Dr. Priya Sharma
Dr. Priya Sharma writes The Property AI's data-led coverage of UK property markets — rental indices, sold-price trends, mortgage flows, and regional analysis. Articles bylined Dr. Sharma cite ONS, Land Registry, Bank of England, and primary research data.
PhD Economics. Specialises in: ONS Index of Private Housing Rental Prices, Land Registry data, regional rental analysis, mortgage approvals trends.
Articles by Dr. Priya Sharma
Atom Bank Raises Commercial Mortgage Proc Fees and Cuts Rates
Atom Bank has increased procuration fees for new commercial mortgage applications and introduced improved rate discounts on large loans, acc…
Connells: A Third of Renters Face 35-Year Wait to Buy a Home
Connells research finds a third of UK renters save £100 or less per month, facing a 35-year wait to buy a home. High rents and deposit requi…
OPDA Report Highlights Lack of Visibility in UK Homebuying Process
A new OPDA report finds 43% of consumers blame delays in homebuying on poor visibility and communication, with many asked to resubmit inform…
One in Three Renters Face 35-Year Wait to Save House Deposit, Skipton BS Finds
Research from Skipton Building Society finds a third of UK renters saving £100 or less per month could wait 35 years to save a house deposit…
Thousands of Interest-Only Mortgages Nearing Maturity May Lead to Poor Outcomes
Thousands of older homeowners with interest-only mortgages are approaching the end of their terms, with many unaware of available options, a…
Shepherds Friendly Appoints Laura Gauden as Head of Sales
Shepherds Friendly has named Laura Gauden as its new head of sales. Gauden joins from Newcastle Building Society and will oversee the sales …
Clydesdale Bank to Stop New Mortgage Lending After Nationwide Takeover
Clydesdale Bank will cease lending to new mortgage customers following Nationwide's takeover of Virgin Money. Existing borrowers can still a…
Scottish Building Society Supports New First Home Fund Scheme
Scottish Building Society is among the first lenders to support the Scottish Government’s new First Home Fund, offering a £10,000 shared equ…
Political Uncertainty and Mortgage Market: Key Lesson for Property Firms
A decade of political change has brought major housing policy shifts. Mortgage firms that thrive are those not reliant on Westminster's next…
FCA Proposes Flexible Mortgage Rules to Support Diverse Borrowers
The FCA's latest consultation proposes more flexible mortgage rules to help first-time buyers and underserved groups, with a focus on Consum…
Molo Appoints Ben Saffery as BDM for South London and South East
Molo has named Ben Saffery as business development manager for South London and the South East, focusing on complex buy-to-let lending.…
Awareness, Not Affordability, Is Key Barrier for First-Time Buyers
A report highlights that lack of awareness, rather than affordability, is a major barrier for first-time buyers. Many potential buyers do no…
Accord and Coventry Announce Rate Reductions and Product Changes
Accord and Coventry Building Society are reducing rates on residential and buy-to-let products, with Coventry also withdrawing some products…
FCA Chief: AI Advancing Too Fast for Current Laws to Keep Pace
FCA chief executive Nikhil Rathi warns that AI is developing faster than regulation can keep up, prompting changes in how the regulator appr…
Accord and TSB Announce Reductions to Residential and Buy-to-Let Mortgage Rates
Accord and TSB have reduced rates across their residential and buy-to-let mortgage product ranges, with changes affecting both purchase and …
Clydesdale Bank to Cease All New Mortgage Lending from 2 July
Clydesdale Bank will stop all new residential mortgage lending from 2 July. Existing customers remain unaffected and can access switcher pro…
Mortgage Rates Have Tripled Since Brexit Referendum, Says L&C
L&C Mortgages reports that average mortgage rates have more than tripled since the Brexit referendum, with significant increases for both re…
Major Lenders Cut Mortgage Rates as Competition Intensifies
Barclays, Nationwide, Virgin Money and others have announced mortgage rate cuts, with buy-to-let and residential products affected amid incr…
Aldermore Reduces Special Edition Buy-to-Let Rates for Existing Customers
Aldermore has cut rates on its special edition buy-to-let range for existing customers, including a 35bps reduction on a two-year fixed rate…
Andrew Charnley Appointed CEO of Sancus Lending as Mepham Steps Down
Andrew Charnley has been named CEO of Sancus Lending, replacing Rory Mepham, who led the lender back to profitability during his five-year t…
Stamp Duty Removal Could Free Up 300,000 Homes, Report Finds
A report finds that removing stamp duty could free up over 300,000 homes in England. The FCA has also opened 11 Consumer Duty investigations…
West Brom Building Society Cuts Rates on Two-Year Fixed Purchase Mortgages
West Brom Building Society has reduced rates across its two-year fixed purchase mortgage range, with cuts of up to 0.18% on selected product…
MPs and Industry Call for Urgent Stamp Duty Reform
A cross-party committee and industry leaders have called for urgent reform of stamp duty, citing its impact on housing mobility and the prop…
Aldermore Reduces Special-Edition Buy-to-Let Rates for Existing Landlords
Aldermore has cut rates on its special-edition buy-to-let mortgage range for existing customers, including a 0.35% reduction on a two-year f…
FCA Calls for Greater Clarity on Support for Vulnerable Customers
The FCA has found that many firms are not clearly demonstrating how they support vulnerable customers, urging improvements under Consumer Du…
West Brom Building Society Cuts Two-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates
West Brom Building Society has reduced rates on its two-year fixed purchase mortgages by up to 0.18%, with new rates at 90% and 95% LTV now …
FCA Urged to Mandate Later Life Lending Advice for Older Borrowers
Calls have been made for the FCA to require advisers to discuss later life lending options with older borrowers, as few currently access the…
New Build Developments at Lowest Level Since 2017, Rightmove Reports
Rightmove research finds new build housing developments at their lowest level since January 2017, despite government plans to increase homeb…
Lenders Cut Fixed Mortgage Rates Amid Intensifying Competition
UK lenders have reduced fixed mortgage rates this week, with the average two-year fixed now at 5.46% and the five-year at 5.51%, according t…
Rightmove: Removing Stamp Duty Could Aid First-Time Buyers of New Builds
Rightmove has suggested that removing stamp duty for first-time buyers could improve access to new-build and resale homes, as new-build supp…
ONS: UK Short-Term Let Market Grew by 12% in 2025
ONS data shows the UK short-term let market grew by nearly 12% in 2025, with 101 million guest nights booked. Wales and the North East saw t…
Pepper Money Reduces Residential and Affordable Housing Mortgage Rates
Pepper Money has lowered mortgage rates across its residential and affordable housing ranges, including shared ownership, Right to Buy, and …
Pepper Money Cuts Rates by 0.2% Across All Mortgage Products
Pepper Money has reduced rates by 0.2% across its full mortgage product range, including buy-to-let and shared ownership options, according …
Search Acumen Launches SDLT Submission Platform for Commercial Property
Search Acumen has launched a dedicated SDLT submission solution for commercial property, enabling direct online submissions to HMRC and stre…
West One Added to Primis Bridging Lender Panel
Primis has added West One to its panel of approved bridging lenders, giving brokers access to West One’s bridging, residential, and buy-to-l…
Roma Finance Launches Commercial Mortgage Range Across UK
Roma Finance has introduced a commercial mortgage range, offering loans up to £2m for property investors and businesses across England, Scot…
Lenders Urged to Focus on Risk-Based Pricing in Current Market
Gavin Diamond of Inspired Lending highlights the importance of risk-based pricing over volume-driven incentives in the current UK property l…
Government to Prioritise Cladding Remediation by Risk, Not Building Height
The government will fund cladding remediation for high-risk buildings under 11 metres, prioritising risk over height to protect leaseholders…
Atom Bank Cuts Prime Mortgage Rates and Launches 95% LTV Options
Atom Bank has reduced rates on its prime mortgage products and introduced new options up to 95% loan to value, with changes affecting both f…
Gen H and Just Mortgages Launch Tool for Shared Ownership Clients
Gen H and Just Mortgages have introduced a tool to help shared ownership customers achieve full homeownership, offering a new pathway via pa…
Landbay and Molo Announce Buy-to-Let Rate Reductions
Landbay has cut rates by 5bps on 18 Premier buy-to-let products, while Molo has reduced rates by 10bps across its UK resident BTL range, acc…
GB Bank Appoints Asim Shirwani to Lead New Bridging Team
GB Bank has named Asim Shirwani as head of its new bridging team, with Victoria Mahy joining as business development manager to support the …
Shawbrook Raises Maximum LTV on Commercial Bridging Loans to 75%
Shawbrook has increased the maximum loan to value (LTV) on eligible commercial bridging loans to 75%, offering brokers more flexibility for …
Mortgage Innovation & Technology Awards 2026 Entry Deadline Extended
Mortgage Strategy has extended the entry deadline for the Mortgage Innovation & Technology Awards 2026 to Friday 17 July, offering a final c…
Atom Bank Launches Limited-Time Procuration Fee Boost for Commercial Lending
Atom Bank is offering a 1.75% procuration fee on new commercial lending applications submitted before 30 September, alongside improved inter…
Government Unveils Major Reforms to Home Buying and Selling Process
The government has announced a roadmap of reforms to the home buying and selling process, including earlier binding contracts, digitalisatio…
UK Property Market Faces Uncertainty Amid Policy and Rate Questions
The UK property market is experiencing uncertainty, with falling prices and unsold homes, as policy direction and interest rates remain uncl…
Atom Bank and Pepper Money Announce Further Mortgage Rate Reductions
Atom bank and Pepper Money have both reduced rates across various mortgage products, introducing new fee options and lower starting rates fo…
Mortgage Searches Rise in June Across Most Lending Categories
Mortgage search activity increased in June, with both month-on-month and year-on-year growth in most major lending categories, according to …
Homeowners Six Times Wealthier Than Renters at Retirement, Report Finds
Yorkshire Building Society research finds homeowners are on average six times wealthier than renters at retirement, with a £793,000 wealth g…