Wednesday briefing: Is Rachel Reeves about to overhaul the dreaded council tax?

In today’s newsletter: ​The local tax remains based on property values from 1991. Now, with services stretched, ministers face the near-impossible task of rewriting the rules

How would potential new property tax differ from stamp duty and council tax system?

Treasury officials consider shake-up that could see tax paid by sellers of homes worth more than £500,000

Reeves considers replacing stamp duty with new property tax

Exclusive: Treasury examines options including tax on homes sold for more than £500,000 as well as overhaul of council tax

Farmers ask for inheritance tax meeting with Rachel Reeves

NFU welcomes fresh evidence that planned changes may achieve their stated goal

Drop in new properties for rent is steepest since Covid, says Rics

Monthly report from surveyors’ body sees ‘firmly negative trend’ that is expected to push up rental prices

Santander mortgage cap jumps by as much as 24% as bank eases lending rules

Some higher-earning couples with smaller deposits could borrow extra £130,000 as a result of overnight changes

Average private rent in Great Britain falls for first time in five years

Lower mortgage rates have helped cool rental sector after years of above-inflation increases in rent, data shows

Homelessness minister resigns after tenant eviction claims

Rushanara Ali was accused of hypocrisy after claims she removed tenants before rent rise of almost £700 a month

July yields fastest rate of UK house price rises this year, says lender

Cheaper mortgage rates and rising wages helped to push monthly growth to 0.4%, according to Halifax

UK house prices rebound as market recovers from June dip

Average price of property rises 0.6% in July to £272,664, says Nationwide

New mortgage affordability rules help UK housing market avoid summer lull

Record number of homes for sale has created ‘buyer’s market’ and kept price rises in check, Zoopla report says

Average UK house asking price registers steepest monthly drop for 20 years

Rightmove blames the 1.2% fall in new sellers’ prices on the end of stamp duty discounts and more homes coming on to the market

Bangladeshis linked to Hasina regime appear to have made UK property transactions in past year

Call for asset freezes after figures under investigation in Dhaka employed services of UK law firms and consultants

Sales of UK country houses rise as buyers tempted out by lower prices

Deals for homes worth more than £750,000 are up 7% in June over last year with more properties on market

Bank of England rolls out looser mortgage rules to help first-time buyers

Move hopes to push lenders to offer more high loan-to-income mortgages and help 36,000 buyers on to housing ladder