Official UK house prices up 1.2% annually in February as ONS benchmark catches up with lead indicators

The official UK House Price Index rose 1.2% in the year to February, up from 1.0% in January — the lagging ONS benchmark finally catching up with what Rightmove and Nationwide showed earlier in spring. Scotland (+2.3%) and Wales (+2.5%) outran England (+0.8%), with Northern Ireland still leading the pack. For sellers pricing into spring listings, the signal is modest upward momentum — not a boom, but enough to hold firm on realistic asking prices.