Only 14% of British homes have increased in value every year over the past five years, according to analysis by property portal Zoopla, signalling a shift from historical patterns of consistent house price appreciation.
The analysis, covering the period from June 2021 to June 2026, found that 4.2 million out of 30 million homes nationally registered year-on-year value increases throughout the five-year period. The portal attributes the decline in consistent growth to higher mortgage costs impacting affordability.
Regional performance disparities
Northern regions demonstrated greater resilience in maintaining steady value increases, with 30% of homes in northern England recording consistent annual growth. Yorkshire and the Humber followed with 22% of properties showing uninterrupted value appreciation.
The pattern reflects affordability dynamics, with lower-priced properties in these regions remaining accessible to buyers despite elevated borrowing costs. This contrasts sharply with southern England, where fewer than one in 20 homes achieved consistent yearly increases, indicating greater sensitivity to higher mortgage rates.
Local market variations
Specific localities showed notably strong performance within their regions. In London, Dagenham stood out with 31.6% of properties recording annual increases. Bonnybridge in Scotland and Antrim in Northern Ireland led nationally, with 60.8% and 60.5% of homes respectively benefiting from year-on-year growth.
At the opposite end, only 0.2% of British homes experienced persistent annual declines over the five-year period. Aberdeen recorded the highest proportion of consistent value decreases, with 5.9% of properties falling in value annually, attributed to structural changes in the North Sea oil and gas sector.
Market implications
Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, said: “The past five years have seen local housing markets adjust differently to the impact of moving from record-low borrowing costs to higher rates today.”
He added that housing markets across Northern Ireland, the North and Scotland proved less exposed to affordability pressures from higher mortgage rates, allowing homeowners to continue building equity.
Donnell emphasised that national and regional averages provide limited guidance for individual property valuations, noting that trends vary significantly by property type and at hyper-local levels. The findings suggest property investors and homeowners require granular market data to assess potential returns and purchasing capacity in the current environment.
