Find all the latest news on the housing market right here. Simply click on any story to read more.


As safe as houses? Britain's home truths - 13 April 2008
In a turbulent week for mortgages and interest rates, IoS experts explain how the bubble burst and advise on avoiding the worst of the fallout. And ex-Chancellor Ken Clarke tells Personal Finance Editor Julian Knight how he can say 'I told you so'

Housing market: on the slide or holding up? The one certainty is the uncertainty - 9 April 2008
Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said: “There are big regional variations across the UK, so it’s difficult to talk about a UK market in general. But all regions have seen a slowdown in growth over the past year, so they are all subject to the same economic pressures.” Mr Ellis said that prices in Wales and the West Midlands had fallen sharply because the gains of recent years made it increasingly difficult for borrowers to afford a mortgage.

House price growth slowest since 1996 - 8 April 2008
House prices are now lower on average than they were a year ago, Halifax, the UK’s biggest mortgage lender, said on Tuesday in a report that invited parallels with the 1990s housing slump and fuelled hopes of a cut in interest rates this week.


House prices see 'sharp decline' - 8 April 2008
House prices fell by 2.5% in March, the biggest monthly decline since September 1992, much more than many analysts had forecast, the Halifax has said.

Mortgage squeeze 'to get worse' - 3 April 2008
The squeeze on the availability of mortgages is expected to continue in the next three months, the Bank of England has warned.

Housing market gloom deepened in February - 11 March 2008
The gloom in the housing market continued to worsen last month with price drops approaching those of the slump of the 1990s, according to data from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

At-risk homeowners urged to contact lenders - 11 February 2008
Immediate action is required from homeowners who feel they are at risk of having their home repossessed this year, the UK's biggest-selling consumer finance magazine has warned.

Property slowdown 'could hit first time buyers' - 6 December 2008
Contrary to some hopes that a slowdown in the property market could result in more people being able to get onto the bottom rung of the ladder, it has been claimed that the current circumstances could be bad news for first time buyers.


House prices 'face 2008 slowdown' - 16 November 2007
House price growth is set to stall next year as the market witnesses a "significant slowdown", building society Nationwide has warned.

House prices 'now slowing down' - 26 October 2007
Further evidence has been published that house prices are slowing down in England and Wales.

 

Lenders withdraw mortgage rates - 17 October 2007
UK lenders have withdrawn 40% of their mortgage deals in the past three months, according to the financial information company Moneyfacts.

 

Britain's deflating buy-to-let bubble - 11 October 2007
It sounds too good to be true. Take out a mortgage to buy a property and then, while the rent covers the mortgage repayments, the capital value of the property increases year on year.

Hips extended to three-bed homes - 17 August 2007
The government has said it will extend its Home Information Pack scheme (Hips) to cover three-bedroom homes in England and Wales from 10 September 2007.

 

Young shun mortgages in boost for buy-to-let - 15 August 2007
Rising house prices, coupled with a cultural shift, are encouraging potential first-time buyers to eschew the property market...

First-time buyers borrow record amounts - 14 August 2007
First-time buyers are taking on record levels of debt to get a foothold on the housing ladder as rising house prices stretch affordability, figures showed today.

Mortgage lending 'slowing down' - 20 June 2007
Mortgage lending is slowing down as the property market cools off, says the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

Housing demand is in danger of hitting a brick wall - 15 June 2007
After years of falling housebuilding, the number of new homes coming on to the market is finally picking up. But as property supply gradually starts to improve, it seems another problem could be brewing.

Millions could be paying off mortgages in old age - 1 June 2007
Millions of people could still be paying off mortgages when they are pensioners, experts believe, as spiralling property prices force first-time buyers to postpone their purchases and fund them over longer periods.

Homes 'to cost ten times salary' - 7 June 2007
UK house prices could rise to the equivalent of 10 times average salaries by 2026, a newly-established government think tank has said.

House prices rise at slowest pace this year - 7 June 2007
Recent rises in the cost of borrowing have started to temper activity in the housing market, Halifax said on Thursday, as it revealed prices rose in May at the slowest pace so far this year.

Moves to help house buyers - 6 June 2007
Attempts to ease the pain of beleaguered first-time buyers will intensify on Thursday with the launch of a centre that will press planners to make affordability a criterion for all new developments.

What will happen next to house prices? - 12 April 2007
Whether the UK housing market booms or goes bust is as about as hot a conversation topic as you can get.

Housing demand 'starting to wane' - 28 February 2007
Recent rises in UK interest rates are beginning to have an impact on homebuyers, the Nationwide has said.