Opinions & blogs

AGENT VIEW: I know I’m not a mathematician but to me 6.5 x is the new 3.5 x

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, as they say, and in an era...

Surveying industry undervalued in race to the bottom

After a 16-month break from the property industry I returned to find a landscape...

Why the human relationship still defines real estate lending

AI is now a core driver of transformation in financial services and is reshaping...

Income protection: the unsung hero of the cost-of-living crisis

Higher mortgage rates, rising energy costs, and continued inflation have put pressure on many...

Why rigid credit scoring is locking too many people out of homeownership

Some people don’t fit the mould. That’s always been true in mortgage lending. But...

What a bigger market means for brokers

The latest Interpath and BDLA UK Bridging Market Survey confirms what many brokers are...

How social media can bridge the protection disconnect

The latest AMI Protection Viewpoint provided a compelling snapshot of the challenges and opportunities...

Opening doors for credit-worthy but overlooked clients

It doesn’t take much these days for a borrower to feel they’ve fallen out...

Ministerial cock-ups could kill radical property taxes

At first it might appear that the mortgage industry and the housing sector as...

Got something to sell? Try telling some untruths on X

Why do people peddle untruths on social media? When I say this, I’m thinking...

Funding student property? Talk to a broker first

When an investor spots an opportunity in the student accommodation sector, it’s rarely a...

Mansion tax plans resurface as Prime London prices slide

Thirteen years since the Liberal Democrats first proposed a Mansion Tax on properties over...

Chris Williams on being the architect of connection

For most of the last decade Chris Williams has been dissecting the machinery of...

Collaboration, not quick fixes, must drive the next phase of reform

As we edge closer to the autumn Budget, the housing market finds itself in...

COMMENT

Beyond the Robo-Adviser: why the future of mortgages is ‘Human Plus’

The fintech industry is obsessing over a binary choice: the traditional human broker or the fully automated 'robo-adviser'. But as we navigate the complexities...

Ceasefire boosts sentiment more than mortgage market

What goes up must come down, but for mortgage rates the drop will be notably more gradual than the sharp increase triggered by the...

A surge today, but what comes next for advisers and conveyancing?

March has provided a very clear example of how quickly this market can move when lenders feel the need to take action, with widespread...

Technology adapts so you don’t have to

20 years ago, many brokerages looked and operated in very similar ways. Typically small, local business, many firms focused solely on standard residential mortgage...

Rental barometer shows strength, but March changes the tone

Looking at our recently published Q1 2026 Rental Barometer data in isolation, there is clearly a strong and positive story to tell. Average rental...

Latest news

Buying still £500 cheaper than renting despite rates above 5%

Mortgage affordability continues to outperform renting despite rates pushing back above 5%, as lenders...

Property auctions post strong March as sales and funds raised climb

Property auction activity gathered pace in March, with both sales volumes and money raised...

Santander cuts higher loan-to-value rates for first-time buyers and movers

Santander is cutting rates across a wide range of higher loan-to-value mortgage products from...

FCA maps out open finance plans with mortgages and SME lending in focus

The Financial Conduct Authority has set out its latest vision for open finance, with...

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