Average UK House Price Passes £300,000 for the First Time
The Halifax House Price Index shows the average UK home price has risen above £300,000 for the first time, reaching £300,077. Prices climbed 0.7% in January after a 0.5% dip in December, lifting annual growth to 1%. Regional gaps have widened, with northern regions posting gains while many southern areas recorded declines. Halifax predicts 1%‑3% price growth this year, citing stronger wage growth and mortgage rates slipping below 4% as supportive factors.
Mortgage Advisers Feel More Positive About Their Businesses
The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association’s Q4 2025 Mortgage Market Tracker shows a modest dip in overall industry confidence, yet advisers remain highly optimistic about their own firms, with 57 % very confident and 43 % fairly confident. Average case volume slipped to 89...
Ex-Housing Secretary Angela Rayner Urges Government to Go Further on Agent Regulation
Former housing secretary Angela Rayner urged the government to strengthen regulation of managing agents as part of its leasehold reform programme. She praised the draft bill’s ground‑rent cap and ban on new leasehold flats but warned that the lack of...
Gilt Yields Rise as Hopes for Bank of England Rate Cut Fade
UK inflation fell to a ten‑month low in January, reviving hopes of a Bank of England rate cut in March. However, gilt yields surged, with five‑year yields up 19 basis points, ten‑year up 14 basis points and two‑year up 12...
BTL Landlords Continue to ‘Invest Strategically’ as Rents Rise
Buy‑to‑let landlords stayed active in the UK rental market as average rents rose to £1,602 PCM, a 4.9% increase year‑on‑year. The South Coast led growth with a 10.5% jump, while London rents grew modestly but remain 49% above the national...
Ambitious Agents Look Beyond Portals for Marketing Edge
UK estate agents who grew in 2025 allocate significantly more budget to marketing beyond property portals than the market average, according to the Voice of the Agent survey of 495 firms. Average agents spend 6.8% of income on such marketing,...
Gap Between LHA Rates and Average Market Rents Widens
SimplyPhi’s 2025 Regional Housing Market Report shows average private rents in all nine English regions surpass Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, creating monthly shortfalls of £377 to £1,194. While rental supply peaked at 77,458 units in Q2 2025, only about 1,154...
EYE NEWSFLASH: Dexters Reports Double-Digit Rise in Revenue and Profit
London‑based estate agency Dexters posted an 11% revenue increase to £247 million and a 10% profit rise to £52 million for the year to 30 September 2025. Growth was split between 9% organic expansion and acquisition‑driven gains, notably the Keatons purchase. Lettings revenue grew...
Former Housing Secretaries to Give Evidence on Leasehold Reform
Former housing secretaries Angela Rayner and Lord Michael Gove will appear before the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee on 3 March to give evidence on the Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill. The session will also hear leasehold campaigners, the Residential Freehold Association...
Spicerhaart’s Expanding Partnership Model Wins Backing From Agents
Spicerhaart’s haart Partnership Scheme is expanding nationally, backed by agents who cite increased autonomy, profitability and work‑life balance. Testimonials from Jack Pollock, Roger Jackson and Janette Churchill illustrate how the model blends self‑employment flexibility with corporate resources such as tech,...
Conveyancing Costs Surge – What’s Driving the Jump?
The Property Solvers study reveals conveyancing fees in the UK climbing well above inflation, with freehold sale costs hitting £1,317 in 2026—a 10.6% rise year‑on‑year. Leasehold and remortgage fees also posted double‑digit increases, outpacing the 3% CPI. Regulatory, AML, and...
Homeowners Gain Equity, Entry-Level Buyers Still Struggle
UK homeowners have amassed roughly £677 bn of equity since the 2008 crisis, driving the average loan‑to‑value ratio down to 59%, well below the 70% peak in 2012. By 2024, only 42% of private homes retain a mortgage, indicating a shift...
EYE NEWSFLASH: Zoopla Acquires Rival Property Portal
Zoopla has completed the acquisition of newhomesforsale.co.uk, a specialist portal that works with more than 200 property developers and markets around 2,500 new‑build projects, connecting over one million prospective buyers each year. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed,...
Letting Agents and Landlords Seek Insurance Ahead of Renters’ Rights Act
Goodlord's analysis shows a 41% surge in rental‑insurance demand between September and December 2025 after the Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent. A survey of 234 letting agents and landlords found 76% are now more likely to purchase protection insurance...
Crackdown on Rogue Landlords as Licensing Expanded
Newcastle City Council has extended its selective licensing scheme in Byker Old Town and the Greater High Cross area until September 2031, requiring private landlords to pay a £1,000 licence and meet strict property‑condition and tenant‑management standards. The programme, now in...
Knight Frank Takeover by Rival Firm Approved
Sherry FitzGerald has received Competition and Consumer Protection Commission approval to acquire Knight Frank’s Irish operations, including HT Meagher O’Reilly Ltd and its new‑homes arm. The regulator concluded the deal will not substantially lessen competition in Ireland’s property market. Sherry FitzGerald, which runs...
Rising Stamp Duty Receipts Show Levy Needs ‘Urgent Refresh’
Stamp Duty Land Tax receipts jumped 6% in January to £899 million, and annual collections rose 18% to £15.4 billion, driven by the 2024 reduction of the nil‑rate band to £125,000. The lower threshold now captures many transactions that were previously exempt,...