No new figures landed this week. Corrections to figures already published that no earlier edition has reported are listed at the end of this edition, each with the date it was made; the honest subject here is the state of the record itself.
9 reference periods remain provisional and can still be revised: 2025-12, 2026-01, 2026-02, 2026-03, 2026-04, 2026-05, 2026-06, 2026-07, 2026-08. UK House Price Index estimates have a standard 12-month revision period (HM Land Registry's guidance), and the ONS treats the latest 12 months of HPI estimates as provisional and subject to revision, during which figures can be restated as more transactions register.
The next window closes on 2026-12-01, for 2025-12. Until then every figure in it is subject to change, including ones already quoted elsewhere as final.
The UK average house price reached £273,037 in August 2026, according to HM Land Registry (UK House Price Index) — up 0.3% on July and 0.9% higher than August 2025. In pound terms, that is up £891 on the previous month (UKPP calculation from HM Land Registry data).
To put August in context: July recorded monthly growth of 0.5% and annual growth of 1.2%, so both measures have eased slightly. The annual rate of 0.9% means your property's nominal value is higher than it was in August 2025, but the pace of growth has slowed from the previous month's reading.
What this means for your remortgage is straightforward: a higher property value moves your loan-to-value ratio downward. If your outstanding mortgage has stayed broadly the same while prices have risen, you may now sit in a lower LTV band than you did at your last valuation — and lower LTV bands typically access cheaper rates. It is worth checking your current balance against the August figure for your region before your next product review.
The Bank Rate stands at 3.75%, as of 29 October 2026, according to the Bank of England. The Bank of England monthly average rates for September 2026 show a two-year fix at 5.13% and a five-year fix at 4.98%. The five-year is currently the cheaper of the two by 0.15 percentage points — 15 basis points — by UKPP's calculation.
These are monthly averages for September 2026, not today's live market quotes: rates on offer from individual lenders will differ. But they give you a realistic floor for what a landlord remortgaging now is paying.
The average variable rate for September 2026 stood at 6.58% — 1.60 percentage points above the five-year fix and 1.45 percentage points above the two-year fix (UKPP calculations). If you are currently on a lender's variable rate, those gaps represent the cost of not having switched. A five-year fix locks in your rate for the full five-year term; a two-year fix gives you a shorter commitment but at a slightly higher rate today. The gap between them is narrow enough that the decision depends more on your view of your own circumstances — how long you plan to hold the property, when your next compliance spend is due — than on the rates alone.
All figures are from HM Land Registry (UK House Price Index) for August 2026. The North East recorded the strongest annual growth among English regions at 3.2%, with an average price of £165,640. The North West followed at 2.2% (£220,393) and the West Midlands at 2.0% (£236,039). Yorkshire and The Humber grew 1.8% year-on-year to £209,266, and the East Midlands edged up 0.5% to £241,955.
London and the South East are both in negative annual territory. London's average price fell 2.2% year-on-year to £554,430 — the sharpest decline of any English region. The South East fell 0.8% to £379,953. The East of England rose just 0.2% to £337,848, and the South West was unchanged year-on-year at £304,139.
If you own in London or the South East, a falling annual figure is a revaluation event: your lender's assessment of your collateral at remortgage will reflect a lower number than a year ago, which can push your effective LTV up even if your mortgage balance has not changed. Wales recorded 3.1% annual growth to £216,363, and Scotland grew 2.9% to £198,397. Northern Ireland's HPI data is a quarterly series and no single-month figure is available.
No verified planning or housing-supply figures are available in the data used for this edition. For local pipeline information — new-build completions, planning permissions, and local housing targets in your area — your local planning authority's published register is the most reliable source.
Two rules are already in force. The Renters' Rights Act took effect on 1 May 2026 and applied to existing as well as new private assured tenancies in England from that date. Section 21 is abolished: you can no longer end a tenancy without a specific statutory ground, and all assured tenancies are now periodic. If you are letting a new property, the written statement of terms must be given before the tenancy is entered into — there is no grace period on an ordinary new letting. The civil-penalty guidance starting point for failing to give it is £4,000 (this is the enforcement guidance starting point, not a statutory figure; the statutory maximum is £7,000). See the full picture at /compliance/renters-rights-act.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is also in force. The threshold is gross rent — before expenses — counted together with any self-employment income. At £50,000 from 6 April 2026, you are already in scope if your qualifying income exceeds that figure. The threshold drops to £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and to £20,000 from 6 April 2028. If you own a property jointly, only your share of the rent counts toward your threshold. For the 2026-27 tax year, HMRC has confirmed there are no penalties for missing a quarterly update deadline. After that, a points-based system applies. Full detail at /compliance/making-tax-digital-landlords.
Two proposals are not yet law but have confirmed timetables. First, the PRS Database: under the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 — laid before Parliament but not yet approved — registration opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, with a three-month window giving West Midlands landlords a deadline of 14 March 2027 (UKPP calculation from the draft regulations). Further regions follow on the 15th of each month, with the final proposed deadline at 14 November 2027 for the South West. These are proposed dates, not yet in force. Under the draft regulations, the record you would need to provide includes landlord contact details, property details and safety certificates — the EPC, gas safety record and EICR. The proposed indicative fee is £65 per property per year, set by the Database operator rather than by statute, and not yet confirmed in final form. Under the proposed regime, an unregistered landlord would not be able to obtain a possession order on most grounds once the duty is in force. See /compliance/prs-database-registration.
Second, the EPC C standard: the government's confirmed proposal is that all private lets meet an EPC C equivalent standard by 1 October 2030, measured against new dual-metric criteria — a fabric performance metric and either a smart readiness or heating system metric — not today's single-letter rating. A property that currently scores C may not meet the proposed 2030 standard if that score was achieved mainly through heating or lighting. The government's central cost estimate is £5,400 average spend per property, though this is an average across very different building types and is not a quote for your property. Under the proposal, the maximum penalty for non-compliance would be £30,000 per property per breach — none of this is yet in force. Qualifying spend already counts toward the proposed £10,000 cost cap from 1 October 2025 under the draft regime, so work you do now is already on the clock. See /compliance/epc-c-2030.
UK average private rent reached £1,406 in September 2026, according to ONS (Price Index of Private Rents) — up £6 on August 2026 (UKPP calculation) and 3.8% higher than September 2025. The annual rate has remained broadly steady: August's reading was 3.8% as well, with the month-on-month change in the annual rate at 0.03 percentage points by UKPP's calculation from ONS data.
Among English regions, the North West led annual growth at 5.7%, with average monthly rent of £975. London and the South East both printed at 3.5% annual growth — the joint slowest among English regions with a published figure. That 2.2 percentage-point spread between the North West and the joint bottom is UKPP's own calculation from ONS data, covering 9 English regions.
To give a sense of the range: the North East recorded 5.3% annual growth (£790 per month) and Yorkshire and The Humber 4.8% (£869). The West Midlands grew 4.4% (£983), the South West 4.2% (£1,251) and the East Midlands 3.8% (£928). The East of England grew 3.8% (£1,298). For the nations: Scotland's annual growth was 0.7% (£1,011) and Wales grew 4.1% (£848). No figure is published for Northern Ireland this period.
GOV.UK says details from actual market rental agreements are usually stronger evidence for a Section 13 tribunal than housing association rents, previous fair rent decisions, or local housing allowance rates, and that evidence from actual agreed lettings (rental agreements) is stronger than information from letting agents or portal listings such as Rightmove and Zoopla, which can help. A Section 13 increase can only be raised once in any twelve-month period, with at least two months' notice, served on Form 4A. Getting the form wrong means no increase at all. Your area's current rent levels are at /rent-guides, and the Section 13 process is explained at /compliance/section-13-rent-increases.
If your rent has not been reviewed in the past year, compare what you are charging against the ONS figure for your region — published by ONS (Price Index of Private Rents) for September 2026. The annual growth rates range from 5.7% in the North West to 3.5% in London and the South East. A rent that has been static while market rents have moved may be running below what the area supports. The /rent-guides pages and the /rental-yield-index give you figures for your area to check against.
On mortgage costs: if you are currently on a variable rate, the Bank of England monthly average for September 2026 puts that at 6.58% — 1.60 percentage points above the five-year fix average of 4.98% (UKPP calculation). On your own outstanding balance, that gap represents the cost of staying on variable. The five-year fix is also the cheaper of the two fixed options by 0.15 percentage points over the two-year alternative. If your current product is close to its end date, a five-year fix locks in your rate for the full five-year term at today's lower rate.
On energy performance: under the government's confirmed but not-yet-in-force proposal, qualifying spend toward EPC C compliance has already been counting toward the proposed £10,000 cost cap from 1 October 2025. Work done now is on the clock — deferring does not preserve cap headroom under the proposed regime. A property that scores C on today's certificate is not automatically compliant under the proposed 2030 dual-metric standard, which weights fabric performance more heavily. If your property's current rating relies mainly on heating or lighting rather than insulation, that is worth assessing now — not because the rule is yet in force, but because the proposed standard changes what counts. See /compliance/epc-c-2030 for the full proposed framework.
1. CHECK YOUR LTV POSITION. The UK average house price was £273,037 in August 2026, up 0.9% year-on-year. If your property is in a region that has grown — the North East (3.2%), North West (2.2%), West Midlands (2.0%) or Wales (3.1%) — your equity position has improved since last year. Pull your latest mortgage balance and compare it to a current valuation to see whether you have moved into a lower LTV band ahead of your next remortgage.
2. REVIEW YOUR RENT AGAINST THE SEPTEMBER 2026 ONS FIGURES. UK average rent was £1,406 per month. Check the figure for your region at /rent-guides. Guide at /compliance/section-13-rent-increases.
3. CONFIRM WHETHER YOU ARE IN SCOPE FOR MAKING TAX DIGITAL. The threshold from 6 April 2026 is £50,000 qualifying income — gross rent before expenses, plus any self-employment income. If you own jointly, count only your share. If you are already above the threshold, you should be using MTD-compatible software. The threshold drops to £30,000 from 6 April 2027. Detail at /compliance/making-tax-digital-landlords.
4. NOTE THE PRS DATABASE OPENING DATE IF YOU LET IN THE WEST MIDLANDS. Under the draft regulations, registration opens on 15 December 2026 with a proposed deadline of 14 March 2027 for West Midlands landlords. Other regions follow monthly through to a proposed final deadline of 14 November 2027. These dates are published and laid before Parliament but not yet in force. Read the proposed requirements at /compliance/prs-database-registration.
5. ASSESS YOUR EPC POSITION AGAINST THE PROPOSED 2030 STANDARD. Today's single-letter rating is not the same as the proposed dual-metric standard. If your property scores C mainly through its heating or lighting, check whether its fabric performance would meet the proposed new measure. Under the proposed regime, spend from 1 October 2025 already counts toward the proposed cost cap. Get your current EPC details in order so you know where you stand. See /compliance/epc-c-2030.
6. IF YOU ARE ON A VARIABLE RATE OR APPROACHING THE END OF A FIXED TERM, speak to a mortgage broker to understand what product is available to you given your current LTV and income position. The September 2026 Bank of England monthly average shows a five-year fix at 4.98% — the cheaper of the two fixed options — against a variable rate of 6.58%.
The figures below have been restated since they were first published. Each line states the exact date of the correction and the change, so a restatement that missed an earlier edition's cut-off is still placed on record rather than left unreported.
The average UK house price for Jul 2026 was revised on 22 October 2026, from £272,611 to £272,146.
UK house price annual growth for Jul 2026 was revised on 22 October 2026, from 1.4% to 1.2%.
UK house prices month-on-month for Jul 2026 was revised on 22 October 2026, from 0.7% to 0.5%.
The UK House Price Index for Jul 2026 was revised on 22 October 2026, from 104.5 to 104.3.
£273,037 as of August 2026 — the latest available figure — +0.9% year-on-year and +0.3% month-on-month (HM Land Registry / ONS UK House Price Index).
3.75% (Bank of England, as of 29 October 2026).
5.13% (Bank of England average, September 2026).
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