The pace of city level house price inflation is slowing with growth in the year to August 2016 running at 8.2%. The 20 city index recorded its lowest level of quarterly growth (1.9%) for 6 months as a seasonal lull in market activity and weaker demand post Brexit and the March Stamp Duty change reduce the upward momentum of house price growth

Bristol continues to register the fastest rate of annual growth (13.1%) followed by London (10.4%) but the trend in these cities is towards slower growth. A similar trend is evident across most cities located in southern England including Cambridge, Oxford and Bournemouth where annual growth has slowed in the last few months.

Cambridge has registered the fastest deceleration in growth from an annual rate of 16% in March 2016 to just 6% today as affordability pressures and weaker investor demand impact growth.

London growth heading to 6% by year end

London has registered a modest 0.9% increase in house prices over the last three months, more than half the average quarterly growth rate over the last 12 months (1.9%) – if this trend continues, as seems highly likely, then house price growth in the capital will be running at c.6% per annum by the year end and on course for low single digit growth by spring 2017. Record unaffordability, tax changes that impact investor demand and high stamp duty costs are all combining to reduce market activity in the face of rising supply.

Inner London has lowest growth and recent falls

A more granular view on London reveals the lowest rates of annual growth in the highest value, inner London boroughs - Kensington & Chelsea (0.2%), Hammersmith and Fulham (1.0%), Westminster (1.8%), Wandsworth (4.1%) and Camden (4.4%). Most of these areas have been registering small price falls over recent months and further single digit falls are likely in the months ahead as pricing levels re-align to what buyers are prepared to pay.