GLOPRAGlobal Property Radar

UK house prices: surveyor balance falls to -32% in September 2026

RICS surveyors put the UK house price net balance at -32% in September 2026, after -28% in August, while new sales instructions turned positive at +6%.

The facts

  • The RICS UK Residential Market Survey reports a September house price net balance of -32%, after -28% in August; its printed release date is 08 October 2026.
  • A net balance is the share reporting rises minus the share reporting falls: it shows direction, not size, so -32% is not a 32% price fall and +37% is not a 37% rent rise.
  • New buyer enquiries were -22% (August -18%) and agreed sales -18% (August -16%), on a three-month average of -25%, with sales expectations at -6%.
  • New sales instructions turned to +6%; price expectations are -24% over three months and zero over twelve.

What it means for your money

  • Entry prices are easing while rate expectations have risen. More sellers are listing and fewer buyers are enquiring.
  • Financing: Tarrant Parsons, RICS Head of Market Research and Analysis, names the trigger: "A renewed rise in interest rate expectations has created a fresh headwind for the housing market".
  • Rental income: tenant demand is +23%, but expected rent growth slowed to +37% from +44%. The Glopra United Kingdom data gives an average monthly private rent of 1,393 GBP (July 2026) and an average house price of 272,000 GBP (June 2026), both from the country's statistics office: a gross rental yield of 6.15%.
  • For an existing British landlord the mix inverts: tenant demand supports occupancy, while the twelve-month price balance is zero, meaning as many surveyors expect rises as falls, which is not a price forecast.

What to watch

  • The survey publishes no money values: no average price, no pound amounts, no percentage price change, no transaction counts, mortgage rate or sample size.
  • Regions appear in words only: Northern Ireland prices "continued to rise", Scotland "recorded modest price growth"; no numeric regional balances.

Sources: RICS UK Residential Market Survey September 2026, published 8 October 2026 https://www.rics.org/news-insights/uk-residential-survey-september-2026

Market data: United Kingdom