The nation’s up-and-coming house price hotspots

Fatima Bukhari

Writer & Researcher

New research has revealed which areas of the UK property market are seeing the most potential to become the next hotspots for house price growth - having largely trailed the pack during the pandemic market boom.

We began by looking at areas of the UK market that underperformed during the pandemic when compared to the national benchmark for house price growth. We then looked at which of these underperforming areas have started to build momentum over the last year by outperforming the national annual rate of house price growth.

We have found that since the start of the pandemic (Jan 2020), UK house prices have climbed by a massive 23.5%. However, no less than 208 local authorities have failed to meet this national benchmark.

Areas to see a decline in the market

The city of Westminster is the only area to have seen a decline in house prices at - 6.1%, while Camden (0.3) and the City of Aberdeen ( 2.3%) have also performed poorly.

But while the market has been highly dynamic, there are now signs that it is starting to slow. These signs include mortgage approvals returning to pre-pandemic normality and house price growth beginning to relax.

In fact, over the last year, the average UK house price has increased by only 2.2%, a considerably lower rate of growth when compared to the wider pandemic period.

Unexpected growth however has hit certain regions. For example, of those 208 areas that trailed below the national average during the pandemic, 78 registered a higher rate of growth than the national average during the last year. This suggests that they could well be the nation's next up-and-coming hotspots for house price growth.

The nation’s next house price hotspots

Areas with high growth include Epping Forest, where the area looks tipped to be the nation's next house price hotspot, with growth hitting 7.6% in the last year.

Inverclyde (7.4%) has also seen one of the strongest performances, with house prices climbing annually, along with Rutland (7.1%), Woking (6.5%) and Copeland (5.9%).

The effects of the pandemic surely led to underperforming levels of annual growth. However, areas that were performing low then, are now seeing above-average levels of growth. These areas include Sevenoaks (5.8%), North Hertfordshire (5.7%), West Devon (5.4%), Hackney (5.4%) and Exeter (5.2%).

‘Phenomenal rate of house price growth since start of pandemic’ - GetAgent CEO Colby Short

“We’ve seen a phenomenal rate of house price growth since the start of the pandemic and this is yet to subside, although we are now seeing signs that the market is starting to return to normality.

Of course, not everywhere has benefited to the same extent and there are a whole host of areas that have really underperformed during the recent housing market boom.

However, over the last year, we’re now seeing signs that some of these underperformers are ascending through the ranks to post some very strong rates of annual house price growth while the rest of the market has shifted down a gear or two.

These are the ones to watch, as these local markets simply haven’t overinflated to the same degree and so there is plenty of potential for house prices to climb while the rest of the market moves at a far more measured pace.”

Data and methodology

Location	AveHP - Jan 2020	AveHP - Jun 2022	Change % - pandemic
United Kingdom	£231,940	£286,397	23.5%
Central Bedfordshire	£301,751	£372,470	23.4%
North Tyneside	£161,663	£199,496	23.4%
Braintree	£276,195	£340,753	23.4%
Epping Forest	£449,975	£555,129	23.4%
Preston	£128,948	£159,066	23.4%
Malvern Hills	£268,831	£331,470	23.3%
Cherwell	£283,130	£348,907	23.2%
Brent	£428,560	£528,087	23.2%
South Gloucestershire	£276,318	£340,257	23.1%
Wolverhampton	£159,170	£195,980	23.1%
Manchester	£182,906	£225,113	23.1%
York	£256,247	£315,202	23.0%
Leeds	£189,437	£232,909	22.9%
East Dunbartonshire	£211,043	£259,022	22.7%
Mendip	£262,352	£321,722	22.6%
Chorley	£181,049	£221,991	22.6%
North East Lincolnshire	£124,683	£152,856	22.6%
Uttlesford	£388,823	£476,253	22.5%
Rochford	£346,139	£423,698	22.4%
Eastbourne	£242,350	£296,534	22.4%
South Kesteven	£214,405	£262,250	22.3%
County Durham	£101,584	£124,143	22.2%
West Northamptonshire	£242,837	£296,733	22.2%
Folkestone and Hythe	£264,951	£323,654	22.2%
Tamworth	£188,837	£230,533	22.1%
Rotherham	£141,444	£172,641	22.1%
Maldon	£335,458	£409,107	22.0%
Swale	£247,083	£301,258	21.9%
Colchester	£258,488	£315,156	21.9%
Fylde	£186,645	£227,545	21.9%
North Ayrshire	£103,178	£125,761	21.9%
Newport	£187,940	£229,060	21.9%
Wychavon	£276,267	£336,459	21.8%
East Hampshire	£371,786	£452,131	21.6%
Thurrock	£265,469	£322,793	21.6%
Gosport	£210,569	£255,965	21.6%
Walsall	£170,161	£206,762	21.5%
Dartford	£300,307	£364,865	21.5%
Milton Keynes	£257,736	£313,139	21.5%
Ashford	£296,825	£360,610	21.5%
City of Bristol	£282,596	£343,292	21.5%
Vale of White Horse	£356,984	£433,590	21.5%
Cannock Chase	£175,728	£213,423	21.5%
Wiltshire	£270,287	£328,169	21.4%
Mid Sussex	£369,295	£448,359	21.4%
Fareham	£294,403	£357,416	21.4%
Rushcliffe	£282,938	£343,396	21.4%
Cheshire West and Chester	£208,420	£252,883	21.3%
Test Valley	£329,021	£398,971	21.3%
Adur	£316,163	£383,328	21.2%
Sheffield	£169,928	£205,961	21.2%
North Somerset	£265,197	£321,314	21.2%
Stoke-on-Trent	£114,980	£139,309	21.2%
Northumberland	£151,961	£184,081	21.1%
Eastleigh	£286,704	£347,230	21.1%
Worcester	£212,261	£257,015	21.1%
Dover	£249,565	£302,181	21.1%
East Cambridgeshire	£279,749	£338,725	21.1%
Stockport	£233,946	£283,192	21.1%
City of Peterborough	£195,763	£236,867	21.0%
Hastings	£219,007	£264,916	21.0%
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon	£124,618	£150,460	20.7%
Oadby and Wigston	£223,944	£270,346	20.7%
Sevenoaks	£436,481	£526,757	20.7%
Exeter	£263,141	£317,450	20.6%
Luton	£229,040	£276,060	20.5%
Harborough	£298,219	£359,208	20.5%
Hart	£406,124	£489,060	20.4%
Amber Valley	£179,875	£216,574	20.4%
Stroud	£282,844	£340,474	20.4%
Brighton and Hove	£364,109	£438,264	20.4%
Newcastle-under-Lyme	£158,899	£191,259	20.4%
Barrow-in-Furness	£121,422	£146,132	20.4%
Redditch	£209,307	£251,819	20.3%
Canterbury	£302,354	£363,707	20.3%
Ipswich	£195,169	£234,686	20.2%
North East Derbyshire	£191,228	£229,944	20.2%
Mid Ulster	£134,792	£162,045	20.2%
North Kesteven	£213,901	£256,857	20.1%
Highland	£168,138	£201,840	20.0%
Rushmoor	£278,211	£333,907	20.0%
City of Derby	£162,189	£194,649	20.0%
Tandridge	£451,845	£541,709	19.9%
East Riding of Yorkshire	£181,201	£217,138	19.8%
Wyre	£158,232	£189,521	19.8%
Wyre Forest	£199,682	£239,025	19.7%
West Lancashire	£182,962	£218,932	19.7%
South Lakeland	£243,857	£291,700	19.6%
West Oxfordshire	£321,958	£385,010	19.6%
Maidstone	£284,710	£340,460	19.6%
Bedford	£287,457	£343,691	19.6%
Horsham	£378,250	£452,126	19.5%
Lincoln	£152,153	£181,812	19.5%
Antrim and Newtownabbey	£145,492	£173,779	19.4%
East Staffordshire	£185,418	£221,389	19.4%
Warwick	£304,966	£364,085	19.4%
Bromsgrove	£295,701	£352,912	19.3%
Birmingham	£189,029	£225,561	19.3%
Cardiff	£213,409	£254,619	19.3%
Blackburn with Darwen	£115,633	£137,939	19.3%
Wokingham	£412,474	£491,894	19.3%
Carlisle	£133,892	£159,668	19.3%
Gateshead	£128,744	£153,448	19.2%
Darlington	£131,320	£156,503	19.2%
Tonbridge and Malling	£365,607	£435,472	19.1%
Chesterfield	£160,554	£191,233	19.1%
Mole Valley	£476,463	£567,170	19.0%
Derry City and Strabane	£126,262	£150,246	19.0%
Norwich	£201,791	£240,122	19.0%
City of Edinburgh	£274,585	£326,703	19.0%
Havering	£361,024	£428,989	18.8%
Calderdale	£148,460	£176,402	18.8%
Sunderland	£118,573	£140,872	18.8%
Bracknell Forest	£334,854	£397,528	18.7%
North Hertfordshire	£343,543	£407,764	18.7%
West Suffolk	£257,389	£305,503	18.7%
Newcastle upon Tyne	£158,325	£187,871	18.7%
South Tyneside	£133,637	£158,549	18.6%
City of Kingston upon Hull	£113,570	£134,516	18.4%
Buckinghamshire	£395,625	£468,521	18.4%
Mid and East Antrim	£129,635	£153,344	18.3%
Basingstoke and Deane	£299,401	£354,134	18.3%
Elmbridge	£590,152	£697,464	18.2%
Flintshire	£177,425	£209,648	18.2%
East Hertfordshire	£384,504	£454,292	18.2%
Epsom and Ewell	£460,641	£544,141	18.1%
Coventry	£188,569	£222,686	18.1%
Gloucester	£206,901	£244,301	18.1%
Hertsmere	£453,546	£535,480	18.1%
St Albans	£505,910	£597,194	18.0%
Copeland	£124,658	£147,099	18.0%
Cambridge	£429,570	£506,804	18.0%
Bassetlaw	£166,045	£195,701	17.9%
Surrey Heath	£383,520	£451,997	17.9%
Broxbourne	£339,952	£400,457	17.8%
Sutton	£371,413	£437,192	17.7%
Basildon	£312,988	£367,617	17.5%
Staffordshire Moorlands	£183,219	£215,196	17.5%
Lisburn and Castlereagh	£166,149	£195,003	17.4%
Bexley	£336,664	£395,012	17.3%
Cheltenham	£271,660	£318,741	17.3%
Solihull	£278,100	£326,102	17.3%
Three Rivers	£512,476	£600,900	17.3%
Bromley	£434,024	£508,545	17.2%
Windsor and Maidenhead	£462,981	£541,844	17.0%
Harrow	£447,369	£523,509	17.0%
Runnymede	£407,784	£477,056	17.0%
West Devon	£262,548	£307,034	16.9%
Stockton-on-Tees	£135,649	£158,609	16.9%
Aberdeenshire	£177,268	£207,261	16.9%
Rutland	£321,381	£375,503	16.8%
Fermanagh and Omagh	£130,308	£152,202	16.8%
Tunbridge Wells	£383,750	£448,100	16.8%
Richmond upon Thames	£658,772	£768,605	16.7%
Allerdale	£149,644	£174,593	16.7%
Angus	£146,282	£170,612	16.6%
Chelmsford	£334,313	£389,527	16.5%
Gravesham	£281,605	£328,025	16.5%
Enfield	£389,649	£453,552	16.4%
Spelthorne	£365,580	£425,075	16.3%
Belfast	£134,375	£156,161	16.2%
Dacorum	£400,592	£464,447	15.9%
Winchester	£408,017	£472,905	15.9%
South Cambridgeshire	£383,481	£444,403	15.9%
Woking	£416,511	£481,669	15.6%
Harlow	£272,236	£314,775	15.6%
Reigate and Banstead	£403,079	£465,435	15.5%
Ealing	£467,414	£537,695	15.0%
Barnet	£521,666	£599,287	14.9%
Portsmouth	£215,197	£247,208	14.9%
Hillingdon	£405,123	£465,352	14.9%
Southampton	£207,979	£238,869	14.9%
Merton	£499,698	£573,676	14.8%
Stevenage	£282,080	£323,503	14.7%
Guildford	£448,661	£514,528	14.7%
Southend-on-Sea	£287,717	£329,583	14.6%
Harrogate	£291,023	£332,688	14.3%
Welwyn Hatfield	£387,976	£442,510	14.1%
Watford	£350,031	£397,706	13.6%
Newham	£365,657	£414,586	13.4%
Inverclyde	£102,337	£116,007	13.4%
West Berkshire	£349,049	£395,366	13.3%
Hackney	£555,746	£628,690	13.1%
Waltham Forest	£443,997	£501,172	12.9%
Barking and Dagenham	£303,087	£342,083	12.9%
Redbridge	£419,704	£473,163	12.7%
Brentwood	£424,971	£476,818	12.2%
Croydon	£372,505	£416,641	11.8%
Reading	£289,952	£322,839	11.3%
Lewisham	£409,732	£455,005	11.0%
Greenwich	£397,523	£440,375	10.8%
Oxford	£428,294	£473,527	10.6%
Kingston upon Thames	£489,836	£541,275	10.5%
Slough	£290,350	£320,320	10.3%
Crawley	£282,120	£310,951	10.2%
Kensington and Chelsea	£1,250,691	£1,362,055	8.9%
Southwark	£502,342	£542,971	8.1%
Islington	£665,846	£717,487	7.8%
City of London	£773,937	£830,376	7.3%
Hounslow	£411,447	£441,269	7.2%
Hammersmith and Fulham	£722,760	£772,447	6.9%
Wandsworth	£605,217	£638,841	5.6%
Tower Hamlets	£462,297	£484,026	4.7%
Haringey	£553,172	£577,614	4.4%
Lambeth	£523,157	£544,772	4.1%
City of Aberdeen	£143,829	£147,182	2.3%
Camden	£827,281	£829,857	0.3%
City of Westminster	£1,008,593	£944,441	-6.4%

Location	AveHP - Apr 2022	AveHP - Jun 2022	Change %
United Kingdom	£280,247	£286,397	2.2%
Epping Forest	£516,106	£555,129	7.6%
Inverclyde	£108,051	£116,007	7.4%
Rutland	£350,528	£375,503	7.1%
Woking	£452,143	£481,669	6.5%
Copeland	£138,952	£147,099	5.9%
Sevenoaks	£497,708	£526,757	5.8%
North Hertfordshire	£385,770	£407,764	5.7%
West Devon	£291,343	£307,034	5.4%
Hackney	£596,712	£628,690	5.4%
Exeter	£301,654	£317,450	5.2%
Angus	£162,541	£170,612	5.0%
East Hampshire	£431,702	£452,131	4.7%
Gosport	£244,531	£255,965	4.7%
Malvern Hills	£317,112	£331,470	4.5%
Rochford	£405,462	£423,698	4.5%
Bromsgrove	£337,753	£352,912	4.5%
Hart	£468,255	£489,060	4.4%
Eastleigh	£332,488	£347,230	4.4%
Waltham Forest	£480,007	£501,172	4.4%
North East Lincolnshire	£146,576	£152,856	4.3%
Greenwich	£422,378	£440,375	4.3%
North Ayrshire	£120,646	£125,761	4.2%
South Tyneside	£152,165	£158,549	4.2%
Gateshead	£147,288	£153,448	4.2%
Hammersmith and Fulham	£741,442	£772,447	4.2%
Tandridge	£521,411	£541,709	3.9%
Slough	£308,322	£320,320	3.9%
Harrow	£503,980	£523,509	3.9%
Brighton and Hove	£421,944	£438,264	3.9%
Fareham	£344,245	£357,416	3.8%
Mole Valley	£546,388	£567,170	3.8%
City of Kingston upon Hull	£129,634	£134,516	3.8%
Dartford	£351,705	£364,865	3.7%
Newham	£399,635	£414,586	3.7%
Hillingdon	£449,078	£465,352	3.6%
Bromley	£491,017	£508,545	3.6%
Kingston upon Thames	£522,786	£541,275	3.5%
East Hertfordshire	£438,785	£454,292	3.5%
Chelmsford	£376,270	£389,527	3.5%
Aberdeenshire	£200,254	£207,261	3.5%
York	£304,676	£315,202	3.5%
Broxbourne	£387,312	£400,457	3.4%
Watford	£384,700	£397,706	3.4%
Adur	£370,822	£383,328	3.4%
Darlington	£151,421	£156,503	3.4%
Oxford	£458,163	£473,527	3.4%
Fylde	£220,254	£227,545	3.3%
Worcester	£248,783	£257,015	3.3%
North Tyneside	£193,333	£199,496	3.2%
West Northamptonshire	£287,595	£296,733	3.2%
Maldon	£396,763	£409,107	3.1%
Hounslow	£428,090	£441,269	3.1%
Reading	£313,376	£322,839	3.0%
Horsham	£438,952	£452,126	3.0%
Sutton	£424,764	£437,192	2.9%
Three Rivers	£583,900	£600,900	2.9%
Central Bedfordshire	£362,118	£372,470	2.9%
Dacorum	£451,570	£464,447	2.9%
Solihull	£317,248	£326,102	2.8%
Preston	£154,757	£159,066	2.8%
Norwich	£233,644	£240,122	2.8%
Ealing	£523,284	£537,695	2.8%
Sheffield	£200,479	£205,961	2.7%
City of Peterborough	£230,580	£236,867	2.7%
Southwark	£528,828	£542,971	2.7%
Barrow-in-Furness	£142,374	£146,132	2.6%
Eastbourne	£288,959	£296,534	2.6%
Warwick	£354,790	£364,085	2.6%
Stockton-on-Tees	£154,682	£158,609	2.5%
Epsom and Ewell	£530,854	£544,141	2.5%
Cambridge	£494,513	£506,804	2.5%
Hertsmere	£523,332	£535,480	2.3%
South Gloucestershire	£332,581	£340,257	2.3%
Wyre Forest	£233,650	£239,025	2.3%
Leeds	£227,679	£232,909	2.3%
Bracknell Forest	£388,634	£397,528	2.3%
Colchester	£308,185	£315,156	2.3%