UK Housing Market Update Housing market placed on ice In light of government advice to delay housing sales, we now expect a 70% q/q fall in house purchase mortgage approvals and transactions in Q2. Meanwhile, our base case is that low interest rates... 27th March 2020 · 4 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Housebuilding (Q4) Housing starts fell sharply in the final quarter of 2019. With housebuilders now halting construction in response to the coronavirus, and the hit to buyer confidence to persist even after movement... 26th March 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Demand shock to hit rents in 2020 The economic hit from the coronavirus will cool rental demand, while social distancing measures will tip market dynamics in favour of renters. We have downgraded our forecast for rents and now expect... 25th March 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update How low will mortgage interest rates go? Banks will be slow to pass on the latest rate cuts, as the economic turmoil in Q2 puts them on the defensive. But as conditions start to normalise, mortgage interest rates will fall further, reaching... 20th March 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Housing transactions to fall sharply We now expect the coronavirus to severely limit housing market activity this year, with transactions and house purchase mortgage approvals falling by 40% in Q2. That said, as long as any pick-up in... 18th March 2020 · 4 mins read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack Housing recovery to be cut short Measures of activity and house price pressures were strong in February. But with the coronavirus set to disrupt activity and confidence over the next few months, the housing market recovery is... 13th March 2020 · 7 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Coronavirus likely to cut short the housing recovery Coronavirus fears will cut short the housing market recovery, and we have reduced our forecasts for house price growth in response. What’s more, the risks to the market – particularly housing... 6th March 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices (Feb.) Annual house price growth on the Halifax index cooled in February, suggesting that the market has lost steam. Looking ahead, with the coronavirus likely to affect sentiment as well as economic... 6th March 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Commercial Property Data Response IHS Markit/CIPS Construction PMI (Feb.) The IHS Markit/CIPS Construction PMI pointed to the strongest rise in construction since December 2018. This was driven by improvements in both commercial property and housing. But with the economic... 3rd March 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response IHS Markit/CIPS Construction PMI (Feb.) The IHS Markit/CIPS Construction PMI pointed to the strongest rise in construction since December 2018. This was driven by improvements in both commercial property and housing. But with the economic... 3rd March 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lending (Jan.) House purchase mortgage approvals surged in January, and leading indicators point to further gains in the coming months. But with house prices high, economic growth set to stay weak and uncertainty to... 2nd March 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Feb.) House prices gathered momentum in February, and leading indicators point to further near-term gains. But this latest boost reflects sentiment, while the fundamentals argue against a sustained... 28th February 2020 · 2 mins read
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 Data Response RICS Residential Market Survey (Jan.) Housing market activity rose again in January, driven by a post-election rise in sentiment. This bodes well for the near-term, but the upward momentum can’t be sustained indefinitely. Indeed, we... 13th February 2020 · 2 mins read
