ROOF Blog archive

Local authorities will receive £100 million of un-ringfenced funding to use to combat the economic downturn in their local area. Speaking at yesterday’s New Local Government Network annual conference, Gordon Brown said that if councils can ‘convince us that they can deliver quickly and cost-effectively more of the housing that Britain needs… then we will be prepared to give them our full backing’. However, he warned that ‘investment in social housing must be aligned with reform’ indicating that he wanted issues, such as the high levels of unemployment among council housed residents, addressed. The campaigning group Defend Council Housing welcomed the announcement.

David Orr, head of the National Housing Federation said the push towards home ownership has been a ‘disaster’ and should no longer drive housing policy. Orr said there needed to be a wider variety of tenure options to allow people to change their housing to suit their circumstances. He argued that government should no longer be seduced by the mantra ‘owning good, renting bad’.

Just under 35 per cent of England’s housing stock – some 7.7 million homes – is failing decent homes standards, according to the English House Condition Survey, published yesterday. Registered social landlord stock was the least likely to be non-decent at 26 per cent, while private rented accommodation was most likely to be non-decent (45 per cent). Overall, 1.1 million homes in the social sector were non-decent and social housing was much less likely to be non-decent than privately owned houses (29 per cent compared with 36 per cent).

Think tank Policy Exchange has said that giving social housing tenants access to the controversial right-to-move scheme would help break up pockets of deprivation. The think tank argues that concentrations of social housing have led to a spiral of underachievement and joblessness. It wants to give people the change to move, initially once every five years, to another property of the same value in an area of the tenants’ choice. The report conceded that it was ‘plausible’ that up to 1.5 million people could move in the first tranche, at a cost of several billion pounds to the taxpayer.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued formal notices to 16 sale and rent back firms asking them to prove the claims they made in their adverts. The firms have been given 14 days to reply, and based on their responses the OFT will make a decision on whether to take further action against the firms or not. Last year the OFT found that some firms may be misleading consumers as to the value of their property and how long they may stay in it after it is sold.

The government has announced that local councils will be required to meet local targets on child poverty. Under the proposals local authorities will have to set a target for the percentage of children in their area living in low-income families. Other plans to end child poverty by 2020 include setting up a national commission on child poverty which will report to parliament on its progress and a pilot scheme to help parents of younger children prepare for employment by paying for childcare costs when they attend training or counselling.

Results from a citizenship survey has found that 82 per cent of people see their community as cohesive, where individuals from different backgrounds get on well together. Older people were more likely to be satisfied with their local area than younger people – 88 per cent of over-75s, compared with 76 per cent of 16-24 year olds. However, people were less positive that their voices are being heard at a local level with fewer than 40 per cent of respondents feeling able to influence decisions in their local area.

The number of new mortgages approved in December rose slightly according to Bank of England figures. There were 31,000 mortgage approvals for the month, up from 27,000 in November, but it is still the second lowest figure on record. During 2008 lending slumped 58 per cent, with just 519,000 home loans approved, down from 1,250,000 in 2007. Other unsecured loans were also well down, culminating in the second lowest monthly increase since February 1994, when the UK was coming out of its last recession.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) called on the government to impose an industry-wide ‘collar’ on tracker mortgages. It argues that a fall in the mortgage rate to 0 per cent would make it hard to offer a sufficiently attractive rate for savers. However, a collar would stop 3.6 million owners from benefiting from further interest rate cuts.

Meanwhile lenders have more than tripled the margins they charge of tracker mortgages, research by moneysupermarket.com has found. In October when the Bank of England’s base rate was 5 per cent, the average margin on a tracker mortgage was 0.76 per cent. Now the base rate is 1.5 per cent, new tracker rates are around 3.86 per cent, 2.36 per cent above the average.

The fall in house prices continued in January – down 1.3 per cent for the month – taking the annual fall to 16.6 per cent. The year of year figure is an increase from the 15.9 per cent drop in December 2007, however, January’s drop is smaller than December 2008’s monthly fall of 2.5 per cent. Nationwide put the average house price at £150,510, down from £153,048 a month ago and £35,543 below their peak in October 2007.

Estate agents in London and the South East are charging landlords fees of around 11 per cent for renewing properties on a ‘let only’ basis, the National Landlords Association (NLA) says. The NLA say 70 per cent of its members say the fee is unfair. The association suggests landlords shop around for agents who do not charge.

Figures published by the Department of Health revealing the state of the country’s health shows that the proportion of children in poverty (both before and after housing costs) has fallen since 1997/98, although it has risen slightly since 2004/5. Meanwhile the number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation peaked in 2005, and has been decreasing steadily since. The number of people in poor quality housing has also decreased.

According to research by the New Economics Foundation, when taking into account the practical and emotional risks of moving off benefits and into insecure or low-paid work, the incentives for homeless people to enter work disappear. The report recommends the government looks at paying incentives to homeless people to test whether sustained employment and savings can be made, and suggests that employers should review the use of casual labour. The report says that government could save £425 million a year helping homeless into more secure forms of employment.

A new research initiative launches today into multiple exclusion homelessness. The initiative intends to develop greater understanding of homeless people who have to cope with problems such as drug or alcohol dependencies, mental health problems and experience of prison or long-term hospital stays. Partners in the £692,000 research project include Shelter, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Communities and Local Government, Tenants Services Authority and Homeless Link.

The National Housing Federation has told ministers that Northern Rock should be instructed to make mortgages available through low-cost home ownership schemes now that it has been nationalised. It argues that the bank should be made to take on a social purpose and help those who can afford a home but who cannot get a mortgage.

A council has announced plans to build social housing made from straw bales. North Kesteven council in Lincolnshire believes the homes will tackle the problem of affordable housing in the area. The three-bedroom, semi-detached properties will cost £110,000 each. The council hopes the houses will set a ‘leading example to developers, housing associations and other councils throughout the country’.

The government is considering allowing local authorities to offer low-cost mortgages to first-time buyers and others struggling to obtain loans for the first time since the 1970s. Several councils have been lobbying the government to allow them to offer mortgages in areas they were keen to develop. A spokesperson from Communities and Local Government said that local authorities have a crucial role to play in the current economic climate.

Three housing organisations in the South East – Shelter, the Chartered Institute of Housing, and the National Housing Federation – are to pool expertise, research and resources to form a coalition providing a coordinated voice in regional economic planning. A spokesperson from Shelter said: ‘[The South East Housing Coalition] enables Shelter, NHF and CIH to be an authoritative single regional resource on key areas of common ground.’

Figures show that one in five Britons would help their repossession-hit neighbours financially. A quarter of those questioned in a poll would put £25 into a community fund to help families in trouble, while 20 per cent would lend £1,000 to prevent someone in their community from being repossessed. However, only 1 per cent of those questioned would ask a neighbour for help.

Campaigners challenging the government’s plans to build up to 10 eco-towns around the country lost their High Court challenge yesterday. They had applied for a judicial review of the scheme arguing it was legally flawed because the public was not consulted about the location or ‘principle of eco-towns’. The court found that the government had acted properly throughout the process. The campaigners vowed to continue their protest.

A report calls for councils to provide more land for Gypsies and Travellers, rather than bowing to local objections. The research for the Race Equality Foundation found that 90 per cent of planning applications for Traveller sites are turned down at the first hearing, and it costs £6 million a year to evict those who aren’t legally camped. However, one square mile of land would provide legal pitches for the 5,000 families currently living on unauthorised sites.

Guidance for developers and planners to ensure new properties are as flood-proof as possible were unveiled yesterday. Developments will need approval by an environmental agency before going ahead, and where buildings are located in a flood risk area developers should provide buyers with details of measures to reduce flood risk. The Association of British Insurers, which produced the guidelines, also urged the construction industry to develop a kite mark scheme for buyers and insurers that would measure how ‘climate resilient’ a building is.

New research has found that 15 per cent of amateur private landlords (those with four properties or less) have made a loss in the credit crunch, compared with 100 per cent of professional landlords (those with more than 20 properties) who made a profit. The professional landlords said they were taking advantage of falling prices, repossessions, auctions and sale and rent back schemes to add to their portfolios. Overall, 7 per cent of private landlords have been involved in some repossession activity by a lender, and 4 per cent has missed at least one mortgage payment in 2008.

Ahead of today’s second reading of the Welfare Reform Bill, former welfare minister Frank Field is arguing that young single people between the ages of 16 and 24 should be required to work to receive benefits, and if they fail to find a job, they should lose their entitlement. He has derided the bill, which he says will not do enough to overhaul a system costing a ‘staggering’ £75 billion.

Trust in banks, energy companies and the media has fallen sharply, according to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, but trust in government has risen for the second year running. Seventy-one per cent of those questioned want government to impose stricter regulations and controls on all sectors, and nearly three-quarters think the government should intervene in banking and financial services. A further 61 per cent believe the government that is responsible for solving the financial crisis, a higher figure than other EU countries.

The high interest rates being charged to people with less than 25 per cent equity in their properties is pricing homeowners out of the remortgage market, new figures show. Moneyfacts said borrowers are better off staying on the standard variable rate when their current mortgage ends rather than remortgaging.

Leading property industry figures are meeting today and are expected to call for a radical shift in favour of housing for rent. The British Property Federation conference is seeking changes to stamp duty when buying multiple properties and portfolios; reinstalling the system of direct payment of local housing allowances to landlords; and for changes to the planning system to encourage rental developments.

The amount of money retired people unlocked from their homes fell to a six-year low during 2008. Falling house prices contributed to a 9 per cent drop in the value of equity released, however volume dropped by only 4 per cent. The researchers said that some of the decrease could be attributed to the increasing popularity of more flexible plans, which allow people to release the money they need in stages, rather than taking it as a lump sum.

A campaign to build 10,000 affordable homes for rent has been launched in Scotland to boost the economy and meet the demand for cheap housing. The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations is backing the campaign. It said this year would provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to ‘build a meaningful and lasting legacy’ for Scotland. Scotland has more than 470,000 people on waiting lists for affordable housing, an increase of 46 per cent since 2000.

New research by Help the Aged has found that over the next three years a third of sheltered housing schemes will lose their on-site warden and have them replaced with a floating service. The report also outlined the accelerating decline in the availability of sheltered accommodation, which has fallen by 4 per cent in the past five years and is predicted to fall a further 7 per cent in the next three years. Currently around 7 per cent of the retired population lives in sheltered and retirement housing, and the government is planning on removing the ring-fence on funding.

England’s poorest regions have lost up to £671 million in EU finding after the UK refused an invitation to extend the deadline for European regional aid. The government agreed to an extension for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, but declined one for England. The decision will reduce government spending by cutting future UK contributions to the EU.

Banks have been accused of placing severe restrictions on social housing providers’ access to credit, and insiders are warning that the move could force parts of the sector to be nationalised. Seven lenders, including RBS and Lloyds, have been accused of repricing existing loans for housing associations. Head of social housing at Lloyds said: ‘We have a lots of loans lent at rates that are so low it is costing us more than we are getting from the returns.‘

A leading think-tank has warned that UK cities are poorly placed to weather the recession and must be handed greater powers to tackle economic problems if they are to lead the fightback. The Centre for Cities says that no region will escape unscathed and cities should be given greater control over employment, training, housing and transport to tailor solutions to local problems. The report ranks the economic performance of 64 of the UK’s largest cities and towns in terms of economic prosperity, social deprivation and the built environment.

Some parts of the UK have become so dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of their economy, a new report has found. The study into ‘Soviet Britain’ found that in the North East and North West of England more than 66 per cent of the economy is paid for by government spending; in Wales the figure was more than 77 per cent, while Northern Ireland had the highest figure with 77.6 per cent of spending coming from the government.

The number of new mortgages approved by UK banks fell last year by 52 per cent, according to figures from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). However, monthly figures indicate the number of approvals went up from 17,000 in November to 22,000 in December, but this was down 47 per cent from December 2007. The BBA said the December rise did not suggest a real recovery in lending, and was more likely ‘to reflect delayed activity from November’.

Despite the fall in interest rates, house prices and sales still appear to be dropping as the credit crunch chokes off the supply of mortgages. Property website Hometrack said that house prices in England and Wales fell for the 16th month in a row in the biggest annual decline since 2001. The average cost of a home was down 9.4 per cent from a year earlier, with a 1 per cent fall in December alone. The average time a property spends on the market rose to 12.3 weeks, a 45 per cent increase from a year earlier. Sellers are achieving less than 90 per cent of their asking price.

A controversial scheme to house bailed and tagged offenders in residential areas may be expanded, justice minister David Hanson has suggested. The bail hostels, which are unsupervised and without formal planning approval, are opposed by residents, but Mr Hanson says the scheme has been a success in reducing prison numbers. However, his comments came as talks began over whether to close a London bail hostel due to violence and antisocial behaviour.

The Conservatives have criticised a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) proposal to increase court fees for debt proceedings by up to 233 per cent. They say the new fees will be added to the person’s existing liabilities and have labelled the plans a stealth tax. While the MoJ said that no decision has yet been made, a spokesperson said the courts are self-funding and the proposed increases ‘reflect the full cost of providing the court system for those cases’.

The number of homeowners being repossessed almost doubled during 2008, including in the third quarter a 92 per cent increase which is one house every 10 minutes. Figures from the Financial Services Authority also show that 340,000 borrowers were behind on their mortgage repayments, a 10 per cent rise compared with the previous quarter of last year, and a 24 per cent rise on the same period in 2007.

Meanwhile Communities and Local Government (CLG) said 1.77 million families were on the waiting list for a local authority property in April 2008. This number is 100,000 more households than 12 months earlier. The figure represents 8.4 per cent of all households and is the highest number recorded since 1997. Despite the rise in demand, the government admitted that the number of council-owned homes plummeted 117,000 during 2008 to 1.87 million. The Local Government Association said one family in every 12 is now on a council waiting list, and believe this figure will rise as the number of people losing jobs and being unable to afford mortgage payments increase. CLG argues that council housing waiting lists are not an accurate guide to the number of families in urgent housing need.

Financial analysts think Britain’s top three lenders will need another £80 billion of capital before the financial system stabilises. Investment bank, Nomura argues that the latest government measures ‘do not change the key issue of the… potentially unlimited losses of the banking system’ and believes that the banks will need new capital as there is clear evidence that losses are mounting more quickly than expected.

The UK is in recession for the first time since 1991, as government figures released today confirmed. Gross domestic product fell by 1.5 per cent in the last three months of 2008 after a 0.6 per cent drop in the previous quarter. This figure represents the biggest quarter-on-quarter decline since 1990 and a drop of 1.8 per cent on year on year figures. The UK now joins the US, Japan and Germany in recession.

The prime minister dismissed as ridiculous David Cameron’s claims that Britain’s economic plight was so dire that the government could be forced to go the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bail-out. The conservative leader suggested that the IMF was an option because Britain was at risk of running out of money as a consequence of Labour’s policies. Gordon Brown stressed that the recession was caused by international factors, and the government had taken action to stop the banks collapsing and lending again, saying it was ‘a completely different kind of event from previous recessions’.

The backlog of asylum cases has more than doubled to 8,700 in the past 12 months a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Home Office has says. It also argued that the Home Office has failed to deliver an increase in removals of failed asylum seekers, with fewer than one in 10 of those refused asylum being removed. The NAO says the new asylum model where a single immigration officer manages an application from start to finish has led to claims being settled more quickly, however, the backlog of new cases threatened to undermine efforts to clear an existing bank of more than 200,000 cases, with some cases dating back more than 10 years.

A court of appeal ruling means that hundreds of Travellers may be facing eviction after settling ‘illegally’ on green belt land. The judges overturned a ruling made last May when the High Court granted the 63 families a temporary reprieve from eviction. The judges said that allowing the families to stay showed ‘flagrant disregard’ of the law. Basildon district council argued that the number of Travellers had soared 475 per cent in less that 20 years, and the site in dispute now houses 40 per cent of all Travellers in the county. The residents have vowed to carry on staying at the site.

A new report has found that white working class people are losing out in areas from housing to health – and it is class rather than colour that makes discrimination more likely. The Runnymede Trust argues the current school system is skewed in favour of middle class children, working class children do not have access to the material support of other classes and the rich benefit from better quality housing.

Meanwhile, Northern Rock will be distributing £9 million in bonuses for staff as the bank has repaid part of its loan from the government on time. The 10 per cent bonus will apply to all 4,400 staff members, and is the first stage in an incentive scheme that could see the state-owned banks pay out more than £50 million to its workers in the next few years. The bonuses have been labelled ‘crass’ and ‘indefensible’ by the Liberal Democrats.

The head of the Financial Services Authority has called for changes in the banking system to avoid a repeat of the current financial crisis. He said parts of the regulatory system were seriously ‘deficient’ and recommended banks should be forced to build up capital during the good times so they could weather an economic downturn. He also said bankers, regulators, central banks and finance ministers across the world shared the blame for the crisis and called for international cooperation to find a way to intervene before the risks ‘got out of control’.

Ministers have approved a £461 million injection of cash for the London Olympics after private investment in two of the venues failed to materialise. The money will be used to pay for the construction of the £900 million athletes’ village and the £355 million media centre as both sites were due to run out of money in March. The rescue package makes up two-thirds of a £1 billion contingency fund that was reserved for exceptional or unforeseen events such as an industrial dispute.

The slowdown in the housing market has cut the government’s stamp duty receipts in half during the final quarter of 2008. As home sales fell by 40 per cent last year according to Revenue and Customs figures – only 930,000 homes changed hands, down from 1.6 million in 2007, income from stamp duty fell by a third.

Campaigners have stepped up their fight to stop government plans to build eco-towns by taking their case to the High Court. The group BARD is opposed to the proposed site at Long Marston, arguing that there was a lack of proper consultation, that the policy is legally flawed, and the scheme could cause ‘irreparable damage’ to the countryside. The group has been joined in their judicial review by campaigners fighting against the Weston Otmoor and Pennbury sites.

Councils may get greater freedom to build more homes under plans going to consultation today. Under proposals announced by Margaret Beckett, councils would be able to retain the rental income from homes they build and profit on properties sold through right to buy. Ms Beckett has been under pressure to lift the barriers on council house building and encourage them to play a bigger role in delivering affordable homes at a time when government ambitions to build three million homes by 2020 looks increasingly unlikely to be met.

Mortgage lending for 2008 fell 30 per cent to a six-year low according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The value of new mortgages fell steadily throughout the year, culminating in an 11 per cent drop from November 2008 to December. December 2008 was 47 per cent down on December 2007 figures. Traditionally December’s figures are among the lowest of the year.

A government-backed report into the housing market says statutory regulation ‘lacks logical consistency’ and needs to be reformed and rationalised. The private rented sector was found to have the ‘highest degree of consumer dissatisfaction’ and regulations are too complex for tenants to understand. Among its recommendations the report argues there is a strong case for the introduction of a universal redress scheme for tenants that would require shorthold assured tenants to be safeguarded against eviction while complaints are investigated, and for tighter regulation of sale and rent back schemes.

A report from the all-party urban development group urges councils to use section 106 agreements with developers to boost employment. Chairman of the group said: ‘Regeneration isn’t just about bricks and mortar… Local people bear the costs of new development, so its only fair that they should benefit the most’.

Chief executive of Shelter Adam Sampson warned that London mayor Boris Johnson’s housing policies will ‘perpetuate the wealth and class divisions’ in London. In an article for the Guardian, Mr Sampson said the mayor’s draft housing strategy published two months ago did not signal much understanding on the part of the Conservatives about the housing challenge and how it should be met, describing his commitment to providing affordable housing for rent was ‘lukewarm’ and saying there was a danger of ‘pass the parcel’ over affordable housing supply in general.

Barclays and HBOS were given notice yesterday that they would be sued by up to 8,000 homeowners who took out shared appreciation mortgages in the late 1990s. Solicitors claim the mortgages were ‘unfair’ and that information in the marketing was ‘misleading’. The mortgages allowed older borrowers to release cash from the equity in their properties without paying interest or loan payment during their lifetime. Many homeowners who took out these deals are now unable to sell their properties as they will not have enough left to buy a replacement home.

In December, inflation fell to an annual rate of 3.1 per cent, from 4.1 per cent in November. The cut in VAT from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent contributed most to the fall, but the drop in mortgage rates also helped. However, high food, gas and electricity prices prevented the rate from falling as fast as analysts predicted.

Britain’s national debt will be worth almost three-quarters of the country’s total economic wealth, and yesterday’s second banking bail-out will make it worse, the European Commission warned. Meanwhile, the economy will shrink by 2.8 per cent this year and stage only a small recovery in 2010.

The Conservatives have unveiled plans to revolutionise the way energy is supplied to and used by UK homes. The party’s proposals include £6,500 payments to every home for energy efficiency improvements, an overhaul of the entire electricity distribution network, and more support for community heating schemes run by local authorities.

The government has again been urged to set up a national deposit savings scheme offering tax-free bonuses to help struggling first-time buyers get on the housing ladder. Chairman of the New Homes Marketing Board said the scheme would not only re-establish a savings habit, but could improve liquidity in the mortgage market. Savers would be encouraged to take five years to accumulate £30,000, at which point they would receive a 25 per cent tax-free bonus. The final figure would provide a 20 per cent deposit on a typical new home.

A government drive to encourage the building of zero-carbon homes was dismissed by the opposition as ‘hot air’ after it emerged that only a handful of houses exist. The government had set a target that all new homes will be zero-carbon by 2016 and allocated £15 million towards tackling climate change, but figures disclosed to MPs reveal that only 18 properties have so far qualified for the stamp duty exemption. Critics have said that the problem was that the construction industry did not know what counted as a zero-carbon home.

Homeowners who think they will be able to ride out the economic downturn by renting their property rather than selling it, are being warned that in a difficult rental market they may face long and expensive void periods. Recently figures from the National Landlords Association showed that new landlord instructions to let in the third quarter of 2008 has risen at the fastest rate since records began, but not matched by such a rapid increase in demand for rental properties.

A new report examining the relationship between the environment and schools has found that there are links between housing decline in a neighbourhood and pupil behaviour, truancy, teacher morale and a school’s ability to deliver exam results. The report highlighted that schools in deprived areas are under pressure to play a larger role in the community by hosting services and facilities for families which can detract from teaching, while areas with low quality housing tend to have a transient population which has a negative impact on a school’s ability to meet education standards and promote positive student behaviour.

For the second time in three months the government has promised a bank bail out to get banks lending again and ‘insure’ bad debts. The scheme, under which taxpayers would foot the ‘potentially unlimited’ bill, is intended to cover bad debts and guarantee loans for homeowners and businesses. Other elements of the hundreds of billions of pounds package include increasing the government’s stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland, and measures to stimulate lending by Northern Rock. The chancellor has admitted he does not know how much money will be needed, saying ‘we need to talk to the banks’.

Ms Beckett has also warned would-be first-time buyers not to delay their purchase in the hope that prices will fall further, saying that ‘when the upturn comes there will probably be a mad rush’. She argues that demand from first-time buyers has not gone away, and unless supply increases inflationary pressures will create a bottleneck when the economy improves. The minister said she could not see the British perception of renting as ‘second best’ changing to a more European way of thinking.

Housing minister Margaret Beckett has sparked a row after claiming there are signs of an ‘upturn’ in the property market, and saying the government was already worried about the next housing boom. Ms Beckett said in an interview with the Sunday Times that some estate agents had noticed signs of a revival of interest in property buying. Her comments were criticised by opposition politicians, with Grant Shapps saying the government has lost all touch with reality and Vince Cable accusing Beckett of playing ‘psychological games’.

Council tax is set to rise by 3.5 per cent in April, increasing the average bill by almost £50 a year, the Local Government Association says. The likely increase is set to be the lowest in a decade, although it is the twelfth year in a row of increase. Chair of the LGA said that councils understand that people are suffering and they are working flat out to keep council tax down. However, the LGA argues that councils are suffering from a projected fall in income of £2.5 billion next year and rising demand for their services, including debt advice and housing benefit, and growing mental health problems and homelessness.

Research from Counsel and Care, an advice service for older people, has warned the economic downturn has made it harder for people moving into a care home. Worries about how to pay for a care home is the biggest concern for older people, making up around 30 per cent of all calls received. In particular, there is concern about spending savings and capital to pay for care. Almost a fifth of calls were about ‘top up’ demands from councils. In England it is estimated that 35 per cent of council-funded residents have to look to a relative to ensure that their care costs are met in full.

The majority of landlords are planning to hang on to their properties, the Residential Landlords Association has found. Only 10 per cent anticipate a need to sell and 44 per cent are planning to increase their rental properties during the next three years. Nearly half said they began buying and renting residential property to create an alternative pension, but for 27 per cent it is there main source of income and nearly half regard it as a business. Landlords regard buy-to-let legislation, the threat of corporate landlords squeezing out private investors and a possible repeal of section 21 legislation as greater threats than the credit crunch.

The average price of a house in England and Wales has fallen by nearly 8 per cent in the past year, and is likely to fall by a further 10 per cent before bottoming out, according to Rightmove. In the last month prices fell 1.9 per cent. The biggest monthly drop was in the West Midlands where prices decreased 6 per cent in January alone, while the East Midlands saw the only increase - a small jump of 0.4 per cent. However, the number of properties coming onto the market is running at half the levels seen this time last year.

Mortgage lenders have warned however, that the plan to offer struggling homeowners a holiday for up to two years from paying their interest repayments is unworkable and will result in new applications being turned down. In response to a consultation by Communities and Local Government over the plan, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said that every repossession they put off for a year, up to 80 new loans would be refused as lenders will need to set aside more capital to support borrowers. Other lenders have also questioned whether the scheme would be effective in helping reduce the threat of repossession, warning that if house prices fall further it will leave borrowers unable to recover their financial position when the deferral finishes.

A new £200 million scheme to prevent thousands of vulnerable people from losing their homes and avoid repossession comes into force nationwide today. The scheme allows housing associations to buy homes, worth up to £400,000, from people struggling to pay their mortgage. The homeowners would be allowed to remain in their property either as tenants paying an affordable rent, or as owners after receiving an equity loan from the association.

New mortgage lending in November fell again according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ figures. Only 33,000 new loans were grants – 17 per cent less than in October 2008, and a whopping 59 per cent in year on year figures. First-time buyers have to find an average deposit of 18 per cent of the value of their property, the largest amount for more than 35 years.

The government is facing a rebellion from councils and tenants over rent increases that are double the rate of inflation. Councils argue that the formula that they are expected to follow to set rents is based on last September’s inflation rate of 5 per cent – which would normally be passed on to tenants. However, councils have said that they are torn between protecting their tenants from inflation-busting increases in rent, and safeguarding their housing budgets, which could be reduced next year if the councils use their reserves to subsidise lower rents.

Demand for orders of public and housing association homes slumped 20 per cent in the last three months of 2008 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Overall for 2008, demand fell 15 per cent in year on year figures. Orders for private housing suffered worst, with demand down 55 per cent from the same period in 2007. Critics of the government are using the figures to argue that now was an ‘historic opportunity’ to address the social housing crisis.

A proposal to publish MPs’ expenses without releasing receipts has been criticised as ‘outrageous’. The Commons lost a Freedom of Information battle last year and was ordered to publish all MPs’ claims and receipts by October 2008. However, the deadline passed with Commons officials saying that process and cost was proving ‘more complex than anticipated’. If the Commons rejects the proposed changes next week, MPs would be the only public sector employees exempt from parts of the Freedom of Information Act, and their expenses would not need to be published with receipts.

Locals of a village near the proposed eco-town site of Pennbury have voted overwhelmingly against the 15,000 home site. The poll found that 99 per cent of respondents voted against the plan, adding to voices of four other nearby villages who have already rejected the proposals. However, a spokesperson from the developers said the plans needed to move forward, as only there were a ‘minority of local people opposed to the idea’.

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said that the recently launched Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has ‘probably a year, 18 months’ from now to prove it can deliver or it would be scrapped by a Conservative government. He said that he could see the ‘potential areas of waste’ in the HCA’s ‘super-quango’ bureaucracy. His comments come weeks after David Cameron asked his shadow cabinet to recommend spending cuts.

Communities and Local Government (CLG) has called on councils not to sack planners despite a fall in planning applications. It follows news that Bournemouth is axing 13 positions as a result of a 34 per cent drop in applications, while others are reviewing planning jobs. A Local Government Association survey recently found that 83 per cent of councils across England have seen a fall in income from applications, and a CLG spokesperson expressed concern that councils are losing their planning expertise.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears today unveiled a plan to get young people from some of the nation’s most deprived areas involved in activities aimed at raising aspirations, and breaking the cycle of deprivation. The government is creating a network of 15 ‘inspiring communities’ where parents, schools, businesses, third sector organisations and local agencies will work together and design solutions to the particular barriers they face.

The number of homes changing hands has fallen to a record low, despite increasing buyer interest, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). New buyer inquiries increased for the second month in December, as lower prices and interest rate cuts tempted potential buyers. However, growing interest failed to boost house sales, which dropped to 10.1 per surveyor during the last quarter of 2008.

Meanwhile, Communities and Local Government (CLG) released its house price index for November, which showed that homes across the UK lost 1.9 per cent of their value during the month, pushing the average below £200,000 for the first time since November 2006. Annual house price inflation remains negative throughout the UK, with Northern Ireland reporting the biggest year-on-year drop of 16.2 per cent, and Scotland the smallest with 3.9 per cent.

A study by a coalition of environmental and social justice groups has found that one in five people in the UK are living in poverty, often unable to heat their homes or eat healthily. The poorest tend to live in less energy-efficient housing; have less access to insurance in case of floods or storm damage; less money to spend on rising food and fuel costs; and have the worst access to healthcare.

Campaigners opposing a third runway at Heathrow airport have bought some of the land earmarked for the runway and are preparing a legal battle to stop the airport’s expansion. Greenpeace has bought a field the size of a football pitch and plans to invite protestors to dig underground tunnels across it and divide it up into thousands of tiny plots each with a separate owner, making BAA negotiate with each owner, delaying the compulsory purchase orders. The government is expected to approve the new runway this week.

Research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats and Barnardos has found that a child’s life chances are ‘dependent on the background and earnings of its parents’, and increased funding in education had failed to reach those most in need. The chairman of the inquiry found that inequalities in the education system had to be tackled if children from poor backgrounds are to be the doctors, army officers and barristers of the future. The results came out as the government announced a commission into social mobility.

Falling house prices have made it the easiest for five years for those at the very bottom of the property ladder to trade up. However, because prices for larger properties have held their value better it has become harder for families in middle-sized homes to move into bigger properties. The difference in price between an average one- and two-bedroom property is £31,000, £10,500 less than a year ago and the lowest difference in five years. The difference in price between a two- and a three-bedroom home has also fallen – down from £66,264 to £58,436.

Research from the Association of Residential Letting Agents has found that buy-to-let landlords are expecting to hold their properties for up to 20 years. The proportion of landlords who plan on keeping their properties for at least the next 12 months has risen from 77 to 88 per cent, and more than one in five is expecting to keep property for more than 20 years. The average life expectancy of a residential property investment is 16.3 years.

Profit warnings for UK listed companies were at a seven-year-high last year, and the situation for 2009 is likely to be as bad or worse, according to the accountancy group Ernst & Young. House building was one of the industries worst affected, with 60 per cent of listed firms in the sector issuing a warning on profits.

The collapse of the housing industry, and subsequent fall in stamp duty receipts and capital gains tax on sales of homes, along with an increase in the number of those no longer qualifying for inheritance tax, will result in a £15 billion black hole in public finances, economists have warned. And losses to the Treasury could ‘roll on’ for years as the property market is unlikely to bounce back to 2007 levels in the short term.

One in four councils across England have reported an increase in homelessness, and more than half have experienced a rise in housing benefit claims, the Local Government Association (LGA) claims. Almost all authorities believed the situation would get much worse in the next few months as people lose jobs and homes. Half the local authorities questioned have seen more requests for debt and welfare advice, and the LGA has predicted that the number of people on council house waiting lists will grow from four million to five million by the end of the year.

Two financial advisers have been recruited by the Chartered Institute of Housing to help housing associations support tenants through financial difficulties. The positions are being funded by Barclays and the Financial Services Authority, and are expected to work with local councils and housing organisations to help tenants gain greater control over their finances

The Liberal Democrats have found more than 3,300 tenants in England are paying their rent using credit cards each month, paying just 40 councils. A Lib-Dem spokesperson said he was concerned that few councils have policies in place to help those who are struggling with rent because they are ‘routinely paying rent with a credit card’. ROOF recently found that more than one million people used a credit card to help meet housing need.

Gordon Brown is facing an embarrassing climbdown over his eco-town plans, as fierce local resistance and a disintegrating house market has forced the government to reduce the shortlist to only five sites, from the original 12 put forward by developers. But there is no guarantee that all five will be built, leaving Mr Brown’s pledge to create 10 new communities in tatters. In November, the government’s own assessment of the 12 sites found that just one was ‘genuinely suitable’. The final shortlist will be out in the spring. 

A ‘gobsmacking’ weakness in the way banks are regulated led to the financial crisis the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said. The group blasted regulatory financial frameworks as ‘very poor’ saying they not only failed to prevent the financial crisis, but contributed to it. The OECD also blamed a failure in corporate governance, the bank bonus culture, credit-rating agencies, and a lack of diligence by institutional investors for exacerbating the crisis. More than £2,000 billion has been wiped off the stock market value of banks since the crisis started.

Yesterday’s interest rate cut to its lowest level on record will deter savers from depositing money and further undermine the economy, some analysts are arguing. As two-thirds of savings accounts will now pay less than 1 per cent interest, banks will be denied the flow of deposits needed to fund fresh lending. The decision to cut rates again also drew criticism from pensioner groups, as millions of older people rely on income from savings.

Two former Bank of England economists have called on Gordon Brown to buy homes on the verge of repossession. They estimate the plan would cost about £50 billion over five years provide extra money to the economy and save families from being made homeless. The government would finance the program by selling bonds which the Bank of England would buy to expand the supply of money.

Three cash-rich housing associations have agreed to lend millions of pounds to some of their competitors, struggling in the credit crisis. The associations – Affinity Sutton, Circle Anglia and L&Q Group – are three of 10 originally approached by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) to see if they would be willing to lend short-term funds, as they could lend to one another quicker than a bank could. Nearly one in 10 associations assessed for financial viability have been put on ‘amber’ watch by the TSA.

The glut of rental properties on the market has forced lettings agents to adopt supermarket-style selling tactics to win over potential renters. Many agents are offering the first month or fortnight of rent for free or offering incentives such as paying for gas, electricity or council tax. Potential tenants are being advised to make an ‘attractive offer’ such as opting out of break clauses or paying a large chunk of rent in advance.