Green mortgages are mortgages offered to buyers either as an incentive to buy a more energy-efficient property or to make energy efficiency improvements in their current home. Most green mortgages see lenders offer a more attractive interest rate, or a form of cashback to buyers that you won’t get with standard mortgage products.

Mortgage lending by building societies such as nationwide and Leeds Building Society has risen by 22% in Quarter 3 of 2021 compared to Quarter 3 in 2020. Building societies now reportedly hold a 23% share of the total mortgage market.

Metrobank have announced that they have sold a portfolio of owner-occupied residential mortgages to NatWest as of today – Friday 19th of November. The bold decision is thought to have been made so that Metrobank can invest in other more diverse areas of money lending.

In newly release figures from property website Zoopla, annual rental growth reached the highest level for 13 years at 4.6% in the third quarter. The average cost of renting a home in the UK, excluding London, now stands at £809 per month, 6% more than a year earlier!

A lot of big changes in the mortgage processing world have happened within the last few months but we were all quite taken aback when Halifax announced last week that they would reducing their standard valuation fee across the board. Something that even experienced mortgage professionals did not see coming.

The Rightmove House Price Index has released surprising figures this month that show the average house price coming on to the market has reduced by 0.6% compared to last month’s figures potentially encouraging new buyers over the holidays.

Figures show that the 2021 average house price is now £256,000 and London’s average soars above this at £495,000! These figures can be quite disheartening but don’t fear, there is hope on the horizon.

Official statistics have shown that mortgage arrears across the board have fallen and continue to fall drastically, nearing historical lows according to UK Finance.

Fantastic news for people looking for a buy to let, buying at auction or, purchasing a property that might need a little TLC.

A new report from Nationwide has confirmed everything Oportfolio have been seeing anecdotally in the last few weeks- namely, that the demand for property is far outweighing current supply. This is making for a highly competitive market, especially in the City of London and the surrounding areas.

BTL properties need to achieve a good energy efficiency rating for lenders

This weekend many lenders reduced their interest rates. This is not just in relation to those with large deposits but for a huge range of products and clients.