UK Housing Market Update Official house price index is overstating price pressures Despite some very strong readings from the official index, there is little evidence elsewhere to suggest that the price of newbuild homes has surged. Rather, the strong data likely reflect a timing... 23rd March 2017 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Are rents in London approaching a ceiling? Rental growth in London has been weighed down by deteriorating affordability and falling tenant demand. With real wage growth now cooling and the risks to London tenant demand on the downside, we... 15th March 2017 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Downsizing is not the answer to the housing market’s woes In theory, an increase in downsizing could improve housing market liquidity. But it would do nothing to fix excessively high house prices, nor would it boost the overall supply of housing. 22nd February 2017 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Subdued outlook for Scottish house prices Stagnating employment growth combined with relatively loose supply conditions appear to be keeping Scottish house price growth in check. Throw in low oil prices and concerns about the impact of Brexit... 27th January 2017 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Are high income multiples on their way out? Mortgage affordability tests introduced in 2014 have effectively eliminated loans with loan-to-income multiples of 5 times or higher. As interest rates begin to normalise, affordability tests will put... 19th December 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update London Housing Chart Book - London set to underperform House price growth in London has held up reasonably well in the aftermath of the EU referendum. But the bigger picture is that the capital is in the midst of an internal adjustment. Outer London has... 30th November 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Stress tests to put pressure on buy-to-let LTVs The introduction of the buy-to-let stress test should have little near-term impact. But in the longer term, the effect of the test on mortgage volumes will be amplified by the removal of mortgage... 18th November 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update London housebuilding wobbles in Q3 London saw a sharp drop in housing starts during Q3, as builders paused to assess the Brexit vote’s effect on an already slowing market. But with the effect of the referendum looking comparatively... 8th November 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update How much cheaper can high LTV lending get? Our calculations suggest that there is plenty of room for competitive pressures to narrow the spread between high LTV and mainstream mortgages. That said, with banks looking cautious ahead of Brexit... 24th October 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Help to Buy won’t be missed Help-to-Buy: mortgage guarantee successfully kick-started the market for high LTV mortgages back in 2014. But such loans are now increasingly provided without government support. As a result, we think... 29th September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update BBA Mortgage Lending (Aug.) The first snapshot of mortgage lending in August shows that the drop in buyer enquiries and agreed sales seen in the run up to June’s EU referendum and in its aftermath is still feeding through to the... 26th September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Housing market confidence returns Today’s data from Knight Frank is further evidence that confidence in the housing market has recovered following the referendum. This, alongside the data released so far, suggests that the effect of... 23rd September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Have lenders become more cautious? Following a sharp dip in the run-up to and immediately following the referendum, buyer confidence in the UK housing market looks to be stabilising. But there are indications of reduced risk appetite... 22nd September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Central boroughs lead London slowdown Growth in the capital’s asking prices has slowed sharply in recent months, driven primarily by a weak performance in the central boroughs. With London’s housing market facing headwinds from high... 21st September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Have policymakers tamed BTL? The fact that buy-to-let lending is now running at barely half last year’s levels could be a sign that policymakers have succeeded in choking-off demand. But we think the fact that BTL lending grew in... 20th September 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Construction PMI does not change the outlook for housebuilding The rebound in the construction PMI, and, in particular, the housebuilding component, is a welcome development. But on its own, it will not prevent housebuilding from taking a backwards step in the... 2nd September 2016 · 1 min read
