Home buyers in Utrecht are facing the highest increase in prices among the big four cities, according to new figures from national statistics agency CBS. Prices rose by an average of 8.8% in Utrecht in the first three months of the year, over four times the rise recorded in Rotterdam. 

In Amsterdam, prices are up by 5.3% and in The Hague 2.5%, the latest figures for completed deals show. 

Utrecht was the only region in which the number of transactions fell – dropping by 0.5%. In Zeeland, by contrast, the number of sales soared 22.5% over the first three months of the year. 

In March itself, house prices rose by an average of 5.4% on a year ago, the CBS said. The agency bases its figures on finalised sales reported to the land registry office Kadaster, and trails those published by the NVM estate agents organisation by several months. 

House prices have been rising since June last year, after going down for around 12 months as interest rates rose. 

The number of sales is also up almost 5% on a year ago. In the first three months of this year, 44,441 homes officially changed hands, a rise of almost 10% on a year ago, the CBS said.