British house prices rose by 1.3 percent in the three months to December, compared with the same period in 2017, according to figures published by mortgage lender Halifax on Tuesday.

Halifax's house price index showed that house prices in the fourth quarter were 0.4 percent lower than in the preceding three months.

In December, the average house price across Britain was 229,729 pounds (about 292,203 U.S. dollars), up 2.2 percent than the previous month.

Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax, said: "A stronger monthly growth figure for December improved from a weaker November. Overall, house price growth in 2018 was very much within the range of 0-3 percent as we forecast at the start of the year."

"In 2019, we're expecting continued stability in house prices with between 2 percent and 4 percent price inflation," Galley said.

He added that the expectation will clearly depend on the Brexit result, with a number of other factors impacting the market in 2019.

"The shortage of homes for sale and continuing low levels of housebuilding both constrain the supply of houses, and in turn support high prices, which will continue to inhibit demand in 2019," he added.