Will lower stress tests for mortgages fuel a first-time buyer boom? June 13, 2025 Easier access to mortgages might replace the stamp duty holiday as fuel for the starter homes market, with prices forecast to soar if affordability improves. The average price paid by a first-time buyer grew by 2.1 per cent in the first quarter and by 7.1 per cent year on year, according to government data. While [...]
House prices dip in May after stamp duty change June 6, 2025 House prices in the UK fell slightly in May after market activity dropped following the end of the stamp duty holiday earlier this year according to the latest data from lender Halifax. Prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May after rising 0.3 per cent in April, putting the value of an average UK home [...]
Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
Scottish Mortgage: City brokers back Baillie Gifford trust June 3, 2025 Scottish Mortgage has received the backing of a host of City brokers, boosting the £12bn Baillie Gifford trust’s stock price by 1.5 per cent today. One of the largest investment trusts in the UK, Scottish Mortgage, released its full-year results two weeks ago, with its underlying assets growing 11.2 per cent over the year, compared [...]
Mortgage lending plummets in April as estate agents cross fingers for rate cut June 2, 2025 Mortgage lending dropped in April after the market ‘reset’ following the end of the stamp duty holiday, according to new figures. Net borrowing of mortgage debt decreased sharply by £13.7bn to -£0.8bn in April, according to the Bank of England’s latest data. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases also fell for the third consecutive month, [...]
Relaxed mortgage rules could increase first-time buyer deals by a quarter June 2, 2025 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 [...]
Property transactions falter despite rise in number of homes available May 30, 2025 Homebuying in the UK slowed in April after the end of the stamp duty holiday, despite an uptick in the number of properties available. The number of UK residential transactions in April 2025 was 64,680, 28 per cent lower than April 2024 and 64 per cent lower than March 2025, according to official statistics. Estate agents attributed [...]
London house price growth cools as rents continue to climb May 21, 2025 Annual house price growth in London was just under one per cent in April, although rents continued to climb above the national average. Average house prices in the UK as a whole increased by 6.7 per cent £296,000 in England in the 12 months to April 2025, according to new data from the ONS. Prices [...]
Male fail: why are modern men struggling to find a purpose? May 20, 2025 Men in modern society are grappling with a loss of traditional roles, increasing worklessness, and a lack of purpose — issues largely ignored by policymakers, says Emma Revell What do men want? No, I haven’t given up on dating apps and decided to try my luck on the City AM opinion pages. This incredibly pertinent [...]
Is this the end of the private landlord? May 20, 2025 There has been a sharp divergence in the attitudes of private and professional landlords as new regulations continue to upend the sector, according to new data. While private landlords continue to become more negative – and threaten to leave the sector in droves – professional landlords are, dare we say, genuinely optimistic about the prospects [...]