The Intermediary – August 2025 - Flipbook - Page 5
From the editor. . .
s the sun continues to pelt
cheerily in through our home
office windows – giving us a
glimpse of the kind of summer
that seemed to pass us by last
year – it’s safe to say that the past
month has seen hopes and hearts start to li a
lile in Ol’ Blighty.
In what I’m sure our readers will agree is
equally exciting news, in the weeks just gone we
have seen the women bring football home once
again in the Euros, and the Monetary Policy
Commiee (MPC) lower the base rate to 4.0%,
the lowest level since March 2023. This is the
fih consecutive reduction, and even the most
pessimistic among us –among which I usually
number – should be about ready to call it a trend.
While my local pub wasn’t replete with
screaming fans – and an entire brass band that,
impressively, popped up out of nowhere – for the
MPC announcement, many of those in the know
still felt an upswelling of positive emotion that
can be hard to come by in these fraught times.
The move was described by many as a welcome
boost for borrowers and the market, and indeed,
we’ve seen some immediate results, with lenders
reducing and reviewing their rates populating
the headlines.
Overall, I dare say the picture is looking quite
positive. For the first time since the 2022 miniBudget, average 2-year fixed rate deals have
dipped below 5%. Meanwhile, lenders have
shown a willingness to expand their mortgage
offerings with flexibility around borrowing
A
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capacity in mind. House prices have remained
resilient, and improvements in affordability
mean that buyers don’t need to wait for an
expected – but unlikely – drop to start seeing
their dream home become a potential reality.
Of course, the picture gets a lile gloomier
when you turn to look at the buy-to-let (BTL)
market. The Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors (RICS) has reported the steepest
drop in new rental listings since the Covid-19
lockdown of 2020, puing an upward pressure
on rents, and no one can have avoided the
knowledge that landlords are feeling a squeeze
just as much as their tenants.
With the Renters’ Rights Bill rumbling down
the track, landlords are also increasingly wary of
how this change could make their lives harder.
Expert forecasts are predicting a decline in BTL
lending through the rest of the year.
Next month, our popular BTL Focus returns
to make sense of this turbulent market. It will
tackle all the difficult and practical realities our
readers need to understand to make sense of the
rented sector, and to make the most for their
clients, regardless of the storm clouds brewing
on the horizon.
Keep an eye out for all the expert insight in that
issue. In the meantime, and with lots to discuss
across all sectors of the market this month, I
think it’s acceptable to take a moment to bask in
the warmth. ●
Jessica Bird
@jess_jbird
@IntermediaryUK
Contributors
The Team
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OPINION The latest word
across residential, buy-to-let,
later life, specialist and more
INTERVIEW Eric Bierry
on lending tech and the
SBS evolution
BROKER BUSINESS Tips
and tricks, from attracting
talent to placing cases
The
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www.theintermediary.co.uk | Issue 31 | August 2025 | £6
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