How can you tell if a house is overpriced?
Divide the asking price by the floor area on the home's energy certificate, then compare it with the price per square metre that similar homes nearby sold for.
If it is well above the local range, ask the agent what justifies it. Across England and Wales the median was £3,361 per m², from £2,184 in the North East to £6,381 in London.
That is from 52,555 sales linked to an official property reference. Most sold from June to August 2026, because HM Land Registry's links, first published in August 2026, cover only sales added to its records since then.
Work out the price per square metre
- Find the home's energy certificate. The agent should have it, or you can search the register by postcode. Our free check shows it too.
- Note the total floor area. It is given in square metres.
- Divide the asking price by the floor area.
For example, a home with a floor area of 92 m² and an asking price of £325,000 works out at £3,533 per square metre.
The certificate measures the total enclosed floor area to the inside face of the outside walls, so using it for every home compares like with like. It also gives the energy rating, which affects running costs.
Compare it with what sold nearby
Compare with the same type of home in the same area, sold in the last year or two. Our sold prices tool lists the sales for a postcode, and how to find out what a house sold for explains which sales the records leave out.
Each postcode district page gives its own price per square metre where at least 20 sales have a floor area. Enter an asking price and floor area, and it compares them with homes of the same type and a similar size, as in NG5 in Nottingham.
Sale prices for one type of home in one district vary a lot: in the typical case, the top of the middle half was 44% above the bottom, before allowing for size.
This compares sale prices, not price per square metre. It is the median across 7,243 pairs of district and home type with at least 30 standard sales, sold between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2026.
A home priced a little above the median is not unusual. One priced above most local sales needs a reason, such as a bigger garden, parking or recent work.
What homes sell for per square metre
| Region | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £6,382 | £6,003 | £6,456 | £6,615 |
| South East | £4,753 | £4,484 | £4,063 | £3,684 |
| East of England | £3,933 | £3,889 | £3,919 | £3,808 |
| South West | £3,883 | £3,563 | £3,353 | £3,125 |
| West Midlands | £3,486 | £3,072 | £2,706 | £2,500 |
| East Midlands | £3,158 | £2,797 | £2,475 | £2,290 |
| North West | £3,230 | £2,778 | £2,188 | £2,611 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £3,118 | £2,618 | £2,131 | £2,275 |
| Wales | £3,009 | £2,604 | £2,059 | £2,414 |
| North East | £2,619 | £2,128 | £1,642 | £1,797 |
Worked out by UK Property Check from 52,555 standard sales that HM Land Registry linked to a property reference number, with floor areas from energy certificates.
The sales were made between 29 August 2024 and 28 August 2026, 58% of them from June to August 2026.
Our inference: a sample weighted to the summer months may differ from a full year of sales. Treat these figures as a guide to the local range. The sample grows each month as more links are published.
Across England and Wales, flats had the highest median, at £3,733 per square metre. That probably reflects where they are: 29% of the flats were in London, against 9% of all homes.
Outside London, detached houses sold for more per square metre than flats in every region. Compare a flat with other flats, and a house with houses of the same type.
When price per square metre misleads
- Outside space and parking. A garden or a driveway adds value but no floor area.
- Condition. A home that needs a new kitchen, roof or rewiring should sit below homes that do not.
- Work since the certificate. An extension or loft conversion added after the certificate will not be in its floor area.
- The listing's own figure. Agents may measure differently. Use the certificate for every home you compare.
- Unusual homes. Very large homes, listed buildings and homes with land are hard to compare this way.
At the viewing, the viewing checklist helps you spot condition problems, and the questions for the agent cover recent work and what is included.
Using it in your offer
Multiply the home's floor area by the bottom and top of the local middle half of prices per square metre. That gives a price range to adjust for the things above.
Use the district figure for the same type and a similar size. An area or regional figure is too broad for this. Our guide to how much to offer on a house works through an example.
Ask the agent
- Where does the floor area on the listing come from?
- Has the home been extended or had a loft conversion since the energy certificate?
- What is included in the sale, such as parking or a garage?
- Is there any work the home needs that is reflected in the price?
Related questions
What is a good price per square metre?
There is no single good figure, because it depends on the area and the type of home. Compare a home only with similar homes sold nearby: our district pages show the local range where enough sales have a floor area.
How do I convert square feet to square metres?
Divide the square feet by 10.764. A 1,000 sq ft home is about 93 m². To go the other way, multiply square metres by 10.764.
Is price per square metre a valuation?
No. It is a quick way to compare asking prices with sales. A valuation also looks at the condition, the plot, the street and recent sales of very similar homes.