Category archives: Residential Property Review

Promising signs in the UK housing market Following a record-breaking 2021, continuing strong numbers of agreed sales and approved mortgages suggest transactions are likely to stay high over the next few months. Net mortgage debt by individuals decreased slightly to £3.6bn in December 2021, according to the Bank of England. However, agreed sales and approved […]

Strong end to record-breaking year – but uncertainty ahead As Big Ben’s bongs rang out, a record-breaking year for the residential housing market gave way to an uncertain New Year. Completed transactions to November totalled 1.36 million, which means the number of homes sold in 2021 will reach levels not seen since before the global […]

Slowing activity but demand remains high New buyer enquiries rose slightly in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) November survey, with a net balance of +13%, while new instructions fell for the eighth successive month to -18%. The end of the Stamp Duty holiday, among other factors, has contributed to a dip in housing […]

Spending pledges for housing in Autumn Budget In his Autumn Budget delivered at the end of October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak committed more cash to building new homes on derelict or unused land in England, as part of a £24bn fund earmarked for housing. The plans will see 160,000 greener homes built on brownfield land and […]

Supply still lagging demand Steady buyer demand and a sixth successive month of net negative new instructions, were the stand-out trends in the September UK Residential Market Survey published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). At the national level, new buyer enquiries had a net balance of zero in September, up from -13% […]

Signs of solidity in UK housing market After reaching record highs in June, the housing market is now ‘taking a breather‘, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) August survey. New buyer enquiries fell for a second consecutive month, with the latest net balance dropping to -14%. Despite this slip in demand, supply […]

Transition to eco homes hotting up With climate issues becoming ever more urgent, policymakers and the housing industry are increasingly turning their attention to sustainable property development. Making homes greener will play an important part in the UK’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050: new and existing homes together account for 20% of the […]

Building Safety Bill published Claiming “the biggest changes to building safety in nearly 40 years“, Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said that the Building Safety Bill will set out a clear pathway for the future as to how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained. The Bill was published on 5 July to set out new […]