High LTV rates hit five-year high adding thousands to mortgage bills
Borrowers looking for a low deposit mortgage deal will be forced to pay the highest average two-year fixed rate in five years, increasing their mortgage costs by thousands of pounds as rates have soared since April. Analysis from the Bank of England showed the average...
House prices set to rise by 14%
House prices are on course to rise by 14% between August and November according to the House Price Forecast by price comparison site reallymoving. Average house prices in England and Wales are on course to increase by 14% in the three months between August and...
Shared ownership model revamped in £12.2bn affordable housing investment
The minimum initial share to acquire a shared ownership property has dropped from 25 per cent to 10 per cent as part of the government’s plan to get more people onto the housing ladder. People will be able to purchase shares in one per cent instalments when...
Bank of Mum & Dad “needs financial advice”
32% of parents would value advice on how best to give money to children and would also like government support with guidance and tax breaks, according to new survey from Openwork. 62% of parents would welcome government-backed guidance on how to make gifts and loans,...
Fixed rate costs plunge from pre-lockdown levels
Average mortgage rates have fallen by as much as 0.51 percentage points in some product categories compared to the deals on offer before lockdown began. Figures from Moneyfacts show substantial reductions across many different fixed rate periods and loan-to-value...
Mortgage payment holidays and repossession ban extended
Homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage because of coronavirus will be able to extend their repayment holidays by a further three months. More than 1.8m payment breaks have been taken up since being offered in March, as part of measures designed to ease...
Housing market in England to reopen for ‘socially distanced’ property viewings
Estate agents back to work on Wednesday as new laws permit key house-hunting activities. The housing market in England has been given the green light to reopen after seven weeks of lockdown, with renters and buyers allowed to move home and view properties as long as...
BoE cuts rate to record low of 0.1%
The Bank of England has slashed the UK base rate to a record low of 0.1 per cent as it attempts to boost the UK economy against the spreading coronavirus crisis. This is the second cut in interest rates in just over a week after the BoE reduced rates from...
Government names and shames building owners for not fixing cladding
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a list of five building owners who have failed to put a plan in place to remove unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding from high-rise buildings. In January, Housing Secretary Robert...
Buyers of shoddy new homes given fresh protection with industry ombudsman
Homebuyers are to be given fresh help with rogue builders and shoddy work by a New Homes Ombudsman. Housebuilders will be obliged to join the ombudsman so all homebuyers can get issues resolved. Developers will be forced to pay compensation for substandard finishes on...
CGT changes to hit second homeowners and property investors
Law firm Collyer Bristow has warned that second homeowners and property investors are to be hit by changes to Capital Gains Tax. Homeowners, second homeowners and property investors who cannot rely on the principal private residence relief and sell a property face a...
UK house prices rise at fastest rate on record
2019 general election result provided period of ‘stability’ following Brexit uncertainty Photograph: Yui Mok/PA - VKM Mortgage brokers claim no rights to this image UK house prices rose over the last month at the fastest rate on record for the time of the...
The Skipton raises £250k for Alzheimer’s Society
A three-year fundraising campaign by the Skipton Building Society has raised a quarter of a million pounds to support the battle against dementia. Seven PHD dementia research students at the Bradford Doctoral Training Centre have been funded by the Society’s £250,000...
MPC “keeps its power dry” with rate decision
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to maintain the Bank Rate at 0.75%. The nine-member committee voted 7-2 to hold the rate. Jonathan Haskell and Michael Saunders voted to lower the Bank Rate, believing the weakening economy called for...
Next base rate move could be down rather than up – BoE’s Saunders
The Bank of England's (BoE) next Base Rate change may be to cut interest rates rather than raise, policymaker Michael Saunders has said. Speaking to local businesses in Barnsley today, Saunders, who is a member of the BoE’s Monetary Policy...