Latest News

Technical “tsar” needed to speed up planning

A technical “tsar” is needed for the new Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in order to speed up the planning process, it has been proposed.

HBOS £500 million mortgage-backed bonds sale success

HBOS has managed to sell of £500 million in mortgage-backed securities, signalling a potential thawing of the credit squeeze. The bank found seven institutiona…

Ecotown expert panel meets with developers

A panel of experts from the worlds of design, the environment, transport and sustainability are meeting developers today (May 20) to tell them to “raise their …

Cutbacks continue as Taylor Wimpey plans 13 office closures

Taylor Wimpey has announced plans to close 13 of its 39 regional offices and shed around 600 staff in a bid to reduce overheads during the housing market downt…

“Collapsing” transactions could fall by 40% - RICS

The latest housing market forecast from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has predicted a 40% fall in transactions during 2008, following the squeez…

Persimmon offers first time buyer packages

Persimmon Homes Thames Valley is offering a tailor made package to help first time buyers onto the property ladder.

Half of mortgage market requires a high deposit – Moneyfacts

Over half of the mortgage market now requires home buyers to put down a deposit of more than 10% when purchasing their new home, Moneyfacts has reported.

Bank of England warns of tough times ahead

Housing starts down by a quarter

Developers started building 25% fewer homes in the first quarter of this year than last year and completed 18% less, according to CLG figures released today (M…

OFT launches market study into sale and rent back

The OFT has announced that it has launched a market study into the sale and rent back sector.