Sentiment in the housing market rebounded "across the board" in April, thanks to better weather and hopes of a post-election bounce, according to the results of the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors latest survey.

According to the survey 17 per cent more chartered surveyors reported a rise than a fall in house prices, an increase from the nine per cent balance in March. London saw the strongest rise in sentiment, with 55 per cent more surveyors reporting rising house prices, up from 32 per cent in the previous month.

The only regions not reporting a rise in prices were Wales and Yorkshire and Humberside.

Activity in the housing market is expected to jump in the next few months as many surveyors are expecting a bounce following the election, despite it resulting in a hung parliament and ongoing uncertainty as to who will form the government.

Sales expectations rose to a net balance of 25 per cent, up from six per cent in the previous month. Price expectations also rose from a negative balance of two per cent to a positive seven per cent.

The survey also found that the newly agreed sales net balance reached a positive reading of 12 per cent, up from a negative balance of eight per cent in March. In London the net balance of newly agreed sales rose from one per cent to 45 per cent.

The average number of completed sales jumped for the first time in three months to 17.4 per cent per surveyor, in addition the average stock of property on surveyor's books declined by six per cent from the previous month to 61 properties per surveyor - leading to a rise in the sales to stock ratio from 25 per cent to 28 per cent.

The survey saw a net balance of 11 per cent of surveyors report a rise in new instructions, while new buyer enquiries increased eight per cent.

Jeremy Leaf, Spokesman for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, said, "For much of 2010, the housing market has been under the shadow of the general election with the gap between supply and demand growing wider as potential house buyers opted to stand on the sidelines awaiting the outcome of the poll.

"However, the start of spring has seen renewed optimism with the good weather improving sentiment and surveyors expecting an increase in both sales and house prices. The housing market often sees an increase in new instructions in the early part of the year with sales boosted in the spring and this year has been no exception."