Interest rates and Halifax report
June 5, 2015
UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% again by the Bank of England.
The Bank also kept the size of its bond-buying stimulus programme unchanged at £375bn. The decision by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) comes more than six years after the record low was introduced.
The number of properties on the market is at its lowest level for many years, according to the Halifax.
This shortage of homes for sale, coupled with demand from buyers, has led to prices rising at a faster rate than wages, the lender said. Property prices rose by 8.6% over the year to the end of May, pushing the cost of the average home up to £196,067, its own lending data shows. Yet prices dipped by 0.1% in May compared with April.
You May Also Enjoy
Biggest Shake-up of Home Buying in Decades
Families and first-time buyers set to save time, money, and stress under major changes to the homebuying process – supporting the next generation and those locked out by a slow and unfair system New sales packs to ensure buyers have the information they need upfront, earlier binding agreements, and digital tools will halve the number…
Read More 
More than half of home movers try D.AI.Y
but 38% say it gave them bad advice The latest research from Yopa has found that 57% of home movers have engaged in D.AI.Y, to help maintain, repair and improve their homes, although more than a third have been given advice that later turned out to be incorrect. Yopa surveyed recent homebuyers to understand…
Read More 
Home buying journey is about to become unrecognisable
Claire Van der Zant, CEO of Novus Strategy, comments on the Government’s homebuying reform “The industry has been very vocal in its demands for mandation and this is the most impactful example yet of government intervention that will drive the change everyone has been asking for. What it will mean is the complete reorganisation of…
Read More 
Bank of England holds interest rates at 3.75%
The Bank of England has announced its decision to hold the base rate at 3.75%. This decision comes as a result of wider economic uncertainty and inflation (CPI) increasing to 3.3% in March and remaining above the Bank’s 2.0% target. Here are some thoughts from within the property industry. Matt Smith, Rightmove’s mortgage expert…
Read More 
Property valuation leads to agents up 55%
Rightmove, the UK’s largest property portal, has reported a 55% year-to-date uplift in property valuation leads for agents compared with the same period last year (January – May). The uplift follows the launch of Online Agent Valuation in late 2025, designed to help agents engage more effectively with prospective sellers, alongside a series of AI enhancements across Rightmove’s valuation tools. Online Agent Valuation connects agents with motivated homeowners who choose to begin their selling journey…
Read More 
Britain’s equestrian homes average value of £1.3m
South East accounts for one in five opportunities The latest research from LandSale, the property portal dedicated to land and rural property, has found that those inspired to enter the equestrian world following Royal Ascot this week will need a budget of £1.265m in order to get started, with the South East home to the…
Read More