News and Market Updates
Leasehold reform, the flat market, service charges, building safety and selling stories from across England and Wales. Plus the occasional curiosity from the world of London property.
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27 April 2026
Since 2020, house prices across the UK have risen considerably faster than flat prices. Here is why the divergence happened and what it means for anyone who owns a leasehold flat.
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9 April 2026
Reform was meant to be a turning point. Two years on, prolonged delays, legal challenges and shifting timelines have replaced clarity with uncertainty.
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27 January 2026
A practical guide to the 2026 leasehold and commonhold reforms: ground rent caps, the route to commonhold, and what this really means for flat sellers now.
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17 January 2026
BBC Radio 4 reports that 14.8% of London homeowners sold at a loss in 2025, with flats hardest hit. What this means for flat sellers in 2026.
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4 January 2026
The Renters' Rights Act takes effect from 1 May 2026. What the end of Section 21, the 12-month reletting ban and other reforms mean for leasehold landlords.
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29 November 2025
A BBC investigation exposes soaring service charges as leaseholders wait for LAFRA 2024 protections to come into force. What this means for sellers now.
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3 September 2025
Insurance, inflation, the Building Safety Act and post-Grenfell remediation are all pushing leasehold service charges higher. What it means for sellers.
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27 July 2025
Should you sell now, extend first, or wait for LAFRA? A practical 2025 guide weighing the four main options for short lease owners.
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15 July 2025
A pros and cons guide weighing whether to sell your short lease flat now, or wait for LAFRA leasehold reforms to take effect.
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17 June 2025
From Victorian mansion blocks to modern eco high-rises, exploring how UK flats evolved from overcrowded slums into the homes shaping urban living today.
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17 June 2025
Brook House, a 102-flat development in Acton, will become the UK's first residential block exclusively for women when it opens in summer 2026.
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17 April 2025
Havering Council unlocks new social housing capacity by converting an underused loft space into a comfortable, modern studio flat.
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26 March 2025
Camden Council apologises after replacement windows on the Chalcots Estate are found to have been fitted inside out during cladding remediation works.
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26 March 2025
The UK Government plans to abolish leasehold for flats in England and Wales, replacing it with commonhold as the standard form of flat ownership.
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12 March 2025
A 96 sq ft Kensington flat once used as a caretaker's cupboard is on the market for £230,000, more than tripling its original 2000s purchase price.
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29 January 2020
More than two years after Grenfell, hundreds of UK tower blocks remain clad in dangerous ACM and other combustible materials, leaving owners unable to sell.
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9 November 2016
Hong Kong developer Swire Properties markets 142 sq ft studio flats: barely larger than a parking space, less than half the UK minimum standard.
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15 April 2016
A central London couple double their living space by craning a pre-built second floor on top of their existing flat to create a £2 million penthouse.
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23 March 2016
New research finds buyers face paying up to a 50 per cent premium for a flat with a Thames view in west London developments.
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9 February 2016
A two-bedroom flat in Leigh-on-Sea sells over the asking price within a week, despite a famously honest estate agent listing.
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21 January 2016
A 75 sq ft studio in Clapton has sold at one of the lowest prices seen in London. The catch: it is too small to mortgage.
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18 January 2016
Rightmove reports two-bed flat availability at its highest level since 2007 as buy-to-let landlords sell ahead of new tax and stamp duty rules.
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9 January 2016
A four-bedroom flat overlooking Regent's Park, decked in marble, murals and chandeliers, hits the rental market at over £20,000 per month.
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3 January 2016
London developers sold more than twice as many two-bedroom flats priced £650,000 to £1m as cheaper homes around £300,000 in 2015.
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15 December 2015
Cluttons research suggests tens of thousands of new-build London flats could return to the market over 2016 and 2017 as overseas investors exit.
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10 December 2015
A 113 square foot studio flat opposite Harrods comes onto the market at just under £600,000, equivalent to roughly £5,300 per square foot.
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7 December 2015
Luxury flats coming to market on the site of the Edwardian former Royal Mail sorting and delivery centre in Islington.
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7 December 2015
Halifax research finds buyers are typically £4,500 better off under the new stamp duty rules, while top-end homes pay more and BTL changes loom.
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25 November 2015
George Osborne announces a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes and buy-to-let purchases, expected to raise £1bn by 2021.
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