affordability

Coventry BS moves into limited company buy-to-let arena

Coventry for intermediaries has launched its first ever range of limited company buy-to-let mortgages. The...

Major lenders raise mortgage limits as stress test changes take effect

Four of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders have announced changes to their affordability criteria...

One in four London homeowners plan to downsize, says Suffolk Building Society

A growing number of homeowners are planning to downsize, according to new research from...

Call for ‘truthful rethink’ on housing affordability as experts criticise outdated metrics

A leading housing expert has criticised the industry’s approach to affordability, warning that outdated...

UTB cuts mortgage rates and raises LTI cap to 6x income

United Trust Bank (UTB) has reduced rates across its entire residential mortgage product range...

Nationwide lowers income threshold for Helping Hand

Nationwide Building Society has reduced the minimum income requirement for sole applicants using its...

Barclays offers zero deposit mortgage for Right to Buy applicants

Barclays will no longer require a deposit from borrowers purchasing a home under the...

Don’t knock 100% mortgages – they’re viable and necessary

I’ve read a lot of commentary over the past few weeks on the return...

Santander cuts affordability rates following FCA guidance

Santander UK has become the first major lender to reduce its residential mortgage affordability...

Four out of 10 first-time buyers face stamp duty bill

Thousands of first-time buyers in England will face higher upfront costs when purchasing a...

Housing affordability returns to pre-pandemic levels

Housing affordability in England and Wales has returned to levels last seen before the...

Loughborough BS unveils Universal Credit Calculator

Loughborough Building Society has launched its Universal Credit Calculator to help brokers assess affordability...

Mortgage affordability continues to weaken

January saw a weakening in mortgage affordability weakened for the second month in a...

First-time buyer mortgage sales declined in London over the past decade

First-time buyer mortgage sales in London declined significantly between 2013 and 2023, as increasing...

COMMENT

Harpenden’s expat move could be bigger than the numbers suggest

Harpenden Building Society’s move into expat mortgages this summer has been good news for brokers and borrowers. But I think its importance goes beyond...

We need to wait to get a clearer picture

It's been a week where the political and economic backdrop has moved almost as fast as rates themselves, and it's worth taking stock of...

Leasehold valuation reform: the consultation is asking only half the question

The Government's consultation on leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates is important because it will help determine what leaseholders pay to extend leases or buy freeholds,...

What commonhold will mean for mortgage lenders and brokers

Commonhold is often presented as the straightforward alternative to leasehold. It removes the freeholder, gives flat owners greater control and avoids some familiar problems...

Why you need to know what sits behind the average review score

There’s a funny thing about review scores. The better they are, the less likely we are to question them. If a company is sitting at...

Latest news

Landbay adds 11 tracker products and cuts rates by up to 15bps

Landbay has expanded its buy-to-let tracker range with 11 new products and reduced rates...

Howden expands in North Wales with Wrexham office

Howden has opened its first commercial insurance office in Wrexham as the broker expands...

UK buyers reluctant to compromise despite affordability pressures

UK homebuyers remain committed to purchasing a property but are less willing than buyers...

Keystone trims buy-to-let fixed rates by up to 15bps

Keystone Property Finance has reduced pricing across a number of its buy-to-let mortgage ranges,...

PROFILES