Women in UK ‘more likely than men to be on low pay and struggling’
Half a million more women than men are paid below real living wage and 13% are on zero-hours contracts Half a million more working women are paid below the real living wage than their male counterparts, according to data from the Living Wage Foundation. It says women have been harder hit by the cost of […]
UK government made £2.4bn from ‘mortgage prisoner’ loan sales, says Martin Lewis
Tens of thousands of borrowers had their loans sold on to providers at which they were unable to switch The UK government made a £2.4bn “profit” when it pushed tens of thousands of mortgage borrowers “into poverty” after selling their loans on to new lenders, the campaigner Martin Lewis has claimed. The MoneySavingExpert founder was […]
UK mortgage market contracts for fifth month after Liz Truss mini-budget
Approvals at lowest since 2009 – bar during Covid lockdown – as demand for new homes continues to fall Britain’s mortgage market has contracted for a fifth month in a row, official figures show, as the jump in interest rates that followed Liz Truss’s September 2022 mini-budget continued to trigger a collapse in demand for […]
UK house prices fall at fastest annual rate since 2012
Year-on-year February 1.1% decline comes as average price of property drops to £257,406, says Nationwide BoE boss says interest rates may have peaked How rising rates sent the UK housing market into reverse Annual house price growth in the UK turned negative in February for the first time in almost three years, Nationwide data shows, […]
Quarter of UK households regularly run out of money for essentials, survey says
Charities find nearly 40% of people end the month with no money, and 67% say UK government not doing enough about crisis One in four households regularly run out of money for essentials and voters do not believe the government is doing enough to help, a group of charities have said. Nearly 40% of people […]
Energy crisis stemming from Ukraine war ‘cost £1k for every UK adult’
Conflict came on top of our over-reliance on gas, says Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit The UK’s over-reliance on gas has been blamed for pushing up bills as it emerged that the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine had cost the equivalent of £1,000 for every adult. A study by the Energy and […]
UK mortgage deals: how to navigate the rollercoaster rates ride
Amid a debate about what is happening to the housing market, what are your options? We are in the grip of a mortgage price war, according to some experts – but it probably won’t feel like that if you are staring down the barrel of much higher monthly payments. It is certainly fair to say […]
Rats, mould, damp: one woman’s story reveals the ugly truth about the UK’s biggest housing association | Aditya Chakrabortty
A mother of three’s struggle with Clarion reflects a system rigged to favour asset-owners while renters are abandoned You will read the grim facts about Chanel Sultan’s life in a minute, but first let’s talk about her dreams. Like the law degree she has just started, or her hope to buy her own home. Like […]
UK property demand declines as house prices in England fall
Further slowdown likely amid interest rate rise and cost of living crisis, says surveyors’ body Rics Property sales and house prices continued to decline across the UK in January, while new buyer demand and fresh listings were also down, surveyors have reported. A net balance of -47% for new buyer inquiries was reported, down from […]
UK house sales outlook for 2023 remains ‘uncertain’, says Barratt
Housebuilder reports ‘modest uplift’ in reservations of new homes in January but remains cautious Britain’s largest housebuilder, Barratt Developments, has reported grounds for optimism in the UK housing market after an increase in sales in January – but it said the trading outlook for 2023 remains “uncertain”. Barratt reported a “modest uplift” in reservations of […]