UK house prices are stabilising while rents are hitting new records, according to official figures.
The average UK house price fell by 0.2% in the 12 months to February, slowing from a decrease of 1.3% in the 12 months to January.
Across the UK, the average house price was £281,000, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
In the 12 months to February, average house prices fell in England to £298,000 (a 1.1% decrease), fell in Wales to £211,000 (a 1.2% decline) and increased in Scotland to £188,000 (a 5.6% rise).
The ONS said the rise in Scotland's annual inflation rate in recent months "is more reflective of Scotland's average house price falling this time last year, rather than increasing in recent months".
Meanwhile, average house prices increased by 1.4% to £178,000 in the year to the fourth quarter of 2023 in Northern Ireland.
Across the UK, private rents increased by an estimated 9.2% in the 12 months to March, up from 9% in the 12 months to February - marking the highest annual increase since the UK data started in January 2015.
The average private rent in Britain was £1,246 in March, which is £104 higher than 12 months earlier, the ONS said.
In England, the typical private rent was £1,285 in March, up 9.1% (£107) from a year earlier. This was the highest annual rise since records started in 2006.
In Wales, rent increases held steady, rising by 9% (£60) compared with a year earlier. The average private rent for Wales was £727 in March - unchanged from the 12 months to February, the ONS said.
The average private rent in Scotland was £947 in March, up by 10.5% (£90) from a year earlier.
Scotland's annual inflation rate has been generally slowing since a record-high annual rise of 11.8% in August 2023, the report said.
Northern Ireland figures were only available up to January 2024. Average private rents in Northern Ireland increased by 10.1% in the 12 months to January - the highest annual rise since records started in 2016.
ONS head of housing market indices Aimee North said today's figures show a mixed picture.
"Average UK house prices fell again over the year, but less steeply than in previous months. Meanwhile UK rental prices continue to set new records," she said.
Jake Finney, an economist at PwC UK, said the small 0.2% annual fall in house prices across the UK potentially signals "that we are approaching the end of the housing market correction".
"Ultimately, the extent of the recovery will depend upon the pace and scale of the Bank of England's rate cuts which are expected later this year," he said.
"On the flip side, private rental inflation continues to reach new highs, adding to the cost-of-living pressures facing households," he added.
The figures were released on the same day the ONS said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation eased back to 3.2% in March, from 3.4% in February.
It was the lowest level of inflation since September 2021, although economists had predicted a slightly lower reading of 3.1% for the month.
