Plain-English UK property news for homeowners — house prices, mortgage rates and the policy changes that affect what your home is worth and how quickly it will sell. Written and reviewed by Lisa Hayes, updated daily.
Fall-Throughs Cut to 1 in 20? What Sellers Should Believe
New Ministry of Justice-backed research says starting the legal work at listing cuts collapsed sales from around six in ten to fewer than one in 20…
Read more →Property News · 18 Sep 2026Bank Rate Held at 3.75% — But Three Members Voted for a Rise
The Bank of England held rates for a sixth meeting, but a 6–3 split and an inflation forecast heading past 4% mean the cheap-mortgage rescue sellers…
Read more →Property News · 17 Sep 2026House Prices Up 1.4%: Why Your Region Is All That Matters
Official Land Registry data puts the average UK home at £273,000 in July, but a 4.9% rise in the North East against a 3.3% fall in…
Read more →Property News · 16 Sep 2026Inflation Hits 3.1%: What It Means If You're Selling Now
UK inflation rose to 3.1% in August, landing a day before the Bank of England's rate decision and after lenders had already pushed the average two-year…
Read more →Property News · 15 Sep 2026Sales Agreed Fall 5.4%: What Autumn 2026 Sellers Must Know
TwentyCi's latest Market Update shows agreed sales have fallen for four months running, and the 2026 transaction forecast has been cut to 1.16 million.
Read more →Property News · 14 Sep 2026Thursday's Rate Decision: Why Sellers Shouldn't Wait for It
The Bank of England votes on 17 September, but lenders have already repriced and your buyer's budget shrank weeks ago.
Read more →Property News · 13 Sep 2026Treasury Rejects Downsizer Stamp Duty Break: What It Means
HM Treasury has formally ruled out stamp duty relief for downsizers just as Berkeley Group calls for the same thing — and the top of the…
Read more →Property News · 12 Sep 2026UK Economy Grew 0.4%: The Rate Cut Sellers Hoped For Is Gone
July's surprise growth figure has all but killed the autumn mortgage rate cut, which means sellers now have to rebuild buyer budgets from the asking price…
Read more →Property News · 11 Sep 2026880,635 Rate Locks: Why Your Autumn Buyer Won't Budge
Nearly a million borrowers fixed their next mortgage deal early in the first half of 2026, and around 900,000 more deals expire before Christmas. Here's what…
Read more →Property News · 10 Sep 2026Buyer Demand at -19%: Surveyors Say the Floor Is Forming
The August RICS survey shows five straight months of improving buyer demand, but prices are still drifting and RICS has named two things that could undo…
Read more →Property News · 8 Sep 2026House Prices Fall Year-on-Year for the First Time Since 2023
Lloyds says the average UK home is now worth £298,468 — down 0.4% on a year ago — but the thinning buyer pool matters far more…
Read more →Property News · 7 Sep 2026Mansion Tax Valuations: The Row That Could Jam Your Sale
Propertymark warned today that Scotland's new high-value council tax bands risk stalling the top of the market in valuation disputes — here's what that really means…
Read more →Property News · 6 Sep 2026The Bank's Own Economist Wants a Rate Rise: What It Means
Huw Pill has broken ranks and called for higher interest rates 11 days before the Bank of England's next decision — and fixed mortgage pricing has…
Read more →Property News · 5 Sep 2026Swap Rates Hit a Three-Year High: What Sellers Must Know
A global bond sell-off has pushed the five-year swap rate above 4.52% — its highest since October 2023 — and lenders have already started putting fixed…
Read more →Property News · 3 Sep 202656,100 Approvals: The Autumn Buyer Pool Just Shrank 15%
Mortgage approvals for house purchase fell to 56,100 in July — and because approvals lead completions by about three months, that is the buyer pool competing…
Read more →Property News · 2 Sep 2026House Prices Didn't Speed Up in August — July Got Revised
Nationwide says annual growth rose to 1.6% in August. It only rose because July was quietly revised down — and in cash terms the average home…
Read more →Property News · 1 Sep 2026Price Growth Near Zero by Christmas: Knight Frank Warns
Government transaction figures for July have prompted Knight Frank to forecast annual house price growth falling close to zero by the end of 2026 — here's…
Read more →Property News · 31 Aug 2026Lenders Blink First: Rate Cuts as the Autumn Market Opens
Halifax, TSB and Leeds all cut fixed rates in the last week of August and several lenders loosened affordability rules, but buying power is still 9%…
Read more →Property News · 30 Aug 2026UK Home Sales Fell 2% in July: Why It's Already Old News
HMRC's latest figures show 96,710 UK homes completed in July, down 2% on June — but completions lag agreed deals by months, and the real story…
Read more →Property News · 29 Aug 202612 Reasons Lenders Refuse a Mortgage on Your House in 2026
Which? has set out 12 reasons a lender says no - and almost all of them are about your house, not your buyer.
Read more →Property News · 28 Aug 2026Landlords Now Pay Just 88.7% of Asking Price: Seller's Guide
New Hamptons data shows buy-to-let investors are landing the deepest discounts since the first Covid lockdown — and sellers are increasingly saying yes.
Read more →Property News · 27 Aug 2026Buyers Return With 9% Less to Spend: What Sellers Do Now
Zoopla's August index shows buyer searches up 7% and house price growth down to 0.9% — because higher mortgage rates have stripped 9% from what every…
Read more →Property News · 26 Aug 2026Budget Property Tax Fears: What It Means If You're Selling
The Prime Minister won't rule out tax rises on 28 October, and analysts are already mapping a mansion tax cut to £1.5m, a CGT overhaul and…
Read more →Property News · 24 Aug 202649% of Homes Withdrew Unsold in July: What Sellers Do Now
New market data shows only 51% of the homes that left estate agents' books in July actually exchanged. Here's what's really driving it, and how to…
Read more →Property News · 23 Aug 2026Mansion Tax Inspectors Are Coming: What It Means for You
HMRC valuation officers will visit homes in person to decide which are worth £2m or more — but the real story is the 75,000 households sitting…
Read more →Property News · 22 Aug 2026Six in 10 Home Sales Now Take Over Six Months to Exchange
TwentyEA's Q2 2026 data shows 60.8% of sales now outlast the six-month validity of their own property searches — and the delay is entirely in the…
Read more →Property News · 21 Aug 2026Inflation Hits 2.9%: What It Means If You're Selling
July's CPI jump was an energy bill in statistical form — but it has pushed the mortgage-rate relief sellers were counting on further out of reach.
Read more →Property News · 20 Aug 2026House Prices Up 2.0%: The Slowdown Isn't What It Looks Like
Official figures show UK house price growth halved in two months, but the real story is a market splitting by property type and postcode, not one…
Read more →Property News · 19 Aug 2026North +1.5%, South -1.8%: Britain's Split Housing Market
Rightmove's August index shows asking prices down £7,360 in a month, but the national figure hides a five-point gap between a rising north and a falling…
Read more →Property News · 18 Aug 2026How Long to Sell a House in 2026? 42 Days, or 76 in Melton
New Zoopla data shows half of Britain's local housing markets got slower over the past year, even though the national average time to sell hasn't budged.
Read more →Property News · 17 Aug 2026Asking Prices Fall £7,360 in August: What Sellers Do Now
Rightmove says the average asking price dropped 2% in a month — the biggest August fall since 2018 — as homes for sale hit a 12-year…
Read more →Property News · 16 Aug 2026The Investor Exodus: What It Means If You're Selling in 2026
Fresh HMRC data confirms overseas owners are stepping back from UK homes, and British landlords are going the same way. Here's what a shrinking pool of…
Read more →Property News · 15 Aug 2026Why Buyers Vanished in July: It's the Budget, Not Rates
London buyer registrations fell 22% in a single month as homeowners and buyers alike froze ahead of October's Budget — and the tax rumour mill, not…
Read more →Property News · 14 Aug 2026The Mortgage Rate U-Turn: What It Means If You're Selling
Lenders have reversed their summer rate cuts and 750,000 households face a remortgage cliff — here's what it means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 13 Aug 2026RICS July Survey: What a Steadier Market Means for Sellers
July's RICS survey shows the housing market has stopped sliding, and here's what a steadier but still-soft market means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 12 Aug 2026The Autumn Budget and Your Home Sale: What Actually Changes
The 28 October Budget has sellers spooked about property taxes — but for most homes under £2m, the confirmed changes barely touch your sale.
Read more →Property News · 11 Aug 2026The Autumn 2026 Property Bounce: Which Sellers Actually Win
Zoopla expects buyers back in September, but the autumn pick-up will reward realistic pricing and punish the holdouts.
Read more →Property News · 10 Aug 2026House Prices Have Flatlined: Why Pricing Now Decides Your Sale
UK house prices barely moved in July. With annual growth at its slowest in almost three years, getting your asking price right is now the difference…
Read more →Property News · 9 Aug 2026Mortgage Rates Start Falling Again: What Sellers Should Know
After a summer of rising rates, Barclays, Nationwide and others have started cutting fixed deals again - here's what the August price war means for your…
Read more →Property News · 8 Aug 2026UK House Prices Flatline in July: What Sellers Should Know
The average UK home held at £299,253 in July with annual growth of just 0.1% — the slowest in nearly three years — as a two-speed…
Read more →Property News · 7 Aug 2026Mortgage Rates in August 2026: The Gap Sellers Can't Ignore
Fixed rates crept up again in early August even though the Bank held the base rate — and the gap between the headline 'best buy' and…
Read more →Property News · 6 Aug 2026Why Britain Has Stopped Moving House — and What It Means
July's numbers say prices are flat, but the real story is a frozen market where the average home changes hands just once every 14 years.
Read more →Property News · 5 Aug 2026New Chancellor's First Budget: What It Means If You're Selling
A new Chancellor, a Budget on 28 October and a fresh wave of tax speculation are landing on an already-soft market, and the uncertainty is what…
Read more →Property News · 4 Aug 2026Mortgage Approvals Rose in June as Borrowing Costs Hit Records
Net mortgage borrowing more than doubled to £7.7bn in June and approvals beat forecasts, yet the rate borrowers actually pay hit its highest in over a…
Read more →Property News · 3 Aug 2026Mortgage Rates Climb Again in August Despite the Rate Hold
The Bank held base rate at 3.75%, but lenders are quietly pushing fixed mortgage rates back up — and markets are now betting the next move…
Read more →Property News · 2 Aug 2026UK Home Sales Hit Busiest June Since 2022 — What It Means
HMRC says June completions were the strongest for the month since 2022 — but a slow, sticky market means only realistically priced, sale-ready homes are getting…
Read more →Property News · 1 Aug 2026House Prices Edge Up 0.1% in July as Growth Slows to 1.8%
Nationwide says the average UK home ticked up 0.1% in July, but annual growth cooled to 1.8% and the Bank of England has parked rate cuts…
Read more →Property News · 31 Jul 2026Base Rate Held at 3.75%: What It Means for Home Sellers
The Bank of England held rates for a fifth time on 30 July, but with three policymakers voting to raise them and no one backing a…
Read more →Property News · 30 Jul 2026Zoopla July 2026: House Prices Up 1.3%, But Sales Stall
UK house price growth has slowed to 1.3% and sales agreed are down 9% — here's what a quieter, choosier market really means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 29 Jul 2026Price It Right or Wait 127 Days: 2026 Seller's Guide
Rightmove's latest data shows well-priced homes sell in 36 days while overpriced ones drag on for 127 – here's how to land on the right side…
Read more →Property News · 28 Jul 2026Sellers Now Outnumber Buyers: What It Means for Your Sale
The latest RICS survey shows the house price balance stuck at -33% with buyers in short supply, so realistic pricing is doing all the work this…
Read more →Property News · 27 Jul 2026Mortgage Rates Hit One-Month High Before Thursday's Rate Call
Fixed rates have crept back up to a one-month high just as the Bank of England prepares its 30 July decision, and it changes the maths…
Read more →Property News · 26 Jul 2026London House Prices: The Only UK Region Still Falling in 2026
House Buyer Bureau forecasts the average London home losing almost another £5,000 by December, even as the North posts solid gains. Here's what it means if…
Read more →Property News · 25 Jul 2026Andy Burnham's Property Tax Plans: What Sellers Need to Know
The new PM wants to scrap stamp duty and council tax. Here's what's real, what's rumour, and what it actually means if you're selling in 2026.
Read more →Property News · 24 Jul 2026UK House Prices Up 2.7% in May: A Two-Speed Market Emerges
Official Land Registry data puts the average UK home at £271,000, but the modest 2.7% annual rise hides a country split sharply between a booming North…
Read more →Property News · 23 Jul 2026Only 14% of Homes Rose in Value Every Year, Says Zoopla
New Zoopla analysis shows steady annual house price growth has become the exception, not the rule — and where you live decides everything.
Read more →Property News · 22 Jul 2026Mortgage Rates Creep Back Up Before the July Rate Call
Fixed rates have quietly risen again this month, and the 30 July Bank of England decision matters less to your payment than the market shift underneath…
Read more →Property News · 21 Jul 2026Asking Prices Now 11.6% Above True Value: Sellers Beware
A new report finds the gap between what sellers ask and what homes are actually worth has doubled in a year, raising the risk of down-valuations…
Read more →Property News · 20 Jul 2026House Prices Fall 1% in July: What It Means for Sellers
Rightmove's July index shows asking prices down £3,832 in a bigger-than-usual summer dip — but the real story is pricing, not panic.
Read more →Property News · 9 Jul 2026Stamp Duty Is Now a Tax on Moving: What Sellers Should Know
New Zoopla analysis shows stamp duty has quietly become a tax on moving home, with five-figure bills across southern England jamming up the market - here…
Read more →Property News · 8 Jul 2026Why Fewer Homes Are Winning Offers: Summer 2026 Reality
Just 52% of homes listed this year have won an offer within six months — here's what's selling, what's stuck, and what to do if you're…
Read more →Property News · 7 Jul 2026Halifax House Price Index Becomes Lloyds: June 2026 Data
The UK's oldest house price index gets a new name as prices edge up +0.2% to £299,330 in June, the first monthly rise in four months.
Read more →Property News · 6 Jul 2026UK House Prices June 2026: Growth Ticks Up, Momentum Stalls
Nationwide's June index shows annual growth edging to 2.2% while monthly prices go flat — here's what a stalling, two-speed market really means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 30 Jun 2026Mortgage Approvals Plunge 15% in May: What Sellers Must Know
The Bank of England says house-purchase mortgage approvals fell to 56,205 in May 2026 — here's what the cooling lending market means if you're selling your…
Read more →Property News · 29 Jun 2026UK Mansion Tax 2026: What Homeowners and Sellers Must Know
The £2 million “mansion tax” is now confirmed for April 2028 — and a live government consultation closing on 14 July 2026 will decide exactly how…
Read more →Property News · 28 Jun 2026The 2026 Remortgage Cliff-Edge: What It Means for Sellers
With 1.8 million cheap fixed deals expiring in 2026 and the Bank of England holding at 3.75%, here's what the remortgage cliff-edge means if you own…
Read more →Property News · 27 Jun 2026UK Homes Take Longest Ever to Sell: 21.5 Weeks in 2026
Selling times have hit a record 21.5 weeks as a glut of unsold homes hands buyers the upper hand — here's what it means if you…
Read more →Property News · 26 Jun 2026Flats vs Houses: The 2026 Property Price Divide Explained
The UK market is splitting by property type, not just region — flats are the only homes falling in value while houses, especially family semis, keep…
Read more →Property News · 25 Jun 2026Bigger Mortgages Are Coming: What It Means for UK Sellers
Regulators are about to let banks hand out bigger mortgages relative to income, and for anyone trying to sell this summer that quiet rule change could…
Read more →Property News · 24 Jun 2026House Price Forecast 2026: What the Downgrades Mean for Sellers
Savills, Pantheon and Knight Frank have all cut their 2026 UK house price forecasts — here's what the more cautious outlook means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 23 Jun 2026Homebuying Reforms 2026: What UK Sellers Need to Know Now
The government's 19 June reform roadmap promises upfront sales packs, binding contracts and an end to collapsed deals — here's what it means if you're selling.
Read more →Property News · 22 Jun 2026Is Now a Good Time to Sell Your House? Summer 2026 Guide
UK asking prices have just seen their biggest June fall in 14 years — here's what the summer slowdown really means if you're thinking of selling.
Read more →Property News · 21 Jun 2026UK House Prices June 2026: The Two-Speed Market Explained
The national average hides everything that matters — homes are flying off the market in Scotland and the North while prime London and the southern coast…
Read more →Property News · 20 Jun 2026Mortgage Price War Returns: Sub-4% Deals Are Back for Sellers
Lenders are quietly slashing fixed rates again and the cheapest deals have slipped back under 4% — here is what the 2026 mortgage price war really…
Read more →Property News · 19 Jun 2026UK House Prices Hit £270k — But the 3.8% Jump Is a Mirage
Official figures show UK house prices up 3.8% to £270,000 — but Lisa Hayes explains why the headline is a base-effect mirage, and what it really…
Read more →Property News · 18 Jun 2026UK Inflation Holds at 2.8% as Bank of England Decides Rates
Inflation defied forecasts of a rise on the eve of the Bank of England's June decision — here's what the surprise means for mortgage rates and…
Read more →Property News · 17 Jun 2026Asking prices see their biggest June fall in 14 years
Rightmove says the average asking price fell £2,113 in June — the biggest drop for the month in 14 years — as high supply and cautious…
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