For many people across England, getting onto the property ladder can feel like a difficult balancing act. Now, the Government has announced a new initiative that could change the conversation for some first-time buyers.

One of the biggest talking points this week has been the 11% week-on-week drop in sales agreed and a drop of 2% on the average asking price of a newly listed properties. While some seasonal softening is entirely normal during the summer holiday period, the scale of this fall has caught the attention of the property industry.

If moving is starting to feel more realistic, September is a useful time to prepare. Understanding your budget, priorities and local property search now could make things much easier when the right home appears.

The UK rental market is entering a new chapter, and landlords, tenants and letting agents are all having to adapt. One of the biggest changes is the move away from traditional fixed-term tenancy arrangements towards rolling, or periodic, tenancies.