Market Update - October 2026

Mortgages keep getting dearer while the base rate stands still, house prices have stalled, and politicians are making promises again...

Rob & Rob explain why markets expect interest rates to go up over the next few years, even though the Bank of England might not want them to, and how that’s feeding through to the deals lenders offer.

They also get into the new admin heading landlords' way, two very different pitches from opposition parties, and why the building slowdown matters for buyers and renters alike.

• (00:55) Six months without a base rate change, so why are mortgage rates around 1% higher?
• (04:32) Remortgage searches up 40% in a month, yet more borrowers are considering a tracker. Which way should you go?
• (07:08) The house price index that's just recorded its first annual fall since 2023
• (09:11) Since the Renters' Rights Act, how are landlords choosing their tenants?
• (10:21) The landlord database: which region signs up first, and what it costs per property
• (12:02) The £4.2bn case for scrapping the stamp duty surcharge, and the party promising to go further
• (16:58) The Greens want a 2% cap on rent rises. How worried should landlords be?
• (18:49) Angela Rayner's "slim chance" on 1.5 million homes, and why housebuilders are holding back
• (22:47) The positive case for long-term investors right now

Links mentioned:

• Bank of England Monetary Policy Summary, September 2026
• Berkeley: scrapping the stamp duty surcharge could raise £4.2bn

House prices:

• Nationwide's House Price Index
• Zoopla's House Price Index
• Lloyds' House Price Index

Mortgages and lending:

• Lenders reprice as gilt yields hit multi-decade highs
• Bank of England Money and Credit, August 2026
• Remortgage searches rise in September
• A fifth of remortgagors consider a variable rate

Landlord behaviour:

• Landlords more selective about tenants since the Renters' Rights Act
• Rent guarantor applications up 50%

Planning and supply:

• Government all but admits defeat on 1.5 million homes
• S&P Global UK Construction PMI, September 2026

Regulation:

• PRS Database: landlord registration timetable
• Shadow housing secretary backs scrapping stamp duty
• Green Party: three-year emergency brake on rents

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