First-time buyers

Fixed rates dominate as first-time buyers drive activity in 2025

The UK mortgage market in 2025 was shaped by falling rates towards year-end, a...

Housing reforms set to reshape UK landscape in 2025

The UK housing market is entering one of its most reform-heavy periods in decades...

London exodus slows as leavers stay closer to the capital

The pandemic-era rush out of London is firmly in retreat with new figures showing...

Scotland and Yorkshire lead UK housing market activity in 2025

Scotland and Yorkshire have emerged as home to the UK’s most active housing markets...

Affordability issues likely to intensify until 2027, lenders warn

Mortgage affordability is expected to become a more pressing issue by 2027, according to...

IMLA backs FCA roadmap on mortgage rule review

The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) has described the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) Feedback...

First-time buyers spark busiest housing market for three years

First-time buyers are fuelling the busiest year for the housing market since 2022 with...

INDUSTRY REACTION: Bank rate cut passes by narrow margin

At its meeting ending on 17 December 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee voted by...

Gen H widens credit criteria to support more first-time buyers

Residential mortgage lender Gen H has extended its internal credit criteria in a move...

Rightmove forecasts modest house price rise in 2026

House prices are expected to rise modestly in 2026, with asking prices forecast to...

IMLA predicts sustained growth in mortgage lending through 2027

The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) is forecasting rising mortgage lending volumes through 2026...

Bridging brokers cite government policy as main risk to mortgage market

Research among bridging professionals suggests political uncertainty outweighs concerns over rates, affordability and housing...

The Vernon boosts affordability support with JBSP launch

Vernon Building Society has launched a new Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor mortgage range aimed...

FCA outlines reforms aimed at broadening access to mortgages

The Financial Conduct Authority has set out plans to reshape the mortgage market, with...

COMMENT

This is a different mortgage market and borrowers are reacting to it

It is important to be clear about what has changed in the mortgage market over the last month or so, because the latest data-specific...

The rise of larger deposits

The first-time buyer profile is changing. Increasingly, buyers are entering the market with larger deposits than at any point in recent years as many...

Is life insurance too confusing to buy?

While there are peaks and troughs depending on where we look, the UK life insurance market is typically quite flat, including mortgage-related protection. Recent data...

Why the government’s housing ambitions won’t fix the affordability crisis

With the bidding open for the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme - the main pillar of its long-term housing strategy - homebuying...

Kevin Tunnicliffe on ending the race to the bottom

This was always going to be a tricky interview. I’ve known Kevin Tunnicliffe, chief executive officer of Sort Group, which includes Sort Refer, for...

Latest news

MAB research shows confidence among buyers is rising, but many still hesitate

More than half of prospective buyers say they are ready to purchase in 2026,...

Market Harborough cuts fixed rates and adds pre-completion switch option

Market Harborough Building Society has cut fixed mortgage rates by up to 36bps and...

Together appoints corporate sales director for Teesside and North Yorkshire

Together has appointed Kristi Capaldi as corporate sales director for Teesside and North Yorkshire,...

Ceta unveils rent guarantee products for landlords facing longer possession delays

Ceta has launched four wholesale rent guarantee products, arguing that longer possession timelines under...

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