Are UK buy-to-let landlords dying out – and should we care?

Higher taxes and tougher regulations have led to the disappearance of tens of thousands of rental properties

UK house prices unexpectedly fell at end of year, Nationwide says

Average property price drops by 0.4% in December to £271,068 after forecasts of 0.1% month-on-month rise

Rent rises likely to slow after rapid increases in recent years, lenders and estate agents forecast

Average property price in city rose by 12.6%, while Stafford and Wigan also had double-digit growth

Paint and sofas sell well as Britons are priced out of moving home or undertaking pricey renovations

Some potential first-time buyer groups ‘could be better served’, regulator says in review

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

City watchdog the FCA announces plans to help first-time buyers and self-employed get on the property ladder

People able to buy homes previously beyond budget, aided by rising wages and looser affordability tests

Halifax says average price of house was a record £299,892 in November but that affordability is at its strongest since 2015

Access to nature and essential services and friendliness of the people led ‘gateway to the Dales’ to top Rightmove index

‘Mansion tax’ announced by Rachel Reeves will have limited impact on property market, building society says

The high-value council tax surcharge may only raise £400m but it’s the best opportunity for a bigger, fairer tax on wealth

How will new tax rates and measures affect pensions, savings, car tax and more? We look into some individual queries

Rachel Reeves’s new council tax surcharge on homes worth £2m or more earns mixed reception in well-heeled London borough