Mortgages

The average buy-to-let property has returned 13% to investors over a 12-month period, according to Birmingham Midshires.

Nationwide has launched a 25-year fixed-rate mortgage following the Chancellor's announcement on Tuesday that the Government wanted to see more long-term fixed-rate mortgages as part of a strategy to improve affordability of housing.

A growing number of landlords are choosing to invest in buy-to-let property after receiving advice from their IFA, according to Mortgage Trust.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today told Parliament the provision of affordable housing will be one of his top priorities.

More than two million people are expected to borrow at least four times their salaries within the next three years to get on the property ladder, research suggests.

The mortgage industry is warning the Government to carefully consider proposals to increase fixed-rate terms, arguing such a move could have serious repercussions for homeowners.

Hometrack, an automated valuation models (AVM) provider, has launched the UK's first buy-to-let AVM.

More than two-thirds of all first time buyers have paid, or will be liable to pay, Stamp Duty, according to Bradford & Bingley.

The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, says he is concerned that mortgage brokers have a built-in incentive to sell short-term fixed-rate loans, and this is a major cause of Britain's housing crisis.

Tenants are likely to bear the costs of recent interest rate rises over the past year, according to Assetz.