Mortgages

House prices gained nearly 2% in the past month alone, which means the average house price is up by almost a fifth in the past year, says the latest Nationwide house price survey

John Hayes, shadow housing minister, has outlined proposals from the Tory party to boost access to housing by boosting availability of mortgages to first time buyers.

The Association of British Insurers yesterday published a revised version of its mortgage endowment code in the hopes it will improve customers' understanding of the performance of their investments.

The Pensions Policy Institute says research into commonly available equity release schemes shows consumers should not bank on their homes to bail them out of poverty in retirement because of the poor rates of return offered.

Mortgage lending in April reached its highest monthly peak so far this year, says a survey by the British Bankers' Association, but lenders still believe the market will begin to slowdown later this year.

HSA, a corporate healthcare provider, has decided to offer a helping hand to those in its workforce wishing to step onto the property ladder as a part of its benefit package.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders says there has been too much government intervention in the mortgage market over the past 12 months, deeming the amount of legislative and policy initiatives as excessive.

Buy-to-let investors must factor in another risk in yield calculations with news the government is proposing compulsory protection of tenants' deposits in the Housing Bill currently going through Parliament.

HSBC says research suggests 10 out of 33 London Boroughs as well as Windsor, Surrey and Buckinghamshire now have average house prices high enough to automatically tip owners into the IHT bracket.

The latest monthly house price index figures from Rightmove suggest annualised inflation is running at up to 25% in certain UK regions as the gap between demand and supply refuses to budge.