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Gap between house prices and earnings narrows as borrowing costs limit gains


By Dan McGrath

The UK’s house price to income ratio has fallen to an 11-year low, from 7.6 to 7.3, as earnings continue to outpace house price growth, but mortgage cost increases remain a hurdle for many buyers, Lloyds has found.

The bank’s Affordability Review showed that the national average property price increased by 0.5% over the last year to £299,131, while average earnings rose by 4.5% to £40,790, narrowing the gap between house prices and earnings


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House prices drop in September as annual growth halved

UK house prices fell 0.2% in September, with annual growth halving to 0.8%, as higher mortgage rates and economic uncertainty continue to impact the housing market, according to the the latest Nationwide house price index (HPI).
The September HPI revealed that the average property value fell to £274,251, with annual growth slowing from 1.6% in August to its weakest level since December 2025

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Brokers flag funding access concerns under new PM

Demand for external funding among small and medium-sized businesses increased in the second quarter, but a quarter of brokers expected businesses to become less inclined to seek external funding under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Atom bank has found

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PM confirms triple lock will become ‘annual double lock’ after next general election

The state pension triple lock will be replaced with an "annual double lock" after the next general election, Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced, with the earnings link removed from the annual uprating mechanism as part of plans to fund a new National Care Service.

Speaking at the Labour Party Conference today, Burnham confirmed that the existing triple lock would remain in place for the rest of this parliament, but would be changed from April 2030 if Labour wins the next general election

Half of aspiring homeowners would use pension savings for home deposit

Almost half (46%) of aspiring homeowners have said they would use pension savings towards a house deposit if the rules allowed, Leeds Building Society has found

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MAB adds Gable Mortgages to lender panel

Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) has added Gable Mortgages to its lender panel, giving advisers another option for customers facing deposit constraints
Industry divided over Your First Home scheme

The Government’s proposed Your First Home scheme has received a mixed reaction, with one property investment firm calling it “irresponsible policymaking dressed up as aspiration”

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Albatross Lending Group joins the BDLA

The Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA) has announced that Albatross Lending Group has joined its ranks as a lender member

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HNWIs confidence falls amid new Govt tax policies

Confidence among UK high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) is continuing to weaken as fears over government tax and wealth policy is increasingly shaping how families protect and pass on their assets, Saltus has stated

Gen X pension withdrawals risk unexpected tax bills

More than 300,000 people aged 55 to 64 fully emptied their pension pots when first accessing them in the year to March, potentially exposing themselves to unexpected tax bills, according to analysis by financial advice firm NFU Mutual

Almost half of UK adults would support introduction of wealth tax at Budget

Over two in five (44%) people in the UK would support the introduction of a wealth tax as a percentage of total assets, while only 23% of people are against it, research from AJ Bell has found

Income tax and CGT receipts rise £16.6bn

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) receipts from income tax, capital gains tax (CGT) and national insurance contributions (NICs) reached £230.9bn between April and August, up £16.6bn on the same period last year. PAYE income tax and NICs accounted for exactly £214bn of the total, £16.9bn higher year-on-year

FCA joins industry and consumer groups to boost protection insurance uptake

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is teaming with industry, government and consumer groups to encourage more people to consider protection insurance, after finding that around 58% of UK adults have no life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection

Restore Britain unveils plan to abolish FCA/PRA in their current form

Restore Britain has unveiled a plan to abolish the FCA and the PRA in their current form

More than one in 20 financial services complaints take over eight weeks to resolve

More than a fifth of complaints made to financial services firms take at least eight weeks to resolve, according to analysis by Huntswood of the latest FCA complaints data

FCA secures majority of victims’ money back from convicted fraudster

Victims of convicted fraudster, John Burford, are set to recover most of the money they invested after the FCA obtained a confiscation order against him

Savings accounts earning 1.5% or less reach £327bn

UK savings accounts earning 1.5% or less in interest currently hold a collective £327bn, Spring has revealed

Britons feel unprepared for financial shocks, study finds

Almost half of Britons feel financially unprepared for major life events, despite recognising the importance of long-term financial planning, according to new research

Building societies pay £2.1bn extra in interest in 2025

Building societies paid savers an extra £2.1bn in interest in 2025 compared with average rates offered by the UK’s largest banks, Moneyfacts has found

£85.5bn languishes in outdated cash ISAs

£85.5bn is held in instant-access cash ISAs opened before 2020, with savers earning an average interest rate of just 1.94%, according to analysis from Skipton Building Society. The analysis of CACI Current Savings Database stock data for June 2026 found that the £85.5bn held across adult instant-access ISAs opened between 2000 and 2019 could generate almost £1.7bn more interest a year if it were earning 3.90%, equivalent to Skipton’s highest-paying easy-access ISA rate at the time of the analysis

Cognitronics pension scheme secures £1.7m buy-in with Aviva

The Cognitronics Limited Pension and Life Assurance Scheme has secured a £1.7m buy-in with Aviva, covering the benefits of eight deferred members

More than 34m UK adults face retirement savings vulnerability

More than 34 million UK adults, or 62% of the population, could face a major life event or financial challenge that seriously affects their retirement savings, Scottish Widows has warned

Pensions UK calls for timetable to raise auto-enrolment contributions

Almost one in six of working-age adults are not confident they are saving enough to maintain their standard of living in retirement, while 82% see under-saving as a major issue in the UK, according to research for Pensions UK

Total value withdrawn from pension pots surges by over 20% in 2025/26

The total value of withdrawals from pension pots increased by 21.7% to £91.2bn in the year ending 31 March 2026, with annuity purchases and those entering drawdown both rising, data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed

Brokers flag funding access concerns under new PM

Demand for external funding among small and medium-sized businesses increased in the second quarter, but a quarter of brokers expected businesses to become less inclined to seek external funding under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Atom bank has found

ONS revises Q2 economic growth upwards

The UK economy grew faster than previously thought in the second quarter, after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised its previous estimate from 0.4% to 0.5% between April and June

PM confirms triple lock will become ‘annual double lock’ after next general election

The state pension triple lock will be replaced with an "annual double lock" after the next general election, Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced, with the earnings link removed from the annual uprating mechanism as part of plans to fund a new National Care Service. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference today, Burnham confirmed that the existing triple lock would remain in place for the rest of this parliament, but would be changed from April 2030 if Labour wins the next general election

HNW clients ‘increasingly anxious’ as Budget tax rumours swirl

High net worth (HNW) clients are increasingly anxious about the future direction of UK tax policy, as speculation intensifies around what could be announced in the Autumn Budget, Rathbones has stated

AI poised to reshape workplace pensions

Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape the UK defined contribution (DC) pensions market, with employers increasingly looking to use the technology to improve member communications, engagement and retirement outcomes, according to a new WTW survey

AI will raise speed expectations for letting agents

Artificial intelligence is more likely to replace individual tasks than letting agents themselves, but the technology will raise expectations for faster service, smarter decision-making and greater efficiency across the lettings sector, Propoly has argued

Almost half of Gen Z say AI has changed their mind about a decision

Almost half of Gen Z adults say AI has influenced a decision they made, and a majority trust the technology, with AI playing a growing role in shaping personal and financial choices, according to research commissioned by Aegon

Financial services businesses risk ‘AI invisibility’ by ignoring reviews

The financial services sector is facing a "critical strategy-action gap" that puts many firms at risk of losing market share because they are becoming invisible in the AI answers consumers are using to make decisions, TrustPilot has stated

News in brief - 2 October 2026

Today's round up of developments coming out of the consumer finance space, featuring 365 Finance, Scottish Friendly and Stonebridge

MAB adds Gable Mortgages to lender panel

Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) has added Gable Mortgages to its lender panel, giving advisers another option for customers facing deposit constraints

News in brief - 1 October 2026

Today's round up of developments coming out of the consumer finance space, featuring April Mortgages, GB Bank, Hampshire Trust Bank, Brilliant Solutions and Mortgage Brain

Albatross Lending Group joins the BDLA

The Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA) has announced that Albatross Lending Group has joined its ranks as a lender member

Alan Ritchie: Looking to the future for Equity Release

Royal London Equity Release's CEO explores property wealth’s role in retirement planning

BLOG: Are added-value services the key to engaging clients in protection?

Scottish Widows Protection Director, Rose St Louis, discusses how reframing protection conversations can help to engage clients

BLOG: Award-winning lending, built brick by brick

Saffron for Intermediaries discusses its latest lending offering on the MoneyAge blog

BLOG: Doing Good is Good Business

MoneyAge Awards winner Bespoke Advice discusses the key fundamentals of good financial planning in our latest blog piece

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