Home Buying news
64 stories on home buying, newest first. Every story is dated and cites its sources.
- September 2026
Government announces Your First Home equity loan scheme for first-time buyers in England
The government has announced Your First Home, an equity loan scheme for first-time buyers in England, with 2.5% deposits and 20% government-backed loans, to be confirmed at the Budget.
Resolution Foundation publishes roadmap for replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty in England
The Resolution Foundation has set out a roadmap for replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty in England with a single proportional property tax charged at 0.7 per cent of value.
Leasehold reform consultation closes
The government consultation on the charges used to calculate lease extension costs closes on 23 September 2026, with further legislation needed before new calculations take effect.
- July 2026
UK HPI for May 2026 published showing 2.7% annual house price growth
The May 2026 UK House Price Index puts the average UK property at £271,000, up 2.7% on the year, with London the only English region to record an annual fall.
- June 2026
Government launches First Time Buyer ISA consultation
HM Treasury has opened a consultation on a new, simpler ISA for first time buyers that would replace the Lifetime ISA, with responses accepted until 18 August 2026.
Government publishes response to home buying and selling reform consultation
The government has published its response to the October 2025 home buying and selling reform consultation, committing to reforms and setting out a timetable running to the end of this Parliament.
- May 2026
New section 8 possession notice regime applies from 1 May 2026
Section 8 possession notices served on private tenants in England from 1 May 2026 must use Form 3A, under new government guidance published on 7 April 2026.
- April 2026
UK House Price Index for February 2026 published
HM Land Registry has published the February 2026 UK House Price Index, showing a 1.2% annual rise in UK house prices and an average property value of £268,000.
- January 2026
Net mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to 60,000 in January 2026
Bank of England data show net mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to 60,000 in January 2026, below the recent six-month average, while mortgage borrowing and consumer credit also shifted.
Government announces ground rent cap and ban on new leasehold flats
The government has published a draft bill to cap ground rent at £250 a year, ban new leasehold flats and make commonhold easier, with the cap not expected before late 2028.
Government publishes draft leasehold reform legislation
Draft legislation published in January 2026 would cap ground rents at £250 a year, ban leaseholds for most new flats and create a commonhold conversion route, with law possible from 2027.
- December 2025
Mortgage approvals for house purchase fell in December 2025 while remortgaging approvals rose
Bank of England data show net mortgage approvals for house purchase fell by 3,100 to 61,000 in December 2025, while remortgaging approvals rose by 1,600 to 38,400.
- October 2025
BSA research finds 29% of aspiring homeowners believe they will never own a home
Building Societies Association research published on 30 October 2025 found 29% of people who want to buy a home believe they never will, with deposits, repayments and stamp duty cited as barriers.
Government consults on homebuying and selling reform
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has opened a consultation on reforming home buying and selling in the UK, covering upfront information, binding contracts and estate agent regulation.
- September 2025
ONS publishes Housing Purchase Affordability, UK: 2024 bulletin
The Office for National Statistics has published housing purchase affordability figures for the financial year ending 2024, showing ratios fell in all four UK countries but remain far above their long-run levels.
Government announces consultation on homebuying reforms
The government has announced a consultation on homebuying reforms covering upfront property information, binding conditional contracts and regulation of estate, letting and managing agents.
ONS publishes Housing Purchase Affordability, UK: 2024
The Office for National Statistics reports that house price to income affordability ratios fell in all four UK countries in the financial year ending 2024, though homes remain less affordable than in 2006.
- July 2025
Bank of England introduces temporary exemption to the 15% loan-to-income limit
The Bank of England introduced a temporary exemption to its 15% cap on mortgages above 4.5 times income in July 2025, letting individual lenders exceed the limit if the market as a whole does not.
- June 2025
95% mortgage guarantee scheme made permanent
The government's 95% mortgage guarantee scheme, which was due to close on 30 June 2025, has been made permanently available, according to Which?.
- April 2025
Zoopla survey finds majority of homeowners undervalue their property
Zoopla research reported on 5 April 2025 found that 64% of homeowners undervalue their property, with more than a third of those putting it £100,000 or more below estate agent estimates.
Stamp Duty changes took effect, driving rush of house purchase completions in Q1 2025
Stamp Duty changes on 1 April 2025 pushed buyers to complete purchases early, with UK Finance reporting a rush of completions through to the end of March.
- March 2025
OBR-certified costing assumed ending temporary SDLT thresholds would raise revenue
The temporary stamp duty thresholds introduced under Liz Truss expired on 31 March 2025, and an OBR-certified costing assumed the change would raise £850m in 2025-26, rising to £1.635bn by 2027-28.
SDLT nil-rate bands and FTBR thresholds reverted to pre-September 2022 levels
From 1 April 2025 the stamp duty nil-rate band in England and Northern Ireland fell back to £125,000, with first-time buyer thresholds also reduced, as legislated in 2023.
Stamp Duty Land Tax changes affected house price base effects
The Office for National Statistics says slower UK and English house price inflation reflects a base effect from the Stamp Duty Land Tax changes that took effect in England and Northern Ireland on 1 April 2025.
- January 2025
Two-year ownership rule for lease extension abolished
Leaseholders in England and Wales can now extend their lease or buy their freehold as soon as they own the property, after the two-year ownership rule was abolished from 31 January 2025.
Homeowners Alliance report found material information often missing from listings
A HomeOwners Alliance report in January 2025 found material information was often missing from property listings, as new legislation strengthens what estate agents must disclose.
- July 2024
Net mortgage approvals for house purchases rise to highest since September 2022
Net mortgage approvals for house purchases rose to 62,000 in July 2024, the highest since September 2022, while remortgaging approvals fell, according to Bank of England money and credit data.
- June 2024
Hamptons research finds owning costs more than renting in most of Great Britain
Hamptons research published on 22 June 2024 found that buyers with a 5% deposit would pay about £300 a month more on a 95% loan-to-value mortgage than they currently pay in rent.
Mortgage guarantee scheme extended to June 2025
The mortgage guarantee scheme has been extended to June 2025, UK Finance said, as one of several smaller measures announced alongside the Autumn Statement.
- May 2024
Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act became law
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act became law in May 2024, but most of its 125 sections remain unimplemented, with further reform promised in a new Bill.