Signs have been mounting of a slowdown in Britain's property market, so what are the prospects for this year?

A total 1.4 million people will see their fixed rate mortgage deal end in the early part of this year, and each will be forced to pay an average of £200 per month more to meet the cost of servicing their home loans.

Tighter lending conditions could add pain to consumers already mortgaged to the hilt - outstanding housing debt stands at more than a trillion pounds - and household finances look set to be stretched further by rising food and energy costs, as wages fail to keep pace with inflation.

This will lead to a record 130,000 people being declared insolvent during this year, according to accountant KPMG, and financial woes, say some experts, will severely dent consumer confidence and exacerbate the housing market slowdown following a period of record growth.

House prices have risen 179 per cent over the past 10 years from an average price of £70,000 in late last year.

Others, however, believe the market is more resilient, with demand continuing to stoke prices.

Here are some housing market predictions for this year:

• Property investment company Assetz predicts annual growth of 5 per cent due to demand continuing to outstrip supply, bolstered by strong immigration.

Chief executive officer Stuart Law says: "While we are currently experiencing a lot of negative sentiment in the property market, this is actually no reason to set the alarm bells ringing.

• Estate agent Hamptons International puts overall house price growth at three to four per cent. The introduction of home information packs (HIPs) will contribute to a sluggish property market early this year, with growth below one per cent, but that will pick up in the second quarter, it says.

Prime central and north London will outperform south London, with growth pencilled in at four per cent and three per cent respectively.

• Estate agent Spicerhaart anticipates house price inflation of two per cent, as remortgaging helps to support the market.

Steve Cox, operations director of Spicerhaart Financial Services, says: "The credit crunch does seem set to continue into 2008.

"This will produce a subdued environment characterised by low average price growth of around two per cent, although some areas, such as regeneration hotpots, will prove more buoyant."

• Independent chartered surveyor Allied Surveyors anticipates house price growth of between one and two per cent.

City centre flats and former local authority housing stock will see a decline in value in some locations, and there is a danger of an increase in repossessions.

• Property website propertyfinder.

com expects average house price growth of 0 to 2.5 percent.

Two extremities of the market - new-build flats and premium London properties - might prove more vulnerable in a slowdown, it believes.

• Halifax, Britain's largest mortgage lender, forecasts house price growth to be flat overall.

It expects modest growth across parts of southern England and Scotland, but worsening affordability and weakening economies will cause a modest fall in prices in northern England and the Midlands.

• The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors expects house prices to be broadly unchanged, but says the market could experience some near-term weakness.

Repossessions will rise from an annual 30,000 to 45,000 - equating to 123 per day - as the increase in the cost of borrowing begins to bite.