Do you need a UK guarantor?

As the UK government's coronavirus vaccination process continues to impress, the wider effects of the pandemic remain. Among those adverse effects is a drop in household incomes which is limiting many renters plans to exit the lettings market and buy their own home.

If you have to make a large or complex claim on your home or landlord insurance, the insurance company will probably appoint a loss adjuster to manage it. But what is their role, and are they on your side or not?

While the extension of the stamp duty holiday announced in the budget earlier in March was welcomed by many home buyers and sellers, many renters in the process of saving their deposit to buy were likely less thrilled.

As signs emerged in February and March 2020 that the coronavirus pandemic was going to cause much financial hardship, the government put a number of rules in place to protect the population

Halifax’s house price index has found that the average house price now stands at £249, 870, a 7.3% rise on last year, and the strongest growth since June 2016. Across the last three months, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender approved more mortgage applications from both first time buyers and homemovers than anytime since 2008. 

The UK's Ministry of Justice is piloting a new dispute resolution service to help avoid disagreements between tenants and landlords from escalating and reaching costly and time-consuming court proceedings. While mediation is something that a number of letting industry trade bodies support, including ARLA Propertymark, the group says any investment needs to focus on ensuring the service is available to those involved much earlier in the process.

A little over a year on from the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic has seen multiple last-minute extensions on eviction bans for UK tenants. While this has helped stop people becoming homeless, it has also caused anxiety, stress and loss of income in the industry. 

As the UK government attempts to look ahead to life without restrictions, it is once again moving forward with discussion on reforms to the country's Private Rental Sector (PRS).

Two separate reports show that rents have risen in recent months as demand for property in the lettings market remains high. The data suggests the recovery in demand for rental homes has continued over the third quarter of the year with one stating it expects demand to remain strong and push rents higher.

As the end of a difficult year comes into sight, recent research delivers an unusual result in the UK's rental market; average rents in countryside locations rose in October, while city properties proved less popular with tenants and rents fell. This dynamic, which is a reversal from the same time a year earlier, means the difference in average rents between the two locations has narrowed.

A recent survey shows that student living costs have risen sharply in the past year and as the next academic year rolls around those studying for a degree may need to make use of some budgeting advice and apps to help them make the most of their income.