Rents in Private Sector Hit Record High

This article by BBC News Business on October 17th, 2013 is about the average cost of renting a home has now rise according to a survey by LSL Property Services.

 

The rental market has been affected by young adults' ability to buy

The average cost of renting a home privately across England and Wales has reached a record high of £757 a month, according to a survey.

Average rents rose by 2.1% in September compared with the same month a year earlier, LSL Property Services said.

This was a 1.8% increase on August, driven by a 3.3% rise in the south east of England.
The lettings group said that greater demand from tenants was pushing up prices.

"Higher rents in almost every region show that, despite government schemes, buying a first home is still a difficult aspiration," said David Newnes, director of LSL, which owns estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move.

"This is not only down to low salary growth, but also a general shortage of supply - which is the underlying reason why homes are getting more expensive. The long-term trend to renting therefore looks unlikely to change significantly in the near future."

The government has brought forward its Help to Buy scheme, which aims to assist those who can afford mortgage payments, but struggle to raise the necessary deposit to secure a mortgage and purchase a home.

However, critics have said that the scheme could create a housing market bubble, with official statistics suggesting UK house prices are already at a record high.

The LSL survey suggested that tenants' finances were stretched. Some 8.5% of all rent across England and Wales was late in September, up from 7.8% in August.

Article Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24566849

Help To Buy Lending Scheme Launch Sparks Homes Frenzy

This article by Sarah O'Grady of the Express on October 9th, 2013 tells us the launching of the 2nd version of the Help to Buy scheme swept up Britain's housing market in frenzy.

Borrowers leapt on the new Government initiative which will allow them to buy homes with 95 per mortgages and slash average deposit amounts.

As details emerged of the deals available from lenders, David Cameron said the project would unlock the housing market and help young people without rich parents get their own home.

HSBC became the first major bank outside state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds to announce it was joining the £12billion scheme.

Britain’s biggest mortgage lender Halifax also ann­ounced details of the home loans it would be offering.

Homes valued at up to £600,000 will be eligible with some estimates suggesting 180,000 loans could be taken out – despite fears that the scheme could spark a housing price bubble.

Taxpayers will guarantee up to 15 per cent of a property’s value, in return for a fee charged to lenders, allowing homebuyers to purchase with deposits as low as five per cent.

As the scheme was laun­ched, Mr Cameron visited a three-bedroom show home in Weston Favell, Northampton and met first-time buyers Kayleigh Groom, 28, and her partner Chris Day, 29, from Kettering.

The couple, who have been renting for five years, told him that Help To Buy would enable them to get on the property ladder.

Mr Cameron said: “What we’re doing is making sure that the typical family can buy the typical home.

“The couple I’ve just been with. They’ve both got good jobs. They’ve both got good prospects. They can afford mortgage payments but because they haven’t got a rich mum and dad they can’t get a mortgage. That isn’t fair. That isn’t right.

“So the Help To Buy scheme will help them to get a mortgage and make them homeowners.”

RBS and its NatWest subsidiary said they expect to sign up 25,500 first and next-time buyers over the three-year scheme. The two lenders are extending opening hours at 740 branches to cope with the demand.

Paul Smith, of haart estate agent, predicted Help To Buy will boost property deals by 10-15 per cent in the next 12 months and cut first-time buyers’ average deposit from £33,948 to £7,218.

He said: “We have seen a frenzy of activity with our branches overwhelmed by enquiries in the wake of the launch of Help To Buy.

“We have had the best first week of October for nine years. Last year we had 3,800 buyers registering in that first week, this year it was 7,281 – that’s a staggering 92 per cent increase.”

Article Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/property/435438/Help-To-Buy-lending-scheme-launch-sparks-homes-frenzy

 

Deposits Fall and Home Affordability in the UK Improves

According to the new research from Lloyds TBS, the average deposit put down by home owners in the UK in 2013 was £70,540, just 6% higher than a decade ago as as shown on this September 2nd, 2013 article by the Property Wire.
 
The research report says that the average age of a home mover is 40 and affordability for second steppers, that is those moving to their second home, has improved over the last year but fallen over the last decade.

The research also shows that since 2008, the average price paid by a home mover has fallen by 10% from £235,078 to £212,586 in 2013. Nationally, home mover property prices grew by 3% in the past year.

Not surprisingly home movers in London, where prices have been rising faster than in the rest of the country, put down the largest average deposit at £126,528 or 34% of the average property value. This is close to three and half times the average deposit put down by home movers in Northern Ireland at £36,912 and the lowest in the country.

The average mortgage advance for a new home mover is £142,046, a quarter higher than a decade ago when it was £101,472.

With the average age of a home mover now at 40 years old, this has increased three years since 2002 when it was 37 in 2002. Most of the increase in buyer age has occurred since 2007.

Typical mortgage payments for a home mover, that is those already in the housing market, stood at 31% average gross disposable earnings in the second quarter of 2013. This has come down sharply from an all time peak of 52% in 2007. This improvement has been due to a reduction in both mortgage rates and house prices.

Housing affordability for second steppers, calculated as the average price of a typical second stepper home less their current equity position, stood at 4.4 times gross annual average earnings in June 2013 compared with a ratio of 4.9 in June 2012.

A typical second stepper's current equity position accounts for 13% or £21,200 of the price of an average second stepper home, a rise from 1% in 2012.

Although the position has improved for those looking to put down a deposit on a new home, for some potential second home movers this may still not be sufficient to put towards a deposit when also taking the cost of moving into account.

‘Housing affordability for the typical second stepper has improved in the past year.

Nonetheless, there are many potential second steppers who are still in their first home which they bought in the run up to and at the peak in house prices in 2007. Many of these home owners may still be unable to move due to having either very low, or negative, equity in their homes,’ explained Nitesh Patel, housing economist at Lloyds TSB.

‘The lack of equity for many home owners in their existing home largely explains why the number of home movers in the first six months of 2013 was broadly unchanged compared with a year earlier in sharp contrast to the number of first time buyers growing by close to 20% over the period,’ Patel added.

The report also reveals a considerable variation in housing affordability between regions, with northern regions more affordable than southern regions for second steppers. This is largely a reflection of the lower prices for second stepper properties in the north. The West Midlands and East Midlands both at 3.1, are the most affordable regions for those in their first home looking to take their next step on the property ladder. While London at 5.7, the South West at 4.6 and the  East at 4.5 are the least affordable.

Article Source: http://www.propertywire.com/news/europe/uk-property-deposits-afford-201309028183.html