Features

Are we at an EPC crossroads?

As the government continues to be occupied by the fallout from the mini-Budget, the...

Make the most of that opportunity right now

For context, this piece was written on the afternoon of Friday 14th October. Given what...

Among all the rate changes, criteria is still king

As brokers know only too well, the mortgage market is moving at an extraordinary...

Thriving through culture

The Covid pandemic provided businesses with a unique set of challenges. Some closed down...

Advisers, I salute you

When the history of this period in the mortgage/housing market is written, I hope...

You get what you pay for with free legals on remortgage cases

As an industry, there is little question that mortgage brokers deliver excellent value for...

Rate rises and cutting down on the client payment shock

Thursday 22 September 2022 was something of a momentous day given the Bank of...

The Scottish government’s rental freeze is a wrong move

This is an important time for the buy-to-let market and the wider private rental...

Housing will be part of any energy strategy

Few issues appear as pressing at this moment than the increase in the cost...

How intergenerational mortgages could help FTBs

20 years ago it was fairly commonplace to buy your first home when you...

HMOs – the answer to an over-stretched rental market?

The UK private rental sector (PRS) is going from strength to strength, with demand...

Second charges – first choice for debt consolidation?

According to The Money Charity, as of June 2022 average credit card debt in...

Intergenerational lending will only become more prominent

Over the course of the last couple of decades, stagnant wages and rising house...

Summer presents opportunity for mortgage service catch up

August is peak holiday time and there’s no doubting that due to this, and...

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

FCA joins industry partners to tackle protection insurance gap

The Financial Conduct Authority is working with industry, government and consumer groups in an...

Family Building Society appoints Laura Hamp as chief financial officer

Family Building Society has appointed Laura Hamp as chief financial officer and a member...

Buy-to-let market reaches £311.6bn as sector marks 30 years

The UK buy-to-let market has grown to almost two million outstanding mortgages worth £311.6bn,...

Conveyancing Association names Nick Chadbourne as new chair

The Conveyancing Association has appointed former LMS chief executive Nick Chadbourne as its new...

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