The UK's independent property help portal
August 18, 2008

Rents decline as “forced landlords” flood market

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by Gill Montia

Rents decline as
Letting agents are forecasting a fall in UK rents, which could decline by as much as 10% by the end of the year. Despite predictions that potential first-time buyers would buoy up the rental market until mortgage lending and confidence in ...


Landlords struggle with rising mortgage arrears

Permalink: Landlords struggle with rising mortgage arrears
by Gill Montia

Landlords struggle with rising mortgage arrears
Independent financial adviser, Hargreaves Lansdown, has calculated that around 10,000 buy-to-let landlords are more than three months behind with their mortgage repayments. Set against the larger picture of the UK property market, buy-to-let borrowers in arrears form only a small proportion of ...


Sellers cut prices in wake of housing slowdown

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by Kay Murchie

Sellers cut prices in wake of housing slowdown
In its latest survey of the housing market, property website Rightmove, said sellers are now being more realistic with property prices after figures show that asking prices are being slashed. Rightmove, which is the UK's largest online housing website, said ...

August 12, 2008

Flats contribute to housing slowdown

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by Kay Murchie

Flats contribute to housing slowdown
Official figures show that a decline in the prices of flats has become a major factor in the housing market slowdown. Between May and June, a 3.6% fall in the price of flats contributed to the price of the average home falling from ...


Rics: Number of people moving house falls to record low

Permalink: Rics: Number of people moving house falls to record low
by Kay Murchie

Rics: Number of people moving house falls to record low
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), the number of homes changing hands has fallen to levels not experienced since their survey started in 1978. The organisation said the average number of property sales handled ...

August 11, 2008

Homeowners still believe house prices will fall in 2009

Permalink: Homeowners still believe house prices will fall in 2009
by Kay Murchie

Homeowners still believe house prices will fall in 2009
Newly-established online property group, Simplyzigzag.com, has revealed that 45% of homeowners believe their property will lose 10% in value or more next year. The company’s poll of 560 homeowners, which was conducted on its website during July, also revealed ...

August 7, 2008

Halifax reveals 1.7% fall in house prices in July

Permalink: Halifax reveals 1.7% fall in house prices in July
by Kay Murchie

Halifax reveals 1.7% fall in house prices in July
Property prices fell 1.7% in July, according to the Halifax House Price Index released today. The annual rate of decline is up from 6.1% to 8.8%. The latest figures show that the housing slowdown is gathering pace as ...

August 5, 2008

Average age of first-time buyer increases

Permalink: Average age of first-time buyer increases
by Kay Murchie

Average age of first-time buyer increases
According to research from mform.co.uk, the consumer website, the average age of first-time buyers is increasing. mform said first-time buyers under the age of 30 only account for around 34%, compared with 50% in 2007. This is primarily due to the tightening of ...


Government plans to scrap stamp duty

Permalink: Government plans to scrap stamp duty
by Kay Murchie

Government plans to scrap stamp duty
In an effort to kick-start the property market, Chancellor Alistair Darling has confirmed he is considering a possible suspension of stamp duty on house purchases as he warned of difficult times due to the credit crunch. Family budgets have been under severe ...


CEBR forecast 30% rise in property prices

Permalink: CEBR forecast 30% rise in property prices
by Kay Murchie

CEBR forecast 30% rise in property prices
Last week, the latest Nationwide survey found that UK house prices had fallen for the ninth consecutive month. Some analysts have been predicting further falls of at least 7% this year while others have been predicting much higher falls. However, according ...

August 3, 2008

Increase in home improvement loans

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by Kay Murchie

Increase in home improvement loans
According to Lloyds TSB, there has been an increase in the amount of homeowners looking to borrow money to improve their property. Figures from the bank show that personal loan applications for home improvement work were 19% higher during the first half ...

July 31, 2008

Nationwide: House prices fall ninth consecutive month

Permalink: Nationwide: House prices fall ninth consecutive month
by Kay Murchie

Nationwide: House prices fall ninth consecutive month
The latest Nationwide survey has found that UK house prices have fallen for the ninth consecutive month. This represents the biggest annual drop since the building society commenced its survey in 1991. According to Nationwide, house prices fell by 1.7% ...

July 30, 2008

Negative equity looms for 14% of mortgage holders

Permalink: Negative equity looms for 14% of mortgage holders
by Kay Murchie

Negative equity looms for 14% of mortgage holders
According to Standard & Poor (S&P), if property prices continue to fall at their current pace, around 1.7 million people could be pushed into negative equity in the next 12 months. The credit ratings agency said this represents 14% of ...

July 28, 2008

House prices expected to recover by rising 25%

Permalink: House prices expected to recover by rising 25%
by Kay Murchie

House prices expected to recover by rising 25%
A new report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) is suggesting that average house prices in England are set to rise by 25% by 2013. The news will no doubt be welcomed by homeowners currently in negative equity due ...


House prices fall 1% according to Land Registry

Permalink: House prices fall 1% according to Land Registry
by Kay Murchie

House prices fall 1% according to Land Registry
According to the latest figures from the Land Registry, house prices in England and Wales fell 1% between May and June. The figures are based on completed sales and are therefore not the most recent but are the most accurate. ...

July 23, 2008

Mortgage approvals hit new low while house sales halve in just one year

Permalink: Mortgage approvals hit new low while house sales halve in just one year
by Kay Murchie

Mortgage approvals hit new low while house sales halve in just one year
According to figures from the British Bankers' Association (BBA), mortgage approvals for house purchases have fallen to a record low. The BBA said its members approved just 21,118 new home loans in June, down 23% ...

July 22, 2008

NLA launches Tenant Check service

Permalink: NLA launches Tenant Check service
by Gill Montia

NLA launches Tenant Check service
The National Landlords' Association (NLA) has launched a Tenant Check service aimed at helping private landlords make informed decisions about their prospective tenants before granting them a tenancy. According to NLA research, it can take up to six months to resolve cases ...

July 21, 2008

Citigroup warns house prices will continue to fall

Permalink: Citigroup warns house prices will continue to fall
by Lin Freestone

Citigroup warns house prices will continue to fall
In an interview broadcast on the BBC, the chairman of Citigroup, one of the world’s largest consumer banks, warned that house prices in the UK and the US are likely to fall for another two years. According to Sir Win ...

July 15, 2008

Country properties experience price falls

Permalink: Country properties experience price falls
by Kay Murchie

Country properties experience price falls
Figures from estate agent Knight Frank have shown that prime country property prices fell 3.9% in the second quarter of 2008, this represents the fastest rate for over 10 years. This market generally attracts city professionals and the credit crunch has meant that ...


Rents set to rise up to 15% per annum

Permalink: Rents set to rise up to 15% per annum
by Gill Montia

Rents set to rise up to 15% per annum
The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has published research entitled "The Modern UK Housing Market - Origins and Prospects", in which it predicts that rents in the private rented sector will rise significantly in the short term. ...