Southern city prices accelerate as Oxford overtakes London

In the three months to May 2015 city level house price growth averaged 1.4% per month - equivalent to an annualised rate of 17.7%.

At a city level, year on year growth ranges from 3.2% in Edinburgh to 12.3% in Oxford. The upward momentum in house prices is originating from a broad range of cities. The strongest levels of growth in the three months to May 2015 have been registered in Bristol (4.5%), Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast (4.2%) and Nottingham (3.9%).

However house price growth shifts within cities – Prime Central London is currently running at 1.6% compared to 10.1% for all London.

The profile of growth across the 20 cities reflects the diverse nature of the housing market with a strong, demand-side, recovery in southern England yet to spread to other cities. Looking forward, the impetus for growth looks set to continue as a growing proportion of households feel the benefits of economic growth. The greatest risk is from an earlier than expected rise in interest rates as economic growth creates inflationary pressures.

With average mortgage rates at 2.6%, compared to a 12 year average of 4.5%, there is further scope for low mortgage rates to be priced into house prices. The speed at which this happens will be a factor of local economic performance and incomes growth as well as the cost and availability of debt. Tougher mortgage affordability checks and above average deposit requirements will limit the speed at which low rates are priced into the market.

Double digit growth is being sustained by a lack of supply, below average transaction volumes and a third of sales funded by cash or buy to let mortgage. A transition in the localities registering higher growth within cities also plays a role in sustaining headline growth.