'It could be seen as a positive Budget in that the chancellor left the housing sector well alone'

Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman:

“We wanted to see more from the chancellor, particularly with regard to increasing supply of new homes to keep prices in check, as well as increased support to encourage new landlords and discourage others from leaving the sector.

“In some ways, it could be seen as a positive Budget in that the chancellor left the housing sector well alone. Housing makes such a significant contribution to economic prosperity due to its multiplier effect, so is sensitive to even small changes. 

“More specifically, the housing market is all about confidence and sometimes you can do more damage by tinkering, so we will give him a B-plus for effort and not doing anything which could have been harmful and compromised activity.”