Rise surprise
TODAY’s INTEREST rate rise has taken just about everyone by surprise. A 0.25% rise had been expected, but not until February, and analysts including the CML are now predicting another…
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Lunchtime news June 22
The housing minister will attend Cabinet meetings, Gordon Brown confirmed in his acceptance speech as the new Labour leader yesterday, while housing will be a priority alongside health and education.…
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House building facing an 88-year low
The number of new homes being built in England in 2009/10 could slump to its lowest level since 1921 with two-thirds of all new properties being supplied through housing associations,…
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Shelter promotes house building alternatives
Shelter has published a report promoting different ways to increase the development of affordable housing. A range of contributors cover a number of subjects including how to attract development finance…
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Jack Straw orders inquiry into repossessions
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has ordered an investigation into a legal loophole that allows lenders to repossess a home without a court order. The inquiry was announced in response…
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More lenders raise mortgage rates
Homebuyers were dealt a fresh blow when two more leading mortgage lenders raised the cost of their most popular fixed-rate home loan deals. They were the latest in a string…
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5% of B&B borrowers in default
State-owned lender Bradford & Bingley has confirmed that one in 20 of its mortgages are in default, and the rate is set to go higher. Chairman Richard Pym said the…
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Lunchtime news Feb 27
Ken Livingstone has published his climate change action plan for London. A green homes programme proposes a cut of 7.7m tonnes in carbon emissions from homes by 2025. Meanwhile housebuilder…
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Lunchtime news Tuesday 1 July
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is calling for a change in stamp duty laws that will benefit first-time buyers and poorer pensioners. Homebuyers have paid £31.5 billion in stamp…
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Lunchtime news Friday 22 August 2026
Labour party members are calling for an independent review of the legal aid system, following fears from lawyers that the changes will rob vulnerable tenants of housing advice. The Labour…