Market recovery remains fragile as buyer demand improves

Buyer demand and agreed sales improved again in August but uncertainty over mortgage rates continues to threaten a fragile housing market recovery, according to RICS. The latest UK Residential Market Survey showed the net balance for new buyer enquiries...

Latest news

Stowell returns to Accord in regional sales manager role

Accord Mortgages has recruited Kelly Stowell as regional sales manager for London, the South-East and Northern Ireland. Stowell (pictured) returns to Accord after three years...

Treasury rules out stamp duty relief for homeowners downsizing

HM Treasury has rejected a proposal to offer stamp duty relief to homeowners moving to smaller properties, saying it has no plans to introduce...

Nivo revamps website with AI cost and time-saving tools for brokers

Nivo has relaunched its website with pricing and a sample case report designed to help mortgage brokers assess the potential costs and administrative savings...

Atom bank cuts residential mortgage rates by 0.10%

Atom bank has reduced rates across its Near Prime range and most of its Prime residential mortgage products. The lender has cut rates by 0.10%...

Melton CEO Simon Taylor awarded Honorary Fellowship

Melton Building Society chief executive Simon Taylor has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Chartered Banker Institute. Taylor (main picture), who is also chair of the Building Societies Association (BSA), received the recognition for his contribution to financial...

Air sets October summit on AI and technology for advisers

Air will hold a one-day summit in Coventry next month focused on how advisers and advice firms can use artificial intelligence and emerging technology in their businesses. The Air Evolve Summit 2026 will take place on 6 October at...

Brokers are losing the attention battle 1,000 to 3

Take a client you placed on a 5-year fix last year. Over the life of that deal, their bank is now planning to contact them somewhere between 780 and 1,300 times. Three to five times a week, every week,...

Legal & General Surveying Services rebrands as Westmarq

Legal & General Surveying Services has rebranded as Westmarq following its change of ownership in December 2025. The national surveying business said the new identity marked the next stage of its development as it seeks to expand its work...

PROFILE

Darrell Walker on LendInvest’s next chapter

After 35 years in banking and mortgages, the former football hopeful thought he might have found the company where he would see out his...

INDUSTRY COMMENT

Triple lock or no triple lock? That is not the question

The debate over the State Pension triple lock has returned. But perhaps the more important question is what the debate tells us about the...

Your clients have already asked AI

The FCA published research on 27 August showing that 56% of 18- to 40-year-olds who hold or are considering investments say they trust AI...

The technology that matters doesn’t make the decision

We have a tendency when talking about mortgage technology to start with what it can automate. How many documents can it process, how quickly can...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

The Marsden eases expat criteria and cuts documentation requirements

Marsden Building Society has revised its expat mortgage criteria, removing its minimum income requirement...

Rental arrears among landlords fall to record low

The proportion of landlords experiencing rental arrears has fallen to its lowest level since...

Millennials and Gen Z set to make up 62% of landlords within a decade

Millennials and Generation Z are expected to account for almost two-thirds of UK landlords...

Butterfield provides £4.5m for prime London buy-to-let acquisitions

Butterfield Mortgages Limited has provided £4.5 million to finance the acquisition of two prime...

Holiday let mortgage enquiries rise for 88% of brokers

Almost nine in 10 mortgage brokers have reported an increase in holiday let mortgage...

OMS links with Scroll Finance through new API integration

One Mortgage System (OMS) has integrated with Scroll Finance to allow brokers to progress...

Landlords face £40k penalties as property licensing expands

Landlords are being urged to check local licensing rules as councils expand schemes and...

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

Semi-detached homes lead house price growth

Semi-detached and terraced homes are outperforming the rest of the housing market as buyers increasingly balance their need for space against affordability, according to e.surv. Average house prices across Great Britain rise by 1.8% in the year to August, but e.surv's latest house price index...

FCA explores rent payments as mortgage evidence

Rental payment histories could play a greater role in mortgage affordability assessments as the...

Stamp duty blamed as home moves fall to once every 21 years

Stamp duty is deterring millions of people from moving home and restricting opportunities for...

Ecology launches 95% mortgage for Scottish first-time buyers

Ecology Building Society has launched a mortgage for first-time buyers using the Scottish government’s...

Digital ID trust mark could speed up mortgage applications

A new government-backed digital identity trust mark could help mortgage brokers and lenders reduce...

OPINION

In our industry, competition and collaboration aren’t opposites

If there's one theme running through the market at the moment, it's the power of retention, and just how much can be achieved when...

We must not accept our snail’s pace home buying system

Buying a house in this country can be ridiculously slow, as a handful of...

Deferment and capitalisation rates: small percentages, large consequences

The Government is currently consulting on Leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates to determine what deferment...

Your clients can’t tell which firm they’re dealing with

Two clients walk into your firm in the same week. One of them is a referral from a mate of yours. Complicated case, self-employed, bit of a mess in the accounts. You take that one yourself. You spend an hour and a half on the...

It’s time to look at retention

As the summer winds down and the back-to-school routine kicks back in, I urge the industry to turn its attention to something just as...

DISTRIBUTION

L&G opens Ignite mortgage sourcing platform to all brokers

L&G has extended access to its Ignite mortgage sourcing platform to brokers across the...

Openwork adds April Mortgages to lending panel

Openwork has added April Mortgages to its lending panel, giving advisers access to a...

Mortgage Intelligence adds the Swansea to lender panel

Mortgage Intelligence has added Swansea Building Society to its lender panel, giving advisers across...

TMG backs Rotherham United Women in shirt sponsorship deal

TMG Financial Services has agreed a partnership with Rotherham United Women FC to become...

James Miller & Associates renews Stonebridge partnership

The Cornwall-based mortgage and protection firm James Miller & Associates has extended its partnership with Stonebridge as it pursues long-term growth. The broker said its relationship with Stonebridge, including access to the network's senior leadership team, was a key factor in its decision to renew...