The booming housing market may be heading for a soft landing as demand shows signs of cooling down.

House prices in England and Wales rose by two per cent during the four weeks to February 13 but growth for the past 12 months slowed to 23.5 per cent from 26.5 per cent the previous year, according to property web site Rightmove.co.uk.

During the four weeks the number of people who contacted estate agents about selling their home rose by 14 per cent, while the number of inquiries from house hunters was down six per cent compared with this time last year.