GUIDANCE

Research from Rightmove has identified the UK towns that recorded the strongest house price growth last year. The list was largely dominated by towns in Scotland and the north of England. Hawick in the Scottish Borders saw the biggest annual rise, with prices increasing by 18% in 2025. Durham followed with a 15% increase, while Stannington in Sheffield saw prices grow by 12%. Across the 50 locations with the fastest-growing house prices, the average property value was £270,71

Moving home or renovating in 2026? Make sure you’re adequately covered. Before you move, it’s important to check the details of your home contents policy, as exclusions may apply to the removals process. For example, some insurers only cover belongings packed and moved by professionals. Additionally, your home insurance won’t automatically be applicable at your new address, so you will likely need to transfer the policy over (if allowed). Similarly, if you’re renovating your

Don’t accidentally invalidate your home insurance - here are the biggest mistakes that homeowners make and how to avoid them… Outdated valuations When taking out buildings insurance, you will need to calculate how much it would cost to rebuild your home if something happened. If you’ve recently undergone renovations, building work or other alterations, the rebuild cost may have changed. If you haven’t notified your insurer about this, you risk leaving your home underinsured.

Last year saw significant housing reforms for renters and homebuyers – here’s a recap of what you need to know. Change to renters’ rights The Renters’ Rights Act received Royal Assent in October 2025 and will come into force in three phrases this year. The initial phase of the rollout in May will include the much-awaited end to Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions in England. Plus, all fixed term tenancies will automatically convert to periodic tenancies. Scotland rent controls Sc

Research suggests that landlords may be forced to raise rents to account for tax hikes announced in the Autumn Budget. From April 2027, landlords will face a 2% tax increase on their rental income - the basic rate of property income tax will rise from 20% to 22%, while the higher rate will increase from 40% to 42%. Those paying the additional rate will pay 47%. In a survey of landlords, 86% said they expected the measures to push rents higher. But the first phase of the Rente

The start of a new year often prompts people to review their plans and for many, that might include a resolution to move home. As market conditions continue to evolve, prospective buyers and sellers might be wondering what will happen with property prices in 2026 and beyond. The latest five-year outlook from Savills provides a useful insight into what’s to come, including some forecasts for house prices between now and 2030. The report predicts that house price growth will be

Savills has published its latest five-year outlook for the UK housing market, including predictions for house price growth between now and 2030. The report predicts that house price growth will be subdued in the short term, with the average home expected to rise in value by just 1.0% in 2025 and 2.0% in 2026. This slow pace is due to ongoing uncertainty about the economy and weak demand from buyers. However, the landscape is expected to gradually improve as interest and mortg

A survey from LRG has revealed the three most influential factors when buying a property, excluding price and location. Updated kitchens and bathrooms were the important features, with 77% of respondents citing these as key influencers. Meanwhile, an attractive garden (55%) was more favourable than exterior presentation (23%), suggesting that kerb appeal is currently less of a priority among buyers. But presentation inside the home does seem to matter, with 49% of respondents

Data from the Bank of England shows that UK borrowers are currently favouring two-year fixed-rate deals. In Q2 of this year, half of new mortgages were two-year deals, with only 35% opting for five-year terms. Borrowers are probably hoping to remortgage to a cheaper deal if Bank Rate keeps falling over the next two years. This marks a change in attitude since 2022 - interest rates were beginning to rise, so buyers were hoping to keep mortgage costs low by choosing a five-year

Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the average monthly mortgage repayment has surpassed £1,000 for the first time on record. In August, the typical monthly payment reached £1,002.27, indicating that, despite some cuts to Bank Rate over the last year, homeowners are still facing affordability challenges due to higher inflation. Less than a year ago, average repayments were below £950 and, in 2020, homeowners were paying an average of £680 per month. This sh

Millions of UK homeowners are choosing to renovate their existing home instead of moving. In England and Wales, about 1.7 million homes (one in 15 properties) have undergone significant renovation work. These homes are marked with ‘official improvement indicators’, showing that they have had major structural changes, such as an extension or loft conversion. Legally, Council Tax cannot be increased on homes with improvement indicators until the property is sold or there is a g

If you find it difficult to understand leasehold and freehold, you’re not alone. Research has found that leasehold is the UK’s most confusing property term, with the term generating over 160,000 Google searches in the last year. Freehold was second on the list, accounting for 114,000 searches. Most flats are sold as a leasehold, meaning that you own the property for a fixed period, but not the land it sits on. The lease will have a fixed term, usually between 90 and 999 years

How is the housing market faring so far in 2025? House prices update House price growth slowed to 2.1% in June, down 0.8% month-on-month. Performance varies significantly depending on the region, with Northern Ireland seeing the strongest growth of 9.7%. East Anglia was the weakest area, where house prices only increased by 1.1% annually. House prices are increasing at the fastest rate in areas with the most affordable properties. In regions where the average home is below £2

Data has found that most consumers prefer to seek professional advice before purchasing an insurance product. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents said they would feel most comfortable taking out protection after consulting an adviser. When researching products, most people (59%) would use comparison sites, while 45% would visit the individual sites of insurance companies. The younger generations Interestingly, 25 to 34-year-olds were most likely to seek advice from an advi

In July, the Labour government’s permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme became available, after the previous iteration supported over 56,000 mortgage completions. The old scheme, which ran from April 2021 to March 2025, was launched by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government. It helped 56,389 people to access mortgages with smaller deposits, with 3,180 completions in Q1 of this year. The scheme was open to first-time buyers (FTBs), movers and remortgagers, but the vast majority

The number of UK homeowners with more than £300,000 left to repay on their mortgage has nearly doubled in the past seven years,...

Nearly two-thirds of UK homebuyers faced unexpected costs in the past year, according to recent research. First-time buyers were hit...

House prices crept up again in May, with Nationwide reporting annual growth of 3.5%, slightly above April’s 3.4%. Prices also rose 0.5%...

More than two million UK mortgage holders would be facing financial distress if their income suddenly stopped. That’s the key finding...

Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey is confident inflation will fade in 2025, which could mean as many as four interest rate...