Cancel student debt in exchange for first time buyer equity, housebuilders urge government March 24, 2026 Cash-strapped graduates struggling to get on the property ladder should have their debt written off in exchange for giving over a stake of their first home to the government, a new report has urged. The report, backed by more than 50 housing sector bodies including top housebuilders Vistry and Barratt Redrow, proposes offering a discount [...]
Third of first-time buyers rely on bank of mum and dad March 18, 2026 Around a third of first-time buyers receive help from family and more than half rely on at least two full-time incomes, as access to first-time home ownership has collapsed this century. As many as 52 per cent of first-time buyers now rely on at least two incomes, up from just 40 per cent in the [...]
Housing market struggles for momentum as Iran war looms March 12, 2026 The UK housing market is struggling for momentum as uncertainty caused by the Iran war prompts banks to hike mortgage rates and pull deals. New buyer inquiries weakened in February as 26 per cent of property professionals reported a fall in interest, up from 15 per cent in January, according to the Royal Institution of [...]
‘Easiest time to rent in six years’ as housing supply improves March 11, 2026 Renters in the UK are enjoying the lowest level of competition for homes in six years, as price growth slows and stock increases. While 6.5 renters competed for every property last year, the average number of enquiries per home is now 4.8 – the lowest rate since 2020, according to Zoopla’s quarterly rental market report. [...]
House prices rise as property market builds momentum March 6, 2026 House prices grew 1.3 per cent year on year to February, in the strongest growth in four months, as the property market continues its steady start to the year. Prices rose by 0.3 per cent between January and February, with the average UK property price at a new high of £301,151, according to Halifax’s house [...]
It’ll take more than planning reform to get London building again March 4, 2026 London isn’t just facing a housing delivery downturn. It’s facing a double development whammy of falling housing starts combined with a deep decline in the pipeline of new commercial development coming forward, says Melanie Leech Down, down, deeper and down go the lyrics from a track by Status Quo from the early 1970s. A decade [...]
Third of London homes cheaper to buy than to rent as prices fall February 25, 2026 More than a third of London homes are now cheaper to buy than to rent as house prices in the capital shrunk in the last year. The proportion of London houses which are cheaper to buy with a mortgage has doubled since last year, from 18 to 36 per cent, while still lower than the [...]
UK house prices stall in February after record January surge February 16, 2026 The average asking price of a house dipped by just £12 in February, pausing after the largest January jump recorded in Rightmove’s 25-year history. New listings coming to market this month are priced at an average of £368,019, compared with £368,031 in January, according to the property giant. The marginal month-on-month change follows a £9,893 [...]
London, Oxford and Cambridge suffer steepest housing cost burden January 26, 2026 Londoners spend more on rent and housing than anywhere else in the country, according to a new report which highlights the economic cost of the capital’s housing crisis. The research found that residents of London spend 19 per cent of their outgoings on housing on average, although it noted that many renters and young homeowners [...]
Housing market ended 2025 on ‘softer note’ after ‘resilient’ year January 2, 2026 The UK housing market rounded off 2025 on a softer note after remaining “resilient” through a volatile year, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index. Annual house price growth slowed to 0.6 per cent in December from 1.8 per cent in November, with a 0.4 per cent fall in prices. This took the average UK [...]