• House prices in the three months to October were 5.2% higher than in the same three months of 2015

• Prices in the last three months (AugustOctober) were 0.1% higher than in the preceding quarter

Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: "House prices in the three months to October were largely unchanged compared with the previous quarter. The annual rate of growth continued on its recent downward trend, easing to 5.2%. "Activity levels, like house price growth, have softened compared with a year ago. Home sales, however, appear to have stabilised in recent months following the distortions earlier in the year due to the changes to stamp duty in April".