The UK's independent property help portal
May 24, 2012

Buy-to-let lending climbs its way up

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by Gill Montia

Buy-to-let lending climbs its way up
Demand for buy-to-let shows no signs of weakening with almost two-thirds of brokers expecting to do more mortgage business with landlords this year than last. According to research from Nationwide, almost three-quarters of brokers questioned believe the number of new landlords will ...


Landlords’ financial profiles revealed

Permalink: Landlords’ financial profiles revealed
by Gill Montia

Landlords' financial profiles revealed
Latest research from BDRC Continental reveals that 28% of landlords own their letting portfolios outright. Thirty-three per cent own some but not all of their properties and 39% hold their portfolios via one or more buy-to-let mortgages (BTL), with the average number of loans ...

May 23, 2012

Asking prices flat as downtraders dominate housing market

Permalink: Asking prices flat as downtraders dominate housing market
by Gill Montia

Asking prices flat as downtraders dominate housing market
Asking prices for new sellers coming to market remained flat in May, according to Rightmove. For the first time, the property portal's monthly index failed to register a May bounce, with the average asking price at £243,759. Prices are typically 2% ...

May 21, 2012

Eurozone crisis impacts UK mortgage market

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by Gill Montia

Eurozone crisis impacts UK mortgage market
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has warned that eurozone developments are once again highly uncertain and have the potential to disrupt the UK's housing and mortgage markets. The threat of a Greek exit from the euro has unsettled the money markets ...

May 20, 2012

April rise in rents and arrears

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by Gill Montia

April rise in rents and arrears
Rents in England and Wales rose for the first time in three months in April, according to the latest buy-to-let index from LSL Property Services. The lettings agent chain recorded a 0.5% average increase, to £709 per month, although the annual rate ...

May 18, 2012

Government fails to “get Britain building”

Permalink: Government fails to “get Britain building”
by Gill Montia

Government fails to
The UK's leading housing groups have warned that the Government is failing to tackle the country’s growing housing crisis. In a collaborative report, the National Housing Federation, Shelter and The Chartered Institute of Housing highlight five key areas in need of urgent ...

May 17, 2012

Homes too small to store household basics

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by Gill Montia

Homes too small to store household basics
Some of Britain's homes are so small and lacking in storage space that people are taking extreme measures to squeeze into their living space. New research from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) highlights the case of a household where ...

May 16, 2012

Private rental yields fail to satisfy institutional investors

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by Gill Montia

Private rental yields fail to satisfy institutional investors
A new report from Hamptons International takes a look at the challenges faced by institutional investors considering investing in the UK private rental market. According to the study, low yields are the biggest barrier - target gross yields were assumed ...

May 15, 2012

First-time buyers mortgage approvals fall on eurozone fears

Permalink: First-time buyers mortgage approvals fall on eurozone fears
by Gill Montia

First-time buyers mortgage approvals fall on eurozone fears
First-time buyers were hard hit by tighter lending conditions in April, as loans for new buyers dropped to their lowest level for nine months. According to e.surv, part of the LSL Property group, mortgage approvals for house purchases fell ...

May 10, 2012

Repossessions landscape stable

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by Gill Montia

Repossessions landscape stable
Lenders took back 9,600 homes in the first quarter of 2012, up from 8,700 in the final three months of last year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). However, the increase is in line with seasonal trends and the UK's repossessions landscape would ...

May 9, 2012

DIY spend hits 15 year low

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by Gill Montia

DIY spend hits 15 year low
Spending on DIY has declined to its lowest level in over 15 years, according to research from Lloyds TSB, with the continued squeeze on household finances and a subdued housing market blamed for the squeeze. Last year saw a total DIY spend ...


Halifax launches advanced homebuyer smartphone app

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by Gill Montia

Halifax launches advanced homebuyer smartphone app
Halifax has launched an advanced smartphone app for house hunters, claiming a UK first. The app combines property search facilities, mortgage affordability calculators, local area information and property buyers' guides. It allows users to book viewings, rate properties, add comments and images ...

May 8, 2012

Housing market rally runs out of steam

Permalink: Housing market rally runs out of steam
by Gill Montia

Housing market rally runs out of steam
The UK's recent housing market rally has run out of steam, according to the latest poll from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Following the upturn in activity seen towards the expiry of the stamp duty holiday in March, prices ...

May 4, 2012

House prices down 0.9% on the year

Permalink: House prices down 0.9% on the year
by Gill Montia

House prices down 0.9% on the year
UK house prices edged down by 0.2% in April, according to Nationwide, and were 0.9% lower than a year earlier, at an average £164,134. The monthly decline followed a 1% fall in March, prices now having slipped for the fourth time ...

May 3, 2012

April rise in house sales and new listing

Permalink: April rise in house sales and new listing
by Gill Montia

April rise in house sales and new listing
The UK housing market showed continued signs of improvement in April, according to leading "For Sale" board contractor, Agency Express. Nationwide, residential property sales increased by 9.5% compared with March, marking the third consecutive monthly increase, and new "For Sale" ...

May 2, 2012

House prices slip 0.6%

Permalink: House prices slip 0.6%
by Gill Montia

House prices slip 0.6%
Land Registry figures show house prices in England and Wales slipping by 0.6% in March, compared with February, taking the value of the typical home to £160,372. However, the North East, which has been hard-hit by the house price crash, turned in an impressive ...

May 1, 2012

Crackdown on “beds in sheds” landlords

Permalink: Crackdown on “beds in sheds” landlords
by Gill Montia

A national taskforce has been set up to tackle the issue of "beds in sheds" and take action against criminal landlords harbouring illegal immigrants. Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, and Immigration Minister, Damian Green, are holding a series of cross-Whitehall summits with representatives from the police, the UK Border Agency and local ...


Rents soon to level out

Permalink: Rents soon to level out
by Gill Montia

Rents soon to level out
Rental prices in the private rental sector (PRS) could be levelling out, according to letting agents. Research from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) shows that in the first three months of the year, 50% of members were confident of increased achievable ...


Landlords continue property acquisition spree

Permalink: Landlords continue property acquisition spree
by Gill Montia

Landlords continue property acquisition spree
Landlords continued buying extra properties during the first three months of the year, according to buy-to-let lender, Paragon, typically increasing portfolio sizes by 1.8 properties to an average holding of 10.8. Twenty per cent of landlords questioned said they expect to purchase ...

April 24, 2012

Mortgage lending jumps 17%

Permalink: Mortgage lending jumps 17%
by Gill Montia

Mortgage lending jumps 17%
Gross mortgage lending stood at around £13.4 billion in March, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), with the figure up 17% year-on-year. The ending of the stamp duty concession resulted in the highest monthly total for March since 2008, meaning gross lending ...