UK house prices rise in February as chancellor avoids ‘negative speculation’

Rachel Reeves’s upcoming spring forecast has not led to slowdown, as property tax rumours did in NovemberBusiness live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesHouse prices in the UK increased in February, avoiding a repeat of the “negative speculation” that depressed the market before last November’s budget, as Rachel Reeves prepares to present the spring forecast on Tuesday.The average price of a home rose to £273,176 last month, up by 0.3% from the month before, according to Nationwide, the UK’s biggest building society. It matched January’s monthly increase, and was above analysts’ forecasts of a 0.2% gain. The annual growth rate remained steady at 1%. Continue reading…