BRITISH house prices rose at the fastest annual rate since the start of 2017 during the three months to the end of May, mortgage lender Halifax said on Friday, though it added the figure was flattered by weak growth a year ago.
Britain's housing market has slowed since 2016's Brexit referendum, driven by price falls in London and neighbouring areas, exacerbated by higher purchase taxes on homes costing over £1 million and on second homes and small landlords.Halifax said prices rose 0.5 per cent on the month in May, in contrast to predictions of a fall, and April's monthly house price growth was revised up to 1.2 per cent .
Since the start of this year, Halifax house price data have been consistently stronger than figures from rival mortgage lender Nationwide, which reported annual price growth of just 0.6 per cent in April.