Interest from potential home owners revived in October according to the latest figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Eighteen per cent more firms reported an increase in interest from new buyers than those who reported a decline in enquiries. This is significantly higher than the 5 per cent of firms who reported [...]
Housing charity Shelter is calling for landlords to offer Stable Rent Contracts, which would give families the confidence to turn a rented property into a home. Stable Rent Contracts, which would offer five-year tenancies, would also give landlords the security of a steady income, the charity said. Rents would increase in line with inflation each [...]
The state of the housing market is causing many couples to put off having children according to housing charity Shelter. A YouGov survey commissioned by the charity found that 20 per cent of childless couples between the ages of 31 and 44 are putting off starting a family because of high housing costs. Many couples [...]
House price growth stalled in June according to new figures from property analyst Hometrack. New buyer registrations were 0.5 per cent lower in June, the first time they have fallen on a month-on-month basis, for the past five months. Supply continued to increase, causing prices to fall even further. The only place which saw an [...]
Two in five property owners planning to sell in the next year are planning to ‘trade down’, compared with one in four who plan to ‘trade up’. A survey by property website Rightmove found that moving to a smaller home is the main reason for moving in nine out of the ten regions in the [...]
The first quarter of 2012 saw 9,600 homes repossessed, the same as in the first quarter of 2011, breaking a run of year-on-year increases. According to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), repossessions were 10 per cent higher than in the fourth quarter of 2011, when 8,700 homes were repossessed. However [...]
The average price of a house in England and Wales fell by 0.6 per cent to £160,372 in March according to new Land Registry figures. However, there were wide regional variations with prices falling by 1.8 per cent in London and 4.1 per cent in Wales, but increasing by 5.6 per cent in the North [...]
Economists had expected mortgage approvals to increase to 34,000 in March but instead the latest figures from the British Bankers Association show they actually fell, to 31,888. This was significantly lower than 32,840 in February and the 25-month high in January, when 38,233 mortgages were approved. The slump in March represents an 11-month low and [...]
The number of houses sold in the £1 million to £2 million price bracket fell by 5% to 6,911 in 2011 according to a report from Lloyds TSB based on figures from the Land Registry. The figures represent the first annual fall in million-pound sales since 2009. In contrast, sales of homes priced above £2 [...]
The asking price for property in the UK has reached record high levels, boosted by a surge in prices in London, according to property site Rightmove. The average asking price for property in England and Wales increased by 2.9 per cent in April to £243,737 Asking prices in London increased by 2.1 per cent to [...]
Mortgage lending increased by 4 per cent in February, compared with the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The number of loans made for house purchase increased to 36,600, representing a year-on-year rise of 17 per cent. There was also growth in the number of first-time buyer [...]
UK house prices increased by £3,687 to £236,939 in March, a 4.9 per cent increase compared with the 2011 first quarter. The figures, from Rightmove’s house price index, represent the largest first-quarter rise in property prices since 2004, boosting hopes for an continued improvement in the market for the rest of the year. In London, [...]
December marked the fifth consecutive month of year-on-year growth in mortgage lending, with a 12 per increase, according to the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML). Gross mortgage lending in December was an estimated £11.7 billion, while for the whole year it totalled £140 billion, £2 billion higher than the CML’s expectations. December’s figures represent a [...]
Although the demand for property increased in November, the ongoing economic downturn is holding back housing activity according to the latest report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) Rics’ UK Housing Market survey for the three months to the end of November showed a small improvement in both demand from buyers and property [...]
The Halifax reported a 0.9 per cent fall in house prices in November, compared with the previous month, and it expects the housing market to remain steady over the winter. November’s fall in house prices came despite a 3 per cent increase in the number of mortgages approved during the month to 52,700, according to [...]
The CBI is calling for a radical rethink in the way house purchases are funded including allowing buyers to dip into their pension pot for the deposit on their first home. The number of first-time buyers fell from a high of 167,400 in 2001 to 36,200 in 2011 with unaffordable deposits and financial insecurity making [...]
The latest house price index from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed prices rose by 0.4% in October on a monthly basis. On an annual basis, house prices are now 0.8% higher than this time last year – representing the first yearly rise in six months – with the average UK home costing £165,650. However, [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in August. According to the Council, there were 52,000 loans advanced for house purchase (worth £7.9 billion) in the month – up from 48,700 (£7.2 billion) in July. The Council described today’s figures as “welcome signs of life” [...]
Official data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) today revealed UK house prices rose by 0.6% in August compared with July. However, on an annual basis, house prices are 1.3% lower, taking the average UK house price to £208,476. The data from the DCLG is based on mortgage completions figures collected by [...]
According to the Labor Department, the world’s largest economy added 137,000 new jobs last month, as the public sector cut 34,000 jobs. According to the Labor Department, the private-sector numbers benefited from the return of around 45,000 Verizon workers who had fallen off payrolls in August due to a strike. Excluding those workers, payrolls increased [...]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than [...]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. [...]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees [...]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on [...]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages [...]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit [...]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE [...]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings [...]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though [...]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A [...]
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