HOUSING NEWS

Summer property sales in the UK were nearly a third lower than last year despite a pick up since the housing market reopened. A total of 68,670 residential properties were sold in June, data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows. This was down 31.5% on the same month a year ago, but up 50% […]

“When I found out that we were going to have a stamp duty holiday, I jumped for joy,” says Sally Stuart. The Salford-based university lecturer reckons the chancellor’s announcement on Wednesday will save her and her husband about £8,000. “We’re in the middle of buying our £346,000 dream home and have agreed a completion date […]

The number of private tenants in England who have fallen behind on rent has doubled during the coronavirus pandemic, new research suggests. Polling for housing charity Shelter estimated 226,785 are now in arrears despite having been up to date in March, out of a total of 442,403. It said the figures showed the need for […]

UK house prices were 0.1% lower in June than the same month a year ago – the first annual fall since December 2012, according to the Nationwide. The building society also said property values had dropped by 1.4% compared with May as the coronavirus lockdown hit the housing market. Sales plummeted and viewings halted when […]

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 […]