Real Estate

UK house prices fall for 3 months in a row, first time since 2009 - Nationwide

he early morning sun shines on houses in Bristol on August 7, 2009 in Bristol, England.
Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images

British house prices fell for a third consecutive month in May for the first time since 2009, according to a survey on Thursday that underlines the housing market's slowdown since last year's Brexit vote.

House prices fell 0.2 percent month-on-month in May, compared with a 0.4 percent drop in April, mortgage lender Nationwide said. A Reuters poll of economists pointed to a drop of 0.1 percent.

Year-on-year, house prices were 2.1 percent higher, slowing sharply from growth of 2.6 percent in April.

"It is still early days, but this provides further evidence that the housing market is losing momentum," said Robert Gardner, Nationwide chief economist.

"Moreover, this may be indicative of a wider slowdown in the household sector, though data continues to send mixed signals in this regard."