Zoopla unveils new CEO and strengthens leadership team

Zoopla, one of the UK’s leading property websites, is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Whitehead as Chief Executive Officer, alongside a number of other changes to strengthen its leadership team, including the appointment of Sam Fletcher as Chief Finance Officer. Paul rejoins Zoopla having previously served as its Chief Strategy Officer. Over the…

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Planning Approvals Fall and Construction Slows to Record Low 

Labour’s 1.5 Million Home Target at Crisis Point as Planning Approvals Fall and Construction Slows to Record Low   Planning approvals drop 2% to 242,610 and construction PMI falls to 44.6, marking its worst performance in nearly five years   David Hannah, Group Chairman of Cornerstone Tax, criticises Labour’s poor policy decisions, emphasising that the…

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Halifax House Price Index February 2025

Average UK house price holds steady in February • House prices dipped by -0.1% in February (vs +0.6% in January) • Average property price now £298,602 (compared to £298,815 in previous month) • Annual growth remains at +2.9%, unchanged from January • Scotland sees house prices rise at fastest pace in 13 months (+3.8%)  …

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Not all doom and gloom’ in the residential land market

With uncertainty in the residential land market over the past few years and a bit of a shaky start to the year so far, it has been a tough playing field for UK housebuilders. But residential development expert Billy Poulter, a Manchester-based partner in the commercial property team at Clarke Willmott, specialising in residential development says…

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69% of UK mortgage brokers expect base rate to rise

Interest rates and legislative uncertainty top concerns for UK mortgage brokers   A new survey of 300 UK mortgage brokers has found:   69% believe the base rate will be higher than the current level of 4.50% at the start of 2026. 67% expect interest rates and the cost of borrowing to be the single…

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Minister Accepts Supply-Demand Pressures Increasing Rents

In response to comments by Treasury Minister, Emma Reynolds MP, that rental prices “are ultimately determined by the total supply of housing, relative to demand”, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The Minister is right. Rents are going up because there are simply not enough properties to meet demand, and…

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The Property Redress annual report

50% of cases resolved through early resolution despite 20% rise in complaints, 56% increase in amount awarded for decisions and 31% rise in agency expulsions  The annual report on complaints received against their property agent members by Property Redress is released today. In its eleventh year, the report from the UK’s largest lettings redress provider…

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Glenigan Construction Index: Pockets of regional resilience, do little to offset faltering confidence

The value of underlying work starting on-site during the three months to February decreased 6% and remained 17% below 2024 levels as activity remains relatively stagnant Lowered expectations on economic recovery dent residential construction, with starts down 10% on the preceding three months, slashed by 14% against 2024 figures Non-residential project starts decreased 2% against…

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Greenpeace Ruling Exposes UK Government Policy

In January 2025, Greenpeace brought a collective action against the Dutch state for failing to comply with a 2018 European Court of Justice ruling on nutrient neutrality. An appeal is expected: however, as the UK Government has adopted the same ‘tax builders for pollution others cause’ approach to reducing nutrient pollution, it may find itself…

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Government plans to ban new leasehold flats

With the Government’s plans to ban new leasehold flats, an expert says the system must be ready to cope. With the news that Government is to outline plans to ban new leasehold flats and adopt commonhold, with draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill to be published later this year, Scott Goldstein, Partner, Payne Hicks Beach,…

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Bank of England Money and Credit Report – January 2025

bank of england interest rate

Overview 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 £0.9 billion, to £4.2 billion in January.…

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Right to Manage: changes to legislation come into effect on Monday

On Monday 3 March further provisions within the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 come into force, including Section 49 which concerns the change of non-residential limit on Right to Manage (RTM) claims. This secondary legislation will mean that residential leaseholders within a mixed-use scheme will qualify for RTM when the commercial element of a…

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