UK house prices grew 0% in a year. East of England rents rose 4 per cent. What the ONS May 2026 data means for Huntingdonshire.

What the ONS published on 20 May.

The May 2026 bulletin covers two datasets. The first is the Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), which from this release onwards is formally classified as official statistics, having previously been designated as statistics in development. The second is the UK House Price Index, which tracks completed sale prices registered with HM Land Registry and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Wales.

On rents: the UK average monthly private rent reached £1,381 in the 12 months to April 2026, a 3.5 per cent annual increase. In the East of England the average was £1,278 a month, up 4.0 per cent year on year. The highest rent inflation in England was in the North East at 6.5 per cent; the lowest was London at 2.0 per cent.

On prices: the UK average completed sale price was £268,000 in the 12 months to March 2026, representing 0.0 per cent annual growth. In England the average was £290,000, down 0.6 per cent year on year. The next detailed local authority breakdown, covering April 2026 sales, is scheduled for release on 17 June 2026.

The gap between those ONS completed-sale figures and the asking prices reported by Rightmove (£379,517 in May 2026) is worth understanding. Rightmove measures what sellers ask for when a home first lists. The ONS measures the price actually paid at completion, based on Land Registry registration data. The roughly £111,000 difference reflects negotiation, the two-to-four month lag between listing and completion, and the weight that aspirationally priced stock adds to the asking average.

Why prices barely moved at the national level.

The 0 per cent national figure reflects competing forces. Supply has risen: the number of homes listed for sale on Rightmove is at its highest for this time of year since 2015. With more choice, buyers are under less pressure than in 2022, which limits the urgency that pushed prices up in that period. At the same time, buyer activity year to date is running 3 per cent ahead of 2025, and mortgage rates have started easing during May as major lenders reduced their two-year fixed rates from around 5.42 per cent to approximately 5.18 per cent.

The national figure also conceals significant regional variation. Northern and Midlands cities are growing faster; London and parts of the South East are pulling the average down. The East of England sits in a more favourable position: well above the London-dragged national average on rents, and with pockets of consistent price growth around Cambridge and its employment corridor, including the biomedical campus and the science parks north of the city.

What it means if you are buying in Huntingdonshire.

Huntingdon and the wider patch continue to run well ahead of the national trend. The April 2026 ONS bulletin (published 22 April) put Huntingdonshire house prices at £308,000 in January 2026, provisional, up 3.3 per cent year on year. Private rents in the district averaged £1,044 a month in February 2026, up 4.1 per cent. Both figures significantly outperform the national averages reported in the May bulletin.

For anyone currently renting in the patch and weighing up a purchase, the arithmetic has shifted. Rents are rising faster than inflation. Mortgage rates are edging down. And while Huntingdonshire prices are still growing, they are not accelerating at the pace that prices out first-time buyers. Running your specific numbers now, before the next ONS release on 17 June brings updated local data, is worth the time.

If Cambridge access matters, the A14-corridor villages from Brampton through Godmanchester to St Ives offer direct A14 access to Cambridge at prices substantially below the city average. Our Huntingdon coverage includes all 56 patch villages.

What it means if you are selling.

The national 0 per cent figure is not Huntingdonshire's market. Local prices are still growing. But the higher supply nationally is being felt here too: buyers have more options, and anything that looks overpriced against recent completions in the same street is sitting longer. On the A14 corridor, well-priced homes continue to move within weeks. In the far west villages and parts of the fenland edge, accurate day-one pricing is more important than it was in 2022.

The rent data is separately relevant to landlords weighing up whether to sell or continue letting. With Huntingdonshire rents up 4.1 per cent and the Renters' Rights Act now governing how increases are applied on existing tenancies, the hold-versus-sell calculation has changed. Our lettings service covers landlord guidance across the patch.