Stealth taxes intensify London first time buyer struggle Property A raft of government stealth taxes is driving the London property market even further into unaffordability for first time buyers, fresh research has found. Freezes in tax bands and thresholds means the average home in the capital now accounts for an eye-watering 14.7 times average earnings after accounting for stamp duty, national insurance and income [...]
Rachel Reeves eyes boost for first-time buyers with mortgage reforms Economics Rachel Reeves will today unveil a fleet of reforms in a bid to boost home ownership as she plans to slash ‘financial red tape’. Speaking in Leeds ahead of her Mansion House address, the Chancellor will announce plans for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to increase high loan-to-income mortgages (over 4.5 times a buyer’s income) [...]
Relaxed mortgage rules could increase first-time buyer deals by a quarter Property Changes in the way lenders stress test borrowers for mortgages could lead to a huge jump in the amount of first-time buyers able to access the housing market, according to Savills. Savills’ analysis found first-time buyer transactions could increase by up to 24 per cent over the next five years if lending rules continue to [...]
Rightmove: 74,000 house buyers to narrowly miss stamp duty deadline March 17, 2025 Rightmove’s stamp duty report has identified an estimated 74,000 moves, which includes 25,000 first-time buyers, that will just miss the March 31 deadline and complete in April. They form the unlucky section of a “massive log-jam” of 575,000 movers hoping to complete ahead of the tax change, Rightmove said. Collectively, the buyers are set to [...]
The UK’s housing crisis is creating a generation of broke retirees January 24, 2025 The affordability crisis in the UK housing market is creating a generation who will still face monthly mortgage or rent payments well into retirement, according to a new study. With deposits increasingly hard to save up for and mortgages increasingly burdensome, few people will be free of housing costs by 2050, unless something changes. A [...]
Housing sales end year on a high but fears about mortgage rates linger December 23, 2024 The London housing market has ended 2024 on a high, although buyers remain price-sensitive and concerned about the cost of mortgages. Over 280,000 homes worth £104bn are in the sales pipeline for 2025 – the highest number in four years, according to Zoopla. In another good sign, house prices returned to growth – up 1.9 [...]
Purplebricks boss: Rental market is ‘completely broken’ and is a ‘disaster for first-time buyers’ October 15, 2024 The rental market is "completely broken" and is a "disaster for first-time buyers", the boss of Purplebricks has said.
Nationwide offers boost to first-time buyers as mortgage rates cut September 24, 2024 Nationwide announced that it will allow first-time buyers to borrow up to six times their income for a mortgage, becoming the first major lender to offer this significant boost.
First time buyers: Homes in London 26 per cent cheaper but affordability remains an issue February 22, 2024 First time buyers in London are spending 26 per cent below the UK market average, but the majority of buyers are struggling with affordability. According to a new report by Zoopla, the average cost of a first time property in London is £399k, which is around £140k cheaper than a typical home would cost in [...]