On 30th October 2024 the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves delivered the Autumn budget which we had previously been warned would be “difficult”. Below we have summarised the main housing points.
House Building
The chancellor advised that the government will invest more than £5bn to deliver their housing plan. She confirmed that they will increase their Affordable Homes Programme to £3.1bn, provide £3bn worth of support and promises to increase the number of homes and support small housebuilders. The right to buy discount will also be reduced and local authorities will be able to retain more money from sales.
Stamp Duty
The chancellor has confirmed that first time buyers will continue being exempt from paying stamp duty on properties up to £425,000, this is set to be reduced to £300,000 from the 1st April 2025.
Targeting landlords and those with second properties, the chancellor revealed that second-home buyers will have to pay an additional 2% stamp duty from the 31st of October 2024.
Cladding
The government will give £1bn to fast-track the removal of dangerous cladding on homes following the Grenfell Tower incident.
Homebuying reform to cut homebuying times by around four weeks, and save first-time buyers around £650, says the government.
Buying your first home is a huge milestone, but it can also be a complex process. There are several factors a first-time buyer should consider before making an offer on a property, including understanding the difference between leasehold and freehold and checking council tax bands.
We’ve detailed some questions you can ask your estate agent to help you make an informed decision.
3 days ago
Here are the lowest fixed mortgage rates of the week, available to first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let, and those remortgaging.
Call us for more information: 01628 507477 or email: team@mortgagerequired.com.
5 days ago
Remortgaging means switching to a new mortgage deal. This will either be with your current lender or a new one.
Getting advice and moving to a new deal when the time is right can mean lower monthly mortgage payments, better interest rates, or releasing equity from your property.
Here are some signs it may be time to remortgage.
According to Nationwide Building Society’s latest House Price Index, house prices dropped 0.6% month on month in May – the first monthly decline this year.
19 May 2026
Research from Lloyds identifies the most affordable areas in the UK for first-time buyers to be able to get onto the property ladder.
On Wednesday, 13th May, King Charles delivered his speech at the House of Lords, outlining the government’s plans for the upcoming year.
Here is a summary of the housing and energy/environment points.
From 18th May 2026, Halifax (part of Lloyds Banking Group) is launching a ‘£5k Deposit mortgage’ to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder sooner.