Blogs

Could stamp duty changes keep renters in the market for longer and boost demand?

The decision by the government not to extend stamp duty relief for residential purchasers...

Navigating a changing buy-to-let landscape in 2025

The buy-to-let market has long been a cornerstone of the UK property sector, but...

Heavy refurbishment: structuring finance for complex property upgrades

Investors are rethinking their approach to property - heavy refurbishment is no longer just...

Why predicting 2025 interest rates feels like a fool’s errand

In my first (and for some reason clearly not my last) article last month,...

Helping university students onto the property ladder

As we head towards the Easter break, thousands of first-year university students up and...

Lenders must step up on high LTV products

Things are on the up for borrowers with a smaller deposit. The financial information...

Why it matters that bridging hit more than £10bn last year

We see many numbers bandied around in the financial industry, which can sometimes have...

Top five reasons why renters should consider short-term protection insurance

In an unpredictable world, financial security can often feel like a luxury, especially for...

Credit search vs credit scoring

The terms credit score and credit check are often used interchangeably by consumers, many...

It’s not just about work/life balance

Firstly, it was good to get feedback on last month’s blog on technology from...

The value of building societies: 250 years of mutual success

A key anniversary reflects how far the building society movement has come — and...

2025: The year of CX

In financial services, customer experience (CX) is no longer a secondary concern – it’s...

Putting a spin on choosing the right CRM for your business

A recent Mortgage Soup column by Martin Reynolds, CEO of SimplyBiz Mortgages, drew an...

Rethinking the stamp duty cycle: can we break free from the boom-and-bust trap?

Ahead of the stamp duty changes on 1 April, the UK property market is once...

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

Millions of households exposed to financial shocks despite apparent stability

Millions of UK households that appear financially secure could struggle to absorb an unexpected...

The Mortgage Hut adopts Instamo tool to speed up mortgage applications

The Mortgage Hut has introduced Instamo's FastSubmit technology to reduce the amount of manual...

FCA sets out timetable for major expansion of anti-money laundering supervision

The FCA expects to begin taking over anti-money laundering supervision of legal, accountancy and...

MAB revenue rises as refinancing drives mortgage completions

Mortgage Advice Bureau reported an 8.6% increase in first-half revenue to £161.0m as higher...

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