The Market

One of north London's most important period properties has reportedly changed hands for £20m.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £19.9bn in December. That's is 3% lower than November's £20.5bn, but 23% higher than December 2014's £16.2 bn.

On the whole, London's Emerging Prime districts performed slightly better than their Prime counterparts in 2015, according to Douglas & Gordon's latest figures.

According to the - pretty roasting - heat map below, virtually every borough in Zones 1 and 2 turned in a 4%+ annual increase in average rental values last year.

Demand for residential properties rose in December to a three-month high, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that a buy-to-let rush ahead of April's 3% SDLT levy is at least partly to blame, says the Royal…

Britain's biggest estate agency Countrywide has reported an "encouraging" Q4, despite the general slowdown in transaction volumes and uncertainty around buy-to-let stamp duty and mortgage interest relief.

108,710 residential deals went down in December, according to seasonally-adjusted numbers from HMRC. That's a 1.9% increase on November's number, and a chunky 11.6% above last December's tally;

Kensington & Chelsea Council is to start publishing the pre-application advice given by its planning officers.

The current situation facing the UK property market demonstrates the perils of government intervention, says Trevor Abrahmsohn...

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has ruled out an imminent interest rate rise.

"If tax doesn't kill the market, red tape will," growls Alan Page, as a deal becomes mired in an absurd paperwork swamp.

Average values in prime central London ended 2015 up 1% after a flat December, according to Knight Frank's year-end tallies.