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Following the Mortgage Market Review by the Financial Conduct Authority, the process of getting a mortgage is likely to get harder with potentially less money available to people to borrow. The new rules are designed to protect borrowers from taking on more debt than they can afford and lenders will now be looking in more depth at borrowers’ finances. From the end of April, all monthly payments and household expenses such as utility bills will be looked at and validation of these may be required. Bank statements will be gone through with a fine tooth comb and questions may be raised about any...
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ARLA report shows reluctant landlords may become a thing of the past Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) research reveals that the number of people letting out properties because they have been unable to sell has dropped to a record low. According to ARLA’s latest quarterly report, the percentage of letting agents seeing an increase in rental property entering the market because it cannot be sold has fallen to just 13%. This figure represents the fourth consecutive fall, and is far below the 94% high recorded when the question was first asked at the start of 2009, during the...
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With the average house price in the UK being £254,000 and £500,000 in London, the average salary of £26,500 isn’t anywhere near enough to cover buying a home. Even if you go in with a partner earning the same, there is still around a £50,000 deposit required get a mortgage. Many find it hard to scrape together living costs, let alone save for a deposit when living away from the parental home. Thankfully the bank of Mum and Dad is there for many. Around 80% of first time buyers under 30 get financial assistance from their parents according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. That’s a...
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In 2013, just under 40,000 tenants were evicted from their homes by court appointed bailiffs according to the Ministry of Justice. This is the highest number since records began and is exasperated in London where rents are rising faster than wages. If people lose their jobs or their unsustainable lifestyles catch up with them when their credit supply stops, how can you protect against loss of rent? The simple answer is landlord insurance. Before the tenants even sign a tenancy agreement, a comprehensive reference check should be carried out looking into their last tenancy to see if they paid...
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With just under 8.2 million people squeezed into 606 square miles, London is one of the most populous places in the UK and 24th in the world. All these people need a place to live. London is often in the top 5 of the world’s most expensive cities to buy property and in 2013 it was number 2 just behind Monaco. Why are London prices so expensive and tipped to continue rising? The simple answer is that it is the financial capital of Europe and quite possibly the world. From the City of London to Canary Wharf, vast sums of money exchange hands each day with bankers, insurance brokers and lawyers...