ONS figures suggest modest housing market growth but experts warn confidence will ebb
UK house prices rose by 1.3% in the year to January 2026, down from the revised estimate of 1.9% in the 12 months to December 2025. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 0.3% between December 2025 and January 2026, compared with an increase 0.4% from the same period […]
Inflation remains at 3% as experts warn of geopolitical impact
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January. On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.4% in February 2026, the same rate as in February 2025. “Inflation holding firm in February is quite literally the calm before the storm as we […]
OPDA calls for coordinated long-term strategy to build national housing resilience
The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) is urging the government to adopt a more coordinated, long-term housing strategy, and warns the UK property market remains dangerously exposed to global shocks without deeper structural reform. The Iran conflict has again revealed how vulnerable the UK housing market is to geopolitical instability, OPDA chair Maria Harris says, […]
Young home buyers rely on parents and TikTok for information, Lloyds research finds
Parents are the most trusted source of information for prospective homeowners, according to new research from Lloyds Banking Group, with TikTok the source of choice for a third of young buyers. The study of 2,000 prospective first-time buyers reveals the ‘knowledge bank of mum and dad’ now ranks above mortgage brokers, estate agents and even lenders when it comes to […]
Why ‘AI says so’ isn’t good enough
In the third of his weekly series, Ed Molyneux explains why provenance – knowing where data came from and how conclusions were reached – is the difference between AI that helps your practice and AI that threatens it. Last week I wrote about where AI excels and where it fails in conveyancing. The response […]