Shortage of new homes pushes property prices up across East Midlands

While 11% more surveyors in the East Midlands saw prices rise in April, the highest reading since last summer, new instructions slipped to a net balance of -6% - the thirteenth drop in the last fourteen months in the region. Moreover, the flow on second hand stock onto the market dropped in most parts of the country.

Alongside this, for the first time since August 2014, respondents’ reported an increase in prices in every area of the UK; the reason for this being the shift in tone in the London market where 28% more respondents saw prices in the capital rise (compared with 6% more surveyors in March who saw house prices fall).

Near term member expectations for prices and sales continue to point to relatively modest gains, but 56% of members in the East Midlands expect prices to rise over the course of the next twelve months. Meanwhile, in the lettings sector, there is no slowing in the growth of tenant demand, which is helping to underpin higher expectations for rents.

Although anecdotal evidence suggests that these trends may have in part been a result of uncertainty ahead of the election, they are also reflective of deeper underlying problems. The downward trend in owner-occupation rates across the country is a visible sign that affordability constraints bite ever deeper, as does the squeeze on household budgets from higher rents.

Commenting on the picture in the East Midlands Chris Charlton FRICS, said: “Surprisingly buoyant market given ‘election fever’. There have been a great number of new listings up to £1.5 million across our region. Concerns will inevitably grow post-election outlook over the next few weeks so we will continue to hold our breath.”

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist, said: “It is conceivable that the decisive outcome to the election could encourage a pick-up in instructions to agents and ease some of the recent upward pressure on house prices but it is doubtful that this will be substantive enough to provide anything more than temporary relief. Alongside an increased flow of second hand stock, it is absolutely critical that new government focuses on measures to boost the flow of new build.’’

Jeremy Blackburn, Head of Policy, said: “The affordability and availability of homes in the UK is now a national emergency and addressing this crisis must be the priority for the new government. The last time we were building 300,000 homes was in 1963 under Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government, which utilized both public and private building.

RICS calls for a coherent and coordinated house building strategy, across all tenures. This should include measures that will kick-start a supply-side revolution, such as mapping brownfield, addressing planning restrictions and creating a housing observatory to assess the underlying economic and social drivers of housing and provide the impetus for solutions.

Introducing demand-side measures, such as extending ‘Right to Buy’, will not see the Conservatives deliver on their promise of 1m homes by 2020.”