First-time buyers

Suffolk BS joins Mortgage Broker Tools platform to broaden intermediary reach

Suffolk Building Society has partnered with Mortgage Broker Tools (MBT), making its full product...

Skipton lowers income threshold for high LTI mortgages

Skipton Building Society is lowering the minimum income threshold required for borrowers seeking high...

Sellers cut prices sharply to compete as buyers regain confidence

UK housing stock may be at its most plentiful in over a decade but...

Hamptons downgrades rental growth forecast as demand shifts to sales market

Hamptons has sharply downgraded its rental growth forecast for 2025, projecting that rents across...

The Coventry relaxes stress test to boost borrowing power

Coventry for intermediaries has eased its mortgage stress testing criteria, enabling borrowers to secure...

Affordability crunch: private renters struggling to save as housing costs soar

A growing divide between renters and homeowners is placing mounting pressure on first-time buyer...

UK house prices rise 3.9% as market edges forward after spring lull

UK house prices rose by 3.9% in the 12 months to May 2025, with...

One million homes increase in value by 50% since pandemic

More than one million UK homes have increased in value by 50% or more...

Rachel Reeves rolls back mortgage rules: return to risk or reasonable reform?

Rachel Reeves is to roll back bureaucratic red tape introduced since the 2008 financial...

Rents cooling but remain high as UK house price growth picks up

Private rents across the UK rose by 6.7% in the year to June 2025,...

Reeves’ reforms are a welcome boost but the housing market must modernise

Rachel Reeves’ announcement marks a clear shift in housing policy, with measures that could...

Criticism and uncertainty surround launch of Labour’s ‘Freedom to Buy’ mortgage scheme

Rachel Reeves is expected to launch Labour’s Freedom to Buy scheme tomorrow, a permanent...

Savills, Knight Frank and eXp UK lead estate agency digital brand rankings

Savills, Knight Frank and eXp UK have emerged as the estate agency sector’s most...

Housing crisis deepens as supply falls and affordability worsens

The UK housing crisis is worsening, with affordability pressures mounting and housing supply stalling,...

COMMENT

Stop tinkering: Why mortgage tech needs a proper overhaul

Let’s be honest. If you work in the UK mortgage market right now, you know we’re all running pretty fast just to stand still. Between...

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...

Latest news

SortRefer marks 17 years with record month for instructions and completions

SortRefer has marked its 17th anniversary after reporting its strongest monthly performance to date...

The Mortgage Works cuts buy-to-let rates on selected new business deals

The Mortgage Works is cutting selected buy-to-let and let-to-buy rates by up to 0.20...

Primis promotes three in push to expand recruitment and regional broker support

Primis has promoted three senior executives as it seeks to recruit more adviser firms...

Santander cuts higher LTV rates for first-time buyers and home movers

Santander is cutting selected fixed mortgage rates across its first-time buyer, home mover and...

PROFILES