New analysis by Zoopla shows the gap between house and flat prices across the UK is the widest it has been in 30 years – since records began.
The average price of a house is up 43% since 2016 across the UK, while flats have increased by just 10% over the same period. As such, the average house in the UK now costs 1.7 times the price of a typical flat, up from 1.3 times a decade ago.
Across the UK, the average flat costs £193,000 compared to £327,000 for a house. Outside London, the gap is even wider – a house now costs 2.3 times the price of a flat, up from 1.8 times in 2016.
In Scotland, where the long leasehold system does not apply, the ratio has barely changed in a decade, now standing at 1.9 times from 1.8 times in 2016, and largely unmoved in 30 years.
Zoopla says that affordability plays a key role in the growing gap between the price of a house and a flat. The flat-house price gap is widest in the Midlands and Northern regions, where houses are affordable enough that many first-time buyers skip flats entirely. Zoopla data shows that over 50% of first-time buyers outside London want to buy a three-bed house. In the West Midlands, a house costs 2.5 times a flat, the highest ratio of any English region.
In London, the ratio is lower at 1.9 times. House prices are much higher, meaning flats remain the only realistic route to property ownership for most buyers, with seven in ten London first-time buyers actively looking for a flat. This supports demand and keeps the house-flat ratio more in check.
The analysis also sees a similar picture in the time it takes to sell both property types. In Scotland, the median time to sell a flat is 15 days, the same as a house, a trend that has been broadly consistent for the last five years. Outside London, in England and Wales, flats take 42 days to sell, nine days longer than houses in the same market.
In London, it is 45 days for a flat versus 37 days for a house, a gap of eight days. Buyer hesitation around buying flats in England, due to greater complexity and increased uncertainty, is consistent across the country, and it shows in both price changes and the speed of sale.
Zoopla says that while uncertainty around buying flats is having a clear impact on the market, not all flats face the same challenges and the leasehold system is undergoing significant reforms. Ground rents have already been banned on new leases and the proposed Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill is looking to cap existing ground rents at £250 a year, ban the sale of new leasehold flats and make commonhold the default tenure for new-build flats. The Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament in autumn 2026, with Royal Assent targeted for 2027.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, commented:”The gap between house and flat prices has never been wider, and for buyers who are prepared to do their homework, that presents an opportunity. For many, flats remain the main route into home ownership, particularly in London and the South East, where the cost of buying a house is higher.”
“Buying a leasehold flat is more complex than buying a house – lease length, service charges and ground rent terms all matter and vary significantly from one property to the next. This complexity is not the same as risk, and the leasehold system is being actively reformed. Buyers who invest time to research and understand the system and get support can take advantage of the gap between flat and house prices. A well-managed building with a long lease and stable service charges is a very different proposition from a property with less clarity on service charges and a short lease.”
