Don’t be fooled by data quirks, sky high interest rates are hurting Brits January 10, 2024 Higher interest rates are good news for some, but we should not let that distract from the overwhelming reality, writes Kevin Ferriter.
First-time buyer numbers ‘were lowest in a decade in 2023’ January 2, 2024 The number of first-time buyers who purchased a home with a mortgage in 2023 is estimated to be the lowest in a decade, according to a building society. Yorkshire Building Society calculated that, across the UK, there were around 290,000 first-time buyers in the mortgage market in 2023, shrinking by a fifth (21 per cent) [...]
UK mortgage approvals reach highest level since 2007 February 1, 2021 The number of mortgage approvals reached their highest level since 2007 last year as buyers took advantage of the stamp duty holiday. The housing market remained resilient in the face of volatility and essential closure of the market during the first lockdown. There were 818,500 mortgage approvals over 2020, up from 789,100 the previous year, [...]
Arrears continue to rise as higher rates pour pain onto borrowers August 10, 2023 Arrears continued rising in the second quarter as customers struggled with soaring repayment costs, new data shows. According to figures from industry body UK Finance, there were 81,900 homeowner mortgages in arrears of more than 2.5 per cent in the second quarter, seven per cent more than the previous quarter. Within this, 30,940 mortgages were [...]
London rents see biggest jump on record amid landlord exodus November 15, 2023 Private rental prices in London saw their biggest jump since 2006 in October, rising 6.8 per cent year-on-year up from 6.2 per cent the prior month, according to the latest reading from the ONS. The figure is significantly less than the amount forked out by tenants across the rest of the UK. Rents across the [...]
Metro Bank’s costs in focus as lender embarks on major restructuring March 9, 2024 Investors will be looking for more clues on Metro Bank's revamped strategy next week as the lender prepares to draw a line under a year that saw it rescued from potential collapse.
Scottish affordable house builder Springfield Properties latest to feel the pain of property slowdown February 20, 2024 A Scottish house building company is one of the latest to be financially bruised by last year’s slowdown in property sales.
Price of the average London home on the rise as UK demand rockets August 28, 2024 The ‘average’ London home will now set you back more than £530,000 after house prices in the capital increased for the first time since April 2023, according to figures released today. Data from Zoopla’s latest house price index revealed that London property prices were up 0.2 per cent year on year in the first seven [...]
Won’t take much for 6 per cent: Bank of England tipped to raise rates again June 18, 2023 The squeeze on mortgage holders is set to tighten as the Bank of England gets ready to hike interest rates for the 13th time in a row, experts have said. Some analysts are expecting UK interest rates to rise by another 0.25 percentage points on Thursday, and say there could be more hikes on the [...]
Flat owners in London feel the squeeze as service charges balloon April 29, 2024 The average annual service charge on London flats has risen close to 10 per cent over the last 12 months, piling further pressure on cash strapped city dwellers.