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The amount of newly agreed house sales fell for the ninth month in a row, according to the latest RICS UK residential market survey.

The April data adds that all headline figures remain in negative territory, and that due to “Brexit uncertainty” and a continued lack of housing supply, this is unlikely to change in the near term.

However, the outlook for near-term sales did improve slightly within its negative parameters, moving from a -22 per cent reading in March to -11 per cent in April.

House prices rose in February at the slowest rate since September 2012 while in London house prices fell, the Office for National Statistics said.

Average house prices increased by 0.6% in the year to February 2019 but fell by 3.8% in London.

The ONS said inflation was stable at 1.9% in March as a rise in fuel prices from February was offset by falls in food prices.

The figures ease pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates.

The Bank of England targets inflation - the rate of price increases - at 2%.

More than two-thirds of homeowners who are looking to buy or sell property in the next six months said that the decision to leave the EU and ongoing uncertainty have had no impact on their plans, Legal & General Mortgage Club has found. 

Only 12% who had plans to buy in the next six months had delayed their decision because of Brexit, whilst one in 10 who were intending to sell had put their plans on hold.

Gross mortgage lending grew 2.5 per cent on an annual basis in February, according to new figures from UK Finance.

In total, £19.1bn was lent out in February 2019 compared to £18.6 the year before.

In January, UK Finance adds, £22.5bn was extended in mortgage loans, giving a month-on-month drop of 15 per cent.

The data also shows that last month there were 33,621 home purchases approved, a rise of 1.5 per cent on last year’s figure of 33,110, while remortgaging numbers fell annually from 25,999 to 24,281 – a drop of 6.6 per cent.

Gross mortgage lending across the residential market in January 2019 was £21.6bn, down 1.5% year-on-year, UK Finance’s household lending and deposits report has found.

The number of mortgages approved by the main high street banks in January 2019 was 0.3% higher than the same month the previous year; approvals for home purchase were 1.5% higher; remortgage approvals were 3.1% lower and approvals for other secured borrowing up 6.8%.

Annual house price growth hit a new peak of 6% in Scotland – surpassing England and Wales where price growth is below 1%, the Your Move Scotland House Price Index has found.

A 0.7% monthly increase took the average cost of a home in Scotland to £186,142 up from £175,541 a year before. The Scottish market’s growth dwarfs not just every region of England, but also Wales (up 3.6% annually) and even Northern Ireland (up 4.8%).

House price growth slowed to 0.5% in the year to December 2018, Nationwide’s House Price Index has found.

Prices fell by 0.7% from November to December to average at £212,281.

Annual house price growth has slowed considerably since December 2017, when it stood at 2.6%.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “UK house price growth slowed noticeably as 2018 drew to a close, with prices just 0.5% higher than December 2017.

UK house prices increased by 2.7% in the year to October, down from 3% in September, The ONS UK House Price Index has found.

This is the lowest annual rate of growth since July 2013, when it was 2.3%.

The region with the lowest annual growth was in London, where prices fell by 1.7% over the year to October, up from a fall of 1.8% in the year to September. The average house price was £231,000 in October 2018, £6,000 higher year-on-year.

The number of active conveyancing firms handling property transactions in England and Wales has fallen to the lowest figure since HM Land Registry began publishing its data, the Q3 2018 edition of the Conveyancing Market Tracker from Search Acumen has found.

The tracker which monitors business performance and competitive pressures in the conveyancing market, shows a consolidation of activity at the top of the market as bigger conveyancers take a higher market share.

Annual house price growth slowed to 0.3% in November from 1.5% in October, Halifax’s house price index found.

On a monthly and quarterly basis prices slowed by 1.4% and 1.1%.

Russell Galley, managing director, Halifax, said: “High employment, wage growth and historically low mortgage rates continue to make home ownership more affordable for many, though the need to raise a significant deposit still acts as something of a restraint on the market.