Scots miss out on housing boom

Scotland is missing out on the surging housing market enjoyed by other areas of the UK, particularly the South-east of England, a report said yesterday.

During the second quarter of this year, house prices in Scotland rose by 3.2 per cent in comparison with the same period a year earlier, while prices for the UK generally went up by 6.7 per cent, said a survey from The Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish Homes.

The price increase in Scotland for the second quarter was just 0.3 per cent higher than in the previous three months, leaving the average house priced at pounds 57,905.

The report pointed out that UK growth was being driven by the southern regions, and that while Scottish house prices were lagging behind the UK trend, they were broadly in line with the trends in the north of England.