RatesImpact 6/921 April 2026
A Reuters poll of economists published yesterday found most expect the Bank of England to leave the base rate unchanged at next week's meeting and through the rest of 2026, even after recent inflation pressure tied to the Iran conflict. For buyers, that means fixed-rate pricing is unlikely to fall sharply in the near term. For sellers, demand levels look set to stay roughly where they are.
Source: Reuters · Read original
RatesImpact 7/921 April 2026
Barclays is cutting more than 20 of its fixed-rate mortgages by up to 36 basis points from today, covering 2- and 5-year deals at a range of loan-to-value bands. It is one of the bigger moves from a major UK lender this month and follows a similar cut from NatWest earlier in the week. For buyers, monthly payments on new fixes drop modestly. For sellers, slightly cheaper borrowing tends to support demand at the margins.
Source: Mortgage Strategy · Read original
PolicyImpact 6/921 April 2026
Lloyds Banking Group, estate agency Connells and conveyancing firm LMS have launched a fully digital homebuying service aimed at cutting UK transaction times from the current average of around 22 weeks. The Government has welcomed the move. For buyers and sellers, faster digital transactions could mean fewer fall-throughs and shorter chains. The shift is gradual — only one lender, one agency group and one conveyancer are signed up so far.
Source: Mortgage Strategy · Read original
MacroImpact 6/921 April 2026
UK unemployment dropped back to 4.9% in the three months to February, but vacancies fell to their lowest level since early 2021. Regular pay rose 3.6% annually, still above inflation. For buyers and sellers, the picture is mixed: wages are holding up, keeping affordability steady, but the softer jobs market strengthens the case for the Bank of England to cut rates further. Mortgage pricing is likely to edge lower if that view firms up.
Source: Office for National Statistics · Read original
RatesImpact 5/920 April 2026
NatWest is cutting mortgage rates by up to 37 basis points, covering both residential and buy-to-let. The biggest move is on its 95% LTV five-year fix, down from 5.76% to 5.39%. It follows HSBC last week. For buyers, it's the first run of meaningful cuts since rates rose in February after the Iran conflict. The picture stays unsettled — swap rates remain higher than the start of the year.
Source: Mortgage Strategy · Read original
PolicyImpact 6/920 April 2026
The Renters' Rights Act comes into force on 1 May, and Propertymark has published compliance guidance for agents and landlords. The Act ends Section 21 no-fault evictions and reshapes how tenancies work. Some landlords may choose to sell rather than adapt, nudging rental supply lower and adding homes to the sales market. For the wider market, it's the biggest shift in renting rules in decades and landlords have just over a week to get ready.
Source: Property Industry Eye · Read original
PolicyImpact 4/920 April 2026
The Home Office has opened a consultation on changes to the Right to Rent code of practice. Under the proposals, landlords and letting agents could not treat tenants less favourably for using paper documents rather than the digital checking service, or because they have time-limited right to rent. The consultation closes at midnight on 29 April. For renters, it's a small tightening of discrimination rules rather than a headline change.
Source: Property Industry Eye · Read original
RatesImpact 6/918 April 2026
Several large UK lenders are cutting mortgage rates this week, with Halifax — the country's biggest lender — among them. Markets eased after geopolitical tensions cooled, pulling down the swap rates that fixed mortgages are priced against. Buyers comparing fixed-rate deals over the next few weeks will see slightly cheaper headline rates. The Bank of England base rate has not moved — this is a market-led shift, and lenders can pull rates back if conditions change.
Source: BBC · Read original
RatesImpact 7/918 April 2026
Major lenders including Halifax, HSBC and Santander have started cutting fixed mortgage rates as swap rates ease on hopes of a long-term truce in the Iran war. The average two-year fixed rate has edged down from a wartime peak of 5.90% to 5.87%, though still well above the 4.83% seen before the conflict. Around 1,000 fewer deals are available than pre-war, but lenders are offering larger loan amounts.
Source: BBC News · Read original
RatesImpact 8/918 April 2026
Average fixed mortgage rates have fallen for the first time since the spike that followed the Iran war, according to Moneyfacts. HSBC cut some deals by up to 34 basis points last week and several other lenders — Halifax, Atom, Family and Cambridge — followed. For buyers, monthly payments on a new fixed deal are a touch lower. The market reads it as the start of a slow easing, though nothing is guaranteed.
Source: BBC News · Read original
PolicyImpact 5/915 April 2026
The government has set out council tax reforms aimed at protecting households in financial difficulty. Households will get 63 days to settle a missed bill before enforcement begins, billing will default to twelve months rather than ten, and court costs added to liability orders will be capped at £100. The changes affect every council taxpayer in England — homeowners and renters alike. Day-to-day bills are unchanged; what changes is what happens when someone falls behind.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Read original