The Land Registry’s house price index recorded a 6.4% increase in house prices for January – 0.3% down from December’s increase of 6.7%. The index reveals similar results to those of the Hometrack National Housing Market Survey, released on Monday 25 January. This also showed five successive monthly falls in house price growth. According to the Land Registry’s index, the average UK house price currently stands at £186,045.

London’s rate of annual house price growth, currently 13.1%, remains stronger than the average for England and Wales. Wales recorded the lowest regional annual rise of 1.3%.

A house in the nation’s capital currently costs £357,976 on average, with detached houses priced higher than all other property types at £278,362.

Nicholas Leeming, spokesperson for website propertyfinder, said: “January was better for the housing market than people feared and prices rose, albeit slowly. The foundations of the housing market are solid – there is still an undersupply of family homes and the labour market is strong so we are not seeing forced sales. But people want much greater clarity on the outlook for interest rates and they want mortgage lenders to pass any rate cuts on. The rental market is where the main activity is to be seen.”