Hotel & Leisure Deals: Starboard Hotels, with LaSalle Investment Management, has bought the ibis Southampton Centre and Novotel Southampton in a seven-hotel package, adding 913 bedrooms to its UK portfolio and bringing the group to 28 hotels and 3,000+ rooms. Luxury Homes & Planning: A Henley-on-Thames Georgian-style estate, Ardlair House (guide £9.95m), has been listed after a major 2021 interior upgrade, while planners in Halifax rejected a bid to convert office space into 21 flats over natural-light and attic-height concerns. HMO Expansion Watch: Norwich council received an application to convert a family home into a five-bedroom HMO, and Warrington is also seeking permission to change a six-bed HMO into a seven-bed setup. First-Time Buyer Policy: The Treasury is set to push a new first-time buyer ISA to replace the Lifetime ISA, with a government bonus on purchase and no withdrawal penalties for other uses. Investment & Finance: Aberdeen Investments has appointed Finloop Finance to distribute its Global Private Markets strategy via tokenised interests for professional investors, highlighting the push to widen access to alternatives. Property Market Signals: Lloyds reports the average UK house price has fallen annually for the first time since 2023, with mortgage pressure still biting. Regeneration & Compliance: Newark and Sherwood District Council is tendering a property safety and compliance contract covering heating and hot water checks, repairs and ongoing performance.