Tensions between the Prime Minister, Bank of England and Treasury are bubbling away. Bank governor Mervyn King sided with the chancellor yesterday as he appeared before a Treasury select committee and warned Gordon Brown that the UK could not afford a second economic stimulus package. Meanwhile Mr Brown toldRead More →
Prime mortgage borrowers, at least one month in arrears, have risen 50 per cent to 3.24 per cent of prime loans by the end of September compared with a year earlier. The figures, from Standard & Poor’s meant that combined with falling house prices will put pressure on primeRead More →
A number of web-based property sites are showing a rise in the number of people advertising their homes for a house swap. Gumtree recently announced a 12 per cent increase in the past year, with more than 2,000 properties available immediately. A website dedicated to home swapping – Homeswapper4saleRead More →
Latest figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors show that the pace of house price decline slowed in May, while sales picked up. Around 6 per cent of estate agents said property values had risen in May, while 42 per cent said prices fell. Buyer inquiries rose forRead More →
The Tenant Services Authority is encouraging housing associations to rationalise stock through swaps, transfers, management agreements and partnerships. Estates where a large number of associations own a small number of properties can result in tenants getting poor service, while landlords lack involvement in neighbourhoods, it says. The TSA foundRead More →
A survey of 200 councils in England indicates that regeneration is the sector likely to be hit hardest in the economic downturn. 86 per cent of councils report delays or cancellations to regeneration projects, while 61 per cent said they had experienced delays to housing developments. The worst hitRead More →
Westminster city council has promised to rehouse all overcrowded households by 2014. More than 3,000 households are in priority need on the council’s waiting list, including people with medical needs, those living in temporary accommodation and more than 1,000 families in overcrowded households. The first 40 households living inRead More →
A Kent couple who lost their jobs and could not afford to pay their mortgage have been found living in a garage. The couple had been renting the garage, which has no water or electricity, to store their possessions, but moved in when they became homeless and had ‘nowhereRead More →
HHSE has launched new research showing how the lack of affordable homes in Britain is forcing couples who have split to remain living together. In our survey, nearly a quarter of people – the equivalent of 9.9 million adults – said they or someone they know have had toRead More →
Rents are cheaper than a year ago, but rents on larger houses are increasing because of a lack of supply. In figures from website findaproperty.com, the average rents stood at £819 a month in April, down from £827 in March and £873 a year earlier. The growing supply ofRead More →