Breaking Property News – 26/06/2023

June 26, 2023

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.

 

Did Rishi Sunak make a fatal error in SDLT taxation policy causing a potential housing crash.

Whilst Chancellor for the Exchequer did Rishi Sunak make a fatal error in SDLT taxation policy causing a potential housing crash. With Brexit, Covid, Boris, and three PM’s in the space of a few months, it has been hard to see what has been thought out government policy, and what is just reactionary legislation to act as a sticking plaster. But as we suffer our thirteenth and probably not our last Bank of England rate rise, it is time to ask who is to blame.

For my money, the incumbent PM Rishi Sunak, whilst in his previous role as Chancellor of the Exchequer is guilty as charged, not only has he allowed about £26BN of tax payers money to go walkabout to criminals who abused Covid funding. Rishi stoked the fires of hyper-house-inflation with typically a 20% rise in house value in 24-months.

Now we as a nation are dealing with the fallout of this scandalous ill thought out SDLT giveaway, that has meant for many their mortgage repayments are set to increase by 50% just a the time the CALC still rages. Fiscal competency should be the compass of any Chancellor, this one just went with a populist cure all that was always going to funnel activity and inflate prices.

 

Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward. PropTech-X

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Tackling Empty Properties

A UK Perspective on Best Practice and Recommendations for Reform Propertymark, the UK’s leading professional body for property agents, has today published a comprehensive new position paper highlighting the urgent need for coordinated, practical and properly resourced action to bring long-term empty properties back into use. With over 359,000 homes sitting empty for more than…
Read More →
Breaking News

Pet-friendly rentals plunge 39%

New research from Inventory Base reveals that the number of pet-friendly rental homes in England has fallen by -39% since the start of 2026, as landlords appear to be reducing the number of homes openly marketed as allowing pets ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act taking effect from 1st May. The Renters’ Rights Act (RRA)…
Read More →
Breaking News

Latest Nationwide house price data showing a 2.2% increase

Industry reaction to Nationwide house price data showing UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February. Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “An uplift in house prices will be welcomed by the market and suggests that buyer demand remains resilient despite ongoing economic headwinds. Improved sentiment, coupled with…
Read More →
Breaking News

UK house price growth picks up in March

UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February Northern Ireland best performing area in Q1 2026, with prices up 9.5% year-on-year Outer South East weakest performing region, with prices down 0.7% compared with Q1 2025 Headlines Mar-26 Feb-26 Monthly Index* 552.6 547.7 Monthly Change* 0.9% 0.3% Annual Change…
Read More →
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals up in February

The latest mortgage approval data from the Bank of England show that: –   Mortgage approvals on house purchases for February sat at 62,584 up (3.9%) from 60,246 seen in January. Approvals are down (-3.9%) when compared to the 65,114 seen in February 2025. This annual decline was expected due to wider market slowdown and economic…
Read More →
Breaking News

Pain for landlords as buy-to-let borrowing costs soar

Buy-to-let fixed mortgage rates are soaring due to unrest in the Middle East, according to Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. Landlords also face further financial challenges over the next few years, to meet new private rental rules. Average buy-to-let fixed rates over a two- or five-year term have risen since the start of March 2026. The two-year rate is…
Read More →