How to check house price history for free
The main free house price history checker is HM Land Registry's own: search a postcode or street to see recorded sale prices back to 1995 for England and Wales. For area trends, use the UK House Price Index. Neither gives a property's current value, so treat them as evidence rather than a valuation.
Free tools and what each one is for
| Tool | Best for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Search for house prices | Looking up one address | England and Wales only |
| Price paid data search | Postcode or street searches with filters | Recent months are incomplete |
| Check house price trends | Average prices by region, county or local authority | Averages, not individual homes |
| Price paid downloads | Working in a spreadsheet | The files have no column headings, so you need the field list |
Most people only need the second one. The sold price pages on many property websites draw on the same public records, so a figure that looks new on one site is often the same sale shown in a different layout.
Searching by postcode
A postcode search is usually more useful than a single address, because one sale tells you little without others to compare it with. In the price paid data search, enter the postcode and then narrow the results with these filters:
- Property type: detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat or maisonette, or other.
- New build or not, as new homes can behave differently from older ones on the same road.
- Estate type: freehold or leasehold.
- Transaction category: standard or additional. Standard is the better choice for like-for-like comparisons, as additional covers repossessions and sales to companies.
- Earliest and latest date, to keep the comparison recent.
If a postcode returns only a handful of sales, widen the search to the street name and town. Postcodes can be small, and one street can span several of them.
Comparing sales fairly
The hard part is choosing which sales really compare. A good comparison shares most of these:
- The same property type and tenure.
- A similar size. The price record does not include floor area, but an EPC often does, so you can work out a rough price per square metre.
- A recent date. Sales from several years ago say more about the market then than the market now.
- The same part of the street. A busy junction and a quiet end can differ even within one postcode.
Be cautious with outliers. A very low price might be a house in poor condition and a very high one might have been extended, and the record will not tell you which.
Bringing an old price up to date
If a house last sold ten years ago, you might want a rough sense of how the area has moved since then. The UK House Price Index can help:
- Open Check house price trends and choose the local authority.
- Find the average price for the month of the sale and for the latest month available.
- Work out the percentage change between the two.
- Apply that change to the old sale price and treat the answer as a loose guide only.
This is arithmetic on an area average, not a valuation. It ignores the condition of the house, any work done to it and how its street has done compared with the wider area.
Estimates are not records
Some free sites show an estimated current value next to the sold prices. That estimate comes from a model, and it is a different kind of information from the sale record. HM Land Registry publishes what was paid and does not estimate what a home is worth now.
Also remember that the newest data is always behind the market. HM Land Registry says data for the two most recent months is incomplete, so a quiet recent period on a street may only mean the sales have not been registered yet. Our guide to Land Registry sold prices explains the timing.
When a report adds something
If you only want prices, the free tools above are enough. A Doorstep Report is for when you want those sale records next to the energy rating, planning context, flood alerts and crime figures for the same address, each with its source and coverage notes. It covers England and Wales and does not value the property.
Questions, answered
Is there a free house price history checker?
Yes. HM Land Registry's price paid search is the official one, and you can use it without an account. It covers recorded sales in England and Wales from 1995.
Can I see house price history by postcode?
Yes. Enter just the postcode in the price paid data search and you will see the recorded sales there, which you can filter by type, tenure and date.
Are sold prices the same as what a house is worth?
No. A sold price is what was paid on one date. To form a view on today's price, look at recent comparable sales, and speak to a surveyor if you need a formal valuation.
Can I check house price history in Scotland?
Not through HM Land Registry. GOV.UK points to ScotLIS for Scottish prices and to Land and Property Services for Northern Ireland.