The number of first-time buyers hit the highest level for a decade in 2017 while lending for buy-to-let has gone into retreat, according to official figures. A total of 365,000 buyers took ownership of their first home last year, an increase of 7.4% on 2016 and the highest number since 2006, said UK Finance, the trade body for Britain’s...

For a significant period of time, using an ombudsman has been a successful way of resolving complaints with a property firm without having to go to court. However, the Ombudsman Services (OS) announced yesterday that it is withdrawing from complaints handling in the property sector. Instead, it will be launching a dialogue with consumers in an attempt to tackle...

When the Government announced reforms to the benefit system to a single payment called Universal Credit (UC) it had a basic premise, to be a benefit which helps the unemployed to become employed and to support the under-employed to become employed full time. In order to achieve this, the benefit is paid monthly like a wage, including help for...

In the recent Autumn Budget 2017Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the axing of stamp duty charges for first-time buyers who purchase a property with immediate effect. What this means is that first-time buyers will not have to pay stamp duty on the first £300,000 of any home that costs up to £500,000. The Treasury estimates that this move will mean...

Over the last year, landlords buying in cash have spent more than at any time in the past decade, according to new figures. The number of landlords buying in cash has continued to rise with £21 billion worth of homes bought this way over the last year. This is £0.2 billion more than in 2016 and a 32% increase...