Home owners in the UK are more confident that the value of their home will rise over the next 12 months than at any time for nearly three years, data from the latest House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI) indicates.

The jump in optimism coincides with the launch of Help to Buy, the government’s multi billion pound mortgage support scheme, says the report compiled property firm Knight Frank and Markit, a leading economics consultancy.

The index report indicates that households perceive that the value of their home rose over the last month, the first time this has happened since June 2010.

In addition, the index also shows a surge in optimism over the future movement of house prices, signalling that households in every region expect the value of their home to rise over the next year.

Sentiment has been growing more positive in recent months, but April’s data marked a significant step change, with the future HPSI hitting a near three year high. However, a mixed picture persists across the UK regions. The number of London households expecting a year ahead rise in their property value outnumbers those that anticipate a drop by five to one, against a ratio of around four to one in the South East and three to one across the UK overall.