One in six mortgage applicants refused for ‘spending too much on childcare’ – Telegraph.co.uk

Childcare costs have caused one in six families to be turned down for a mortgage, and two-thirds have tried to hide these costs when applying, according to uSwitch.com. These costs are viewed as non-discretionary and impact a mortgage applicant through formulaic affordability tests. Families criticised lenders for not accounting for childcare costs decreasing over time […]

Lloyds, Halifax and TSB latest to slash interest rates – The Week UK

Interest rates for savers have been cut sharply by Lloyds, Halifax and TSB, following earlier cuts by other banks. A typical reduction is TSB’s top paying Classic Plus account moving from five per cent to three per cent interest. Changes have been blamed on market conditions, including the drop in Bank of England base rate […]

Buy to let mortgage applications via UK limited companies rise steeply – Property Wire

UK landlords are now mostly applying for buy to let mortgages through limited companies. Their use for new property purchases has tripled since changes to tax relief on mortgage interest were announced in July 2015. Average buy to let mortgage rates fell to 3.3% in September from 3.7% in June. While rates available to limited […]

7 Steps to Take the Day You Buy Your First Home – Huffington Post

Things to do when you have bought a new house include moving address and medical records, choosing the best value insurance for your new area, and making a calendar to help you plan home maintenance. You should also survey the area to get an idea of what is where, change the property’s locks to be […]

Ten subtle choices that instantly cheapen your home – Domain News

Design shows on TV have inspired valuable makeovers, but some changes can reduce a home’s value. Ill-fitting furniture and cheap art create a negative impression, as do poorly positioned curtain rods, poor lighting, undersized rugs and cheap, overstuffed sofas. Too many accessories and even mismatched clothes hangers can cheapen a space, but some imaginative customisations […]

Where are the youngest first-time buyers in the UK? – Telegraph.co.uk

The average age of first-time house buyers varies greatly across the UK. In London, people have become used to waiting until their thirties or later, but the youngest first-time buyers are in Carlisle, aged 27, according to Halifax. Nationally, the average age is 30, which is just two years higher than when records began in […]