“I am pleased to report that the Welsh housing market continues to remain buoyant, according to the newest, official figures just released from the Office of National Statistics that cover the period up to and including June 2021.

This latest data shows Wales is still the UK’s region with the highest average house price increase - 16.7% in the year June 2020 to June 2021 compared to 13.3% in England, 12% in Scotland and 9% in Northern Ireland.

Interestingly, the Welsh figure is well above the UK annual rate of 13.2% in the year to June 2021, and the UK as a whole has seen the highest annual growth since November 2004, putting it a 17-year high of an average UK house price of £266,000 - £31,000 higher than this time last year.

The monthly change in the annual percentage figure in Wales saw it rise from 14.7% in May 2021 to the just released figure of 16.7%, taking the average Wales house price to £195,291.

The data also shows that the provisional volume estimate for the year April 2020 to April 2021 suggests that volume transactions increased by 85.2% in Wales, from 1,166 to 2,159. In Wales, all local authority areas showed an increase in average house prices in June 2021 when compared with June 2020.

The Vale of Glamorgan was ranked in 7th with an increase of 19.9% average price now £272,137.

Of all property types, detached houses showed the biggest annual growth, rising by 18.4% in the year to June 2021 to £296,000. The lowest annual change of all property types was for flats and maisonettes, with an increase of 10.9% in the year to June 2021 to £128,000”.

David Lakin david.lakin@harrisbirt.co.uk