The weekly review
The week in property12–18 October 2026
Five headlines, clearly explained: London rents, mortgage lending, UK sales, Dubai delivery and Turkey’s housing market.
This edition reviews reports and announcements from 12–18 October. Each story identifies the period covered by its figures, so you can distinguish this week’s news from the underlying market data.
London rents rise to £2,825 a month
What changed: Rightmove’s third-quarter tracker puts London’s average advertised rent at £2,825 per month, 3.2% higher than a year ago. Available rental listings were 9% lower.
What it means: Our view: tight supply makes local pricing evidence important for landlords and early preparation useful for tenants. This is an average asking rent, rather than an agreed rent or a price that applies to every home.
Source: Rightmove — Q3 Rental Trends Tracker, 15 October 2026
More flexibility for mortgage lending from 28 October
What changed: The PRA and FCA have confirmed revised rules from 28 October 2026. Individual lenders will have more flexibility to offer mortgages at 4.5 times income or above. The overall market-wide 15% limit remains.
What it means: Some borrowers could find more options. A larger loan or a cheaper rate is not guaranteed: lenders still assess affordability, credit history and their own lending criteria.
Source: Bank of England / PRA and FCA — high loan-to-income lending, 14 October 2026
Fewer UK home sales agreed
What changed: TwentyCi’s Q3 report records 6% fewer sales agreed during July–September 2026 than in the same period of 2025.
What it means: Our view: sellers should support their asking price with recent comparable evidence and prepare carefully for marketing. These figures count agreed sales, which can still fall through. They do not mean house prices fell by 6%, and they do not measure completed transactions.
Dubai reports 104 completed projects
What changed: At this week’s RISE summit, Dubai Land Department highlighted 104 real-estate projects completed in January–June 2026, with a combined value above AED111 billion.
What it means: These are completed-development figures. Our view: buyers should still examine handover status, nearby supply and likely rental demand for each scheme. The AED111 billion figure describes project value, rather than returns earned by investors.
Turkey: new-home sales rise while resales fall
What changed: TÜİK’s September figures, reported on 16 October, show new-home sales up 3.9% from a year earlier and resales down 15.3%. Total home sales fell 9.3% to 142,390.
What it means: The two parts of the market are moving differently. Our view: compare new-build and resale options locally, including quality, ownership costs and evidence from comparable sales, before choosing a property.
