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
Santander cuts residential rates and withdraws fee-free BTL products
Santander has trimmed residential and new-build rates by up to 0.16 percentage points while withdrawing a range of products, including all f…
FCA rules out protection intervention as industry hails 'not broken' market
The FCA will work with the protection sector rather than intervene, in a final report industry figures say confirms the market delivers good…
Q2 SME lending hits post-pandemic high of £5.35bn but remains below 2019 levels
Gross SME lending reached £5.35bn in Q2 2026, a post-pandemic peak, though first-half lending remains around a third below the 2019 average,…
Rely launches limited-edition BTL range with rates from 2.85%
Rely has launched a limited-edition buy-to-let range with one-year fixed rates from 2.85%, available up to 75% LTV and open to landlords of …
Mortgage overpayment app Sprive raises £7.7m in Series A funding round
AI-driven mortgage overpayment app Sprive has secured £7.7m in Series A funding, with customers having reduced outstanding mortgage balances…
Scotland's housing supply shortfall and buyer affordability pressures examined
The CBI says Scotland should deliver at least 25,000 homes a year, while Pepper Money research finds 47% of non-homeowning Scottish adults b…
Mortgage Strategy marks 25 years of covering the UK mortgage industry
Mortgage Strategy marks its 25th anniversary with a retrospective on the industry's key events, featuring former Ami chief executive Robert …
Fleet Mortgages BDM Claire Graham Covers South Wales and South West
Mortgage Solutions profiles Claire Graham, Fleet Mortgages' buy-to-let BDM for South Wales and the South West, covering her career, challeng…
Digital success should be measured by freed-up time, not speed – Purewal
Dudley Building Society's Paul Purewal argues lenders should judge technology by the time it frees for human judgement, not speed or feature…
Building societies urged to use tech for member relationships, not just products
Monmouthshire Building Society's head of lending Graham Sumsion argues building societies should use technology to strengthen member relatio…
Barclays, Halifax and BM Solutions raise mortgage rates by up to 30bps
Barclays, Halifax and BM Solutions have announced rate rises of up to 30 basis points, with buy-to-let deals at BM Solutions increasing by u…
Nearly half of Scots renting or locked out doubt they will ever own a home
Pepper Money research finds 47% of Scots not on the property ladder believe home ownership is permanently out of reach, rising to 55% among …
Family Building Society appoints Laura Hamp as CFO and board member
Family Building Society has promoted Laura Hamp to chief financial officer and board director. She joined earlier this year from Furness Bui…
Barclays lifts residential remortgage rates by up to 25bps; Halifax raises selected fixes
Barclays has increased residential remortgage rates by up to 25 basis points, while Halifax is raising selected fixed rates by up to 11bps a…
FCA partners with industry bodies to boost protection take-up among renters
The FCA will work with AMI, MaPS, DPMSG and the Protection Distributors' Group to encourage more people, including renters, to consider prot…
FCA gives protection market 12-18 months to improve take-up
The FCA's final protection market study report found 58% of people remain unprotected, but rejected mandating protection discussions or auto…
Gable Mortgages launches 100% LTV range with rates from 6.4%
Gable Mortgages has launched a 100% LTV mortgage range, with rates starting at 6.4% on selected Barratt Redrow properties. The lender cites …
Family Building Society appoints Laura Hamp as CFO
Family Building Society has confirmed Laura Hamp as its CFO and board member. Hamp joined earlier this year from Furness Building Society, w…
Gable launches 100% LTV mortgage range targeting first-time buyers
Gable Mortgages has launched a 100% LTV product range aimed at the UK first-time buyer market, with rates from 6.4% and options for key work…
Asking prices rise 0.7% in September but rate fears loom, says Rightmove
Rightmove reports the first monthly asking price rise since May, up 0.7% to £267,440, but experts warn of a crowded market and possible rate…
Buy-to-let marks 30 years as market grows to £300bn
Buy-to-let reaches its 30th anniversary, with the sector now accounting for around a fifth of outstanding UK mortgage balances, worth more t…
FCA partners with AMI and industry groups to close UK protection gap
The FCA is working with the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and other stakeholders to encourage more UK adults to take out protection…
TSB raises rates by up to 25bps as Kensington lifts buy-to-let pricing
TSB is increasing product transfer and additional borrowing rates by up to 25bps, while Kensington is raising buy-to-let rates. Average fixe…
Yorkshire Building Society appoints James Mack as CFO
Yorkshire Building Society has named James Mack as CFO and executive director, subject to regulatory approval, with the role starting in ear…
Asking prices rise 0.7% but experts urge caution over 'major turning point'
Average newly listed asking prices rose 0.7% to £367,440, the first increase since May, but experts say the market remains subdued with buye…
30 Years of Buy-to-Let: Paragon Report Finds Myths 'Stubborn to Shift'
Paragon's '30 years of buy-to-let' report marks three decades of BTL mortgages, with 1.92 million loans outstanding in 2025 and a market inc…
Mansion tax fears grow as homeowners voice concern ahead of Autumn Budget
Fears are growing that the Chancellor could widen Labour's mansion tax, with 243,000 homes reportedly at risk of being ensnared ahead of the…
Former Cambridgeshire courthouse with prison cells listed for £800,000
The Old Courthouse in Linton, a nine-bed property that once housed a police station, magistrates court and prison, is on the market for £800…
London flat prices fall £71,000 in four years, official data shows
Official data shows London flat prices continue to fall, with typical inner city apartment values down £71,000 over four years.…
Bank of England holds base rate at 3.75% for sixth consecutive meeting
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75% for a sixth meeting in a row, with the base rate unchanged since December 2025.…
Five-year fixed rate mortgages hit highest levels since 2023
Moneyfacts data shows the average five-year fixed rate mortgage has reached its highest level since 2023, following what has been described …
Mortgage Rate Hikes Top the Week's Most-Read Broker Stories
A continuing streak of mortgage rate increases was the most-read story on Mortgage Solutions this week, alongside IMLA dinner photos and Seb…
Industry Figures Challenge Whether Any Mortgage Case Is Truly 'Vanilla'
Key Advice CEO Will Hale argues no mortgage transaction is truly 'vanilla', urging advisers to move towards holistic, relationship-based adv…
Skipton Building Society Extends Delayed Start Mortgage to Homemovers
Skipton Building Society will now consider homemovers for its Delayed Start mortgage, which lets borrowers defer their first payment for thr…
Conveyancer numbers fall almost 16% in five years, Access Legal research finds
Research from Access Legal shows UK conveyancer numbers dropped 15.67% since 2021, with average completion times now at 123 days.…
Moda and CHL launch limited-edition buy-to-let ranges
ModaMortgages and CHL Mortgages have both launched limited-edition BTL fixed-rate ranges, with CHL also widening criteria including for firs…
Magnet Capital appoints Simon Pollins as CFO
Magnet Capital has named Simon Pollins as chief financial officer as the property lender builds its executive team for growth. He brings ove…
Mortgage Strategy Podcast Explores Bridging Finance and Wealth Planning with NextGen Adviser
Mortgage Strategy's MS NextGen Podcast features Evie Beaumont discussing bridging mortgages, holistic financial advice and her journey from …
First-time buyers made up 52.8% of UK mortgage sales in 2025, ONS figures show
ONS data shows first-time buyers accounted for 52.8% of UK mortgage sales in 2025, up from 33.8% in 2006, while median LTVs rose across much…
CHL Mortgages launches limited edition buy-to-let range and expands lending criteria
CHL Mortgages has launched a limited edition buy-to-let range with rates from 3.6% and made several changes to its lending criteria, includi…
Weekly Round-Up: Rate Hikes, BoE Hold and Nationwide Appointment
A round-up of the week's key mortgage market stories, including the Bank of England's base rate hold and a string of lender rate rises relev…
Average five-year mortgage fix hits highest level since 2023, Moneyfacts data shows
Average five-year fixed mortgage rates have climbed to 5.88%, their highest level since October 2023, as major lenders reprice deals, per Mo…
Conveyancer numbers fall by 2,000 as time to exchange hits 123 days
The number of solicitors in residential conveyancing has fallen by more than 2,000 since 2021, while average time to exchange has risen to a…
Ex-Primis Sales Director Neil Hoare Partners with Paul Flavin to Launch Broker Coaching Programme
Former Primis sales director Neil Hoare has teamed up with consultant Paul Flavin to launch The Owner's Room, a business coaching programme …
First-Time Buyers Now Over Half of UK Mortgage Sales as Market Recovers – ONS
ONS data shows first-time buyers made up 52.8% of UK mortgage sales in 2025, with total sales hitting their highest level since 2021.…
Residential property sales fall 18.4% after stamp duty threshold change
ONS data shows residential property sales in England and Wales dropped 18.4% in the year to March 2026, with falls in every region after the…
JammJar rolls out AI upgrades to mortgage operating system after broker feedback
JammJar has announced a series of AI updates to its operating system, shaped by broker feedback and demonstrated at its summer launch webina…
Triodos Bank UK appoints Steve Wilson to sustainable property lending team
Triodos Bank UK has appointed Steve Wilson as senior relationship manager as it expands its sustainable property lending team, supporting re…
Middle East tensions drive fresh mortgage rate volatility, Knight Frank analysis shows
Five-year swap rates have hit their highest level since September 2023 as Middle East tensions push up market expectations for Bank of Engla…
Former Help to Buy director warns of UK 'deposit affordability crisis'
Chris Lee says the mortgage industry has focused on affordability while overlooking the challenge of saving a deposit, leaving many aspiring…