Less than 8% of the nation’s districts witnessed their average house prices increase more than wages
As the real estate market stays cool, salaries in the U.K. are rising faster than home values, according to a report Saturday from Halifax.
Historically, homeowners found themselves making more money from the annual increase in the value of their property than from their take-home pay, the bank and mortgage provider said.
But in 2018, less than 8% of the nation’s districts saw average house prices increase by more than the average total post-tax earnings for the area over the last two years.
This was a sharp decline over previous years. In 2017, 18% of the districts saw home values increase more than salaries over the prior to years. It was even higher in 2016, with 31% of districts falling into that category.
The posh London suburb of Richmond-upon-Thames was one of the 8% of districts last year, and home to the highest gap between property price growth and salary.
Property values increased £119,075 (US$154,567) between 2016 and 2018 in the leafty enclave, while the average income in the area over the same time was £63,592.
It was followed by Winchester in South East England, where average property values increased £103,196, while income stood at an average £58,180.
On a regional level, all 12 regions of the U.K. saw average earnings exceed house price inflation, from £19,649 in London up to £35,250 in Scotland, Halifax said.
“Although every region of the U.K. saw earnings exceed price growth overall, there continue to be significant variations across the country,” Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax, said in the report. “The majority of areas where house price inflation outpaced owners’ take-home pay are still to be found in London and the South East.”