October 2026 edition
The HPAI Swatch. Yellow is Hapi.
An area's character in one picture. Each tile compares the area with every other area in England and Wales, and its colour shows where it stands: the more yellow, the better it compares.
Relative value, at a glance
A figure on its own rarely tells you much. Is £5,200 a square metre a lot? Is 9 sales a month busy? It depends on how it compares. The HPAI Swatch answers that for you: for each measure, all 316 areas are ranked and split into 8 equal bands, and each band has its own colour. You don't need to read a number to see where an area is strong and where it is weak.
Yellow is always the good end. Where less is better, such as crime and carbon emissions, the bands are turned round, so a yellow crime tile means low crime compared with other areas. Yellow is sunshine, and sunshine is Hapi.
Reading a Swatch: Waltham Forest
This month's Hapiest area, first on the HPAI Property Index. The top row is how things are; the bottom row is which way they are moving.
This month's Hapiest areas
The top of the HPAI Property Index, which weighs all 12 tiles, so a weak spot counts against an area as well as its yellow. October 2026 edition.
Your Hapiest areas: what matters most to you?
"Best" depends on what you want. Tell us what matters and we'll rank all 316 areas for you, using the same HPAI Swatch.
The 12 measures
| Tile | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Price per m² | Median price per square metre over the last 12 months, all property types. |
| Sales a month | Average open-market sales a month over the last 12 months. More sales means a deeper market. |
| Energy efficiency | Average energy efficiency score of homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (higher is more efficient). |
| Population density | Residents per square kilometre. Denser areas have more shops, services and transport nearby. |
| Rail passengers | Rail station entries and exits a year across the district (Office of Rail and Road). |
| Recorded crime | Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents over 12 months. Lower crime is a higher band. |
| Price change | Change in the 12-month median price per square metre on a year earlier. |
| Sales change | Change in sales a month on a year earlier. |
| Carbon | Average carbon emissions of homes a year. Lower emissions is a higher band. |
| Population change | Change in population on a year earlier. |
| Passenger change | Change in rail passengers on a year earlier. |
| Crime change | Change in recorded crime on a year earlier. Falling crime is a higher band. |
What yellow does and doesn't mean
Yellow means good compared with other areas, not good for everyone. A yellow price tile means prices are among the highest, a sign of a sought-after area, but a first-time buyer may find better value in green or blue. A busy, dense area suits some people more than others. The Swatch shows how an area compares; what matters most is up to you.
The Swatch describes the area, not a particular property. A property's own value also depends on its size, condition and features: value a property for that.
Sources: HM Land Registry price paid data (open-market sales), Energy Performance Certificates, the Office for National Statistics (population), the Office of Rail and Road (station usage) and the Home Office (recorded crime). Updated every month; where an official source runs behind, we project it forward and say so in the area report.
Find your area's Swatch
Every local authority area in England and Wales has one. Or ask Hapi, our AI property guide, to explain any area's Swatch: the chat button is at the bottom right.
For analysts: each measure across all areas, and the HPAI Property Index with its weights (free account needed).
Ask Hapi