News
Property News
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House building slowdown pressurises private landlords 15th April 2010
Only 118,000 new homes were constructed in 2009, which is well short of the Government’s own target of 240,000. The financial meltdown forced many developers to mothball their developments and house building in Britain has not dropped to its current level since 1946. The lack of new housing... Read More
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Government Boiler scrappage scheme should be re-introduced 15th April 2010
Just three months after the Government’s boiler scrappage scheme was introduced, all 125,000 vouchers have been snapped up, causing the scheme to close last week. The Government gave householders £400 towards upgrading their old G rated boiler, for a new efficient A rated boiler. Richard Clarke... Read More
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Ombudsman calls for greater protection for landlords 8th April 2010
Christopher Hamer, the Property Ombudsman, is demanding that whichever party wins General Election urgently legislates to improve protection for both landlords and tenants who employ letting agents. In his annual report the Ombudsman urges swift action to be taken because of the increasing... Read More
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New Legislation for landlords 8th April 2010
Its all change for Landlords after April 6th 2010. If Landlords want to rent a house to three unrelated people such as groups of workers sharing, a family with a lodger, students, young professionals, immigrant workers and even the elderly, planning permission will be needed.Popularly... Read More
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Shortage of New homes for sale 8th April 2010
There are not enough new family homes on the market to satisfy demand according to the latest index supplied by smartnewhomes.com, For this reason, the new homes web site is repeating its call for government intervention in the house building industry. It wants to see more land released... Read More
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Be The Buyer Who Benefits 8th April 2010
With billionaire real estate investor Warren Buffett proclaiming recently that within a year or so, residential housing problems [in the US] should largely be behind us", investor confidence in the US and more specifically the perennially popular Floridian real estate market has returned. Despite... Read More
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Boost for first-time buyers 1st April 2010
Last week saw an increase in the stamp duty threshold for first time buyers to £250,000 in Alistair Darlings budget - we asked top local estate agent and expert Nigel Ellis What does it mean and is it good news? Unlike the previous Stamp Duty holiday, which came to an end... Read More
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Value of home contents increases 1st April 2010
The increasing value of contents in a London home has come to light after research shows it has leapt from less than £5,000 to over £10,300 in 15 years. The shift in items deemed ‘most important’ to homeowners over this time period has accounted for this change. When thinking back to ‘must... Read More
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Rates on new mortgages continue to fall 1st April 2010
Interest rates on new mortgages continue to fall according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders ( CML) while the average rate on the outstanding stock is stable. The average rate on mortgages advanced in February fell to 3.83%, has declined each month from 4.34% last August. The largest falls... Read More
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Moving house could cost you your general election vote 1st April 2010
With a general election only weeks away, thousands of people in England, who have moved house, risk losing their chance to vote by not being on the electoral register. The warning comes from independent elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission. “Moving house could cost you your vote... Read More
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Mortgage lending increases 23rd March 2010
Gross mortgage lending in February increased to an estimated £9.2 billion, a 6% rise from £8.7 billion in January, according to new data published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. An increase in lending in the shortest month is unusual but unsurprising this year, given that the end of the stamp... Read More
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Prime central London property prices hit new record 23rd March 2010
Prime Central Location real estate is back in favour with wealthy buyers from both from overseas and the UK according to web site Prime Location. This in turn is buoying prices, despite the fact that there is more choice of property on the market than at any time since early 2008. Prices in... Read More