House prices rose by 1.2% in January compared with the previous month, according to the latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society.
The lift at the start of 2010 pushed up the annual increase in prices by 8.6%.
The Nationwide's chief economist, Martin Gahbauer, predicted that year-on-year prices would move above 10% in February.
The average UK home costs £163,481, following the ninth monthly property price rise in a row.
The three-month on three-month rate, regarded as a less volatile measure of house prices, saw prices rise by 2.1% in January, down slightly from 2.3% in December.
