London (dpa-AFX) – UK house prices increased in June driven by the sheer lack of supply on the market, a monthly report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, or RICS, showed on Thursday.
The net house price balance rose to 83 per cent in June from 82 per cent in May.
All parts of the country continued to exhibit strong house price inflation, led by exceptionally robust upward pressure in Yorkshire & the Humber, Northern Ireland and Wales.
A net 56 per cent of survey participants expect prices to increase further over the next 12 months.
The RICS noted that there is a clear excess of demand over supply.
The net balance for new instructions came in at minus 34 per cent, down from minus 24 per cent previously.
Further, a net balance of plus 14 per cent reported an increase in new buyer enquiries in June.
Although this is the fourth successive positive monthly reading, it does represent a noticeable moderation compared to the recent high of plus 43 per cent posted back in April.
The number of agreed sales picked up once again in June, evidenced by a net balance of plus 8 per cent of respondents noting an increase.
Looking ahead, near term sales expectations suggested a broadly flat outlook in the three months ahead, with the latest net balance slipping to minus 4 per cent from plus 8 per cent.