What will London look like in 2050? Opinion To remain globally competitive while adapting to a changing climate and the GLA’s draft London Plan, the Square Mile must embrace tree-lined streets, living walls, and retrofitted skyscrapers, says Greg Pitt London is used to change, transforming from a Roman settlement into a global financial centre. The GLA’s draft London Plan gives a good indication [...]
Mortgage holders brace for ‘painful rise’ after interest rate hike Personal Finance Mortgage holders are bracing for a “painful rise” in payments after the Bank of England tightened monetary policy for the first time since mid-2023. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee raised interest rates to four per cent in a bid to stop inflation spiralling out of control amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. But [...]
Investors urge Foxtons to face up to property market slump Property Estate agency Foxtons has been urged by some of its biggest shareholders to face up to the UK’s struggling property market by pursuing consolidation and halting its dividend. The London-listed firm has faced opposition from its investors on several fronts in recent months, including share buybacks, political donations and takeovers of rival estate agencies. Foxtons [...]
The evidence is conclusive: rent controls always fail November 3, 2026 International studies prove that rent controls frequently backfire by reducing residential mobility, discouraging new construction, and driving up unregulated rents, demonstrating that deregulation is more effective than intervention, says Rainer Zitelmann Rising rents and housing shortages are an issue in many countries. Politicians respond with numerous measures, such as rent controls. However, these often lead [...]
House prices rise at slowest rate in years as Budget ‘fails to boost market’ October 30, 2026 House prices rose at their slowest rate since the start of 2024 in October, as property experts said the Budget failed to boost the UK’s beleaguered housing market. The average house price in the UK rose by 0.5 per cent this month to £273,566, according to Nationwide, slowed from 0.8 per cent growth last month [...]
How Labour’s assault on landlords is driving up London rents October 29, 2026 The government’s crackdown on landlords is set to hammer London’s rental market, push up costs for tenants and shrink the supply of properties, industry figures and estate agents have warned. Property experts and estate agents told City AM that John Healey’s hike to tax on rental income is the latest blow in an assault on [...]
Housebuilding to fall for three years as red tape scuppers Labour’s new homes push October 28, 2026 The UK’s progress towards its ambitious housebuilding target has been dealt another blow after the fiscal watchdog said housing output is set to slow for another three years. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said housing delivery will fall to 229,000 this year, to 221,000 the following year and to 219,000 in the year 2027-28. [...]
Budget 2026: Households earning over £110,000 locked out of revived Help to Buy scheme October 28, 2026 Households earning more than a combined £110,000 are set to be excluded from the revived Help to Buy scheme, the Autumn Budget confirmed. First-time buyers earning over a combined £110,000 outside London will be locked out of benefiting from the £4.7bn government-backed funding providing equity loans in the Your First Home Scheme, and £140,000 inside [...]
Developers urge Labour to cut red tape and boost housebuilding October 27, 2026 The government has been urged to slash red tape and boost housebuilding in the UK as the rate of construction of new homes falls well behind Labour’s own targets. A group of property and investment leaders have handed a set of proposals to the government which they say will get stalled housing schemes moving and [...]
Four in five London homes shed value as mortgage costs soar October 27, 2026 The vast majority of homes in London are losing value, prompting calls for John Healey to cut stamp duty at the Budget later this week. Across the capital and the south east of England, 85 per cent of homes have fallen in the last year, according to property portal Zoopla, compared to 35 per cent [...]