UK property market increased £57 billion in 2012

The total value of all homes in Britain grew £57 billion during 2012, bringing the combined value of Britain’s residential property stock to £5.963 trillion at the end of December, up 0.97 per cent from £5.906 trillion at the end of 2011 according to the latest data from property website Zoopla.

The 2012 increase in property values brings the total British market value back to the same level as at the end of 2009, following a gain of £67 billion in 2010 but a fall of £124 billion in 2011. The total market values were calculated by Zoopla.co.uk by combining the estimated current market value of every individual home in Britain.

Property values in England fared much better than Scotland and Wales during 2012, with the overall value of the residential property market in England growing by £64.8bn (1.2%), while falling by £1.2bn (-0.3%) in Scotland and by £6.6bn (-3.1%) in Wales.

Two thirds of the biggest 250 urban areas in Britain experienced increases in total property values in 2012. Among the 20 largest cities across Britain, the biggest gainers in 2012 by total increase in value were London (up £42.4 billion), Bristol (up £2.3 billion) and Edinburgh (up £922 million). The biggest value losers over 2012 were Sheffield (down £286 million), Doncaster (down £160 million) and Stoke-on-Trent (down £149 million).

Lawrence Hall of Zoopla.co.uk said: “These figures highlight the varying performance of the property market in different regions around the UK last year. While some areas saw decent growth in property values, others are still facing an uphill struggle.”

The figures show that the total value of all homes in Britain combined has risen by £1.9 trillion (46%) over the past ten years. Despite property values not rising in Scotland and Wales during 2012, they have actually outperformed property in England over the last decade with England experiencing a rise of 43% (£1.6 trillion) while Scotland has enjoyed 84% growth (£183bn) and Wales 57% growth (£74bn).

Peter Lawrence of Lawrence Rand said: “Whilst London prices have a major impact on the UK figures overall, it is clear that the market remained fairly robust during 2012 despite challenging economic conditions.

We expect the market to do even better in 2013 as greater confidence returns in line with economic improvements.”