Most people in the UK want to retire at 62. The average age they actually expect to stop working is 67, according to research from Capwolf. That five-year gap has grown from four years in previous surveys, and it tells you something about how retirement expectations are shifting. Here’s what you actually need to know. Disclosure: Some links on this
The number of homes the UK builds each year is projected to drop from 260,000 to 215,000 by 2026–27 — a 17% slide in just a few years. That means fewer new properties hitting the market, and fewer open houses for buyers to walk through. At the same time, mortgage rates have climbed, with the average two-year fixed rate sitting
The average UK private rent reached £1,383 a month in May 2026, but getting into that rental typically costs more than double that figure before you even spend a night there. A deposit capped at five weeks’ rent plus a month’s rent in advance means someone renting a £1,200-a-month flat hands over roughly £2,585 upfront. In London, where the average
More than half of UK first-time buyers now receive financial help from family members to buy a home. Savills research found that 53 per cent of first-time buyers get support through gifts, loans or inheritance, with the total value of family assistance reaching £11 billion in 2025. That figure has turned what was once a casual phrase — the Bank
Around 4.98 million homes in England are leasehold — roughly one in five properties. If you are buying a flat, you are almost certainly buying a leasehold. If you are buying a house, you might be too, especially in parts of the North West where the majority of new houses sold in 2025 were leasehold. The difference between owning the
If you rent a flat in a building that changes hands, the first thing you might feel is uncertainty. Who do you pay rent to now? Does your tenancy still stand? The short answer is that your rights carry over to the new owner, but the process is rarely as smooth as it should be. Under the Renters’ Rights Act,
Halton, a borough in Cheshire, saw average house prices rise 8.3% in the year to September, reaching £186,194. Over the same period, the City of London saw values drop 8.7% to £767,210, with transactions falling 37%. These two ends of the UK property market tell a clear story: the geography of house price growth has shifted, and the neighbourhoods set
House prices in Britain’s countryside have risen 23% over the last five years, while urban properties have managed only 18%. That gap is the difference between a home that gains £46,000 and one that gains £36,000 on a typical £200,000 house. The data comes from Nationwide’s analysis of every local authority in Britain, and it confirms something many buyers already
You offer £285,000 on a flat listed at £270,000, win the bidding war, and the mortgage valuation comes back at £268,000. The lender will only lend against that lower figure, not what you agreed to pay. That £17,000 gap has to come from your own pocket — on top of your deposit. This is the mechanism that turns a bidding
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolishes Section 21 “no-fault” evictions from 1 May 2026. That single change has pushed 69% of UK landlords to introduce more in-depth tenant vetting, according to a Paragon Bank survey of 500 landlords. What used to be a quick background check is now the main thing standing between a landlord and a long, expensive court
The average first-time buyer in the UK takes 18 to 22 weeks from accepted offer to getting the keys. That’s roughly five months of waiting, chasing, and hoping nothing falls through. But the real timeline depends on three things that most guides gloss over: how much deposit you actually need in your region, the stack of costs that sits on
In 2025, outdoor space became the single most important factor tenants look for when choosing a rental. According to Cribo, garden flats with private patios, shared communal gardens, or even small yards now command higher rents and let significantly faster than similar units without any outdoor access. For landlords, that shift changes what type of property holds its value. For
