The latest housing news, headlines and analysis from The NE Times.
New statutory homelessness statistics show the number of households living in temporary accommodation has reached a record high, with councils spending billions and warning that the bill is pushing some authorities towards insolvency.
Halifax says the typical home now costs just under £299,000 with annual growth of 0.5%, but the headline masks a stark split between a buoyant north and a weakening south.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has placed nine local authorities in planning 'special measures', allowing developers to bypass them and apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for large schemes.
The average new let now costs £1,321 a month, up 2.1% in a year, but Zoopla's data shows rents climbing fastest in the cheapest areas while pricier postcodes cool.
NatWest, Barclays, Santander and others have trimmed fixed deals in a fresh wave of reductions, offering relief to borrowers even as the housing market cools.
Ministers are rolling out artificial intelligence tools to local planning departments in a bid to halve decision times, part of a wider package of reforms designed to accelerate housebuilding across England.
A surprise monthly drop reported by Nationwide has confirmed a cooling property market, with prices sliding in the south while northern regions and the devolved nations continue to climb.
As the Social Housing Bill clears its second reading in the Lords, the government's Right to Buy reforms will extend eligibility to ten years, cut discounts and shield new social homes from sale for 35 years.