Category archives: Mortgages & General Property News

The number of houses for sale has soared, new figures show1, further strengthening the position of buyers.  Supply surge?  Ever since the pandemic days of frenetic buying, demand outstripping supply has been a familiar picture in the UK housing market. As interest rates have risen sharply in the past year, moreover, some potential sellers have […]

Activity in the housing and mortgage markets is hotting up – and cooling down. According to the latest Residential Market Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a run of thirteen successive negative monthly readings for new instructions ended in May, marking the strongest reading for new listings since March 20211. Yet house prices […]

In a housing downturn, not all cities and towns are equal. New research1 has highlighted which areas of the UK are the most resilient in the face of falling prices.  On the slide  In January, overall property prices fell for a fifth consecutive month, as the market continued to cool. Sliding prices have been brought […]

Homeowners are delaying improvements to the sustainability of their homes, according to the latest ‘Greener Homes Attitude Tracker’ from Natwest1, as cost-of-living difficulties remain.  Cost-of-living delay  More than a quarter of homeowners indicated they are less inclined to implement energy saving measures in the upcoming 12 months amid enduring financial concerns. In the three months […]

One in five 18 to 24-year-olds plan to cancel their home contents insurance at renewal to save money, according to new research1.  Risky game  As well as highlighting current cost-of-living concerns, the statistic reveals a worrying picture for young people who plan to abandon protection.  Home contents insurance can be a shrewd financial investment because […]

More than two in five landlords are not aware of the proposed Renters’ Reform Bill, a new study1 has claimed, despite the impact it will have on their portfolios. Should landlords be worried?  What could change?  The proposed legislation, which is set to be voted on before May 2023, includes many significant elements. If passed […]

Buyers priced out  Some 41% of participants in a recent survey1 agreed with the statement, ‘I cannot afford to live in the area I want or need to live in’. Many renters and homeowners alike were unhappy with their current location, with job opportunities (37%), proximity to friends and family (35%) and a better lifestyle […]

An increasing number of older homeowners are choosing to release equity, latest figures1 reveal, with cost-of-living pressures still the main reason for tapping into the value of their home.  Equity release allows over-55s to access some of the value of their home as tax-free cash. In total, homeowners used equity release to borrow £6.2bn in […]

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been reported to estimate over a quarter of a million homeowners are trapped on mortgage deals because their lenders have become inactive or unable to authorise new products1.  What could change?  Many of these ‘mortgage prisoners’ are no longer able to keep up with repayments, prompting campaigners to reiterate […]

Rising rates have been a feature of the mortgage market for almost a year. Following the latest Bank Rate rise, how should mortgage holders react?  What happened?  With Bank Rate at its highest level in 15 years, in the short term, this will affect anyone with a tracker or variable rate mortgage through higher repayments. […]