202.441.7
York176,183174,934316.380.7

Sales in Yorkshire & The Humber have modestly risen, with the exception of in North Lincolnshire – though that drop constitutes only less than £500. With prices that reasonable, it’s no wonder that Hull and Lincoln are listed among the most popular buy-to-let spots in the UK, while York is cited as a ‘hot spot’.

West Midlands

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Herefordshire91,35291,298253.370.1
Shropshire98,12297,367261.160.8
Staffordshire88,68988,189237.130.6
Stoke-on-Trent54,95454,478161.80.9
Warwickshire128,784128,979278.94-0.2
West Midlands97,69197,502220.780.2
Worcestershire97,09196,869261.10.2
Wrekin49,65249,396203.720.5

This month has seen only small increments in the flat sale prices – the biggest financial difference occurring in Shropshire. While the drive up the M6 may not be far, the price gulf between Warwickshire and Stoke-on-Trent is ever-widening.

East Midlands

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
City of Derby72,55871,473246.611.5
City of Nottingham127,659127,680180.550
Derbyshire121,467120,525233.70.8
Leicester96,87496,509259.680.4
Leicestershire84,52584,566259.090
Lincolnshire80,21180,138236.270.1
Northamptonshire88,40987,971274.610.5
Nottinghamshire80,39679,774224.30.8
Rutland119,780117,660307.371.8

June to July 2015 has seen prices remain pretty static, though typically summer is not the most popular time to buy, which may explain the lull. As big university cities, it’s natural that Nottingham and Leicestershire should rank among the best places for rental return investments – clearly, people are willing to pay slightly higher prices for flats knowing that the yield will be healthy.

Wales

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Blaenau Gwent£32,684£32,364163.111
Bridgend£77,69476,936211.811
Caerphilly67,04366,390206.891
Cardiff113,928113,827270.70.1
Carmarthenshire58,15857,890227.510.5
Ceredigion122,189120,843297.331.1
Conwy94,60594,575226.140
Denbighshire65,58665,750210.62-0.2
Flintshire70,21070,289224.67-0.1
Gwynedd74,15473,289258.281.2
Isle of Anglesey109,515105,895266.823.4
Merthyr Tydfil43,66543,678201.630
Monmouthshire96,70098,167265.04-1.5
Neath Port Talbot42,50842,649197.22-0.3
Newport67,25967,285209.30
Pembrokeshire78,16580,745244.96-3.2
Powys70,96270,973260.640
Rhondda Cynon Taff38,42537,838184.341.6
Swansea102,020102,842212.88-0.8
The Vale of Glamorgan124,633124,705237.35-0.7
Torfaen45,17245,449203.31-0.6
Wrexham69,20068,599249.260.9

As you’d expect with many local authorities, spanning ultra-urban metropolises and the most remote of rural farmsteads, the prices for a flat vary considerably. Just 40 miles separate the least and most expensive sale prices. To put these prices into some sort of context, though, it would be possible to buy 34 flats in Blaenau Gwent for the price of one in Chelsea and Kensington.

Eastern England

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Blaenau Gwent£32,684£32,364163.111
Bridgend£77,69476,936211.811
Caerphilly67,04366,390206.891
Cardiff113,928113,827270.70.1
Carmarthenshire58,15857,890227.510.5
Ceredigion122,189120,843297.331.1
Conwy94,60594,575226.140
Denbighshire65,58665,750210.62-0.2
Flintshire70,21070,289224.67-0.1
Gwynedd74,15473,289258.281.2
Isle of Anglesey109,515105,895266.823.4
Merthyr Tydfil43,66543,678201.630
Monmouthshire96,70098,167265.04-1.5
Neath Port Talbot42,50842,649197.22-0.3
Newport67,25967,285209.30
Pembrokeshire78,16580,745244.96-3.2
Powys70,96270,973260.640
Rhondda Cynon Taff38,42537,838184.341.6
Swansea102,020102,842212.88-0.8
The Vale of Glamorgan124,633124,705237.35-0.7
Torfaen45,17245,449203.31-0.6
Wrexham69,20068,599249.260.9

You’d think that prices would start to creep up the closer to London you reach, but that’s not necessarily so. Bedford is further out than Luton, for example. In fact, the closer into Essex, the more people are prepared to spend on a flat. Southend-on-Sea has the added attraction of holiday let possibilities, of course.

London

 AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Barking and Dagenham246,806243,574399.621.3
Barnet343,965335,260482.012.6
Bexley223,782222,654374.140.5
Brent352,101350,444594.690.5
Bromley276,709274,232432.750.9
Camden713,729707,991674.320.8
City of Westminster935,002915,260665.232.2
Croydon, 246,306243,010417.381.4
Ealing360,933356,875524.361.1
Enfield272,073268,730424.311.2
Greenwich328,602323,641492.081.5
Hackney526,129527,197838.05-0.2
Hammersmith and Fulham602,584604,864658.79-0.4
Haringey444,234441,590639.690.6
Harrow287,880238,182438.611.7
Havering248,979246,554371.051
Hillingdon262,617259,110408.951.4
Hounslow321,491320,502461.830.3
Islington587,910585,673679.760.4
Kensington and Chelsea1,121,1911,118,470720.160.2
Kingston upon Thames346,614342,907486.711.1
Lambeth504,074497,328726.391.4
Lewisham337,878331,102552.192
Merton370,559369,010521.970.4
Newham362,054359,923480.340.6
Redbridge291,951286,777431.931.8
Richmond upon Thames466,582462,846552.080.8
Southwark540,712541,496628,59-0.1
Sutton232,930231,600407.560.6
Tower Hamlets483,952485,487529.51-0.3
Waltham Forest292,660290,709553.330.7
Wandsworth489,020489,772660.96-0.2

Everyone expects to see high prices in Greater London, and while there has been growth in July, four boroughs have also noted the reverse. Regardless, every single area in Greater London registers on the price index at nothing lower than 371.

South East

AreaAverage price £Previous month £IndexMonthly change
Bracknell Forest168,046167,511331.760.3
Brighton and Hove222,951220,090533.061.3
Buckinghamshire179,961178,047353.691.1
East Sussex112,356111,632328.730.6
Hampshire144,209143,290320.820.6
Isle of Wight105,505103,239318.492.5
Kent127,188126,066327.840.9
Medway118,205117,255296.90.8
Milton Keynes85,18654,447324.520.9
Oxfordshire198,856196,695371.021.1
Portsmouth127,359127,188285.260.1
Reading197,673196,775363.150.5
Slough156,390153,021325.232.2
Southampton124,676124,401275.530.2
Surrey234,629232,526384.620.9
West Berkshire172,997171,984327.210.6
West Sussex144,568143,829354.890.5
Windsor and Maidenhead272,655271,160409.740.6
Wokingham206,307204,599338.60.8

Flat sale prices in July have not been subject to any dramatic changes, with the majority modestly rising and an insignificant decrease in Devon (totaling just £135).

Sales volumes

Overall, the number of sales completed has increased across England and Wales, with the exception of the North East:

RegionAverage priceSalesPrevious month
North East£69,2272817 Down arrow2438
North West£108,3297857 Up arrow6904
Yorks & Humber£111,1416070 Up arrow5248
West Midlands£98,8546077 Up arrow5041
East Midlands£96,9405782 Up arrow4934
Wales£94,3013121 Up arrow2853
Eastern England£137,5547781 Up arrow7045
London£438,6347488 Up arrow7281
South West£133,2387410 Up arrow6793
South East£156,17311214 Up arrow10526

*The Land Registry’s Index is calculated comparing average sale prices against prices recorded in 1995 when data was first collected.

Picture of Adam Lowe

Adam Lowe

Adam has worked in the property sector for 20+ years. He specialises in the ground rent and freehold reversion space, providing services to clients from private landlords to corporate investors. Freehold Sale launched In 2013 where Adam enjoyed success building and managing freehold portfolios with partner companies.

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