Couples going through divorce this year are running into a family court system that has less time for them than ever. Reduced sitting days for financial remedy hearings — confirmed by the President of the Family Division and now taking effect through 2026 — mean some hearings are being double-booked, with the "backup" case cancelled at short notice if the primary one runs long. For families already mid-divorce, that can mean a hearing they've prepared for, taken time off work for, and paid legal fees towards, vanishing from the list with only a few days' warning.

Five months after it came into force, many family farm and business owners are only now discovering what the government's revised inheritance tax relief actually means for them — and whether their succession plans still add up. Since 6 April 2026, Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief have been capped at a combined £2.5 million per person for 100% relief, up from the £1 million figure originally proposed, following months of pressure from farming groups and family business owners.

UK house prices have fallen year-on-year for the first time since November 2023, according to Lloyds Bank data released this week. The average property now costs £298,468 — down 0.4% on this time last year, and 0.2% lower than the previous month. After nearly three years of steady growth, the market has quietly tipped into reverse.

Just weeks after lenders spent August competing to cut mortgage rates, the trend has gone into reverse. Five-year swap rates — the wholesale funding costs that set fixed mortgage pricing — have climbed above 4.5% in early September, their highest level in around three years, as fears build over what the Autumn Budget might bring. Average two-year fixed rates now sit at 5.59%, with five-year fixes at 5.63%, according to the latest Moneyfacts data.