Originally published 19 May 2025. Historical market snapshot; figures relate to May 2025.
Rightmove’s May 2025 House Price Index reported that the average asking price of newly marketed homes reached £379,517. The portal recorded a 0.6% monthly increase, equal to £2,335, and a 1.2% rise compared with a year earlier. That was a record in the index at the time, but the monthly increase was the smallest May rise since 2016.
These numbers describe sellers’ advertised prices, not what buyers ultimately paid. Rightmove’s report measured asking prices on properties listed by agents between 6 April and 10 May 2025. It is a snapshot of new instructions on one property portal. It should not be treated as a complete count of every UK home, a completed-sales index or a current 2026 valuation.
The report also described a more subdued late-spring market after a busy start to 2025. Rightmove said buyer enquiries in April were 4% below April 2024, while sales agreed during the month were 5% higher than a year earlier. New properties coming to market were reported 14% ahead of the same time in 2024. These measures refer to different stages of the process: an enquiry is not an offer, and a sale agreed is not necessarily completed. Chains can fall through and the final transaction price can differ from the asking price.
The combination of more homes advertised and slower enquiries helps explain why a record headline can sit alongside a modest monthly rise. Sellers were competing for buyers’ attention, so asking-price expectations mattered. The figures do not prove that every location, type of home or seller experienced the same conditions. Local supply, property condition and buyer demand can vary considerably.
For anyone reading the report today, its value is historical: it shows what Rightmove’s portal data suggested about newly advertised prices and market activity in spring 2025. It cannot tell a buyer or seller what a home is worth now. For current decisions, compare recent completed sales for similar properties and consult up-to-date local evidence.
Takeaway
In May 2025, Rightmove recorded a £379,517 average asking price for newly marketed homes, up 0.6% over the month. Keep the date and measure attached to the number: it was an asking-price snapshot, not today’s market price or a record of completed sales.