Low buyer demand and tariff uncertainty weaken market but likely to be ‘short-lived’ – RICS
The latest UK Residential Property Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reveals weak buyer demand across the country, with ongoing tariff wars creating an ‘increasingly challenging macro backdrop’. New buyer demand slipped to -32% in March, down from -16% in February – the weakest return since September 2023. ‘Virtually all parts of […]
Build-to-Rent sector attracted record investment of £5.2 billion in 2024
Insight from Excellion Capital reveals that the number of Build-to-Rent (BTR) homes in the UK has increased by an estimated 173% over the past five years, with a record £5.2 billion invested into the sector in 2024. The debt advisory and investments firm says BTR is rapidly eclipsing Build-to-Sell (BTS) as the most promising area […]
Tariffs trigger recession warning, lenders respond with cuts to mortgage rates
The director of Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned market instability caused by President Trump’s tariffs could send the UK into recession, prompting calls for the Bank of England to move faster and go further with interest rate cuts. “Unless something happens, we are certainly in for a period of much slower growth than […]
Tariffs trigger recession warning, lenders respond with cuts to mortgage rates
The director of Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned market instability caused by President Trump’s tariffs could send the UK into recession, prompting calls for the Bank of England to move faster and go further with interest rate cuts. “Unless something happens, we are certainly in for a period of much slower growth than […]
20% increase in year-on-year sales agreed could see market through post-SDLT blip
A 20% increase on agreed sales year on year could see the property market through any potential blip after the end of SLDT reliefs at the end of March. Although Propertymark’s latest Housing Insight Report paints a mixed picture of the sales market, with a decrease in the number of prospective buyers, there is a […]
Mortgage applications slow following SDLT deadline, annual growth rate remains steady
Demand is returning to normal after the March rush to complete house sales before the Stamp Duty (SDLT) deadline, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index. In a sign of market volumes, the lender said more customers completed sales in March than in January and February combined. However, Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at […]
Cost of fall throughs breaks £1bn in 2024
An estimated 300,000 aborted sales, at a cost of just under £3500 means fall throughs cost home buyers over £1bn in 2024 according to newly released analysis by estate agency eXp. The estate agency says an estimated 70,641 fall throughs occurred in Q4 2024 according to data from the TwentyCi Property & Homemover Report, down […]
FTBs account for over £100bn of property sales in 2024
First time buyers accounted for over £106bn worth of property sales in 2024 after a resurgence of activity in the sector after a fall in numbers in 2021. Reporting on figures produced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in 2023 the overall number of new first-time buyer (FTB) […]
‘Vital’ consumers remain confident in the property market as mortgage approval numbers released
It is ‘vital’ consumers remain optimistic about property market momentum as an expected fall in net borrowing in February compared to January has been reported in the latest Bank of England (BoE) Money and Credit report. Net borrowing decreased £900m in February having risen £800m in January 2025. The result is the annual growth rate […]
Conveyancers perform miracles ahead of Manic Monday
Conveyancers up and down the country have pulled out all the stops to help homeowners beat the SDLT deadline. With just a few hours to go until the latest stamp duty cliff edge, tales of heroics have been shared with this publication, and on social media. Daventry-based Simply Conveyancing clocked up 146 completions in one […]
February transaction numbers 24% up on 2024 with more to come
February’s transaction numbers provide a glimpse of the scale of activity in the residential property with volumes up a quarter on the same time last year, and 10% up on January 2025. With the SDLT deadline today (31st March 2025) there is no doubt February’s numbers are an indicator of what can be expected once […]
Market to maintain momentum after March
The supply of new properties coming to market is outstripping demand in many area of the country but with 5% more sales, and 11% more properties to buy, the prognosis for the property market after the end of March looks promising. There is likely to be a stamp duty ‘hangover’ say Zoopla in their latest […]
Building Safety Levy delayed until Autumn 2026
The Building Safety Levy, the tax introduced to fund the removal of unsafe cladding from homes, has been delayed after warnings it could hamper house building plans. Initially planned to be introduced later this year, the Ministry for Housing said it now be introduced from Autumn 2026. With a stated ambition to stimulate house building, […]
Community-led housing another route to deliver on government’s plans to build 1.5m new homes
As much as £50m could be invested into community-led house building following a further funding announcement from the government. A £20m package for community groups, such as community land trusts and housing co-operatives has been allocated by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook; with hopes of up to £30 million in match-funding from the private sector as […]
£2bn committed to build social and affordable homes
The government have described its commitment to a £2bn injection in house building as a “significant milestone” in efforts to build 1.5m homes during the Parliament. The money will be invested in 18,000 new social and affordable homes. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves took the opportunity to announce the plans on a visit to an affordable […]
What does the property market want from the Spring Statement?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will stand in Parliament on Wednesday 26th March to deliver her much-anticipated Spring Statement; with many in the property industry hoping for no repeat of SDLT deadline extensions experienced in previous budgets. Helping first time buyers, planning reform and data are a priority for membership bodies and professionals in the home buying […]
Cladding remediation won’t hit 2029 target say Public Accounts Committee
The government is unlikely to hit its target of resolving the cladding crisis by 2029 with progress ‘painfully slow’ and many barriers still to address, including identifying all buildings affected, which could be as many as 12,000 in total. Work is yet to start on over half of the 5,000 buildings over 11m so far […]
‘Crazy’ house prices more nuanced with 12.1% growth over last 10 years
‘Crazy’ increases in house prices over the last ten years must be taken in the context of inflation and wage growth with the reality being across the UK house prices have increased by 12.1% over the last decade. That is according to estate agent Yopa’s recently released Housing Market Affordability Review of the last decade […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – No to SDLT extension
So only six (working) days to go… and I note there is now talk of a potential SDLT extension. I think we all await the Spring Statement with bated breath. This gives me so many conflicting emotions but my over riding one is “NO”. Don’t push the can down the road when we are all […]
Average property value up a quarter over the last 5 years
Detached property values have risen by more than £100,000 since 2020, as the demand for larger homes has driven property price growth. Over the lats five years, detached house prices have risen at a faster rate than during the previous five years, 29.6% against 23.7%. The only property type to not see a larger growth […]