Abbey National mortgage customers facing difficulties on the back of the credit crunch are being asked to consider taking in lodgers to make ends meet.
Across the country there are currently over 18 million households with an unused bedroom that could be offered out for rent. The average rental price paid for a bedroom in a house is just under GBP290 per month according the Abbey National figures and represents extra money that the homeowner could find very useful.
Anyone considering this option should ensure the terms of the mortgage are not being breached in any way and also that any insurance cover is still valid for the homeowners property. Abbey National expect there to be few problems but ask homeowners to check before going ahead.
Looking at activity in the housing market the Ntionwide Building Society sees that the most popular type of property for a first time buyer is the traditional terraced house.
Figures show that approximately 38 percent of people looking to get on the property ladder go for a terraced house, preferring these over other types of accommodation. In the housing market as a whole just over 25 percent of houses bought are terraced so the preference for terraced houses for first time buyers is considerable.
Logically it makes sense that this is the case since terraced properties tend to be both smaller and less expensive to buy than larger places. This means they can be better suited to a first time buyers requirements and also easier to get a mortgage for since the cost is less. The Nationwide Building Society has seen that prices for terraced houses are rising quickly though.
Sales of property with values over GBP1 million went up by 36 percent in 2007 compared with the previous year according to Halifax data.
There were over 8,250 sales of million pound plus properties, with over three quarters of them being in the south east of England and London. The largest increase in sales of million pound properties was in Scotland, where the measured increase by the Halifax was 138 percent. This was followed closely by the north east of England, with a 136 percent increase.
The south east has always had strong property values, said a Halifax representative, so it is not surprising to see it heading the number of sales list. It is also notable that rising property prices nationwide have driven up these type of sales further afield.
