5 June 2026 · Home Harbour
UK house prices in May: where the market is actually moving
The latest house price data shows a market splitting in two — modest growth in the north, softness in parts of the south. We break down what the numbers mean for buyers and sellers.
Each month a wave of house price indices lands — from lenders, portals and the official HM Land Registry figures. They rarely agree, because they measure different things at different stages of the buying process. Here's how to read them.
Asking prices vs sold prices
Portal indices track asking prices: what sellers hope to achieve. Lender indices track mortgage approvals, while the Land Registry records completed sales — the truest picture, but lagging by a couple of months.
When asking prices rise while sold prices stall, it's usually a sign that sellers are ahead of the market and homes are taking longer to shift.
A two-speed market
The headline national figure hides big regional gaps:
- Northern England and Scotland continue to post steady gains on affordability.
- London and the South East remain patchy, with negotiations often landing below asking.
- Coastal and rural hotspots are normalising after their pandemic-era surge.
What this means for you
If you're buying, a softer market is a chance to negotiate — but only if you know what comparable homes nearby actually sold for. If you're selling, pricing realistically from day one beats chasing the market down with later reductions.
Home Harbour shows recent sold prices and five-year trends for any English address, so you can anchor your offer or asking price to real data rather than sentiment.