News & Insight

Thousands of first-time buyers every year manage to get onto the property ladder with help from their parents, but not everyone is lucky enough to have financial support from family. ...

Fixed rate mortgages have proved hugely popular in recent years, but with increasingly attractive variable rate deals on offer, is it time for borrowers to consider other options? ...

The Bank of England voted unanimously to keep the base rate at 0.75% in November, the third consecutive month it has left rates unchanged. ...

L&C recently ran a study to find out the real world value of video game properties. You might be surprised to find out that more people Google ‘How to buy a house in Skyrim’ than ‘How to buy a house in London, Paris, or even New York! So what could this mean in reality? We’ve put together a comparison so you can figure out whether you’d be hanging out in Hyrule or slumming it in Fallout 4’s Home Plate....

Landlords should be incentivised to sell to tenants at a discount under a new scheme proposed by conservative think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies. ...

First-time buyers who are currently renting could find it easier to get onto the property ladder now that rental payment information will be included on their credit reports. ...

First-time buyer numbers in August reached their highest level since June last year, with a total of 35,500 mortgages completed. ...

The 2018 Autumn Budget included a range of measures focused on the housing market. Here’s our rundown of the changes. ...

The Chancellor Philip Hammond will unveil his Autumn Budget on October 29th, with many speculating that he could announce a range of measures affecting the property market. ...

Tenants living in shared houses could face steeper rents following the introduction of new legislation which requires their landlords to hold a license. ...

Customers who remain loyal to their financial providers are losing out on more than £4bn a year, equivalent to almost £900 per household, according to Citizens Advice. ...

Lenders are urging the government to clarify the future of the Help to Buy scheme, warning that major changes could risk “significant market disruption.” ...

The number of self-employed people in the UK continues to grow, but getting a mortgage if you work for yourself isn’t always straightforward. ...

The challenges of achieving home ownership were highlighted once again this weekend, with the Financial Times reporting on recent figures published by the Office of National Statistics. ...

Halifax’s latest house price index showed that the quarterly rate of growth held steady in September, although the month-on-month change revealed a drop. ...

Growing numbers of lenders are launching Help to Buy mortgages, increasing the options available to buyers of new build properties. ...

The Guardian highlighted further changes for landlords this week, as new rules for ‘Houses in Multiple Occupation’ (HMO’s) come into force. ...

When inflation rises or falls, it can have a significant impact on mortgage rates because the Bank of England uses the rate of inflation to help it decide whether the base rate should go up or down. Here’s what you need to know. ...

To help people identify whether they could be at risk, Public Health England is urging adults to take a free online test to find out their ‘heart age’. ...

The Sunday Times reported this week that, despite last month’s increase in the Bank of England base rate, a number of big name lenders have cut their rates in recent weeks. ...

1. The competition runs from 8am 28/09/2018 until midnight 31/10/2018. Entries received after this time will not be put forward for the draw. ...

Tens of thousands of landlords may have to apply for a licence to rent out their property as a ‘house in multiple occupation’ (HMO) once new government rules are introduced on October 1. ...

It is a decade since investment bank Lehman Brothers went bust, triggering a global financial crisis which resulted in widespread changes to the UK mortgage market. ...

Around one in five parents and grandparents aged over 55 accept a lower standard of living to help family onto the housing ladder, according to research. ...

This year’s Gas Safety Week, which runs from September 17-23, aims to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause fires, explosions, gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning. ...

Longer term 5 and 10-year fixed rate mortgages are becoming increasingly popular, as borrowers seek to protect themselves from further interest rate rises. ...

The Bank of England today voted to keep the base rate unchanged at 0.75%. ...

This weekend’s financial press looked at the future of Help to Buy, with experts sharing their views on whether the Government scheme should be amended, extended or scrapped beyond its current end date of 2021. ...

Gross mortgage lending reached £24.6bn in July, according to latest figures from trade body UK Finance, its highest level since March 2016. ...

UK house prices fell at their sharpest rate for six years in August, according to Nationwide’s latest monthly House Price Index, bringing the average cost of a home to £214,745....

Households will have to start switching to LED lightbulbs from next month, when a ban on the production of halogen bulbs comes into effect across Europe. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by 0.25% to 0.75%. Here’s our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise, so you can see whether yours has increased its Standard Variable Rate. ...

Over 16,000 homebuyers have made mortgage applications using L&C’s online Mortgage Finder service since June last year, borrowing more than £3bn. ...

First-time buyers who are currently renting and finding it difficult to get a mortgage could soon receive a helping hand from new technology designed to help them boost their credit scores. ...

The Financial Times reported this weekend on the increase in the number of Retirement Interest Only (RIO) mortgages coming onto the market, as lender confidence in this type of product grows. ...

If you've played video games in the last ten years, you've probably purchased some virtual property at some point. How much is yours worth in real money?...

Despite changes to stamp duty designed to help those struggling to get onto the property ladder, more than 2m first-time buyers aren’t sure whether they will benefit from the new rules. ...

House prices picked up last month, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index, with annual growth up from 2% in June to 2.5% in July. ...

Nearly 60 mortgage lenders have pledged to help up to 10,000 ‘mortgage prisoners’ trapped on their existing deals. ...

Short-term holiday lets are becoming increasingly popular as a way for landlords to generate an income, but it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons carefully first. ...

As expected, the weekend’s financial news focused primarily on last week’s decision by the Bank of England to increase the base rate for only the second time in a decade. ...

The Bank of England has raised the base rate to 0.75%, meaning higher monthly mortgage costs for millions of homeowners on variable rate deals. ...

Fixed mortgage rates remain at historic lows, with five-year rates available below 2% in May 2018. You don’t have to fix your rate for five years though to benefit from a low rate. Deals usually range from two years up to 10 years or longer, so you can pick a term to suit your needs. ...

Clydesdale Bank has become the latest lender to introduce a new range of mortgages specifically for professionals. ...

With recent figures indicating subdued wage growth and inflation, some experts believe that next month’s anticipated base rate increase is no longer a certainty. ...

We are delighted to announce the winners of our latest ‘refer a friend’ competition. From thousands of entries Natalie, and the person who referred her, were randomly selected, winning their mortgages paid for six months by L & C Mortgages. ...

L&C picked up three awards at the What Mortgage Awards on July 18, winning Best Mortgage Broker (over 40 advisers), Best Online Mortgage Broker and Best Broker Customer Service. ...

The gap between the best fixed rate mortgage deals and lenders’ standard variable rates has widened substantially over the past nine years, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). ...

The desire for home ownership was a talking point in this weekend’s press, following recent research by Barclays which revealed that more than 60% of First Time Buyers view buying a home as a greater sign of commitment than marriage. ...

Renters would be able to stay in their homes for at least three years under new government proposals aimed at giving both them and landlords more security. ...

Homeowners with only a limited amount of equity now have a greater choice of remortgage options, with lenders including Virgin Money, Tesco and Atom Bank improving their offerings at this end of the market. ...

There was some good news for landlords this weekend, with the Times reporting on a significant increase in the number of deals available within the Buy to Let market over the last two years, particularly for first time landlords. ...

L&C scooped two awards at the prestigious 2018 British Mortgage Awards held last week in London. ...

UK house prices in June grew at their slowest rate since 2013, according to latest figures from Nationwide. ...

Whilst first-time buyers often rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad to help with their deposits, those planning their next move also depend on their support, according to the latest ‘Second Steppers’ report from Lloyds Bank. ...

Competition in the mortgage market has been heating up recently, with new figures revealing the ever-shrinking margin between average 2 and 5 year fixed rates. ...

First-time buyers who manage to get onto the property ladder could save an average of more than £2,200 a year compared to renting, with buying now cheaper than renting in all areas of the UK. ...

The Sunday Times looked this weekend at the new style Retirement Interest Only mortgages (RIOs), which have been launched in recent week. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has voted by 6-3 to leave the base rate at 0.5% in June, the seventh month since the last change. ...

Older homeowners can now have a mortgage for longer, thanks to new deals designed to meet growing demand for borrowing into retirement. ...

More than 40,000 homeowners remortgaged in April, according to latest figures from trade body UK Finance, up 36% compared to the same month last year. ...

Recent figures have revealed that the Bank of Mum and Dad lent over £6.5 billion in 2017 to help their children get on to the property ladder. ...

Interest rates could be kept on hold for longer in the event of a “disorderly” Brexit, according to the Governor of the Bank of England....

Yorkshire Building Society has launched a range of new two and five-year fixed rate mortgage deals aimed only at first-time buyers with a Help to Buy ISA. ...

Around 380,000 landlords (19%) plan to sell their rental properties in the coming year, according to research by the National Landlords Association. ...

This weekend's Financial Times highlighted the main findings of our First time Buyer stamp duty research, namely: 18% of FTB are calibrating their purchases to take advantage of tax relief by buying beneath the exemption threshold. ...

We are delighted to announce winner of our "Tea for Two" Competition, celebrating the launch of our new TV advert. ...

According to new L&C research, if house prices continue to rise at the rate they have in recent years, the proportion of properties which qualify for this exemption will fall dramatically by 2028....

Saving for a deposit is often the biggest challenge first-time buyers face but increasing numbers of lenders are introducing new mortgage deals which only require a 5% deposit. ...

The Sunday Telegraph reported this weekend on the narrowing gap between 2 and 10 year fixed rates, as lenders compete to attract borrowers looking for longer term peace of mind. ...

House prices fell by 0.2% in May, according to latest figures from Nationwide, with ongoing pressure on household budgets helping push down prices. ...

Two lenders, Sainsbury’s Bank and The Mortgage Lender, have entered the buy to let market this for the first time, widening the range of mortgage options available to landlords. ...

More than half of millennials – those aged between 18 and 35 - are considering buying a home with friends or family to achieve their aim of getting on the property ladder. ...

Both ends of the lending spectrum were covered in this weekend’s financial press, and in particular the criteria that is enabling different generations to either get onto the property ladder, or stay on it. ...

House prices saw their sharpest drop since 2010 in April, according to Halifax’s latest House Price Index, falling by 3.1% following a 1.6% rise in March. ...

More should be done to help ‘mortgage prisoners’, according to the city regulator the Financial Conduct Authority. ...

The Guardian took a look at the property market this weekend, after data revealed a 3.1% drop in UK house prices in April. ...

The Bank of England voted to keep the base rate at 0.5% today, after recent weak UK growth figures put paid to an increase this month. ...

Expectations of a base rate rise in May were dampened following comments from the Bank of England governor Mark Carney, but it’s still vital for homeowners to consider the impact of higher rates. ...

The Observer reported this weekend on the falling number of young home-owning families, as many of today’s millennials struggle in the face of higher property prices. ...

Four in 10 millennials are living in rented private accommodation at the age of the 30, according to a recent report by think tank the Resolution Foundation....

The Times reported this weekend that the supply of high Loan-to-Value mortgages could be under threat, after the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee suggested plans to crack down on the riskier end of the market. ...

Homeowners in the UK have by now on average earned enough to cover their mortgage payments for the rest of 2018, according to research from Halifax. ...

House prices rose by 1.5% in March, according to Halifax, bringing the average cost of a property in the UK to a record high of £227,871. ...

The Post Office has introduced a new ‘Family Link’ mortgage aimed at first-time buyers that can afford monthly mortgage payments but who don’t have a deposit to put down. ...

There was some good news for experienced landlords this week, as one lender removes its upper age limit for those who have owned and let a Buy to Let property for at least 6 months. ...

The start of the new 2018-19 tax year on April 6 saw further reductions in the amount of tax relief landlords can claim on mortgage interest payments. ...

With suggestions of an interest rate rise, possibly as soon as next month, the financial press reported this weekend on the levels of increased activity in the mortgage market. ...

Homeowners who currently receive financial help from the government with their mortgage interest will have to apply for a loan if they want to continue to be supported from April. ...

Less than a third of homeowners’ disposable income goes towards mortgage payments each month, making mortgages more affordable than they’ve been for a decade. ...

A new stamp duty system is being introduced in Wales next month, which means many buyers won’t pay the tax when purchasing a property costing up to £180,000. ...

Landlords will need to ensure their rental properties meet minimum energy efficiency standards before they can be let out, under new rules being introduced this spring. ...

Competition Time Win Tea for Two at the famous Swan Restaurant in Shakespeare's Globe. To celebrate the launch of our latest TV advert, were giving you the chance to win an afternoon tea for two experience at the famous Swan restaurant - located in Shakespeare's Globe, London. ...

Interest rates were left unchanged again in March, but the Bank of England hinted that increases could be on the horizon. ...

'Join the race to remortgage' was the main theme of this weekend's papers, with the Times keen to point out that 25 lenders have increased their rates in the past 2 weeks, driving 2 year fixed rates to their highest level since September 2016. ...

After several years of steady increases, the number of people working on zero hours contracts has plateaued. ...

NatWest has launched the ability for brokers to extend the offer period on mortgages for new build homes, which could increase it from six to as much as 12 months. ...

House prices are growing at their slowest rate for five years, according to Halifax’s latest monthly House Price Index. ...

Buyers, including many first timers, who signed up for the government’s Help to Buy equity loan scheme in its early stages will soon start being charged interest on their loans. ...

With interest rates predicted to rise in the coming months, this weekend’s financial press highlighted an increase in mortgage activity as borrowers rush to secure a cheap deal. ...