Ray Boulger Autumn Statement Update There is plenty in the Autumn Statement to be negative about but most comments completely ignore where Sunak and Hunt were starting from and the counterfactual…
SDLT Threshold Increase for FTBs Exposes Inequity in Life ISA Limit The recent increase in the threshold from £300,000 to £425,000 for FTBs (first-time buyers) to start paying SDLT (Stamp Duty Land…
Mortgage Rates and Housing Transaction Numbers Ray Boulger goes through what's happening in the market right now and how mortgage rates and transaction numbers will be affected. The SDLT (Stamp Duty…
The FPC Misses Open Goal to Reflect Mortgage Product Changes Since 2014 The FPC has announced the abolition of its requirement for lenders to use a 3% margin to stress test mortgages with an initial…
The Financial Policy Committee’s Mortgage Stress Test Consultation Most lenders and brokers consider that the Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) stress test and flow limit test have survived well…
The Effect (or Lack of It) of the NI Increase on Mortgage Affordability The increased National Insurance rates applying from this week have focused interest on what impact this will have on mortgage…
What Impact Could the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Have on the UK Property Market? The shocking events of the last couple of days, in which Russia began their invasion of Ukraine, have left many…
New Tax Rules to Avoid Holiday Lets Abuse Michael Gove has announced new rules from April 2023 which are designed to prevent tax abuse by some owners of second homes in England. Michael Gove has…
Autumn Budget 2021 Yields have fallen sharply across the board, with the biggest decreases at the long end, suggesting that the market is now taking a more positive view of longer term inflationary…
What Do Current Housing Trends Mean for the Market? Update and Survey Results We carried out a survey through YouGov where we looked at how important the Stamp Duty holiday was to people considering…
