Households earning £60,000 or less will be able to rent at 80% or less of the market rate for up to three years in order to save up the cash for a deposit, under a new scheme launched today by Caroline Flint. Under the Rent to Home Buy scheme, people would have an option to buy 25% or more of the property at any time.

A new report from the National Audit Office says that it could take almost 200 years to regenerate the Greenwich peninsula if developers just meet their minimum house building obligations. A government agreement allows developers to take nearly two centuries to develop the land round the Dome without facing any penalties for making a profit from holding on to derelict sites.

The north south divide has been replaced by a widening gap between towns and cities that are ‘resurgent’ and those that are ‘stuck’, according to new research from the Work Foundation.

The number of home sales fell to its lowest level in 30 years in June, according to figures published today by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

the Council of Mortgage Lenders yesterday published its submission to Sir James Crosby’s report on tackling funding shortages in the mortgage market. The submission calls for the Bank of England to provide more support for mortgage lending. Crosby’s interim report is expected in several weeks.

The State of the Countryside report 2008, published today, shows a 3% rise in the number of families living below the poverty line in rural areas as affordability continues to bite.

Shelter will be launching a new report Neighbourhood Watch, Building new communities: Learning lessons from the Thames Gateway, at a free seminar on 22 July at the St Albans conference Centre, London. To reserve a place email