Scotland and the North of England are emerging as the UK’s house price growth hotspots for 2026 while London and much of southern England continue to feel the drag of stretched affordability and higher mortgage costs.
New analysis from Zoopla, which ranked 120 postal areas across the UK, shows Scottish markets dominating the league table for growth prospects.
Motherwell tops the national rankings, with four other Scottish areas sitting in the top nine. Wigan in Greater Manchester is the only English market to break into that leading group.
Zoopla says these areas share a crucial advantage: low levels of unsold stock. With fewer homes hanging around on the market, sellers are having to make fewer price cuts and prices have more room to rise.
AROUND THE REGIONS
Across England, the best-performing markets are clustered in the North West and the Midlands. Wigan leads the English rankings, closely followed by Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent.
North West towns and cities make up six of the top ten markets nationally, underlining how far the balance of momentum has shifted away from the South.
These are locations where homes remain relatively affordable and well connected to large employment centres, keeping demand strong even with mortgage rates still well above their pre-pandemic lows. Prices in these areas sit below the UK average, and a lack of homes for sale is adding further upward pressure.
CAPITAL IMPACT
At the other end of the scale, Zoopla’s weakest growth prospects are concentrated in London and southern England. Higher prices, higher stamp duty and the after-effects of rising mortgage rates have pushed affordability to the limit in many southern markets, with some already recording single-digit price falls.
Several parts of London – including West Central, West, East Central, South West and North West – sit at the very bottom of the rankings. These areas have an average property price of more than £700,000 and much slower sales, with West Central London taking more than twice the UK average of 39 days to find a buyer.
While value is slowly returning to the capital after a decade of sluggish growth, Zoopla’s data suggests the real price action in 2026 will be north of the border and across the North of England.
NOT A ONE-SPEED MARKET
Alex Rose (main picture, inset), Commercial Director at Zoopla, says: “This data brings into sharp focus that there isn’t a one-speed national property market, with conditions varying significantly across the country.
“In places like Scotland and the North, sellers are benefiting from strong demand and faster sales, while in many Southern markets, success is more dependent on setting a competitive asking price to attract increasingly selective buyers.
“Agents who can clearly explain where their local market sits within this national picture and tailor their strategy accordingly, have a real opportunity to get ahead of the competition, win trust and instructions, and ultimately grow their business in 2026.”
MOVING TO THE RHYTHM
Kevin Shaw, National Sales Managing Director, LRG, adds: “This report captures the north – south story well. The point isn’t that one part of England is ‘winning’ – it’s that markets move to different rhythms.
“Many northern markets haven’t been on the same roller coaster as parts of the south. Property prices often rise in a steadier way in the good years so they tend to fall less when sentiment turns. The temperature is generally more consistent.
“By contrast, the south can overheat – and it can also catch a cold. Higher values can mean greater sensitivity to mortgage rates, affordability and confidence. That can translate into a longer adjustment period, even while demand for the right homes remains resilient.”
