House prices are increasing in London, as the average property value went up from £228,334 in October to £230,852 in December, according to estate agents haart.

House prices are increasing in London, as the average property value went up from £228,334 in October to £230,852 in December, according to estate agents haart.

The company argues that this is due to the fact the market has been steady for such an elongated period. It also speculates that the influx of buyers will continue into the new year.

Paul Smith, haart's chief executive, said: "We are seeing higher levels of activity and house prices creep up, as confidence has started to return and buyers are realising that the market is not going to crash."

However, those who did invest in November managed to procure a bargain, as those who bought property managed to get on average 3.6 per cent off the asking price, compared to 2.75 per cent in October.

There was variation in house price rises across London, as while houses in south-east London rose by 1.5 per cent, property in west London witnessed an increase of 2.8 per cent.