House prices increased slightly, by 0.4%, in Arun in May, new figures show. The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 3% over the last year. The average Arun house price in May was £361,347, Land Registry figures show – a 0.4% increase on April. Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South East, where prices decreased 0.9%, and Arun was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change. Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Arun rose by £10,000 – putting the area 37th among the South East’s 64 local authorities with price data for annual growth. The highest annual growth in the region was in Winchester, where property prices increased on average by 10%, to £518,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Elmbridge lost 4.7% of their value, giving an average price of £665,000. First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in Arun spent an average of £282,300 on their property – £7,500 more than a year ago, and £58,000 more than in May 2018. By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £412,600 on average in May – 46.2% more than first-time buyers. Property types Owners of flats saw the biggest rise in property prices in Arun in May – they increased 0.9%, to £193,896 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 2.2%. Among other types of property: How do property prices in Arun compare? Buyers paid 7.1% less than the average price in the South East (£389,000) in May for a property in Arun. Across the South East, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £286,000. The most expensive properties in the South East were in Elmbridge – £665,000 on average, and 1.8 times the price as in Arun. Elmbridge properties cost 2.7 times the price as homes in Southampton (£243,000 average), at the other end of the scale. The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea. Factfile Average property price in May Annual growth to May Highest and lowest annual growth in the South East