вЂњWe normally see a seasonal market slowdown towards the end of the year, but we are witnessing a comparably active market instead,вЂќ said Guy Gittins, the chief executive at the real estate agent chain Chestertons. Other factors increasing homebuying were the governmentвЂ™s stamp duty holiday, which came to an end in England and Northern Ireland in September after finishing earlier in Scotland and Wales, and historically low interest rates. With the pandemic-fuelled shift to flexible, remote and home working, homebuyers have rushed to buy larger properties in picturesque and rural locations outside urban centres. вЂњParticularly around the extent to which savings accrued during the pandemic continue to boost housing transactions and prices, and how lasting the recent shifts in housing preferences prove to be.вЂќ вЂњThere is still a large degree of uncertainty around this forecast,вЂќ Galley said. Halifax expects strong housing price levels to be maintained вЂ“ the average UK house price is ВЈ272,992, almost ВЈ34,000 higher than at the start of the pandemic вЂ“ but that growth in 2022 would be between flat and 2%. вЂњWith the prospect that interest rates may rise further in 2022 to subdue rising inflation, and with government support measures phasing out, greater pressure on household budgets suggests house price growth will slow considerably,вЂќ said Russell Galley, the managing director of Halifax.

The Bank made its move after the Office for National Statistics said that UK inflation jumped to a 10-year high of 5.1% in November, as the price of petrol reached a record high and the global chip shortage pushed up car prices. The Bank of England raised interest rates on Thursday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, from 0.1% to 0.25%, and signalled further increases in the months ahead, potentially dampening appetite for spending as budgets come under strain.

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