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Half the number of residential properties were sold in May compared with a year ago amid coronavirus lockdown measures. A total of 46,230 property transactions were completed during the month, down 52% on the same month last year, HM Revenue and Customs data shows. There was a slight pick-up on the previous month, reflecting the […]

The UK’s biggest building society has tripled the minimum deposit it will ask for from first-time buyers. The Nationwide will lower its ceiling for mortgage lending to new customers in response to the coronavirus crisis. It said the change, from Thursday, was due to “these unprecedented times and an uncertain mortgage market”. First-time buyers are […]

The saying “there is no place like home” is perhaps not so heart-warming a thought these days. After all, most of us have been locked down in our house or apartment for a very long time. The coronavirus pandemic will, however, do more than change the way we might feel about our homes. It has […]

Landlords and owners putting their homes on the market are being told to show off gardens in marketing photos as house-hunters search for space. Pictures of the kitchen had previously been considered key to attracting the attention of browsers. Lockdown has changed the priorities of buyers and renters, many of whom have been working from […]

House prices fell 1.7% in May from the previous month, the largest monthly fall for 11 years, according to the Nationwide. Annual house price growth halved from 3.7% to 1.8%, as the coronavirus crisis hit market activity. The latest HMRC data showed that residential property transactions fell 53% in April compared with 2019. “The medium-term […]

Demand from property hunters rebounded as curbs on the sector were lifted in England – but the trend may be short-lived, analysis suggests. Buyer demand rose by 88% in the week estate agents were told they could resume viewings and people could move again, property portal Zoopla said. However, actual sales remained sluggish, and the […]

Residential property sales in the UK in April hit their lowest monthly level since comparable records began in 2005, new figures show. There were 38,060 transactions in April, according to provisional numbers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This was less than half the level seen in the same month last year. Spring is usually […]

The government has set out plans to restart England’s housing market from today, which has been in deep freeze since the coronavirus lockdown. Estate agents can now open, viewings can be carried out and removal firms and conveyancers can restart operations. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the changes must be carried out under social distancing […]

The government has urged people not to move house to try to limit the spread of coronavirus across the UK. Buyers and renters should delay moving while emergency stay-at-home measures are in place, it said. Its comments come amid reports banks are pressing for a full suspension of the UK housing market. Lenders are concerned […]

Boris Johnson has outlined strict new measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a ban on public gatherings of more than two people. He said people should leave home only to exercise once a day, travel to and from work where “absolutely necessary”, shop for essential items and to fulfil any medical or care […]