UK Housing Market Update With activity so low, why aren't prices falling more quickly? The low level of forced selling is almost certainly the main reason why house prices are currently falling more slowly that the ultra-low levels of housing market activity would suggest. However, we... 24th February 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is mortgage affordability close to an all-time high? We do not agree with research published recently in the Daily Telegraph suggesting that mortgage affordability is at near-record levels. By looking at interest payments only, the Lombard Street... 17th February 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What effect would a rise in Bank Rate have on mortgage interest rates? In principle, lenders appear to have scope to absorb any rise in Bank Rate within their already high margins. Yet lenders are now raising the cost of some mortgages in response to higher swap rates... 15th February 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Funding problems to keep lid on bank lending The Chancellor is upping the pressure on banks to lend more. But with banks’ funding problems really coming home to roost this year, he might soon feel like he is banging his head against a brick wall... 14th February 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is replacing stamp duty with an annual tax on property a good idea? Theoretically at least, the OECD’s recent proposal to replace stamp duty with an annual tax on property could improve labour market mobility and discourage excessive consumption of housing. But... 28th January 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Struggling tenants will limit growth in average rents If our unemployment forecasts are correct, the rise in the number of tenants who are struggling to meet their rents may be the start of a growing trend. At the very least these figures support our... 12th January 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is now a good time to buy residential property as an inflation hedge? Growing fears about the inflation outlook do not improve the case for buying residential property at the present time. Given how high real house prices currently are, we think that it would be unwise... 16th December 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Should the shift towards repayment mortgages be welcomed? The increased share of first-time buyers on repayment mortgages should be welcomed. The high level of interest-only lending during the boom years contributed to the unsustainable gap that opened up... 10th December 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update How concerned should we be about the latest drop in house-building? The fall in dwelling starts in Q3 may well be a sign that the recovery in house-building has run out of steam. If so, it raises questions about the durability of the wider economic recovery and, on... 18th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update New survey adds to the evidence of a tightening lending market A new mortgage market survey from the charted surveyors e.surv suggests that mortgage lending volumes and average loan-to-value ratios fell further in October. While the survey has yet to be tested... 5th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will landlords gain most from the Spending Review? Today’s Spending Review was never going to be good for the housing sector. The target for 150,000 new affordable homes to be built over the next four years represents a cut of almost 30% in affordable... 20th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What is happening to mortgage credit conditions? While mortgage credit conditions are improving for the most credit-worthy borrowers, secured lending criteria remain exceptionally tight for the broader market. 13th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What is the outlook for affordable house-building? Affordable house-building faces significant headwinds. As well as problems of economic viability, the fiscal squeeze is already weighing on starts in the affordable housing sector. These challenges... 6th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Fuss over mortgage interest rates is a red-herring Recent press comment that lenders are profiteering from the large spreads between mortgage interest rates and Bank Rate may be further evidence of the low esteem in which the financial services sector... 22nd September 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update First-time buyers will be most affected by fragile labour market The recent slump in first-time buyers’ share of the mortgage market is a worrying sign of fresh weakness in the first rung of the housing market. What’s more, high unemployment among the under- 35s... 16th September 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What is the interest-only mortgage clampdown telling us? Recent press reports that some major mortgage lenders are further restricting the availability of interest-only mortgages are a fresh sign that credit conditions are tightening. 7th September 2010 · 1 min read
