News & Insight

Our expert views and commentary on what’s happening in the world of mortgages and sometimes beyond, along with our regular summary of what the papers say.

Why do house prices fall?

After years of soaring house prices in many areas of the UK, prices have started to fall in recent months, but what causes them to drop? ...

House price growth starts to cool

Annual house price growth fell slightly to 10% in August, down from 11% in July, according to Nationwide...

Home mover numbers reach record high

The number of home moves in the UK reached its highest level in 14 years in the first half of 2021, with more than 265,000 people moving to a new property. ...

Price boost for homes in new national parks

Homeowners with properties situated within one of the government’s proposed new national parks could see their homes increase in value by as much as 20%, according to a new report. ...

Market update November 2020

It’s been another busy month for the mortgage market, with house price growth showing no sign of slowing. ...

Property activity continues to rise in October

Demand from property buyers showed no signs of slowing in October, pushing up house prices across all parts of the UK, according to the latest RICS UK Residential survey. ...

House prices climb to all-time high

House prices reached a record high in August according to Nationwide, cancelling out the losses seen in May and June. ...

House price growth up 3.7% pre-pandemic

Annual house price growth rose by 3.7% in April, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index, the highest rate of annual growth for more than two years. ...

Housing market update

A New Homes Ombudsman, Help to Buy numbers, leasehold reforms and house prices ...

What are YOUR 2020 mortgage resolutions?

After all that festive spending, the New Year is the ideal time to review your finances and look at ways you might be able to save money in 2020. ...

2019 Mortgage market review of the year

Political and economic uncertainty may have dominated 2019, but homeowners and buyers have continued to benefit from rock-bottom mortgage rates. ...

UK house prices shrug off Brexit worries

House price growth in the UK remains resilient despite ongoing Brexit uncertainty according to Halifax, with prices rising at their fastest annual rate since early 2017. ...

First-time buyers bypass flats

The average price of a flat in England has fallen by 2.1% over the year to an average of £220,146, according to the UK House Price Index for April, whereas all other types of property have increased in value. ...

IKEA to build low cost homes

Fancy a flat-pack home? Up to 162 new factory-built homes could soon be constructed in Worthing if a deal between the council and an affordable housing developer co-owned by IKEA goes ahead. ...

First-time buyer numbers continue to rise

The number of first-time buyers getting onto the property ladder is on the up, helped by low mortgage rates which make owning a home more affordable. ...

House price growth remains sluggish in March

UK house prices edged higher in March, according to Nationwide, rising by a modest 0.2% during the month as ongoing Brexit uncertainty continues to take its toll. ...

What can we learn from buying a house in Skyrim?

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....

What will the Budget mean for the property market?

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. ...

House price growth steady in September

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. ...

Mortgage lending increased in July

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

House prices see biggest monthly fall since 2012

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....

UK house prices pick up in July

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. ...

Brexit could delay UK rate rises

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....

Millennials join forces to buy property

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. ...

House prices reach record high in March

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. ...

House price growth slows in February

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

House price growth slows in January

Average house prices dropped by 0.6% in January, according to Halifax’s latest monthly House Price Index, with strained household finances contributing to the fall. ...

Mortgage terms are getting longer

First-time buyers are increasingly taking out mortgages with terms much longer than the usual 25 years to help make their monthly payments more affordable. ...

House prices reach new record high

The average house price in the UK reached a record high of £225,109 in September, according to Halifax’s latest house price index, with prices supported by a shortage of properties for sale and low unemployment. ...

Limited supply supports house prices

Low mortgage rates and a continuing shortage of properties helped push house prices up by 1.1% between July and August....

Property prices show signs of cooling

The traditional spring bounce in the housing market failed to materialise this year, according to Halifax’s latest house price index, which showed prices have fallen for the third quarter running....

Up or down? Where next for house prices

Homeowners may be wondering which way to turn after two of Britain’s biggest lenders produced conflicting views on which way house prices are going. ...

Demand for property slows in May

Political uncertainty may have led to many property buyers and sellers sitting tight in May, according to the latest UK Residential Market Survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyers (RICS) ...

What the papers said about 99 months of low rates and taking action

May is the 99th month that the Bank of England has kept its base rate at or below 0.50%. Around 2.5 million people have bought their first property since then, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and will not yet have witnessed base rate moving in the opposite direction. ...

House Price growth drops for second month

House prices fell by 0.4% in April, according to Nationwide Building Society’s latest House Price Index, the second consecutive month that prices have dropped. ...

Self-employed workers and Article 50

Around 1 in 5 people in the UK is either self-employed or on a fixed or zero hour contract, revealed the Telegraph this weekend. ...

10 Point Checklist for First Time Buyers in 2014

There have been so many changes to the property market within the last few years, that for first time buyers coming into the market right now, it’s like a whirlwind. Knowing the right places to look; the appropriate checks to ensure you do; and the changes in mortgage rates and house prices; it’s almost like you need a degree to understand everything involved in the process of buying a house.So here’s a quick guide to the most important things yo...

How much is your home worth today?

In our newsletter this month, we revealed our new house price calculator – to help you keep tabs on the value of your home. We take data from both the Halifax and Nationwide House price indices to give you an average value, based on the region you live in. Why not give it a try? ...

Responsible mortgage lending or overly cautious?

New research from the National Association of Estate Agents suggests that almost one in four people can’t get a mortgage due to stricter lending criteria from mortgage lenders.Of the 1,800 people surveyed, 56% believed that more relaxed criteria would improve their chances of being able to buy a property.  In fact 58% said that more lending by banks by crucial if the UK is to pull out of the current property slump.These results, released yesterda...

Has spring sprung in the housing market?

In its latest housing market survey, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has noted that "Buyer interest is starting to gain real momentum”, although it admits that the market is “still in a fragile state”. Its figures for March showed that new enquiries increased for the fifth consecutive month and the key sales to stocks ratio rose for the third consecutive month.Meanwhile, Nationwide’s latest House Price Index reported a surprise ...

Halifax House Price Index January

The Halifax House Price Index for January has caused a stir, as it reported prices up 1.9% on December. However it warned that one month's figures did not indicate an end to the downward trend, which has reached 17.2% in the past year. Martin Ellis, chief economist at the Halifax, said “It is always important not to place too much weight on any one month's figures. Historically, house prices have not moved in the same direction month after month ...

What the papers say - 23rd and 24th August 2008

There were mixed reviews on the recent rate cuts in the weekend money pages, alongside some topical features on lender’s profits and consumer attitudes. The Mail on Sunday reported that Abbey, Nationwide, Britannia, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Leeds and Yorkshire building societies made cuts to their fixed-rate mortgages last week. The Observer agreed that this was a welcome boost to homebuyers and anyone remortgaging with a decent deposit, but...

House prices drop 1.7% in July

The Halifax House Price Index for July showed a drop of 1.7%, mirroring the findings of the Nationwide Index last week. The report cites pressure on household income and constraints on mortgage funds as the reasons consumers are reluctant to enter the housing market, and this in turn is driving prices down. This latest drop brings the annual fall to just under 9%, and puts the average house price at £177,351, equal to the June 2006 figure....

What the papers say - 12th and 13th July 2008

The cost of borrowing was still high on the agenda in mortgage-related articles this weekend. The Financial Times, Sunday Times and Independent on Sunday all looked at the cost of remortgaging and assessed both interest rates and fees. Reportedly, the average fee for a two-year fixed rate is now £968, up from £514 in June 2006. The average fee for a variable-rate mortgage is now £1,023, compared with £823 six months ago.The Sunday Times wrote tha...

June 2008 mortgage update - the housing market

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), remortgaging accounted for 42% of mortgage lending in April and has continued to perform better than house purchase as large numbers of borrowers exit fixed-rate mortgages.CML director general, Michael Coogan commented: "Monthly house purchase lending volumes continue to be lower than last year and there will be a further weakening in coming months as recent mortgage approvals data has shown. "...

House prices continue the downward trend

The downward trend in house prices shows no sign of losing pace as both Halifax and Nationwide recently reported similar reductions for May.Halifax’s House Price Index showed a 2.4% fall for the month, but added that while prices were now 3.8% lower than this time last year, they should be measured against the gains of recent years where UK prices have grown by 79% over the 5 years to August 2007.Chief economist Martin Ellis blamed the decline on...

What the papers say - 11th June 2008

According to the Times and the Daily Express, negative equity looms for thousands of hard-pressed borrowers. Reportedly, 23,300 people took on 100 per cent mortgages in the year until March 31st and falling house prices could plunge thousands into a situation where their mortgage is more than the value of their property.  However, it is only a problem if owners need to sell, or remortgage once their current deal comes to an end. Experts advised h...

What the papers say - 3rd and 4th May 2008

A broad range of mortgage-related articles featured in the weekend papers and topics ranged from green mortgages to buy-to-let student properties. The Financial Times reported that the difference between interest rates available for borrowers with large deposits and those with limited down payments has widened from around 0.4 per cent last year to 1 per cent in recent months. Additionally, Halifax said its index of house prices fell by 1.3 per c...

House prices fall further in April.

In their latest monthly surveys, both Halifax and Nationwide reported that house prices continued to fall during April. Whilst this news has only confirmed what many expected, a milestone has been passed as the lenders calculated that for the first time since 1996 our homes are worth less than they were 12 months previously.Both lenders said prices fell by over 1% in April, pushing the annual change into the red by around 1%, and making the avera...

Latest house price news from Halifax and Nationwide

While both Halifax and Nationwide have confirmed further falls in house prices for March, their reports aren’t as gloomy as you might imagine. Nationwide were the first to release figures and reported that house prices fell on average 0.6% in March with the annual change still in credit at 1.1%. This is the fifth consecutive month that prices have fallen, and they now put the average house price at £179,110. In contrast, Halifax reported a much...

What the papers say - 9th April 2008

Falling house prices and the need for a base rate cut were key topics in the midweek press and moved away from the financial supplements and on to headline pages. The front page of the Times demanded a rate cut as property prices suffered their sharpest fall since the early 1990s. This week, Halifax reported that house prices have fallen by 2.5% over the past year, with the average house now valued at £191,556. The Bank of England is now under in...

Encouraging signs for the housing market

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has reported a positive start to the year in their January housing market survey, indicating renewed optimism from consumers. In January, sales to first time buyers rose again for the 4th month running, with them capturing over 14% of gross sales. More importantly for the market as a whole, this is the highest percentage of sales to first time buyers since October 2006. This increase shows that th...

Load more
Call our expert
advisers now
icon-contact
Call free from mobile or landline
Open 7 days a week