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Published: 23 March 2021

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First - time buyers must typically find £59,000 for a deposit, research shows. The figure has risen by nearly 312,000 in the past year, Halifax says.

Rising house prices and requirements for a bigger deposit as a proportion are to blame for the rise.

The average deposit - about a quarter of the asking price - is highest in London at £132,685, with Northern Ireland the lowest at £30,150. Andrew Asaam, Halifax mortgages director, said; "Raising a deposit is still the biggest struggle for those looking to take their first step on to the property ladder."

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Published: 18 March 2021

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Britain's most expensive rental house is up for grabs - at a cost of £238,333 a month!

That's the same price as a decent four-bed semi in Sheffield with mortgage payments of just £959 a month.

For £2.8 million a year, tenants get the six bedroom property in London's exclusive Chelsea.

The detached five-storey Victorian home comes with its house manager and chef. It boasts a swimming pool, sauna, lift and concierge service.

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Published: 17 March 2021

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Many people have invested in inflatable hot tubs to escape the stresses of lockdown on bubbling jets of water. But their therapeutic qualities could be vastly overstated - if insurance claims are anything to go by.

Among the blood pressure-raising hot tub mishaps Aviva has seen are grass strimmers slicing through them, engagement rings ripping the lining and birds pecking holes in covers. They proved such a nuisance last year that the insurer said accidental damage claims for hot tubs shot up by 188 per cent in 2019.

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Published: 16 March 2021

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Property sellers are set for a bonanza Easter as the stamp duty holiday extension sparks record demand, experts say.

This month, average asking prices are already up £2,484 to £321,064 as frenzied buyers battle over limited supply, according to Rightmove.

The property website said the number of enquiries per listing on its website was at a record high, meaning this could be one of 'the best ever Easters to sell'. It comes as forecasters said prices were likely to soar again after Chancellor Rishi Sunak extended the stamp duty holiday to the end of June.

Easter is traditionally the busiest time of year for estate agents, with Rightmove saying agreed sales in the first week of March were already up 12 per cent on the same period last year. The website's Tim Bannister said record low interest rates and the desire for better homes sparked by lockdown had also created the biggest excess of demand over supply for ten years.

'Blossoming demand coinciding with blossoming gardens should put a spring in the steps of sellers,' he added. 'More coming to market will provide a much needed increase in the choice of property for the many looking to buy.'