The number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rose by 12 per cent to 11,300 in the third quarter of the year according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The number of borrowers in arrears also increased by 8 per cent from the previous quarter, while the number of repossession orders issued
People are to be asked questions about their citizenship, national identity and understanding of English for the first time as part of the national census. In an effort to gain more comprehensive information on immigration, people will also be asked when they entered the UK and their intended length of stay. Other changes include questions
The government has announced more than 40 new and refurbished Gypsy and Traveller sites across England. Iain Wright, communities minister, announced six new sites and 37 extended or refurbished ones to help create homes for up to 25,000 Gypsies and Travellers. The sites are part of a £21 million scheme aimed at tackling the housing
Want a bet that we’ll ever pay the Lib Dems’ new environmental taxes? Thought not. Ming Campbell’s victory today at the party conference is not going to lead to a slump in sales of Chelsea Tractors any time soon. But it’s important nonetheless: the Lib Dems may be part of a coalition government in just
HSBC has been accused of ‘profiteering’ after a senior executive said it was unlikely to pass on the full interest rate cuts expected when the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee meet this week. Meanwhile Abbey has announced today that it is raising its tracker rate by 0.5 per cent, even though the Bank of
The government’s spending watchdog the Audit Commission warned that the recession and rising unemployment will cause a wave of social problems in the coming year. The commission found the recession is already causing more homelessness in one-third of local authorities, while two-thirds predict the problem to worsen next year. The report said that the slowdown
More than a third of houses in England still fail to meet the decent homes standards according to the government’s own figures. Research from 2006, containing the latest data, show there were 7.7 million homes that did not meet the standard – or 35 per cent of the total. In the private rented sector nearly
The Communities and Local Government house price figures are available, and they show that the fall in the price of flats has become a key factor in the housing market slowdown. A drop of 3.6 per cent across the UK between May and June contributed to an average fall in property prices of more than
Gordon Brown is preparing to sweep planning controls in villages and market towns aside to allow the biggest rural house building programme for a generation. The government has concluded that protecting the environment should no longer be the overriding consideration when decisions are made in areas where locals are struggling to afford homes. Local authorities
IT’s NOT OFTEN that the Sun and the Guardian agree on anything but the Abbey’s five-times earnings mortgage offer has got them both in sceptical mood this morning. A leader in the Guardian concludes: ‘For a decade, property ownership has seemed a risk-free way for people to get rich. But buyers should remember that the