September marked a return to our normal routines after the summer break. Were our minds refocused on finding a new home? How have values changed? Here’s a summary of the property market as we head into the last third of 2025.
September marked a return to our normal routines after the summer break. Were our minds refocused on finding a new home? How have values changed? Here’s a summary of the property market as we head into the last third of 2025.
Zoopla’s latest house price index is a good starting point and two sets of figures caught the eye. Firstly, the portal found house prices are still rising on an annual basis, up 1.4% year-on-year. In monetary terms, this means the UK’s average home gained £3,870 in value over the last 12 months.
Look North for price increases
At more localised levels, some areas saw stronger growth than others. For example, house prices increased 3.1% in the North West over the last 12 months. Conversely, the South East, the South West and the East of England saw values rise by less than 0.5%.
Stability for buyers
More pertinent was the monthly house price chart. Values have been stable across the UK, staying in the region of £270,500 during June, July and August 2025. This is reassuring news for those looking to purchase in the coming months as the trend is set to continue, with no wild peaks or troughs forecast.
September also brought news on the value of homes according to tenure. An article published by Property Reporter detailed the difference in cost when comparing leasehold and freehold values across England and Wales. The outcome was determined after analysis of Land Registry data for completed sales in the last year.
Purchasers will pay a 29.6% freehold premium in return for owning the land on which the property sits, as well as avoiding service charges and ground rent. In monetary terms, the average freehold property purchase cost £310,000. This compared to the average leasehold home costing £230,000.
We also learnt that living near a transport hub still holds appeal and increases a home’s value, despite home and hybrid working. New research released in September by Nationwide found London buyers paid a £42,700 premium for a property located 500m from the nearest station, when compared with a similar property 1,500m away.
The premium exists outside of the capital too, although it’s not as pronounced. Purchasing a property 500m from a station in Greater Manchester carries a £10,900 premium. In Glasgow, this premium is £8,800.
Yields lure landlords back
The UK’s rental market enjoyed a steady period in September and Zoopla’s latest rental report provided more detail. Its analysis revealed the number of homes to rent is a fifth higher now than this time in 2024. The portal said more accessible buy-to-let mortgages and healthy yields were tempting landlords back to the property investment market.
Looking at yields in more detail, Zoopla crunched its numbers to reveal the UK’s highest yielding cities for buy-to-let. Sunderland, Aberdeen and Burnley all offered average gross yields of 8% or more. For context, the portal said the average gross rental yield in the UK is currently 5.8%.
Monthly rent remains above £1,300
Demand is ticking over nicely too, with landlords finding a tenant within an average of 16 days. So, how much rent are new tenants paying? The latest HomeLet Rental Index shows the UK’s average monthly rent is now £1,328.
This figure has increased by 1.1% in the last four-week monitoring period, with every UK region seeing value uplift. The biggest monthly rental increases were noted in Greater London (+2.2%), the North East (+1.3%) and the West Midlands (1%). Wales posted the weakest rental value growth at 0.1%.
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