Gove warns against prioritising quantity over quality of new homes June 20, 2023 Michael Gove has warned against a “dash for quantity” as he faces calls to accelerate housebuilding in the UK and enable more first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. Backing a new tool by Policy Exchange to instil confidence in the planning process, the housing secretary said: “If we think of housing purely in [...]
Rishi Sunak rules out help for homeowners as mortgage rates top six per cent June 19, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today ruled out helping struggling mortgage holders despite rates breaching the six per cent mark for the first time since December. Amid surging mortgage rates, the Prime Minister said the government needed to “stick to the plan” to halve inflation rather than offer support to mortgage holders. Speaking on ITV’s Good [...]
House prices drop for first time this year as Bank of England interest rate hikes take hold June 19, 2023 House prices have dropped for the first time this year, sparked by the property market being whacked by the Bank of England’s 12 successive interest rate hikes to quash inflation, new figures out today show. The average price of a home coming to market fell £82 over the last month to £372,812, the first drop [...]
Mortgage chaos set to hit banks’ bottom line as demand dries up June 18, 2023 Chaos in the mortgage market is likely to lead to big changes in lending as banks seek to find ways to capitalise on rising interest rates, analysts suggest. Over the last few weeks, the mortgage market has been in turmoil after stubbornly high inflation raised the prospect of further rate hikes. “Mounting base interest rates, [...]
Currys considers offloading Greek retail arm Kotsovolos with strategic review June 16, 2023 Currys could offer up its Greek electronics arm Kotsovolos to potential buyers, announcing a strategic review of the businesses.
More lenders expected to hike mortgage rates following HSBC, brokers warn June 15, 2023 More and more lenders are set to increase rates on mortgages, brokers have warned, as the fallout from the Bank of England’s rate rise continues to devastate homeowners. The fresh blow to the housing sector comes as HSBC pushed mortgage rates up for the second time in one week in an unprecedented move for the [...]
Mortgage commitments plummet to pandemic levels as rate hike jitters spook housing market June 13, 2023 The number of new mortgage commitments has fallen to the lowest levels since the Covid pandemic as speculation the Bank of England’s will keep on hiking interest rates rattles the market. As the central bank raised interest rates for the 12th consecutive time during the quarter, in a bid to cool inflation, the number of [...]
Searches for pools up 438 per cent as millions of burgers and sausages to be sold for first BBQ weekend June 9, 2023 The sale of barbecue food, ice-cream and inflatable pools have skyrocketed, as Brits prepare for the first BBQ weekend of the summer. Supermarkets Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s have all reported huge spikes in the sale of meat, as millions will enjoy the hot weather and have the first barbecue of the summer. This comes after [...]
Ed Warner: Remove Fifa toxicity to get Women’s World Cup on the box June 8, 2023 When a global sporting event takes place without TV coverage, does it really happen? Or at least, does it really matter? That question should be front of mind for all the protagonists in the standoff over broadcast rights for next month’s Fifa Women’s World Cup. Blank screens are looming larger with every passing day in [...]
House building tumbles to lowest level in three years in blow to homeownership dreams June 7, 2023 House building has tumbled to its lowest level in three years in another blow to the homeownership dreams of millions of Brits, a closely watched survey out yesterday revealed. According to S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) latest construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI), the rate of new houses being rolled [...]