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(PR01/12) 30 January 2012

December market trend data from Land Registry

Detailed monthly transaction information is now available in addition to the House Price Index.

No change in monthly house prices from November to December: average house price in England and Wales now £160,384.

South East tops the table of regional applications with 214,852 in December.

As part of its commitment to the Government’s priorities of economic growth and data transparency, detailed Land Registry transaction information is now available monthly in addition to the House Price Index.

The first set of free data, released today, 30 January 2012, by Land Registry as a founder member of the Public Data Group, includes a detailed breakdown of applications by number and type from solicitors, conveyancers and lenders and covers commercial property and land as well as residential property.

The consumer will be better informed by being able to see the volume and types of transactions conducted in England and Wales while the property and finance sectors will be able to use the data to assess trends and movements in the property market.

Downloadable for re-use in an accessible and re-useable format under the Open Government Licence (OGL), the following data will be updated monthly:

  • number and types of applications by all account customers
  • number and types of transactions for value by all account customers
  • number of searches by all account customers
  • number of applications in England and Wales divided by region and local authority district by all customers (account and non-account).

Malcolm Dawson, Chief Executive of Land Registry said:

"This data alongside the information which informs our House Price Index can be used to both examine the market but also to inform the public.

"The potential for how information can be used (and re-used) is considerable. As a member of the new Public Data Group, we firmly believe that this dataset and the free release of our price paid information in March will help support transparency and the Government’s economic growth agenda."

From March 2012, monthly Land Registry Price Paid information showing all residential property sales in England and Wales at address level will be published as part of the Market Trend Data. This will be downloadable for re-use under the OGL in the same format as the Transaction Data.

The December data from Land Registry's flagship House Price Index shows an annual price decrease of 1.3 per cent which takes the average property value in England and Wales to £160,384. There is no monthly change from November to December.

The only region in England and Wales to experience an increase in its average property value over the last 12 months is London with a movement of 2.8 per cent. The North West experienced the greatest monthly rise with a movement of 1.5 per cent. The North East experienced the greatest annual price fall with a decrease of 7.1 per cent and the most significant monthly price fall with a decrease of 1.9 per cent.

The most up-to-date figures available show that, during October 2011, the number of completed house sales in England and Wales decreased by 6 per cent to 55,309 compared to 58,634 in October 2010. The number of properties sold in England and Wales for over £1 million in October 2011 decreased by 10 per cent to 525 from 582 in October 2010.

For more information go to www.landregistry.gov.uk

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Region

Monthly change (since November 2011)

Annual change (since December 2010)

Average price (December 2011)

North West

1.5%

-3.4%

£113,204

Wales

0.9%

-3.0%

£117,447

London

0.8%

2.8%

£345,298

East

0.8%

-0.2%

£172,899

East Midlands

0.4%

-1.5%

£123,697

England & Wales

0.0%

-1.3%

£160,384

South East

-0.2%

-0.2%

£206,522

Yorkshire & The Humber

-0.6%

-3.2%

£119,096

South West

-0.9%

-1.5%

£170,504

West Midlands

-1.0%

-3.2%

£129,082

North East

-1.9%

-7.1%

£99,464

 

Average prices by property type (England and Wales)

December 2011

December 2010

Difference

Detached

£252,118

£256,526

-1.7%

Semi-detached

£153,032

£154,271

-0.8%

Terraced

£121,406

£123,535

-1.7%

Flat/maisonette

£149,026

£151,383

-1.6%

All

£160,384

£162,521

-1.3%

 

Month

Sales 2010 (England and Wales)

Sales 2009 (England and Wales)

Difference

January

35,864

26,297

36%

February

42,557

27,309

56%

March

51,440

35,565

45%

April

52,305

39,380

33%

May

52,201

45,899

14%

June

62,744

54,815

14%

July

67,497

63,715

6%

August

61,488

58,386

5%

September

57,476

58,563

-2%

October

58,634

65,855

-11%

November

56,305

61,176

-8%

December

56,849

78,582

-28%

Total

655,360

615,542

6%

 

Month

Sales 2011 (England and Wales)

Sales 2010 (England and Wales)

Difference

January

37,544

35,864

5%

February

39,635

42,557

-7%

March

46,657

51,440

-9%

April

50,606

52,305

-3%

May

48,802

52,201

-7%

June

57,392

62,744

-9%

July

61,912

67,497

-8%

August

63,728

61,488

4%

September

62,106

57,476

8%

October

55,309

58,634

-6%

The Transaction Data shows Land Registry received over 916,000 applications from all its customers (account and non-account) in December. This includes 850,236 applications by account customers, of which 244,191 were applications in respect of registered land (dealings), 333,919 were applications to obtain an official copy of a register or title plan, 150,150 were searches and 55,586 were transactions for value.

Top three customers

Applications

Enact

19,404

NLIS Operations (MDA)

18,117

Optima Legal Services

16,462

 

Top three customers

Transactions for value

My Home Move Ltd

977

Countrywide Property Lawyers

857

O'Neill Patient

418

 

Top three customers

Searches

Search Choice Limited

6,256

Enact

5,856

Optima Legal Services

4,940

 

Top three local authorities

Applications

Birmingham

14,446

City of Westminster

13,280

Leeds

10,179

 

Region

Applications

South East

214,852

Greater London

158,600

North West

99,311

South West

92,909

West Midlands

80,469

Yorks & Humber

76,430

East Midlands

67,069

Wales

45,199

North

43,455

East Anglia

37,819

Isles of Scilly

22

E&W not assigned

26

England & Wales

916,161

ENDS

Notes to editors

  1. Market Trend Data is published on the twentieth working day of each month. The January House Price Index (HPI) and Transaction Data will both be published at 11am on Tuesday 28 February 2012. www.landregistry.gov.uk/market-trend-data
  2. The Open Government Licence (OGL) developed by the National Archives permits the free use and re-use of public sector information. For further information visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence
  3. The Public Data Group brings together Land Registry, Companies House, the Met Office and Ordnance Survey to work collectively on pursuing opportunities and driving efficiencies as well as on making their data available to users and re-users at a reduced cost or for free.
  4. The monthly Transaction Data shows how many applications for first registrations, leases, transfers of part, dealings, official copies and searches were lodged by Land Registry account customers. 
  5. Transactions for value include freehold and leasehold sales.
  6. Most searches carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search will give the buyer priority for an application to Land Registry to register the purchase of the property.
  7. The HPI uses a sample size that is larger than all other statistical measures available. It is calculated using Land Registry's dataset of all residential property sales completed in England and Wales since January 1995.
  8. Land Registry's dataset contains details on 16 million residential transactions. Of these, over six million are identifiable matched pairs, providing the basis for the repeat sales regression analysis used to complete the index. This technique of quality adjustment ensures an "apples to apples" comparison between properties.
  9. With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 23 million titles, Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.
  10. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Land Registry. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been an open document since 1990.
  11. For further information about Land Registry visit www.landregistry.gov.uk

Contact

Marion Shelley 0300 0067543, 07790 690297
marion.shelley@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk

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