THE GUARDIAN

Help-to-buy initiative for England could slow market while first-time buyers wait for launch, builder admitsThe new Your First Home programme for first-time buyers could increase the number of houses British builder Bellway produces each year by 10%, its boss has said.Faced with a chronic shortage of homes, the government has made housing one of its […]

With an extremely wet and windy winter forecast, take steps to keep you and your home safe and dryEnergy bills through the roof? Five signs your house is leaking heatWith the Met Office warning that this year’s supersized El Niño could mean a wet and stormy winter lies ahead, it’s never been more important to […]

From a flat in a new urban village in London to a family-sized home in a rural village in Norfolk Continue reading…

The Tory leader’s proposal to slash the tax would shovel £6bn of taxpayer money to the already-wealthyKemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax gambit is a Conservative classic. After all, it was George Osborne’s high-profile pledge to “take the family home out of inheritance tax” in 2007 that put Gordon Brown off calling a snap general election.In practice, […]

Will the mortgage rate rise change your plans to buy a house or move?The average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years.Figures from financial information provider Moneyfacts show the average is now 6.00%, its highest point since September 2023, while the average two-year fixed […]

Average cost of home in September was £298,441, says Lloyds – about the same as year earlier and in AugustBusiness live – latest updatesUK house prices flatlined in September, according to a leading index, as rising mortgage costs started to weigh on the market.The average cost of a home was £298,441, roughly the same as […]

Jane Whitehead believes neighbours should be heard, not seen, while Paul Burton says the capacity of neighbours to take offence is limitless. Plus a letter from Joyce CorstonThank you to Emily Retter for exposing the curse of the prefab garden shed (‘Just look at this monstrosity!’ Inside Britain’s bilious back yard shed wars, 29 September). […]

Banks and building societies raise prices as turmoil in bond markets increases expectations of base rate riseThe average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years, as jitters in the money markets make the loans more expensive for lenders to offer.Figures from financial information provider […]

The government pledged to end an unfair system. Ministers must give homeowners power over costs, rather than another place to complain“To the millions of leaseholders across the country, you have my word. The days of you being squeezed for every penny are coming to an end,” Andy Burnham told the Labour party conference. Only a […]

For decades, the capital’s house prices raced ahead of the national average – but now they are falling in prime areasAn elegant Georgian facade, a full-width balcony and an exclusive address in South Kensington just steps from the Natural History Museum and the V&A. Yet the listing price of this west London flat at Queen’s […]

From a neo-baronial country house with turrets in acres of grounds in Scotland to a modernist tower block in a bustling part of London Continue reading…

Prices fell by 0.2% month on month in September as average price of a home slipped to £274,251, says NationwideBusiness live – latest updatesAnnual house price growth halved in the UK last month, as economic uncertainty caused by conflict in the Middle East continued to deter homebuyers.The average price of a British home rose 0.8% […]

Environment Agency warns residents of 6m at-risk properties to prepare for wet and windy three months aheadMore than two million people in England are unaware their properties are at risk of flooding, as the UK braces for a wet and stormy start to the winter, according to the Environment Agency.Experts say the next three months […]

Amanda Blanc says flooding threat is ‘absolutely increasing’, as she also warns ministers over ‘kite flying’ before budgetBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of Britain’s biggest insurer has said that homes being built now in England could become uninsurable in the future because they are sited in flood-risk areas.Amanda Blanc, the chief executive of Aviva, […]

Average five-year fixed mortgage interest rate has hit 5.94%, its highest since October 2023, says MoneyfactsDemand for UK mortgages slumped to a 32-month low in August as buyers were deterred by rising costs linked to the war in Iran.Just 54,918 mortgages for new home purchases were approved in August, the Bank of England reported on […]

We are living in a collapsing property because of cost-cutting and delays over our subsidence claimLV= General Insurance is forcing a family with three young children to live in a collapsing home because of cost-cutting and delays.We lodged a claim for subsidence damage to our extension and conservatory in 2023. Instead of authorising the repairs […]

The number of luxury sheds and garden rooms has rocketed since the pandemic – fuelled by those wanting an office, a gym or extra living space. Meanwhile, the resentment between neighbours has been rising, tooLinda loves her shed. She loves that she can work there rather than in her dining room, which her toddler likes […]

Turning to George Osborne’s playbook may look awkward, but cutting deposits to 2.5% could jolt a housebuilding sector stuck in a funkWhat you need to know about Your First Home schemeThere may be three reasons why the Labour government has hesitated until now to reheat the Tories’ decade-long help-to-buy scheme. First, the inflationary risks of […]

We’d like to hear from people in England who used the government’s previous equity loan scheme to buy their first home about how it worked out for themThe government has announced plans for a new scheme to help first-time buyers purchase a home. The programme, called “Your first home”, is intended to help buyers in […]

Government announcement sparks a rally in FTSE-listed housebuilders, but there are still a lot of unknownsLabour’s modest reheat of help to buy is worth a tryThe government will unveil a fresh scheme to help people on to the housing ladder next month but a debate is already raging over whether it is first-time buyers or […]