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Market reports, city-level research, policy commentary, tax analysis and transaction data, 242+ articles in our archive.

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A Fourth Hold, and a Third Year of Earnings Outpacing RentsLatest

Market Report

A Fourth Hold, and a Third Year of Earnings Outpacing Rents

The Monetary Policy Committee held the base rate at 3.75% on 17 September, voting 6 to 3, with August CPI at 3.1%. Three days earlier Zoopla reported rents up 2.6% and availability down 3%. Here is how we are reading the two together.

17 September 20262 min readLewis Banks
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Manchester Rents Rose 4.2%, and the North West Rose FasterManchester

Manchester Rents Rose 4.2%, and the North West Rose Faster

Office for National Statistics data put average Manchester rent at £1,373 in August, up 4.2% on the year, slower than the North West average of 5.8%. Here is why the most developed market in the region lags it, and what you are actually buying.

10 September 20262 min
Nine Thousand Beds Against a Thirty Thousand AverageInvestment Strategy

Nine Thousand Beds Against a Thirty Thousand Average

Savills counts roughly 2.7 students per purpose-built bed across the twenty largest UK markets, and delivery has fallen to around 9,000 beds a year against a historic average nearer 30,000. Here is why the shortfall is structural and how we approach the sector.

3 September 20262 min
Every Region Is Searching Again, and the North West Is Up 3.1%Liverpool

Every Region Is Searching Again, and the North West Is Up 3.1%

Zoopla's August index put the average UK price at £272,800, up 0.9%, with home searches 7% higher than a year ago and every region positive for the first time since August 2025. Here is what the regional spread means for where capital should go.

27 August 20262 min
The Widest Choice of Homes in More Than a DecadeUK Property Market

The Widest Choice of Homes in More Than a Decade

Rightmove's August index put the average asking price down 2.0% on the month at £364,999, with annual asking prices 1.0% lower and homes for sale at a twelve-year high. Here is why the stock figure matters more than the price and how we are using it.

20 August 20262 min
Growth Eased to 1.8% in July, and the Average Price Moved £58Market Report

Growth Eased to 1.8% in July, and the Average Price Moved £58

Nationwide reported annual house price growth of 1.8% in July, down from 2.2% in June, with the average price at £277,542. In cash terms the average property gained £58 over four weeks. Here is why a flat market is workable and what it removes from a vendor.

13 August 20262 min
£2.2bn in One Quarter: What Record Build-to-Rent Money SignalsInvestment Strategy

£2.2bn in One Quarter: What Record Build-to-Rent Money Signals

UK build-to-rent investment reached £2.2 billion in the second quarter, the strongest second quarter on record, with North American capital accounting for 60% of first-half volume. Here is what institutional conviction at that scale does and does not tell a private investor.

6 August 20262 min
The Bank Holds at 3.75% Again, and a Third Member Joins the HawksMarket Report

The Bank Holds at 3.75% Again, and a Third Member Joins the Hawks

On 30 July the Monetary Policy Committee held the base rate at 3.75%, voting 6 to 3, with three members preferring a rise to 4% and nobody voting for a cut. Here is what a committee drifting hawkish means for buy-to-let financing.

30 July 20262 min
The FTB ISA and the FCA Review Are an Exit-Side StoryTax & Policy

The FTB ISA and the FCA Review Are an Exit-Side Story

The Treasury has consulted on a First Time Buyer ISA and confirmed the Lifetime ISA will be withdrawn, while the FCA has proposed more flexible mortgage lending. Neither helps a buy-to-let purchase. Here is why both still matter to an investor.

23 July 20262 min
Rental Supply Fell in May for the First Time Since 2023Market Report

Rental Supply Fell in May for the First Time Since 2023

The number of homes available to rent started falling in May, ending a three-year supply recovery, and rents are 2.6% higher over the year at around £1,340 a month. Here is why availability turned and how we are treating the extra growth.

16 July 20262 min
Birmingham at £233,000: Working Out the Yield ProperlyBirmingham

Birmingham at £233,000: Working Out the Yield Properly

Birmingham's average price sits around £233,000 against a UK average above £277,000, with average rent near £1,090 a month. Here is the worked gross yield on those numbers, what the Eastside Metro extension changed, and the cost that quietly erases the advantage.

9 July 20262 min
Growth Picked Up to 2.2% in June, and the Regional Gap WidenedMarket Report

Growth Picked Up to 2.2% in June, and the Regional Gap Widened

Nationwide put annual house price growth at 2.2% in June, up from 1.7% in May, with the average UK price at £277,484. Northern Ireland ran at 8.6% in the second quarter while the Outer South East managed 0.1%. Here is how we read a national average hiding that much.

2 July 20262 min
One in Three Sales Still Falls Through: What the Homebuying Roadmap ChangesTax & Policy

One in Three Sales Still Falls Through: What the Homebuying Roadmap Changes

The Ministry of Housing has published its Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap, confirming upfront sales packs, binding conditional contracts and digital logbooks. One in three sales still falls through. Here is what the timetable is worth to an investor.

25 June 20262 min
The Bank Holds at 3.75% in June, and a Summer Mortgage Price War BeginsMarket Report

The Bank Holds at 3.75% in June, and a Summer Mortgage Price War Begins

The Monetary Policy Committee held the base rate at 3.75% on 18 June, with two members now voting to raise. Yet the big lenders are cutting fixed rates into the summer. The two stories are not contradictory. Here is what investors should take from it.

18 June 20262 min
Stamp Duty in 2026: The Real Cost of the 5% Surcharge on Buy-to-LetTax & Policy

Stamp Duty in 2026: The Real Cost of the 5% Surcharge on Buy-to-Let

The additional-dwellings stamp duty surcharge sits at 5%, and the nil-rate threshold has reverted to £125,000. Together they have meaningfully raised the entry cost of a buy-to-let. Here is the maths on a typical purchase and how we factor it into returns.

16 June 20262 min
House Prices Cooled This Spring: Reading the Latest Index DataMarket Report

House Prices Cooled This Spring: Reading the Latest Index Data

The major house price indices softened through late spring, with monthly falls at Halifax and Nationwide and the biggest June asking-price drop Rightmove has recorded in fourteen years. Modest annual growth remains. Here is how we read a cooling market.

9 June 20262 min
Is 2026 Actually a Better Year for UK Property Investment?Investment Strategy

Is 2026 Actually a Better Year for UK Property Investment?

Mortgage rates are easing, limited company lending has normalised and Northern yields still lead the country. But tax and the Renters' Rights Act are real headwinds. Our honest read on whether 2026 deserves your capital.

5 June 20263 min
Where UK Property Prices Are Heading to 2030, and Why We Buy in the NorthMarket Report

Where UK Property Prices Are Heading to 2030, and Why We Buy in the North

Savills sees roughly 25% cumulative growth by 2030, but the national figure hides everything that matters. Northern cities are forecast to roughly double London's growth. Here is the regional case, in numbers.

5 June 20262 min

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