Features

Why the long face?

One can’t help but come back to the market after the new year break...

Conveyancers are coming under severe pressure

It might be a push to suggest that January has so far been ‘the...

Beware the best bridging rates

At First 4 Bridging we speak to brokers every day of the week, and...

The changing face of specialist lending in 2016

According to recent estimates, the mortgage market will reach £230 billion by the end...

Why 2015 gave us food for thought

How might we describe the 2015 mortgage market when we come to look back...

Expect evolution not revolution in commercial lending

The amount of investors looking at properties outside of the ‘traditional’ residential buy-to-let is...

Now is the time to reflect

At this time of the year the question, “Will we get in the house...

Remain positive about buy-to-let

I think it’s fair to say that no-one working within the buy-to-let market anticipated...

A big year for bridging

More so than other years, I’m really looking forward to putting my feet up...

Creating clarity from a client’s complex financial situation

Releasing equity from an unencumbered property isn’t usually a problem, but when the amount...

Putting the MCD framework into practice in secured loans

At a recent major industry meeting the topic of second charge secured loan regulation...

Covering for Black Friday

As Black Friday arrives, Lee Mooney, commercial director at Paymentshield, discusses the value of additional...

Tackling fraud in the conveyancing process

Reading recently about the conveyancer who was jailed for swindling his clients and the...

Positive times ahead for buy-to-let

Perhaps understandably, given the level of scrutiny the buy-to-let market faces today, the latest...

COMMENT

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...

The new Chancellor wants to remove barriers to growth; he should start with housing

There was probably a degree of unintended irony in the Treasury choosing to call the Chancellor, John Healey’s, first major market ‘intervention’ his ‘Growth...

Latest news

Chetwood Bank takes Tower 42 office as balance sheet reaches £7bn

Chetwood Bank has opened a new London office in Tower 42 as it expands...

Housing wealth could help close retirement income gap for 3.7m homeowners

Almost half of homeowner households aged 55 to 79 are expected to fall short...

Northern regions lead rise in Land Registry activity

Property transaction activity is strengthening more quickly in northern England and the Midlands than...

Middle-aged workers face similar financial strain to younger employees

Financial pressures remain widespread well into employees' peak earning years, with debt and housing...

PROFILES