The Press Association: Homeowner confidence on the slide

The Press Association: Homeowner confidence on the slide

London homeowners have bucked a national trend shown in a survey of confidence in a house market recovery reaching its lowest point in a year.

Homeowners in the capital became more confident about the value of their property, boosted by interest from overseas buyers.

The property website said 72% of Londoners expect average values in the capital to rise over the next six months, up from 68% the previous quarter.

Those in London predicted property prices will grow by an average of 4.7% over the first half of 2012, an increase on the 3.6% expected in the previous quarter.

Most people surveyed by property website Zoopla (55%) expect prices to climb in their area over the next six months, but this "cautious optimism" is at its lowest point since the end of 2010, when 54% expected to see rises.

Price increases of 2.2% are typically expected over the next six months, down from 2.7% when the survey was carried out in the previous quarter, suggesting that wider economic concerns have hit consumer confidence.