UK house prices rise at fastest annual pace since 2016

home1 FILE PHOTO: Office and residential buildings are seen in the city centre, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Oxford, Britain, September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) – British house prices rose in October at the fastest annual rate since June 2016, although there were signs of fading momentum as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, mortgage lender Halifax said.

House prices rose 7.5% in October compared with a year earlier, compared with annual growth of 7.3% in September, Halifax said.

But in October alone, house prices rose 0.3% – the weakest growth in four months.