UK Housing Market Update London house price revival unlikely to last The next few months could see a modest jump in London house prices, and we have upgraded our forecast to a 4% gain for 2020. But with the house price to earnings ratio still exceptionally high, any... 25th February 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Are leading indicators of sales still reliable? Leading indicators could be understating the coming recovery in housing sales. While we maintain our view that the recovery in transactions and lending will be modest, this suggests that the risks to... 21st February 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update When will the post-election sugar rush end? The post-election housing market recovery is likely to last a few more months, and we have upgraded our 2020 forecasts in response. But the housing market fundamentals were unchanged by the election... 14th February 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Rising owner occupation reflects housing policy Rising owner occupation in part reflects government policy – tax hikes on buy-to-let landlords and support from Help to Buy. As a result, landlord taxation is unlikely to be eased anytime soon. And it... 3rd February 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Could lower for longer rates boost house prices? Lower than expected interest rates would do little to boost house prices. After all, a shallower path for Bank Rate would reflect weaker than expected economic conditions. And in any case, there is... 10th January 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Our outlook for housing in 2020 Political uncertainty has eased following the election result, but the housing market fundamentals leave little room for a recovery in price growth or transactions in 2020. Combined with waning... 16th December 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Election hopefuls pull their punches on housing Labour and the Conservatives have pulled their punches on housing policy. Indeed, only Labour’s pledge to boost social housing construction would materially affect the market. As a result, we expect... 29th November 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Election 2019: are social housebuilding plans realistic? With housebuilders already close to capacity, the sector will struggle to sustain a further surge in output. As a result, if elected, we think Labour would likely to miss their manifesto commitment to... 22nd November 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Housing completions hit their peak Housing completions have reached their highest level in over three decades. But timelier data on housing starts point to a weakening pipeline of construction. On that basis, we think housing... 15th November 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Election and Brexit delay leaves outlook in limbo The Brexit extension and general election leaves the housing market outlook even more uncertain than a week ago. What’s more, given the vast distance between the two main political parties’ approach... 1st November 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Where is housebuilding slowing? London has led the fall in housebuilding, but more recently, construction has fallen sharply in nearly every region. Looking ahead, given continued economic uncertainty, housing starts are on track to... 16th October 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Mortgage interest rates close to their floor Increased competition among lenders has caused mortgage interest rates to fall in recent months. But funding costs are set to remain pretty stable. That, combined with already tight interest margins... 20th September 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Would a stamp duty cut boost transactions? Stamp duty changes previously hinted at by the Prime Minister could affect over half of all home buyers, with more expensive homes seeing substantial savings. While the effect on house prices would be... 19th September 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Has the Halifax index been fixed? After spending much of the last year as an outlier, IHS Markit has fixed the Halifax index. In line with the other main measures, the index is now recording sluggish house price growth. And with the... 6th September 2019 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Is private Right to Buy a good idea? Labour’s proposed Right to Buy scheme for private tenants could have severe unintended consequences. The supply of property available to rent would fall, pushing up rents across the board. Moreover... 2nd September 2019 · 3 mins read
