House prices were driven up again in April as the data showed the third consecutive monthly decline in supply with new instructions falling at their fastest rate since May 2009, according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey. While 33% more surveyors saw prices rise in April, the highest reading since last summer, new instructions slipped to a net balance of -21% - the eighth consecutive drop in the last nine months. Moreover, the flow of second hand stock onto the market dropped in most parts of the country.RICS says anecdotal evidence suggests the trends may in part been a result of uncertainty ahead of the election, but they are also reflective of deeper underlying problems. “The downward trend in owner-occupation rates across the country is a visible sign that affordability constraints bite ever deeper, as does the squeeze on household budgets from higher rents.”