House prices at new record high

House prices are now 30% higher on average than a previous peak in 2007, according to new analysis.

The average UK house price in June hit a record high of £230,700, Zoopla said.

In December 2020, the average UK house price was £177,300.

Property values were 5.4% higher than a year earlier.

Stock shortages are helping to push up prices, with a 25% fall in the volume of homes for sale in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2020, Zoopla said.

Looking at different property types, the search for space has pushed up the average price of a house by 7.3% over the past year

By contrast, demand for flats has failed to keep pace and, as a result, prices growth is lagging at 1.4%, Zoopla said.

Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, said: “Demand for houses is still outstripping demand for flats.

“To a certain extent this trend will have been augmented by the stamp duty holiday, with bigger savings on offer for larger properties – typically houses.

“But underneath this, there is a continued drum-beat of demand for more space among buyers, both inside and outside, funnelling demand towards houses, resulting in stronger price growth for these properties.”