UK home costs are falling much less sharply as gross sales pessimism eases, in response to a survey of property brokers that means the property market is stabilising following the current surge in mortgage prices.

The Royal Establishment of Chartered Surveyors mentioned on Thursday that its home worth steadiness, which measures the distinction between the proportion of surveyors seeing rises and falls in home costs, rose to minus 39 final month from minus 43 in March.

That’s the highest determine in 5 months, and up from the 14-year low of minus 47 registered in February.

Respondents to the skilled physique’s ballot had been additionally much less pessimistic about future home costs, with expectations for the yr forward rising to minus 16 in April from minus 24 in March, and nicely above the minus 61 posted in November final yr.

The stronger figures got here after official information confirmed on Wednesday that most individuals in England and Wales of their early 20s had been opting to proceed dwelling with their dad and mom, notably in London, partly due to poor housing affordability.

Whereas noting that the majority indicators had “edged up . . . from the lows hit in the direction of the top of final yr”, RICS mentioned its findings nonetheless pointed to “a market struggling for momentum, with greater borrowing prices and a cautious financial outlook nonetheless the primary challenges”.

Agreed gross sales for April improved to minus 19, their highest degree since July final yr, however the measure monitoring new purchaser demand fell to minus 37 from minus 30 in March and February.

Thursday’s information echoes figures final week from mortgage supplier Nationwide, which confirmed home costs rose 0.5 per cent between March and April, and the Financial institution of England, which mentioned mortgage approvals hit a five-month excessive in March.

Borrowing prices have eased since reaching a peak in autumn final yr, after then prime minister Liz Truss introduced £45bn in unfunded tax cuts in her ill-fated “mini” Price range, though they continue to be greater than they had been earlier than September 2022.

Mortgages that monitor the BoE’s base price are prone to enhance additional as markets count on the central financial institution to lift rates of interest to a 15-year excessive of 4.5 per cent in a while Thursday. Nonetheless, customers on fixed-rate offers are benefiting from easing longer-term rate of interest expectations.

With many individuals unable to purchase a property, most surveyors advised RICS that they had seen higher rental demand, pushing rental costs nicely above common ranges for the previous 20 years.

Knowledge launched by the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics on Wednesday confirmed housing affordability persevering with to weigh on younger individuals, with extra selecting to remain dwelling with their dad and mom, particularly in London.

In 2021, multiple in 4 households within the capital had at the very least one grownup youngster — outlined as somebody aged over 18, or over 16 and never in training — within the house, the biggest proportion of any area in England, in response to the ONS.

The company mentioned housing affordability was a key issue behind the rising development. London was the least reasonably priced area for getting a property final yr, with a median employee spending 12.5 instances their annual earnings on the acquisition.