The UK's independent property help portal
October 13, 2008

Confidence to return to mortgage market

Permalink: Confidence to return to mortgage market
by Kay Murchie

Confidence to return to mortgage market
According to experts, confidence should return to the mortgage market and loans should be easier to obtain following the Government’s rescue plan announced today. It was unveiled today that the Government is to pump £37 billion into three of the country’s largest ...

October 10, 2008

Birmingham’s buy-to-let market worst hit by falling property prices

Permalink: Birmingham’s buy-to-let market worst hit by falling property prices
by Lin Freestone

Birmingham’s buy-to-let market worst hit by falling property prices
A survey has been carried out to identify the ten areas in England and Wales which have experienced the greatest fall in annual property prices. Conducted by property website mouseprice.com, the study found that owners of buy-to-let properties ...


Unpaid rents bring bailiffs to JJB stores

Permalink: Unpaid rents bring bailiffs to JJB stores
by Lin Freestone

Unpaid rents bring bailiffs to JJB stores
It has been reported that bailiffs have visited at least twelve stores operated by JJB Sports after landlords reported unpaid rents. It is estimated that the company owes at least £500,000 on empty stores for which it still has liability for ...


Balfour Beatty reaches agreement with SFO

Permalink: Balfour Beatty reaches agreement with SFO
by Lin Freestone

Balfour Beatty reaches agreement with SFO
Balfour Beatty has reached an agreement with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) this week relating to certain payments in respect of the execution of its joint venture contract to build the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt. Balfour Beatty is paying £2.25m to ...


Increased call on Citizens’ Advice Bureau for debt management advice

Permalink: Increased call on Citizens’ Advice Bureau for debt management advice
by Lin Freestone

Increased call on Citizens’ Advice Bureau for debt management advice
Since October 2007, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau has been contacted by 77,324 new callers in England and Wales with problems relating to mortgage and loan arrears. There has been a surge of 51% in the last three ...


Investors look to property amid market turmoil

Permalink: Investors look to property amid market turmoil
by Kay Murchie

Investors look to property amid market turmoil
As the global financial turmoil continues, investors are looking for a safe place to put their cash. Liam Bailey of estate agent, Knight Frank, said they are seeing a growth in interest from investors who are coming to them, partly because ...

October 9, 2008

Lenders cut mortgage rates in wake of interest rate cut

Permalink: Lenders cut mortgage rates in wake of interest rate cut
by Kay Murchie

Lenders cut mortgage rates in wake of interest rate cut
Following yesterday’s 0.5% cut in UK interest rates, some mortgage lenders have responded and said they plan to cut their standard variable rate by half a percentage point. Cheltenham & Gloucester (the home-loans branch of Lloyds TSB), ...


0.5% cut in base rate helps homeowners with tracker mortgages

Permalink: 0.5% cut in base rate helps homeowners with tracker mortgages
by Lin Freestone

0.5% cut in base rate helps homeowners with tracker mortgages
The decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee to announce a cut in the UK’s base rate a day ahead of the scheduled date is an indication of the seriousness of the conditions in the ...


Halifax: house prices fall 1.3% in September

Permalink: Halifax: house prices fall 1.3% in September
by Kay Murchie

Halifax: house prices fall 1.3% in September
Yesterday, the housing market received some long-awaited good news following the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates by half a percentage point. However, the Halifax has today reported that UK house prices experienced a fall of 1.3% in September, ...

October 7, 2008

Consumer protection Code of Practice for rent-back market

Permalink: Consumer protection Code of Practice for rent-back market
by Lin Freestone

Consumer protection Code of Practice for rent-back market
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is conducting a market study into sale and rent-back and is expected to publish it in the next ten days. One of the possible outcomes following the OFT market study could be to ...


600 mortgage products withdrawn in just one week

Permalink: 600 mortgage products withdrawn in just one week
by Lin Freestone

600 mortgage products withdrawn in just one week
According to research carried out by Moneyfacts, the personal finance researcher, almost 600 mortgage products were withdrawn from the market last week, making borrowing even more difficult for potential homeowners. Banks and building societies pulled their deals rapidly following the ...

October 5, 2008

University towns provide strong returns for landlords

Permalink: University towns provide strong returns for landlords
by Gill Montia

University towns provide strong returns for landlords
Halifax has published its latest University Town House Price Review, a survey that tracks house price movements across the UK's university towns. The research suggests that parents who bought properties for their student children and buy-to-let landlords who built portfolios in ...


Equity release loses its appeal to homeowners

Permalink: Equity release loses its appeal to homeowners
by Kay Murchie

Equity release loses its appeal to homeowners
According to figures from the Bank of England, homeowners in the UK have stopped using their homes as a way of obtaining cash. Equity release is a scheme designed to allow homeowners to release cash from the value of their property ...

October 3, 2008

£50m Norwich city centre development gains planning approval

Permalink: £50m Norwich city centre development gains planning approval
by Lin Freestone

£50m Norwich city centre development gains planning approval
Targetfollow, a commercial property investment and development company specialising in major opportunities in city centres, has received the backing of Norwich City Council for its plans to transform a neglected corner of Norwich. A former electricity board site will be ...

October 2, 2008

Energy costs high priority for tenants

Permalink: Energy costs high priority for tenants
by Gill Montia

Energy costs high priority for tenants
Following the 1st October deadline for Energy Performance Certificates as a legal requirement for landlords marketing or letting a property, government research has revealed that 79% of renters are worried about the cost of their household bills. According to the latest ...


Minster Law launches 24-hour access to legal advice

Permalink: Minster Law launches 24-hour access to legal advice
by Lin Freestone

24-hour access to legal advice
A new initiative that could help potential home owners has been launched by Minster Law. The law firm, which operates from offices in York and Wakefield, is offering a 24-hour, seven days a week, contact centre providing access to its legal services. This ...


Third quarter deals 40% down in London’s commercial property market

Permalink: Third quarter deals 40% down in London’s commercial property market
by Lin Freestone

Third quarter deals 40% down in London’s commercial property market
The central London property market continues to be depressed, with 80% of turnover being attributed to overseas investors. During the third quarter of the year to the end of September, deals worth £1.24bn were completed in the commercial ...


Nationwide: House prices fall for eleventh consecutive month

Permalink: Nationwide: House prices fall for eleventh consecutive month
by Kay Murchie

Nationwide: House prices fall for eleventh consecutive month
According to the Nationwide, UK house prices fell 1.7% last month while an annual drop of 12.4% was recorded, which represents the largest annual fall since records began. The building society said the cost of an average UK home is ...

October 1, 2008

Residential landlords now require Energy Performance Certificates

Permalink: Residential landlords now require Energy Performance Certificates
by Lin Freestone

Residential landlords now require Energy Performance Certificates
A new scheme came into force at the beginning of October in England and Wales which requires all landlords to give new tenants a certificate showing the energy efficiency of their rented property. This will allow potential tenants to consider ...


NLA remains bullish on buy-to-let

Permalink: NLA remains bullish on buy-to-let
by Gill Montia

NLA remains bullish on buy-to-let
The National Landlords' Association (NLA), which represents almost 20,000 individual landlords, has responded to the gloomy forecasts for buy-to-let that followed the nationalisation of Bradford & Bingley (B&B), by dismissing claims that the sector is dead. The NLA points out that only 25% ...