Average House Prices

The government's official house price index, published by the DCLG, says prices were rising at 9.9% a year in December, up from 8.8% in November.

That pushed the average UK house price up to £201,090.

The DCLG inflation rate is similar to other surveys, but the Halifax and the Nationwide say actual prices are lower.

It is not the first time that the average house price has been put at more than £200,000 by a survey.

Last November the Land Registry quarterly report for July to September said prices during the summer had broken through the £200,000 level to stand at £211,453.

For their part, the Halifax and the Nationwide say average prices, based on samples of their own mortgage lending, stand at £188,623 and £173,325 respectively.

"The DCLG data tend to provide lagging evidence on house prices, as the office calculates its index at the time when mortgages are completed," said Howard Archer of Global Insight.

No slowdown yet

Despite reporting different price levels, due to different sampling techniques, there is no doubt that the surveys are all showing the same thing - that house prices have been accelerating across the country.