The Halifax House Price Index showed UK house prices rose 0.3% year-on-year in December 2025, slowing from a revised 0.6% gain in November and below expectations of a 1.1% increase. This marks the smallest growth since a decline in November 2023. On a monthly basis, prices declined 0.6%, following a 0.1% drop, missing forecasts for a 0.2% rise. The average house price fell by GBP 1,789 to 297,755, the lowest level since June. Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at Halifax, said the softer end to 2025 likely reflected late-year uncertainty that should begin to ease, while overall market activity remained resilient and broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels. She added that lower mortgage rates and a broader range of high loan-to-value products should support demand into 2026, with Halifax forecasting house price growth of 1%–3%. Regionally, Northern Ireland led gains at 7.5%, followed by Scotland (3.9%) and Wales (1.6%).