The UK’s house price growth over the past year may have been modest on average, but new analysis suggests a handful of less obvious locations have been doing the heavy lifting.
Research from estate agency network eXp UK shows average UK house prices rose by 1.7% year on year, a steady performance in a market dominated by political and economic uncertainty. Yet three local authorities recorded double-digit growth, underlining that strong momentum is still bubbling up in unexpected corners of the country.
North East Derbyshire topped the rankings, with average prices climbing 10.5% over the past year. It was followed closely by Melton in the East Midlands, up 10.4%, and Oldham in the North West, where values rose 10.3%.
A second tier of strong performers sat just below double digits. Mid Ulster and Derry City and Strabane both delivered close to 10% annual growth, while East Cambridgeshire and Argyll and Bute posted increases of more than 9%. Hartlepool also made the top ten, recording 9.0% growth.
Adam Day, head of eXp UK and Europe, said the results show the market is still finding pockets of outperformance even while the national picture remains subdued.
“While the national picture shows a steady but relatively modest rate of appreciation, it’s clear there are still pockets of the market delivering incredibly strong growth, despite wider uncertainty,” he said. “What is particularly interesting is that many of the top performers are not the usual hotspots we associate with rapid price rises, underlining the ever-evolving diversity of the UK housing market.”
For investors, the list reinforces a familiar theme: affordability and value-led markets can outperform when higher-priced areas stall. Many of the strongest movers sit outside the traditional southern “hot zones”, where stretched affordability and transaction costs tend to cap growth. In contrast, regional markets with lower entry prices can still attract buyers, and, in turn, sustain faster price rises.
The wider takeaway is that the UK property market remains fragmented. National averages may look calm, but locally the story can be very different, and in 2025, it’s been places like North East Derbyshire, Melton and Oldham that have quietly led the charge.
