UK house sales up 19% year on year for December

The latest UK monthly property transaction report from the HMRC.   The provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in December 2024 is 96,330, 19% higher than December 2023 and 3% higher than November 2024 The provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in December 2024 is 98,120, 15%…

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House price growth softens at the start of 2025

Annual rate of house price growth slowed to 4.1% in January, compared with 4.7% in December House prices up 0.1% month on month Little change in overall rate of home ownership in recent years despite affordability pressures Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist, said: “The price of a typical UK home rose…

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Leaseholders To Benefit Significantly from the removal of Two-Year Rule

Residential property transactions could become easier following the removal of the two-year rule for leasehold property extensions which comes into force today (31 January 2025) but lawyers have warned the necessity of proving ownership could be challenging due to Land Registry backlogs. This significant change means leaseholders no longer need to own their leasehold property…

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Bank of England Money and Credit – December 2024

bank of england interest rate

These monthly statistics on the amount of, and interest rates on, borrowing and deposits by households and businesses are used by the Bank’s policy committees to understand economic trends and developments in the UK banking system. Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals rose by £1.0 billion, to £3.6 billion in December. Net…

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National Federation of Builders View on Chancellor’s Speech

At the Autumn Budget 2024, Chancellor Reeves scaled back her interference in the planning process. However, in her speech today, she returned to the position that a well-functioning planning system is crucial to not only enabling growth but, more importantly, sustaining it. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), commented: “The…

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Booming UK property market demand from Trump’s US

Commenting on how the UK property market is now experiencing a boom in demand from Trump’s US as well as the East, Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners, said: “The UK property market is experiencing a surge in demand from US buyers, driven by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a stronger dollar,…

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Nationwide Housing Affordability Report

Affordability stretched, but gradually improving Modest improvement over past year, but affordability remains stretched by historic standards Considerable variation in affordability across occupational groups Affordability most stretched in London and South of England, with North of England & Scotland the most affordable Commenting on the figures, Andrew Harvey, Senior Economist, said: “There has been a…

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Government planning reforms to protect nature

News that the Government has warned that the planning system must protect nature, as it unveils reforms Partner Alison Ogley, Freeths commented: “This is a potential game changer addressing the current inertia in the system, providing a solution that is more effective than individual developers trying to address environmental improvements on a project by project…

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ONS House Price Index January 2025

Private rent and house prices, UK: January 2025 The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) measures private rent inflation for new and existing tenancies. The UK House Price Index measures house price inflation. Main points Average UK private rents increased by 9.0% in the 12 months to December 2024 (provisional estimate); this is down from…

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Foxtons Lettings Market Index – December 2024

Lettings supply strengthened across 2024, Foxtons data shows In 2024, new market listings rose by 8%, totalling over 385,000 listings. In the first half of 2024, applicant demand was 6% below 2023 but strength returned in the second half of the year as demand was 1% higher. Average rent in 2024 closely mirrored 2023, with…

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