North Kesteven district council in Lincolnshire, has now been granted permission to build two semi-detached affordable homes from straw bales, as we first mentioned on 29 January. The two three-bedroom homes will cost £110,000 each to build. Read More →
The increase in ‘accidental landlords’ has pushed the average cost of renting down by more than 2 per cent during the first three months of the year. Research from Gumtree.com found a 19 per cent increase in the number of people advertising properties on their website, while average rentsRead More →
The beleaguered home information packs (Hips) are back in the news as mortgage lenders said yesterday they might not accept a crucial part of the report. Several lenders have insisted that homebuyers would have to pay up to £200 for their own local authority searches, as those provided inRead More →
The Liberal Democrats have found more than 3,300 tenants in England are paying their rent using credit cards each month, paying just 40 councils. A Lib-Dem spokesperson said he was concerned that few councils have policies in place to help those who are struggling with rent because they areRead More →
More than a third of houses in England still fail to meet the decent homes standards according to the government’s own figures. Research from 2013, containing the latest data, show there were 7.7 million homes that did not meet the standard – or 35 per cent of the total.Read More →
Yesterday the Bank of England kept interest rates on hold at 5 per cent. The number of homeowners facing repossession action in England and Wales has increased 16 per cent in the first quarter on 2015. The figure, from the Ministry of Justice, covers the number of mortgage repossessionRead More →
Tenants will be able to have a greater say over their housing options and where they wish to live following a £1 million allocation announced by the homelessness minister Iain Wright. More than 30 councils and partner housing associations will be able to offer greater choice to new andRead More →
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to regeneration by announcing a new framework that will focus on ‘people as well as places’, and be driven by local needs and opportunities. In her speech yesterday to the British Urban Regeneration Association, Hazel Blears announced the aim of regeneration was toRead More →
Trust in banks, energy companies and the media has fallen sharply, according to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, but trust in government has risen for the second year running. Seventy-one per cent of those questioned want government to impose stricter regulations and controls on all sectors, and nearly three-quartersRead More →
The government has announced that financial support to students will be frozen next year because of ‘difficult economic times’. The decision has been described as a ‘kick in the teeth’ for young people who argue the cap in grants and loans represented a real term cut and would increaseRead More →