The government introduced the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill to Parliament on 14 October 2026, creating a new legal duty on building owners to fix unsafe cladding with fines of up to £500,000 for breaching remediation orders.
Zoopla research published on 15 October 2026 shows 51% of two and three-bedroom houses are now priced within reach of an average-income household, up from 45% a year ago, though mortgage rates above 5% are holding back sales.
Norfolk Crown Court has given a 12-month suspended sentence to former Swaffham letting agent Victoria Steele after she admitted 19 fraud offences involving £48,858 in missing deposits and rent, with police now pursuing compensation through a February Proceeds of Crime hearing.
The Bank of England and the FCA have permanently removed the 15% firm-level cap on high loan-to-income lending from 28 October 2026, replacing it with a rolling four-quarter measure that gives lenders more room to approve larger loans.
Rightmove reports average advertised rents outside London passed £1,400 a month for the first time, reaching £1,418, while London hit a record £2,825 as supply stays tight.
The Health and Safety Executive says Wirral landlord Adam Evans was fined £2,400 with £5,000 costs at Wirral Magistrates’ Court after admitting eight years without annual gas safety checks at a home where a mother and five children lived.
Moneyfacts data puts average two-year fixed residential rates at 5.97 percent, near 6 percent for the first time since December 2023, while buy-to-let five-year fixes average 6.01 percent across 5,192 products.
HomeLet’s September Rental Index puts average UK rent at £1,387, up 0.4 percent on August and 3.3 percent on the year, with London up 1.5 percent to £2,272 while eight of 12 regions fell month on month.
COHO’s State of Shared Living 2026 finds 21 percent of 5,145 HMO tenants felt unsafe because of a housemate, with 42 percent moving in with no information on who they would live with.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Cabinet has approved a city-wide Article 4 Direction removing permitted development rights for small HMOs, with controls taking immediate effect from 23 October 2026.
Propertymark’s August housing report shows average viewings per property down to 1.7 from nearly four two years ago, with 86% of agents reporting sales below asking price as buyers and sellers drift apart.
Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 student accommodation report shows 518,300 UCAS acceptances, up 1.1%, but rents fell in five cities as international visas dropped 22% and demand concentrates in fewer university markets.
