First-time buyers

TOM BILL: Rate cut expectations fade amid mixed signals

Borrowing costs have risen in recent weeks for reasons that include stronger-than-expected UK economic...

Millions of homes still fail decency tests despite energy gains

Millions of homes in England continue to fall short of basic quality standards even...

UK housing market steadies as tax-driven volatility fades

UK property transactions stabilised at the end of 2025, with residential sales holding firm...

Government policies undermining housing targets

Government intervention is actively undermining the UK’s ability to meet its housing targets as...

Intergenerational gifting reaches record level among equity release customers

More retirees are using equity release to support family members and fund improvements that...

Mortgage pressure eases as rates fall

Mortgage affordability is on track to return to levels last seen in 2021 offering...

Housing market steadies as rates fall and choice rises

Buyer confidence is returning to the UK housing market at the start of 2026...

NatWest launches 6 x income and broker WhatsApp support

NatWest is giving buyers and remortgagers a major lift increasing loan-to-income (LTI) limits for...

Affordable areas drive house price growth

Lower-priced areas delivered the strongest house price growth in 2025 as affordability, connectivity and...

Gen H opens 95% LTV mortgages to non-PAYE borrowers

Gen H has expanded its lending criteria to allow non-PAYE applicants to access mortgages...

The Vernon targets professional borrowers with new mortgage range

Vernon Building Society has launched a new mortgage range aimed at professional borrowers whose...

First-time landlords and first-time buyers are still entering the market

Despite the upheaval, new entrants have not vanished. First-time landlords are still active and,...

Clydesdale Bank trims selected residential and buy-to-let fixed rates

Clydesdale Bank has confirmed a series of rate reductions across parts of its residential...

Millions of young adults move back home to save for first property

More than 12 million people aged between 18 and 40 have lived with family...

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