Government launches ‘Rent to Buy’ scheme

The government has launched a ‘Rent to Buy’ scheme, backed by a £400 million fund, to encourage the construction of new homes that tenants can rent, then buy at a later date. Housing associations and other providers can bid for... View Article

Permissions recover to 2008 levels

Planning permissions hit a six-year high in Q2 2014, according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF) Housing Pipeline report. The report, compiled by construction analyst Glenigan, showed that permissions for 56,647 homes were granted in England in the second quarter,... View Article

Will banks put the brake on house price inflation?

There is concern among some economic commentators, including the Bank of England governor Mark Carney, that recent house price inflation will create a property bubble that will burst and hurl the country into a new recession. However, what these experts... View Article

Paying the price of regulation

Patrick Mooney of Mooney Thompson Consulting comments. Over the summer months, housing association chief executives and chairmen face an anxious time worrying about a lengthening list of regulatory changes being imposed on the sector. However, not one of these changes is likely... View Article

The zero carbon homes target: still wide of the mark?

Steve Sanham, development director at Hub Residential, explores whether the allowable solutions mentioned in the Queen’s speech make zero carbon homes more achievable. The ‘allowable solutions’ mentioned in the Queen’s speech may seem incongruous compared to other announcements in the... View Article

IMF warns that housing market is risk to UK recovery

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that lack of housing supply in the UK economy is a fundamental economic issue. However, the IMF did recognise the government’s efforts to increase new homes supply, while highlighting the barriers to increased... View Article