Industry reacts to latest house price data
Market fundamentals keep the wheels turning with prices gently up on the year and remaining stable month-to-month
Marc da Silva
What to expect from the housebuilding sector in 2026
What are the key trends to watch in 2026?
UK’s largest BTR portfolio set to change hands
Portfolio transfer follows landmark sale
10,000-home garden village to go-ahead after legal challenge fails
The legal challenge sought to overturn the council’s grant of outline planning permissions for the development, which includes 10,000 new homes
Portals set to go head to head in Christmas TV advertising campaigns
Rightmove and Zoopla go live with Christmas Day campaigns – watch the ads
Shared ownership boosts first-time buyer activity, Connells finds
Latest data point to rising demand for shared ownership amid ongoing affordability pressures
OPINION: 2026 predictions you can rely on
Russell Quirk on the year ahead for the UK property sector
Conveyancers blame system, not themselves, for property transaction delays
Conveyancers make several recommendations aimed at speeding up the house buying process
Comings & Goings
Snippets of industry news: Influential leaders join Digital Sparks advisory board; My Property Box expands senior leadership team; Resi founder joins Goodlord
Estate agency continues expansion with new acquisition
The deal represents the group’s 16th purchase
Cheaper borrowing to drive mortgage lending growth, says IMLA
Greater lending activity set to fuel property price growth
Foxtons teams up with IAG Loyalty to reward clients with Avios
Customers can collect up to 30,000 Avios by letting, selling or instructing Foxtons to manage a property
UK government eases wildlife rules to support housebuilding
The government said the changes form part of its wider planning overhaul, intended to support the delivery of 1.5m new homes during this Parliament
One in five second-steppers needed family or friends’ help to buy home
‘Second-steppers’ who had financial help received £81,000 on average towards purchasing their property
Rents in Wales rising three times faster than UK average
Cardiff drives Welsh rent growth, outpacing London and Edinburgh
Estate agency numbers forecast to grow 4% in 2026
There were 25,665 active estate agency businesses in the UK in 2025, up 2% on the 25,155 recorded in 2024
What will happen to house prices in 2026?
Greater affordability, supported by stronger wage growth relative to house prices and improved access to higher loan-to-value lending, has helped to keep buyers active
Fast-growing estate agency brand acquires established firm
Estate agency strengthens its presence across the region
UK’s financial watchdog to consult on changes to the mortgage market
The FCA will focus on four key areas
Time to exchange edges higher
The time to exchange continues to vary significantly by region