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business/news//The Telegraph
Property values dropped by 0.6pc between April and May, according to the Nationwide house price index.
UK house prices fell 0.6% between April and May, the first decline this year.
KEY POINTS
The Renters’ Rights Act enforcement prompted many landlords to exit, increasing housing supply significantly.
Mortgage rates surged after the Iran war, reaching 5.68% for typical two-year fixed deals.
A typical buyer now spends 37% of their salary on mortgages, up from 28% pre-pandemic.
The Bank of England held interest rates due to Middle East conflict, contrary to earlier rate cut expectations.
House prices fell last month as the property market was hit by the Iran war and Angela Rayner’s crackdown on landlords.
Property values dropped by 0.6pc between April and May, according to the Nationwide house price index, marking the first decline this year.
The value of the average home dropped to £278,024 as mortgage rates surged and growing numbers of landlords exited the market.
The downturn came as the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, giving tenants more protections against eviction.
Many landlords have left the market as a result of the reforms, which were championed by former deputy prime minister Ms Rayner. It has resulted in a flood of new homes coming onto the market, depressing sales values.
Chris Barry of property lawyers Thomas Legal said: “The Renters’ Rights Act enforcement has certainly sparked a wave of new stock to the market as independent and accidental landlords exit the market. This could drive a reduction in house prices as supply starts to outpace demand.
“I’m having conversations with landlords on a daily basis who are deciding to cash in on their investment and put their money elsewhere which is lower risk and a smaller demand on their time.”
Rob Wood of Pantheon Macroeconomics said: “Any increase in supply of properties for sale from landlords would likely weigh on house prices over time, and also of course boost rents.”
The drop in house prices was much steeper than the 0.2pc fall expected.
Mortgage rates have surged since the start of the Iran war, with the typical two-year fixed deal at 5.68pc on Friday, compared to 4.83pc at the end of February.
In May, a typical buyer has had to pay 37pc of their salary on their mortgage, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the pre-pandemic level of 28pc, according to Hamptons.
The Iran war has forced the Bank of England to keep interest rates on hold at 3.75pc, effectively tightening financial conditions because traders had expected rate cuts this year.
Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide, said the conflict had also hit confidence in the housing market.
He said: “Given the uncertainty caused by developments in the Middle East and the subsequent rise in energy prices and market interest rates, some loss of momentum was to be expected.”
Ashley Webb, senior UK economist at Capital Economics, said: “House prices are more likely to weaken a bit further over the coming months than strengthen.”