It's a brand new year, and it's a time when people start thinking of ways of improving themselves and their lives through the medium of new year's resolutions. Whether it's cutting down on food and drink, taking up activities and sport, or finding other ways to preserve what available income there might be coming into the home, as the year progresses, it might sometimes feel like you're fighting a losing battle.
With that optimism that comes to many at the start of a new year, you might be thinking seriously about moving home - perhaps to upgrade to a bigger place with a larger garden, or downsizing to a smaller home, or even releasing some of the equity within the home to fund the big projects you have in mind.
One of the ways of understanding what your options are is to look at the results over the last year, which is something that Lloyds Bank has investigated using the statistics gleaned over the last twelve months.
And, naturally, the price of a property will be uppermost in most buyers' and sellers' minds. Looking at Lloyds' analysis of the property market in 2025 against that from the previous year, Plymouth was the place that saw the highest growth in value (at 12.6%), followed by Stafford (12%) and Wigan (10.5%).
Which UK cities saw the biggest house price growth in 2025?
Plymouth led the way with 12.6% growth, followed by Stafford and Wigan:
Top 10 greatest growth in home values in UK cities (2024-2025)
Local area | Region | Average home value (2024) | Average home value (2025) | Growth in value (£) | Growth in value (%) |
Plymouth | South-West | £247,579 | £278,808 | £31,229 | 12.6% |
Stafford | West Midlands | £286,732 | £321,248 | £34,516 | 12.0% |
Wigan | North-West | £225,822 | £249,562 | £23,740 | 10.5% |
Wakefield | Yorkshire and The Humber | £263,381 | £286,268 | £22,887 | 8.7% |
Mansfield | East Midlands | £223,807 | £243,251 | £19,444 | 8.7% |
Woking | South-East | £518,453 | £560,499 | £42,046 | 8.1% |
Liverpool | North-West | £236,864 | £254,550 | £17,686 | 7.5% |
Rugby | West Midlands | £349,203 | £374,563 | £25,450 | 7.3% |
Falkirk | Scotland | £222,718 | £238,512 | £15,794 | 7.1% |
Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | £187,142 | £199,348 | £12.206 | 6.5% |
Source: Lloyds Bank Plc. 2025 vs 2024, rolling 12-month data to end October each year. Locations only included where Lloyds Banking Group has made a minimum of 150 mortgage offers in the period, all buyers excluding Buy to Let and Shared Ownership.
Where did UK house prices fall in 2025?
Just as important for buyers is understanding the locations where property prices have fallen - in part to inform about the likelihood of prices rising for a future sale, but also to identify where you might find a bargain. This is particularly important because you might be able to negotiate a lower price, too.
The expectation is that the biggest falls would be in various locations outside London and its commuter belt, but the figures show that that is not the case. So, while the prices are certainly high, there may be a few good bargains to be found, there.
Meanwhile, several areas saw values fall, with Crawley recording the biggest decline:
Top 10 biggest falls in home values in UK cities (2024-2025)
Local area | Region | Average home value (2024) | Average home value (2025) | Growth in value (£) | Growth in value (%) |
Crawley | South-East | £408,519 | £372,202 | -£36,317 | -8.9% |
High Wycombe | South-East | £471,373 | £436,379 | -£34,994 | -7.4% |
Chester | North-West | £363,529 | £340,415 | -£23,114 | -6.4% |
Solihull | West Midlands | £416,268 | £390,292 | -£25,976 | -6.2% |
Worcester | West Midlands | £353,701 | £331,977 | -£21,724 | -6.1% |
Cardiff | Wales | £327,656 | £310,577 | -£17,079 | -5.2% |
Cheltenham | South-West | £433,208 | £411,593 | -£21,616 | -5.0% |
Brighton | South-East | £425,129 | £404,874 | -£20,254 | -4.8% |
Barnsley | Yorkshire and The Humber | £226,176 | £215,552 | -£10,624 | -4.7% |
Stockport | North-West | £346,943 | £330,654 | -£16,289 | -4.7% |
Source: Lloyds Bank Plc. 2025 vs 2024, rolling 12-month data to end October each year. Locations only included where Lloyds Banking Group has made a minimum of 150 mortgage offers in the period, all buyers excluding Buy to Let and Shared Ownership.
How did UK regions and nations perform?
On the subject of the regions, Lloyds has also broken down the figures across each of the UK nations and regions, which shows that Northern Ireland has shown an impressive growth over the year, while London is the only region to stall with a slight fall.
Across the broader regions, Northern Ireland showed the strongest performance:
UK nations and regions growth in home values in UK cities (2024-2025)
Region | Average home value (2024) | Average home value (2025) | Growth in value (£) | Growth in value (%) |
Northern Ireland | £227,231 | £240,486 | £13,255 | 5.8% |
Scotland | £248,098 | £257,399 | £9,302 | 3.7% |
North-West | £271,798 | £281,722 | £9,933 | 3.7% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £261,355 | £270,856 | £9,501 | 3.6% |
South-West | £351,039 | £360,317 | £9,278 | 2.6% |
East Midlands | £290,635 | £297,588 | £6,953 | 2.4% |
Wales | £256,892 | £262,854 | £5,961 | 2.3% |
East of England | £409,044 | £417,897 | £8,853 | 2.2% |
West Midlands | £300,784 | £304,640 | £3,856 | 1.3% |
North-East | £222,938 | £224,725 | £1,787 | 0.8% |
South-East | £449,454 | £452,961 | £3,507 | 0.8% |
London | £574,855 | £574,514 | -£342 | -0.1% |
UK | £352,124 | £365,110 | £12,986 | 3.7% |
Source: Lloyds Bank Plc. 2025 vs 2024, rolling 12-month data to end October each year. Regional data shows all LBG mortgage offers in the region, no minimum sample applied.
As Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at Lloyds, commented on the findings:
"Our customers' dream homes are found in pockets around the UK and we've supported thousands of people to take their next home buying step this year - whether they're getting on the ladder for the first time or moving up. We've seen significant change in property values with some areas rising sharply, while others have cooled.
If you've got your heart set on a particular location, it's worth taking time out to do some research and see what's happening with prices there, as swings in value at a local level can make a big difference to how much you may need for a deposit, Stamp Duty or wider moving costs.
If you're open to exploring, you might find places where your money goes further.
Northern regions and Scotland are still generally more affordable than the south of England, with a huge amount to offer in terms of culture and history, alongside some of the most beautiful parts of the UK countryside.
While house prices play a role, choosing where to live is also about finding a place that feels right - a community you connect with, a commute that works for you, and a lifestyle that fits you.
When you're thinking about house hunting, getting mortgage advice early will help you to plan and setting a realistic budget, alongside factoring in extra costs like stamp duty and legal fees, will help make the process less daunting and keep your dream of homeownership on track."
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Whether you're buying, selling or releasing equity, our conveyancers at Homeward Legal provide a top-quality service with transparent, fixed-price quotes - what you're quoted is what you pay for the standard conveyancing process.
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