Property | The Guardian

Housebuyers on millionaires’ turf unruffled by Osborne’s sales tax

Estate agents in Clapham, south London, saw deal frenzy after higher stamp duty announced in autumn statement

Housebuyers on millionaires’ turf unruffled by Osborne’s sales tax
Christmas comes early for estate agents after stamp duty changes

At certain price points the changes announced by George Osborne have created a new mood of optimism among buyers

Christmas comes early for estate agents after stamp duty changes

Stamp duty changes boost housing market and push up prices

Buyers spend their savings making higher offers while estate agents see sales rise the morning after autumn statement

Stamp duty changes boost housing market and push up prices
Let’s move to Dartmouth, Devon

It may not be an important port any more, says Tom Dyckhoff, but this attractive naval town has history, boutique bistros and just enough grit

Let’s move to Dartmouth, Devon
I had thought the New Era estate might spark a London revolution. I was wrong

Ian Jack

Ian Jack: The story of low-income tenants facing 400% rent hikes thanks to a profit-hungry consortium seemed just the kind of cause Londoners would rally behind. But even with Russell Brand in the vanguard, the barricades remain unstormed

I had thought the New Era estate might spark a London revolution. I was wrong
Bombed by bass: how the neighbours’ music turned my flat into a hellhole

Laura Kay

Laura Kay: You told us: The neighbours responded to our polite requests by making as much noise as humanly possible, shredding my nerves

Bombed by bass: how the neighbours’ music turned my flat into a hellhole

Winners and losers in the chancellor’s pre-election giveaway

Letters: Those with the least, those needing essential services are staring at the precipice. It’s not only the squeezed middle but the crushed bottom we need to worry about

Winners and losers in the chancellor’s pre-election giveaway
Stamp duty changes prompt buyer scramble to close property deals

London estate agents deluged by wealthy purchasers beating midnight deadline before housing tax rise

Stamp duty changes prompt buyer scramble to close property deals
Autumn statement 2014 - IFS warns cuts to come 'on a colossal scale': Politics Live blog

Andrew Sparrow’s rolling coverage of all the reaction to the 2014 autumn statement, including George Osborne’s interviews and the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ briefings

Autumn statement 2014 - IFS warns cuts to come 'on a colossal scale': Politics Live blog
Property investors in Islington who leave homes empty could face jail

London council proposes action after revealing 30% of homes built in last six years have nobody on the electoral register

Property investors in Islington who leave homes empty could face jail
Money Talks: stamp duty changes, rising house prices and British Gas fines

Plus vishing scams cost consumers £24m and payday loan brokers are subject to emergency action as regulator steps in

Money Talks: stamp duty changes, rising house prices and British Gas fines
Osborne stamp duty move does little to fix London's housing problems

It might help some first time buyers for a while, but the chancellor’s autumn statement doesn’t start to address the capital’s biggest housing issues

Osborne stamp duty move does little to fix London's housing problems
House prices rose 0.7% in November, Halifax says

Despite small increase, house prices are growing at slowest rate since February, with average UK property costing £186,941

House prices rose 0.7% in November, Halifax says
How can I find a short-term loan to refurbish a new property?

Property advice: I need money to buy and overhaul a smaller property before selling my current home – but I can’t find a lender to help

How can I find a short-term loan to refurbish a new property?
Stamp duty change set to boost house prices, experts say

Estate agents believe redesign will benefit existing owners more than buyers amid rush to push through sales of £2m-plus homes

Stamp duty change set to boost house prices, experts say
Autumn statement reaction: ‘it won’t get me on the property ladder’

Tenant Helen Kunda, 29, was hoping for more affordable homes and says cutting stamp duty makes little difference to her

Autumn statement reaction: ‘it won’t get me on the property ladder’
The Guardian view on George Osborne: he cannot be serious

Editorial: The chancellor poses as steadfast, but he continually rewrites his ‘long-term plan’ and has not come clean about the dreadful consequences of the endless cutting buried in the smallprint

The Guardian view on George Osborne: he cannot be serious
Stamp duty change shows Osborne is addicted to rising house prices

Patrick Collinson

Patrick Collinson: It is no surprise estate agents support the chancellor’s new stamp duty – sellers will want buyers’ savings added to the price

Stamp duty change shows Osborne is addicted to rising house prices
Autumn statement: what do the changes mean for you?

Whether you are a small business owner, a driver or a homebuyer, here’s how the chancellor’s plans will affect you

Live coverage and reaction

Autumn statement: what do the changes mean for you?
Osborne the cowboy budgeter has unveiled a job half done

Rafael Behr

Rafael Behr: The chancellor’s autumn statement shows he hopes we will be too fearful of yet more expense to hire a fresh economic contractor. It’s shoddy rebuilding work but smart politics

Osborne the cowboy budgeter has unveiled a job half done

Let’s move to Romsey, Hampshire

Florence Nightingale, Charlie Dimmock and the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine all lived in this timelessly English market town, says Tom Dyckhoff

Let’s move to Romsey, Hampshire
- Let’s move to Poplar, east London
  
  It may not be the prettiest place, Tom Dyckhoff says, but it has its moments… and the gentrifiers have it in their sights
  
  Let’s move to Poplar, east London
- Lets move to Winchelsea, East Sussex
  
  This hill town rising from the Sussex marshes has some lovely period property, like its neighbour Rye, says Tom Dyckhoff, but none of the crowds
  
  Lets move to Winchelsea, East Sussex
- Let’s move to Carlisle, Cumbria
  
  Nations have fought over this ruggedly beautiful border city, says Tom Dyckhoff, and it’s easy to see why
  
  Let’s move to Carlisle, Cumbria

Let’s move to Earlham and west Norwich, Norfolk

There’s more to Norwich than Delia and Alan Partridge, says Tom Dyckhoff, and this area around the UEA campus certainly cuts the mustard

Let’s move to Earlham and west Norwich, Norfolk
Let’s move to Faversham, Kent

It may have been the setting for TV’s Southcliffe, says Tom Dyckhoff, but this ancient port is far from grim – it boasts a pretty medieval centre, a picturesque quayside and the country’s oldest brewer

Let’s move to Faversham, Kent
Let’s move to Jedburgh, Roxburghshire

It might not be the wild border country it once was – and could have been again if the vote had gone the other way – but the town has history, Georgian town houses and gallons of heather-scented honey, says Tom Dyckhoff

Let’s move to Jedburgh, Roxburghshire
Let’s move to Sidmouth, Devon

‘If John Betjeman implies that Sidmouth is the loveliest seaside resort in England, who are we to argue?,’ says Tom Dyckhoff

Let’s move to Sidmouth, Devon
Let's move to Filey, North Yorkshire

An elegant, understated, proper old-school affair, Tom Dyckhoff says, with a rather wonderful prom

Let's move to Filey, North Yorkshire
Let's move to Wanstead, east London

With ancient royal connections, Wanstead could have been as posh as Richmond, says Tom Dyckhoff, and with soaring prices, it might be again

Let's move to Wanstead, east London
Let's move to Birchington-on-Sea, Kent

It's not modern, but it's marvellous, Tom Dyckhoff says

Let's move to Birchington-on-Sea, Kent
Let's move to Dolgellau, Gwynedd

Soggy in the weather department, but this town is structurally beautiful and all around is the wildness of Snowdonia

Let's move to Dolgellau, Gwynedd
Let's move to Haslemere, Surrey

'Haslemere seems like a town built for homeliness, comfort and seclusion,' says Tom Dyckhoff

Let's move to Haslemere, Surrey
Let's move to Sudbury and Long Melford, Suffolk

These villages are as pretty as England can get, with a catwalk of gorgeous stunning period property, says Tom Dyckhoff

Let's move to Sudbury and Long Melford, Suffolk
Let's move to Catford, south-east London

It's not the prettiest spot, says Tom Dyckhoff, but it has beautiful houses and is one of the last places in the capital that's still reasonably priced

Let's move to Catford, south-east London
Let's move to … Kirkcudbright and the Colvend coast

If it's dubbed the 'Scottish Riviera', says Tom Dyckhoff, it's because Kirkcudbright's brightly coloured houses, cafes and galleries offer a whiff of southern climes

Let's move to … Kirkcudbright and the Colvend coast
Let's move to Newcastle, County Down

Tom Dyckhoff: 'The town must be one of the most magically positioned seaside resorts in the British Isles'

Let's move to Newcastle, County Down
Let's move to Brixham, Devon

It has the pumping heart of a bona fide fishing town, with views that would give the Bay of Naples a run for its money, says Tom Dyckhoff

Let's move to Brixham, Devon
Let's move to Montgomery, Powys

If this perfectly preserved, tiny town wasn't in deepest Wales, it would be heaving with Prezzos and 4x4s, says Tom Dyckhoff

Let's move to Montgomery, Powys

How can I find a short-term loan to refurbish a new property?

Property advice: I need money to buy and overhaul a smaller property before selling my current home – but I can’t find a lender to help

How can I find a short-term loan to refurbish a new property?
Can we switch to a let-to-buy mortgage?

Property advice: We want to release some equity on the flat we let out, but fear we complicated matters by switching mortgages on it before

Can we switch to a let-to-buy mortgage?
- Can my sister-in-law dodge estate agent’s fees if she makes a private sale?
  
  Property advice: The problem is the estate agent introduced the buyer – I suspect they will try to make a claim for commission on the sale
  
  Can my sister-in-law dodge estate agent’s fees if she makes a private sale?
- I want my dad to move in with us but my sister is worried about the finances
  
  Property advice: My sister has queries about me receiving an inheritance early, as well as the tax implications and legal aspect of the arrangements
  
  I want my dad to move in with us but my sister is worried about the finances
- Can my sister and I get a mortgage on a house my mum will be living in?
  
  Property advice: We want to pay off my mum’s mortgage, let her live in her house and take out a joint mortgage, but want to know more details
  
  Can my sister and I get a mortgage on a house my mum will be living in?

Should I increase my share of my shared-ownership flat?

Property advice: I have saved £40,000 but am not sure whether to repay my mortgage, buy a bigger share or buy a property to let

Should I increase my share of my shared-ownership flat?
Should we buy our first home or carry on renting?

Property advice: We have a fairly small deposit of £15,000 property prices are going up quickly in the centre of Manchester, where we want to buy

Should we buy our first home or carry on renting?
Should I sell my two-bed flat in Brixton to fund a move to Manchester?

Property advice: I’m tempted to hang on to the flat as an investment, but selling it could allow me to be mortgage free

Should I sell my two-bed flat in Brixton to fund a move to Manchester?
We want to switch to an interest-only mortgage, but our lender won’t let us

Property advice: We have never been overdrawn or missed a monthly mortgage repayment, but our lender says we ‘no longer meet the criteria of affordability’

We want to switch to an interest-only mortgage, but our lender won’t let us
Are we liable for capital gains and inheritance tax on a gift to our mum?

Property advice: The equity release adviser said we would be, but I don’t want to hold up the sale of the house

Are we liable for capital gains and inheritance tax on a gift to our mum?
We want to extend our mortgage repayment to 15 years

Property advice: Our joint mortgage was taken out when we were both in work; things have changed but we want to keep it in both our names

We want to extend our mortgage repayment to 15 years
How can my partner and I ensure a fair divide in our new home?

Property advice: We are putting in unequal shares but don’t want the bother and tedium of ensuring all the costs are split proportionately.

How can my partner and I ensure a fair divide in our new home?
We want to ‘let-to-buy’ – but will we get a mortgage for the new property?

Property advice: My boyfriend and I each have a property we want to keep – as well as buy a new home together

We want to ‘let-to-buy’ – but will we get a mortgage for the new property?
Can my friend protect his rights if he and his partner buy on her mortgage?

Property advice: Between them they have a large deposit, but he has a bad credit history and probably won’t be eligible for a mortgage

Can my friend protect his rights if he and his partner buy on her mortgage?
Tenancy in common – solution to avoid selling my house for care home fees?

Property advice: I have been approached by a firm promoting this solution – it isn’t widely publicised and sounds too good to be true

Tenancy in common – solution to avoid selling my house for care home fees?
Am I liable for capital gains tax after letting my house?

Property advice: I lived and worked abroad, and then when I came back, I carried on letting the house

Am I liable for capital gains tax after letting my house?
Please help prevent a family feud over splitting a mortgage

Property advice: My sister and I disagree over how much I should pay to buy her out of a flat we bought in 2005

Please help prevent a family feud over splitting a mortgage
Should we use savings to pay off part of our Help to Buy loan?

Property advice: A reader wonders whether to use savings on Help to Buy, or to reduce her main mortgage – or to wait to remortgage

Should we use savings to pay off part of our Help to Buy loan?
What is the effect of changing our ownership to tenants in common?

My husband switched our joint tenancy and now I'm not sure if I would have to sell the house if he died before me

What is the effect of changing our ownership to tenants in common?
Will I be liable for stamp duty when the house comes to me after a divorce?

Property advice: And would the answer be different if my boyfriend takes on the mortgage repayments?

Will I be liable for stamp duty when the house comes to me after a divorce?

Mortgage repayment calculator

The Guardian's mortgage repayment calculator allows you to work out how much your mortgage will cost you each month

Mortgage repayment calculator
Factsheet Mortgages

A mortgage is a loan from a bank or building society that, because it is so large, is secured against the property you are using it to buy

Mortgages
More factsheets How to organise your finances

'How to' guides for a wide variety of personal finance issues including: claiming benefits, taking out a loan, interest rates, buying a house, insurance, pensions, savings and tax

How to organise your finances

Going underground – homes with covered parking

From a magnificent converted hospital in Bristol to the Stamp Exchange in Newcastle, these homes all offer secure parking among their other attractions

Going underground – homes with covered parking
Wine and dine in these houses with cellars

In vino veritas? You can find out, if you can afford these houses with space for your collection

Wine and dine in these houses with cellars
Once a vicarage – in pictures

From a 16th century four-bed house in Shropshire to a pricey pile in Pembrokeshire, all these properties have been vicarages

Once a vicarage – in pictures

Houses with towers – home and away

From a converted granary in Norfolk to a watch tower with potential in Italy

Houses with towers – home and away
See what's cooking in these houses with Agas

From a mews house in the Midlands to a rural retreat in Redgrave, these could be right up your street

See what's cooking in these houses with Agas
All in a day's work: houses with offices

From a stone-built garden eyrie in Cumbria to a glass-fronted garden room in Kent, we find properties where your office is but a few steps away

All in a day's work: houses with offices
Old mill houses – in pictures

Enjoy the soothing sounds of running water with these homes converted from former mills

Old mill houses – in pictures
Live the country life with these farmhouses

From a country house near Colchester to a farmhouse in France, these houses are all in rural idylls

Live the country life with these farmhouses
Homes in the most family friendly spots in England and Wales

We looked for family homes from the top 10 places to live according to the 2014 Family Hotspots Report

Homes in the most family friendly spots in England and Wales
The 10 most unaffordable places to buy a home in the UK – in pictures

We take a look at the areas where the average house price is most out of reach for people on the area’s average salary, with data provided by Centre for Cities

The 10 most unaffordable places to buy a home in the UK – in pictures
Gothic homes – in pictures

These ominous-looking homes can be yours … if you’re not too frightened

Gothic homes – in pictures
These castle homes will let you lord it up

From a turret in Trowbridge to a fort in France, these castle homes can be yours – if you’re prepared to put the work in

These castle homes will let you lord it up
Stamp duty free homes

From a seafront house in Sussex to a countryside retreat in Cumbria, these homes are all under £125,000

Stamp duty free homes
Houses ideal for entertaining – home and away

From a rock star’s retreat in Surrey to a Scottish shooting lodge, these properties will make you the host with the most

Houses ideal for entertaining – home and away
Welcome to Venice, China: Dalian copies canals, palaces … and gondoliers

The copycat city in north-eastern Liaoning province is just the latest example of China’s fondness for replicating Europe’s greatest architectural hits

Welcome to Venice, China: Dalian copies canals, palaces … and gondoliers
These houses with orchards could be the apple of your eye

If you like big gardens with easy access to fruit – or making your own cider – these houses could be right up your street

These houses with orchards could be the apple of your eye
Home and away: houses used for films

From a Regency mansion in Brighton to a former brewery in Wandsworth, these homes are ready for their close-ups

Home and away: houses used for films
Take the plunge with these clifftop houses

It’s only a short trip to the beach from these coastline properties. Vertigo sufferers should probably look elsewhere

Take the plunge with these clifftop houses
Home and away: houses in national parks

From a West Sussex cottage to an Arts and Craft house in the Lake District, you won’t have far to go for stunning views

Home and away: houses in national parks
Buildings by famous architects – in pictures

Snooping around: From a four-bedroom house by Edwin Lutyens to William Burn’s turreted fantasy, these well-designed properties stand out from the rest

Buildings by famous architects – in pictures

Terrible estate agents’ photographs Excrement, horses and toilets in the kitchen

You thought everyone trying to sell a house knew the golden rules of painting the walls magnolia, tidying away the junk and displaying fresh flowers? Think again
Why do estate agents use such awful pictures?
- Why do estate agents use such awful pictures?
Excrement, horses and toilets in the kitchen
Are skinny homes the new mansion house?

As property prices, particularly in the south-east, expand relentlessly, we look at a growing interest in narrowing houses
Could you live in a tiny house?
- Could you live in a tiny house?
Are skinny homes the new mansion house?
- One house for sale, two bodies in the garden – but no discount
  
  If you think having the previous owners buried in the back should knock down the price, think again
  
  One house for sale, two bodies in the garden – but no discount
- Experience I live in my car
  
  I always said I'd have my own estate by the time I was 40, but I didn't think it would be like this
  
  I live in my car
- Strictly for the super-rich The world’s most expensive penthouse
  
  It’s got a cinema, a marble disco, an infinity pool with waterslide, a bedroom the size of two tennis courts – and tables upholstered in stingray skin. Got £260m? Then the penthouse in Monaco’s new Odeon Tower could be for you
  
  The world’s most expensive penthouse

Living vroom The only place to park your supercar

The latest must-have feature for a luxury home? It’s livingroom with a showcase for your supercar

The only place to park your supercar
The £125k converted garage Brixton flat only just has room for a single bed

Converted garage attracts queue of buyers, but may now be rented for £700 a month

Brixton flat only just has room for a single bed
London's slimmest house weighs in at £450,000

Sporting a maximum width of just 99 inches, this property hits the market billed as 'a spacious living area'

London's slimmest house weighs in at £450,000

Oliver Burkeman: do socks and forks have feelings?

Buying stuff, we’re told, will make us happy – but how happy is our stuff?

Oliver Burkeman: do socks and forks have feelings?
What is a rare plant?

When it comes to rare plants, it’s all about economics: from the theft of the world’s smallest waterlily to a snowdrop bulb that sold for £725. But is the accepted definition of a ‘rare plant’ missing something vital, asks Robbie Blackhall-Miles

What is a rare plant?
Stamp duty changes prompt buyer scramble to close property deals

London estate agents deluged by wealthy purchasers beating midnight deadline before housing tax rise

Stamp duty changes prompt buyer scramble to close property deals
'This place saved my life': the gardening charity helping veterans - in pictures

Gardening Leave, one of the charities for the Guardian and Observer Christmas appeal on mental health, helps veterans heal mental wounds through horticultural therapy

'This place saved my life': the gardening charity helping veterans - in pictures

Kensington and Chelsea council set to outlaw ‘mega basement’ extensions

New rules aim to end ‘iceberg homes’ by limiting developments to a single storey and banning those under listed buildings

Kensington and Chelsea council set to outlaw ‘mega basement’ extensions
Gardens: the December checklist

As the year closes, use this breathing space for a winter clear-up, pruning and planning for a burst of seasonal colour, says Dan Pearson

Gardens: the December checklist
The garden of peace: helping veterans heal the mental scars of war

The charity Gardening Leave uses therapy to draw lost soldiers out of their isolation. Now it needs help to reach more of them, reports Tracy McVeigh

The garden of peace: helping veterans heal the mental scars of war
Ask Alys: your gardening questions answered

I have a Juliet balcony so can only grow things in pots. How can I grow celeriac successfully? Alys Fowler offers a potted answer

Ask Alys: your gardening questions answered
Alys Fowler: how to grow elephant garlic

It grows like a large leek, it’s perfect for roasting and baking, likes full sun and moist conditions, but not winter waterlogging, says Alys Fowler

Alys Fowler: how to grow elephant garlic
Strange beasts on the balustrade

Country Diary Wrest Park, Bedfordshire: Out of the fog came a jackdaw which landed on its stone head

Strange beasts on the balustrade
Buchan trap, blind siphon or Bristol interceptor – whatever you call it, it’s playing havoc with my drains

Ian Jack

Ian Jack: A Victorian house is a fragile and aging thing, filled with potential hazards and parts as unnecessary as tonsils or the appendix

Buchan trap, blind siphon or Bristol interceptor – whatever you call it, it’s playing havoc with my drains
Gardens: what to do this week

Join stargazers, get rid of diseased plums and plant rose ‘Blue Eyes’

Gardens: what to do this week
Gardens: winter pots

Lia Leendertz: Ten tricks to get the most out of your containers this season

Gardens: winter pots
How does your garden grow? The hairdresser, Hither Green, London

‘That strawberry tree has got a flat-top; the hydrangeas are more bouffant,’ says Jenny Harford. Interview by Jim Cable

How does your garden grow? The hairdresser, Hither Green, London
Alys Fowler: hot compost bin

‘It’s hot, sleek and sexy: I’ve fallen for my compost bin,’ says Alys Fowler

Alys Fowler: hot compost bin

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Factsheet Mortgages

More factsheets How to organise your finances

Terrible estate agents’ photographs Excrement, horses and toilets in the kitchen

Strictly for the super-rich The world’s most expensive penthouse

Living vroom The only place to park your supercar

The £125k converted garage Brixton flat only just has room for a single bed

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