Top headlines this week: Mortgage rate rises on the horizon as major lenders repricing And MRaw of 8,500 rental homes on the market
Explore these and other key industry updates below:
Mortgage rate rises on the horizon as major lenders repricing
Major lenders are increasing mortgage rates as higher swap rates feed into fixed interest rates, and Moneyfacts expects further rises in the coming days.
HSBC and NatWest have already increased interest rates this month, while a 0.25 percentage point rise on the typical £250,000 two-year fix will add around £38 a month to repayments, increasing pressure on borrowers hoping interest rates will fall.
Mortgage consultancy firm cuts profit forecasts as housing market weakens
The mortgage advice firm cut its full-year adjusted profit before tax forecast by £5.4m to £38m, after an expected rebound in UK homebuying activity failed and new lead inflows at Fluent were delayed.
UK buyout transactions fell by 3% in the first seven months of 2026, while MAB expects Fluent’s late growth to carry over into 2027, although it still expects earnings to grow by around 5% in 2025.
Nicola Goldie leaves Aldermore Bank
Nicola Goldie has left her role as head of strategic partnerships and growth at Aldermore Bank after three years with the bank.
Goldie thanked her colleagues and mentors for their support and said that she would take a short break before exploring new opportunities.
Nationwide increases repair identification and tracking rates by up to 0.20%
Nationwide will increase fixed and tracker capped mortgage rates by up to 0.20 percentage points from September 10, impacting first-time buyer, home move, remortgage, switch and additional borrowing products.
The lower two-year interest rate will rise from 4.48% to 4.63%, while the five-year interest rate will rise from 4.50% to 4.59%, making Nationwide the latest major bank to raise interest rates as funding costs increase.
TSB and Barclays are among the latest lenders to increase interest rates
Barclays, TSB, Skipton Intermediaries, Nottingham Building Society and Brokers’ Co-operative Bank are the latest lenders to raise mortgage rates, with TSB increasing fixed purchase and selected remortgage rates by 0.15% and Barclays by 0.20%.
These moves reflect higher wholesale funding costs, with two- and five-year bond swaps about 0.20 percentage points higher than a month ago, and further selective increases are expected if swap rates remain high.
Halifax, BM Solutions, Accord and InterBay raise interest rates
Halifax Intermediaries, BM Solutions, Accor Mortgages and InterBay are raising mortgage rates from 9 September, with increases of up to 0.12% for selected Halifax purchase products, 0.29% for BM Solutions BTL and 0.25% for Accord BTL.
InterBay will withdraw its current BTL range and replace it with higher-priced products, while interest rate increases remain possible as lenders continue to respond to higher funding costs.
House prices continued to decline in August: Lloyd’s HPI
UK house prices fell by 0.2% in August to an average of £298,468, after a 0.1% fall in July, with annual prices falling by 0.4% – the first year-on-year decline since November 2023.
Northern Ireland recorded the strongest annual growth of 6.9%, while Scotland rose by 3.5%, but prices fell across southern England, led by a 1.6% decline in the south-east and 1.5% in Greater London, as affordability pressures and economic uncertainty weighed on market activity.
The government will launch the Poverty Reduction Strategy Database under the second phase of the risk assessment programme
The UK Government will begin rolling out the private tenant sector database across England from December, with landlord registration phased in regionally until November 2027 as part of Phase 2 of the Tenants’ Bill of Rights.
The database aims to give tenants greater transparency and better enforcement information for councils, while the Valuation Office will take responsibility for the initial challenges of rent increases, although concerns remain about potential duplication with existing local licensing schemes and the limited scope of the new system.
Over 8,500 rental homes on the market
More than 8,500 homes with on-site tenants are currently being marketed for sale across England, representing 1.8% of all properties listed, according to the Letting Partnership.
Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest proportion at 5.1%, while the highest number is in the North West at 2,227, with landlords reminded to check rent payments, protect deposits and other tenancy obligations before purchasing a property with an existing tenant.
Mortgage lending rises sharply in Q2 2026: FCA
Total UK mortgage lending rose 11.1% quarter-on-quarter to £77.4bn in the second quarter of 2026, up 31.7% on the same period last year, according to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) figures.
Residential mortgage balances outstanding rose 0.8% to £1.76 trillion, while new mortgage commitments rose 1.4% to £79.2 billion, indicating continued growth in mortgage lending activity.
