Wales returned to the top of the table for annual house price inflation, up 14.7%, with an average property price of £222,639. Close behind is the South West of England, which also continues to record strong annual growth, up 14.3%, with an average property cost of £310,846. The annual growth rate in Northern Ireland eased slightly to 14.0%, with a typical home now costing £187,102. Scotland also saw a slight slowdown in annual house price inflation to 9.6% from 9.9%. A house in Scotland now costs an average of £203,677, another record high for the nation. While London continues to record slower annual house price inflation than the rest of the UK, the rate of 7.9% is the highest in almost five years. With an average property now costing £551,777, the capital’s already record average house price continues to rise, up £40,361 in the past year. It is still by far the most expensive place in the country to buy a home.