Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker

Public continues to expect house prices and private rents to increase in the next 12 months according to the October Housing Market Consumer Confidence survey by Ipsos for the Halifax.

According to the latest Housing Market Consumer Confidence survey by Ipsos for the Halifax, the House Price Outlook – the balance of those thinking the average UK house price will be higher in twelve months time less those who think it will be – is unchanged from October at +15.

This compares to +7 in January and -2 a year ago. It also contrasts with our Economic Optimism Index (a measure of wider optimism in the economy) which is -14 this month.

On balance, the British public (and owner-occupiers among them) consider the next 12 months to be a good time to buy. But buying sentiment continues to contrast sharply with views on selling – just 11% think the next 12 months will be a good time to sell.

On rents, and for the sixth survey running, private renters and the wider public expect increases over the next 12 months: 67% and 65% respectively. Only 4% of each group expect to see decreases.

This comes after a recent report found that the cost of privately renting has gone up by 37% in the last 5 years and would rise a further 35% over the next 6years.

Technical note

  • Interviews with representative sample of 1,890 British adults aged 16+.
  • Undertaken face-to-face, in-home between 5-19 October across Britain.
  • Data weighted to the national population profile by age, sex, working status, social grade, region, ethnicity and tenure.

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