Late last week, Leeds Building Society announced that it would no longer lend on second homes to concentrate on first-time buyers...
Archive
02 August 2022
From: Breaking News
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A quarter of agents have indicated they may prefer Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister –...
01 August 2022
From: Breaking News
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When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...
23 July 2022
From: Features
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Long-term 50-year mortgages that can be passed on by parents to their children appear to be the latest idea from the...
04 July 2022
From: Breaking News

New rules on leasehold homes came in this week, banning ground rents on new leases but a property expert warns this...
30 June 2022
From: Breaking News
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A group of mortgage advisers has proposed a range of reforms to reduce barriers to home ownership for first time buyers. The...
20 June 2022
From: Breaking News

The government’s Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper has initially caused some consternation and a strong adverse reaction from some within...
18 June 2022
From: Features

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil a flagship policy today to help more people onto the property ladder. It is...
09 June 2022
From: Breaking News
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A significant housing announcement has been promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a part of a sweetener that saw him...
07 June 2022
From: Breaking News
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A lack of support to help people onto the property ladder has been highlighted as one factor for the Tory party’s...
09 May 2022
From: Breaking News

Propertymark is urging restraint on the part of the Welsh Government as it moves to tackle what it sees as the...
29 March 2022
From: Breaking News

An industry trade body wants the government to scrap the three per cent stamp duty surcharge on additional homes - and...
15 March 2022
From: Breaking News

A bid to regulate second home ownership in part of the UK through changes to planning policy will add complexity and...
25 February 2022
From: Breaking News

Only 6.8m homes in England now have mortgages, just 28 per cent of the overall market and about two per cent...
18 February 2022
From: Breaking News

The majority of homeowners and homebuyers believe Stamp Duty Land Tax is outdated and needs reform. The mortgage lender Butterfield commissioned an...
09 February 2022
From: Breaking News

The latest house price data from the Halifax shows another absolute record but with a sharply reduced monthly rise indicating a...
08 February 2022
From: Breaking News

A company linked to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower is being excluded from the government’s Help to Buy scheme, pending the outcome...
20 December 2021
From: Breaking News

A new guide to help avoid property title fraud, where home ownership can be stolen, has been released by the Fraud...
15 December 2021
From: Breaking News

A new report wants the government to consider slapping Capital Gains Tax on profits made from appreciating house values for all...
09 December 2021
From: Breaking News

A pilot scheme has been announced to test ways of limiting second home ownership and reducing the impact additional properties have...
25 November 2021
From: Breaking News
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It appears almost certain that there will be limits imposed on the number and location of second homes in Wales, following...
23 November 2021
From: Breaking News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given a ringing endorsement to home ownership as a central part of the government’s levelling up...
06 October 2021
From: Breaking News
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An interesting demand has been made of Chancellor Rishi Sunak - to consider reforming stamp duty with thresholds revised to reflect...
06 October 2021
From: Breaking News
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Labour is to reveal a raft of new housing policies at its party conference this weekend - and it claims it’s...
24 September 2021
From: Breaking News

A broker claims the high profile return of the 95 per cent mortgage has actually made little impact on the housing...
27 August 2021
From: Breaking News
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The Guardian has sharply criticised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for introducing and then extending the stamp duty holiday - because helping estate...
25 August 2021
From: Breaking News

A company says it’s gathering £500m in funding to purchase properties for a “gradual home ownership” scheme - a variation on...
19 August 2021
From: Breaking News
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Over 55,000 households bought homes through the government’s Help to Buy equity loan scheme in the past financial year - a...
16 August 2021
From: Breaking News

The stamp duty holiday came and went with much fanfare. For many buyers it represented a rare opportunity to make some...
31 July 2021
From: Features

Our long-awaited ‘Freedom Day’ approaches. From Monday all of the restrictions, introduced since the Covid-19 pandemic made an impact across the...
17 July 2021
From: Features
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Labour says the stamp duty holiday is an example of the government’s “failed approach” to home ownership and housing affordability. Labour’s Shadow...
02 July 2021
From: Breaking News

The distribution of home ownership across different generations has been a cause of strife according to a think-tank. The Resolution Foundation’s latest...
29 June 2021
From: Breaking News

Propertymark has thrown its weight behind the government’s First Homes initiative, describing it as “creative” and saying it’s a sign of...
27 May 2021
From: Breaking News

The apparent plight of first time buyers hits the headlines frequently but new research shows that second steppers face a wide...
26 May 2021
From: Breaking News

The Planning Bill, which will introduce changes to the planning system in England, was announced last week in the Queen’s Speech....
22 May 2021
From: Features

The government has set up a committee to push forward ideas on the collective form of homeownership known as commonhold. Housing Secretary...
14 May 2021
From: Breaking News
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Government leaks ahead of today’s Queen’s Speech suggest a major planning shake-up is set to stop NIMBY objectors to new homes. News...
11 May 2021
From: Breaking News

The last 12 months have heralded significant change across the property market and indeed we could argue across all markets in...
05 May 2021
From: Features

For many, the funeral of HRH Prince Philip will be a solemn affair, while for some it will also be a...
17 April 2021
From: Features

The Conservatives have promised that first time buyers would not pay tax when buying a home in Wales if the party wins...
23 March 2021
From: Breaking News

Labour has accused the government of promoting “sky high mortgages” instead of providing stable accommodation for younger households. A new mortgage guarantee...
02 March 2021
From: Breaking News

One of the most respected figures in the industry, trainer and consultant Richard Rawlings, is suggesting that stamp duty should be...
14 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Millions of leaseholders will be given the right to extend their lease by a maximum term of 990 years at zero...
07 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Tenants, landlords, agents, and house buyers all breathed a sigh of relief on Halloween when the government announced that home moves...
21 November 2020
From: Features

With a new President elected and the old one reluctant to move out, this is a good time to see how...
14 November 2020
From: Features

A new survey reveals the uphill struggle first time buyers appear to be having in securing a mortgage. A study of 1,000...
27 October 2020
From: Breaking News

A new paper from a think tank warns that many low income owner occupiers risk losing their homes when the mortgage...
07 October 2020
From: Breaking News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to create a ‘Generation Buy’ to help young people purchase homes with low-deposit mortgages. In...
05 October 2020
From: Breaking News

Ed Mead has joined a growing chorus demanding government action on the cladding crisis. He is one of the industry’s leading figures from...
02 October 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s good news from the think-tank the Resolution Foundation, which says the threat of negative equity because of the Coronavirus crisis...
02 September 2020
From: Breaking News

As we adjust to a life post-Covid-19, letting agents, landlords, and tenants are thinking - ways to speed up the process...
24 June 2020
From: Features

New research of the buying habits of first-time buyers in the UK we’ve undertaken here at reallymoving.com shows that Shared Ownership...
25 March 2020
From: Features

The government has announced its First Homes scheme - a policy under which it says some new homes will see their...
07 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The proportion of 25 to 34 year olds who own their own home in England has risen for the first time...
24 January 2020
From: Breaking News

There are reasons to be optimistic that a majority government will improve the housing market, simply by ending political and economic...
21 December 2019
From: Features

A former residential chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has posed key questions for the government to answer over...
20 December 2019
From: Breaking News

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...
07 December 2019
From: Features

[Estate Agent Today was ‘off air’ for some of Wednesday and most of Thursday thanks to technical problems - we apologise...
06 December 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s been six years since the Help to Buy scheme was launched, with the honourable intentions of helping more people onto...
07 September 2019
From: Features

The Housing Secretary says he wants to make home ownership more affordable for first time buyers - which could mean discounts...
28 August 2019
From: Breaking News

It is now over two months since the introduction of the ban on fees charged to tenants, leaving letting agents with...
07 August 2019
From: Features

If you’d asked me at the start of the year how I thought the political landscape might look now, I wouldn’t...
03 August 2019
From: Features

A report by Santander says stamp duty cuts should be used as incentives for older home owners to downsize and allow...
02 August 2019
From: Breaking News

Housing experts have expressed their concerns that speculation about a radical stamp duty reduction to be introduced by Boris Johnson’s government...
30 July 2019
From: Breaking News

A leading agent has suggested that some parts of the UK would face “a property exodus” if Boris Johnson’s proposals for...
15 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Theresa May arrived in Downing Street some three years ago - but her premiership has not been a smooth ride. As she...
06 July 2019
From: Features

With this summer marking forty years since Margaret Thatcher came to power, her legacy continues to invoke both celebration and consternation...
06 July 2019
From: Features
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A leasehold reform campaigner says government proposals risk creating a two-tier market and do nothing to assist leaseholders already hit by...
02 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The latest report commissioned by the Labour party to resolve the UK’s housing problems would crash the housing market rather than...
28 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...
22 June 2019
From: Features

Some 10 per cent of Britons now own a second home, a buy to let or an overseas property according to...
17 June 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Audit Office says many users of Help To Buy would have been able to purchase a home anyway, without...
13 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Tributes are being paid to David Hall, a senior partner at an agency in the Midlands where he worked for a...
06 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Demand for shared ownership properties will rise by over 15,000 units a year when Help To Buy comes to an end...
06 June 2019
From: Breaking News

The Money Laundering Regulations require estate agents to risk assess their business relationships and apply an appropriate level of investigation to...
11 March 2019
From: Sponsored Content

The row over whether Help To Buy benefits house builders’ personal wealth more than it assists the housing market is continuing...
27 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Agents have suggested that the latest price figures from the Halifax may be masking increased activity in the market in recent...
08 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Purchasing a property. It’s a key life goal that so many Millennials aspire to - yet one that has become frustratingly...
02 February 2019
From: Features

I often speak of my wish to see property taken out of the hands of politicians. Indeed, this is likely to...
19 January 2019
From: Features

As 2018 draws to a close, it is fair to say that stretched affordability and uncertainty over the Brexit negotiations has...
29 December 2018
From: Features

House price rises are now the slowest they have been for six years according to the Halifax. Across the UK, property values...
10 December 2018
From: Breaking News

Young people whose parents have property wealth are now almost three times as likely to be homeowners by the age of...
06 December 2018
From: Breaking News

Figures released by the government over the weekend show that 14,867 Help To Buy equity loans were taken out in the...
03 December 2018
From: Breaking News

How will things be done in the future? There’s no knowing, of course, given the many variables at play, but it’s...
17 November 2018
From: Features

Millennials aged 18 to 34 are putting plans for romance, children and even hobbies on ice as they make huge sacrifices...
30 October 2018
From: Breaking News

An open rental market, where neither landlord nor tenant is in a dominant position, enables rents to rise and fall, which...
27 October 2018
From: Features

Is Help To Buy going to remain in existence for much longer? Question marks over the scheme’s future are being raised through...
16 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Those of you who receive (and read) my Sunday PropTech Review will know that, by far and away, the most shared...
19 September 2018
From: Breaking News
30 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Home ownership among the young has fallen across all income groups according to a large scale research project looking at adults...
16 August 2018
From: Breaking News

A government announcement this morning claims 121,500 first time buyers have taken advantage of the stamp duty cut introduced at the...
31 July 2018
From: Breaking News

With the continued indecision surrounding Brexit and the final divorce settlement still months away, it seems property buyers are choosing to...
28 July 2018
From: Features

It may not be a good idea for a journalist to be personal about a politician, so I write about our...
14 July 2018
From: Features

100 years ago, 90% of the UK population rented a home. Today, that figure has flipped, and over two thirds are...
26 May 2018
From: Features

New data from Haart estate agency suggests that despite many homes sticking on the market, apparently would be buyers are locked...
14 May 2018
From: Breaking News

An estate agent and former chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says the government’s latest drive to build new...
06 March 2018
From: Breaking News

Three councils are encouraging local residents to sign a new register which aims to bring more quality homes for sale to...
21 February 2018
From: Breaking News

This week I carry out a question and answer session with one of the most high-profile names in property. Isobel Thomson has...
10 February 2018
From: Features

The latest release of data from the English Housing Survey reveals that the number of under-45s owning their own homes has...
26 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Last week’s news that the lettings fee ban is unlikely to materialise before next spring was perhaps to be expected. Ever since...
20 January 2018
From: Features

House price growth will come to a halt next year as the number of transactions reduces, according to the RICS forecast...
22 December 2017
From: Breaking News

Chris Philp, a Conservative MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chancellor Phillip Hammond, says 50 per cent of new homes in...
18 December 2017
From: Breaking News

The investment service arm of international ratings agency Moody's is warning that affordability issues are likely to lead to a slowdown...
12 December 2017
From: Breaking News

It’s not breaking new ground to say that younger people have what many regard as the raw end of the deal...
02 December 2017
From: Features

Countrywide chief executive Alison Platt says she welcomes the government’s scrapping of stamp duty for first time buyers purchasing homes under...
27 November 2017
From: Breaking News

As we hurtle towards the end of 2017, it’s time to reflect on the year that’s just been. Even better, this property-based...
25 November 2017
From: Features

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday. Despite...
18 November 2017
From: Features

Stamp duty reform lies at the heart of the submission by the National Association of Estate Agents ahead of next month’s...
10 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Like many of Labour’s recent policy proposals, its call for rent controls leaves more questions than answers. There has been widespread criticism...
07 October 2017
From: Features

The Conservative party, in a press statement released to clarify comments made by Theresa May, says the government’s proposed extra £2...
05 October 2017
From: Breaking News

I’ve written before about the impact of headlines on the property industry. Interest rate speculation. Market booms and busts. Demand...
16 September 2017
From: Features

A think tank says the penalties now levied against second home owners - such as the stamp duty surcharge and phasing...
21 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The price of houses in the UK will remain high because a “structural decline” means fewer homes are being sold and...
16 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Stamp duty has become the latest weapon in the ongoing war of words between different wings of the Conservative party, as...
14 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Property has been changing hands for centuries, but when did estate agents as we know them today – with their branches,...
04 August 2017
From: Features

Historically, short-term rentals have been an unattractive business for the majority of estate agents and property managers. Scarcity of demand from tenants...
04 August 2017
From: Features

First time buyers have finances stretched beyond their means, buy to let is attracting fewer investors because of taxes, and affordability...
13 July 2017
From: Breaking News

Government schemes like Help To Buy, supposedly assisting more people get on the ladder, have little impact on improving social mobility...
04 July 2017
From: Breaking News

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...
01 July 2017
From: Features

Figures released by the government suggest that over 285,000 people, including 240,000 first time buyers, have used one or more of...
23 June 2017
From: Breaking News

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...
03 June 2017
From: Features

Home ownership has halved for young families across some parts of the UK according to a charity. The Resolution Foundation says its...
22 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The boss of the UK's largest independent agency has called on the government to be 'radical' and consider a range of...
16 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Since the seventies, housing starts and completions across England and Wales have been on a downward trajectory. The long run average...
12 May 2017
From: Features

Peter Robinson, CEO of AIPP – Association of International Property Professionals – shines a light onto the international property market. Some UK...
01 April 2017
From: Features

A leading housing market analyst has made a stout defence of the growing trend of young buyers relying on their parents...
29 March 2017
From: Breaking News

The proportion of first time buyers relying on inherited wealth or loans from the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ has reached...
27 March 2017
From: Breaking News

Former Conservative minister Michael Portillo has made an outspoken attack on his former party over its switch of housing policy emphasis from...
10 March 2017
From: Breaking News

Estate agents are angry that Chancellor Phillip Hammond made no attempt in his first Spring Budget to reform stamp duty -...
09 March 2017
From: Breaking News

Looking ahead to the Spring Budget this week, the Chancellor Philip Hammond will be obliged to face up to the implications...
04 March 2017
From: Features

We’re used to stories on how the buying and renting of ‘formal’ accommodation - flats and houses - has become increasingly...
17 February 2017
From: Features

A series of leaks to national newspapers and a flurry of broadcast interviews by housing minister Gavin Barwell means we already know...
07 February 2017
From: Breaking News

Instant gratification is nothing new. It’s been around for millennia. It’s an in-built survival instinct for humans – that want, that...
28 January 2017
From: Features

There is no doubt that 2016 managed to catch the world by surprise on more than one occassion. But will 2017 be...
14 January 2017
From: Features

The government’s blizzard of New Year announcements about new homes has received a distinctly frosty welcome from many within the property...
04 January 2017
From: Breaking News

Home ownership rates among 25-year-olds have plummeted by more than half in 20 years, council leaders have warned. New analysis for the...
22 December 2016
From: Breaking News

Just a couple of weeks ago, we waited with anticipation to see what the new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, would say in...
09 December 2016
From: Features

A housebuilder that has in the past profited from its concentration on high-end London schemes says demand for its units is...
05 December 2016
From: Breaking News

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s a summary of everything relating to property that was in Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s Autumn...
24 November 2016
From: Breaking News
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It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...
19 November 2016
From: Features

The long-awaited Redfern Review has recommended that improved access to mortgage finance and improved income levels for first time buyers are...
17 November 2016
From: Breaking News

Labour’s long-awaited Redfern Review, set up a year ago after the party’s defeat in the general election, finally reports tomorrow. Although it...
15 November 2016
From: Breaking News

Speculation was rife over the weekend that the government would today announce major changes to housing policy - possibly shifting the...
03 October 2016
From: Breaking News

The Labour Party claims there has been a strikingly large reduction in the number of under-45s who own a home -...
28 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The highest number of second homes in UK local authority areas exist not in the south west, the Lake District or...
12 September 2016
From: Breaking News

If you want an indicator that the United Kingdom isn’t so united any more, have a look at Right To Buy. The...
12 August 2016
From: Features

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...
15 July 2016
From: Features

Countrywide says it is too early to say whether the stamp duty surcharge introduced in the spring has had any significant...
05 July 2016
From: Breaking News

So we now have a new 'official' index of house prices, and much good may it do us. For the chattering classes...
17 June 2016
From: Features

An estate agency chief operating in an area where there are high levels of holiday home ownership has stood up for...
16 June 2016
From: Breaking News

Use of the term ‘generation rent’ has grown beyond all measure in recent years, but it’s not always quoted in the...
27 May 2016
From: Features

When, during his budget speech, George Osborne announced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was going down to 20%, I experienced a mix...
25 March 2016
From: Features

Property has long been a safe investment. Before the downturn in 2008, sellers were able to gain a healthy capital return. Post-economic...
25 March 2016
From: Features

We're all wise to the fact that spring is typically the busiest time of year for the property market. The financial...
23 February 2016
From: Sponsored Content

A respected housing market analyst says “it's a bit cheeky” of housing minister Brandon Lewis to claim credit for figures suggesting...
22 February 2016
From: Breaking News

Shelter has been tirelessly campaigning for longer tenancies for the last few years. The charity has led the case for change and...
20 February 2016
From: Features

The goverrnment says new figures show that after a year-after-year decline in the number of people owning their home, starting in...
19 February 2016
From: Breaking News

As we all know, Peter Redfern is critical to the future of the British housing market and.... What? Wait? You don’t know...
13 February 2016
From: Features

A consumer group which supports the principle of a stamp duty surcharge on second homes and buy to let properties has...
01 February 2016
From: Breaking News

Prime Minister David Cameron has dismissed out of hand appeals and comments from Estate Agent Today readers to reconsider the recent...
25 January 2016
From: Breaking News

House prices will soar by 50 per cent in the next 10 years according to research commissioned by the NAEA and conducted...
17 December 2015
From: Breaking News

In many respects 2015 has been a good year. Despite global challenges, we have seen a marked improvement in the UK...
11 December 2015
From: Features

I’m sure I’m not the only estate agent confused by the Government’s approach to residential property ownership. Many of the current ministerial...
04 December 2015
From: Features

So this weekend some of us will see our first snow of the season. Harsh weather, Christmas adverts and winter generally...
20 November 2015
From: Features

Over the next five years at least 70,000 new households a year in England alone will be unable to afford to...
17 November 2015
From: Breaking News

I make no apologies for returning to Build To Rent, the institutional investment in building and managing blocks of flats to...
13 November 2015
From: Features

Homes in the South East, South West and London change hands much more frequently than those in other parts of England. Analysis...
13 November 2015
From: Breaking News

We have reached an interesting point in what has been a most unusual year for the property sector. The latest figures from...
23 October 2015
From: Features

Start increasing stock levels today using Ravensworth's Marketing Toolkit. We understand that stock can be hard to come by in today’s competitive...
21 October 2015
From: Sponsored Content

The newly-appointed shadow housing minister says his first priority is to arrest the long-term fall in home ownership in Britain. John Healey...
24 September 2015
From: Breaking News

If there’s one thing that looks like a good move right now, it’s becoming a letting agent. Whereas some years ago we...
18 September 2015
From: Features

So housing made itself top of the list of questions by the new Leader of the Opposition’s first PMQs on Wednesday...
18 September 2015
From: Features

Communities Secretary Greg Clark will be sacked if there is no improvement in the number of homes built in the next...
28 August 2015
From: Breaking News

Owner occupation in Britain will plummet from its current level of about 68 per cent of homes to around 60 per...
23 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced a series of measures impacting on the property industry, including: Mortgage interest relief for buy-to-let homebuyers...
08 July 2015
From: Breaking News

Estate and letting agents and other figures in the property industry have been making their last-minute calls on Chancellor George Osborne...
08 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The government claims that over 36,000 new home owners have been created through Right to Buy since 2012. Figures released by the...
26 June 2015
From: Breaking News

A north of England firm that claims to offer a more affordable route into home ownership than available with a conventional...
26 June 2015
From: Breaking News

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...
19 June 2015
From: Features

The new government has announced its legislative plans for housing in the coming year. In the first all-Conservative Queen’s Speech since 1996,...