People selling houses in the UK are benefitting from a market that is improving faster than that of most European neighbours, a leading body has claimed.

The UK property market is one of only five in Europe that saw average house prices rise in 2009, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

In the 2010 European Housing Review, Rics put the slump in the UK market into context, by showing that countries such as Ireland and Spain saw falling prices, with a dramatic decline in many Baltic countries.

"Housing markets around the fringe of Europe are still dragging down economies in a vicious circle and all European housing markets continue to face credit constraints and great uncertainty," said report author professor Michael Ball.

Improvements in the UK market in 2009 highlight the dramatic collapse that preceded it as much as any "true recovery", the report warns.

However, it does seem that the market has "bottomed out", Professor Ball added.

The average house price dropped by one per cent in February, according to figures published by Nationwide.

Bad weather and the end of stamp duty relief have been blamed for the fall, with analysts waiting to see if this is just a blip or the start of a larger trend.