January 3, 2013
Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has announced that from 2013 taxpayers can choose to pay their Council Tax over 12 months rather than 10.
The move will lower the average band D instalment by around £24 per month for 10 months of the ...
Council Tax instalment period extended
Permalink: Council Tax instalment period extended
by Gill Montia
January 2, 2013
More people expect house prices to rise than fall over the coming twelve months, according to the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence tracker.
Thirty-eight per cent of respondents are expecting to see the average UK house price increase in 2013, while ...
Brits optimistic on 2013 house prices
Permalink: Brits optimistic on 2013 house prices
by Gill Montia
December 27, 2012
Over the past year, Southend has recorded the biggest rise in house prices among major UK towns and cities, according to new research from Halifax.
The average selling price of a Southend dwelling leapt 14.8% from £172,782 in 2011 to ...
Southend sees biggest annual house price rise
Permalink: Southend sees biggest annual house price rise
by Gill Montia
December 20, 2012
New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show UK house prices increasing 1.5% in the 12 months to October, with he annual rate of gain down from a 1.7% in September.
The year-on-year rise reflects growth of 1.8% in England and ...
House prices up 1.5% year-on-year
Permalink: House prices up 1.5% year-on-year
by Gill Montia
December 18, 2012
Homeowners coming to market in December cut their asking prices by an average £7,772 (or 3.3%), according to Rightmove, with the firm registering the largest monthly fall in new sellers' ambitions to date.
However, asking prices have actually increased ...
Rightmove: 2013 to see 2% rise in house prices
Permalink: Rightmove: 2013 to see 2% rise in house prices
by Gill Montia
December 17, 2012
More than one in four potential first-time buyers say it will take them ten years or more to raise a deposit, while just over a quarter are hopeful of accumulating enough cash to secure their first home in three years or ...
Deposits continue to thwart first-time buyers
Permalink: Deposits continue to thwart first-time buyers
by Gill Montia
December 16, 2012
House prices in England and Wales climbed by 0.2% in November, compared to October, marking a second consecutive monthly increase (October +0.2%) and giving an annual rise of 3.3% (October +2.5%).
According to latest research from LSL / Acadametrics, November also ...
House prices up 3.3% on the year
Permalink: House prices up 3.3% on the year
by Gill Montia
December 14, 2012
UK house prices will increase 2% over the next 12 months, while the cost of renting will rise by around 4%, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which expects "slight" improvements in the economy to be reflected ...
House prices to rise 2% in 2013
Permalink: House prices to rise 2% in 2013
by Gill Montia
December 12, 2012
Homelessness charity, Shelter, has been studying the latest UK census data from the Office of National Statistics which show that homeownership has fallen for the first time since records began 60 years ago.
Since 2001, homeownership overall has fallen by 7% ...
Census reveals 7% drop in home ownership
Permalink: Census reveals 7% drop in home ownership
by Gill Montia
December 11, 2012
Confidence in the UK housing market revived in November, according to the latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Enquiries from would-be buyers increased across most of the country, having grown steadily since the end of the summer.
That being said, ...
Revival in housing market confidence
Permalink: Revival in housing market confidence
by Gill Montia
December 10, 2012
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined Cheadle-based mortgage lender, Cheshire Mortgage Corporation (CMC), £1.225 million for failing to treat customers fairly in the sale of mortgages and arrears handling, between October 2004 to the end of 2009.
The regulator is ...
Sub-prime mortgage lender ordered to pay redress
Permalink: Sub-prime mortgage lender ordered to pay redress
by Gill Montia
December 7, 2012
House prices in the three months to November fell 0.7% (October -1%) compared with the previous three months, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly decline.
According to Halifax, on an annual basis the value of the typical home was down 1.3%, at £160,879.
However, during November ...
House prices slip 0.7%
Permalink: House prices slip 0.7%
by Gill Montia
December 5, 2012
Homeowners looking to move somewhere larger can expect the difference in property values to double as they move up the ladder, according to new research from Barclays.
With half of British homeowners planning to move house within the next five years, and almost ...
Homeowners dig deep to upsize
Permalink: Homeowners dig deep to upsize
by Gill Montia
December 4, 2012
A third of homeowners expected to be further up the housing ladder than they are now, according to new research from Lloyds TSB.
Over half of those questioned believe current conditions in the housing market are impacting their aspirations, although the majority ...
Dreams of the ideal home thwarted
Permalink: Dreams of the ideal home thwarted
by Gill Montia
December 3, 2012
November saw the housing market slow further across England and Wales, as seasonal factors began to kick in.
According to Hometrack, house prices fell by 0.1% during the month, having declined at the same rate for five months in a row. ...
North / south house price divide narrows
Permalink: North / south house price divide narrows
by Gill Montia
December 1, 2012
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has plans to develop a national network that will make it easy for people to find and see homes that have been improved by energy saving retrofits.
The move forms part of the Government's "Green Deal", due ...
Energy-saving homes network planned
Permalink: Energy-saving homes network planned
by Gill Montia
November 30, 2012
Demand for rental property has been rising at its fastest rate since the start of the year, according to the latest residential lettings survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Over the past three months, interest from would-be renters jumped to ...
Rental market continues to boom
Permalink: Rental market continues to boom
by Gill Montia
November 29, 2012
UK house prices held steady during November, according to Nationwide, following a 0.6% increase in October.
The value of the typical home currently stands at £163,853 with prices down 1.2% year-on-year (October -0.9%) and having remained in negative territory for the ninth month in ...
House prices hold steady in November
Permalink: House prices hold steady in November
by Gill Montia
November 28, 2012
The Government has launched a £160 million funding package aimed at bringing thousands of empty homes back into use across England.
Communities minister, Don Foster, says he wants to “stop the rot” that empty homes can bring to blighted neighbourhoods.
Latest figures ...
Extra £160m funding to refurbish empty homes
Permalink: Extra £160m funding to refurbish empty homes
by Gill Montia
November 27, 2012
Britain's retired homeowners have total mortgage-free property wealth of around £756 billion, new research from Key Retirement Solutions claims.
However, according to the equity release specialist, across the country homeowners aged 65-plus have lost a total of £368.9 million in the past ...
UK pensioner property assets total £756bn
Permalink: UK pensioner property assets total £756bn
by Gill Montia
