Helping Innovate Property (HIP) – Blog, Housing Market News and Articles

You might think that installing something as large and life-changing as a solar panel on your home means big repercussions on your insurance premium, whether for the better or worse.

Well, there’s a balance at work: on the one hand, environmentally aware homeowners like yourself are usually less likely to claim and insurers can’t really penalise people for doing something that’s so eco-friendly and positive. On the other hand, the solar panels are both valuable in themselves and add value to your home, which means your payout might have to be larger if you were to claim.

Read the rest of this entry »

These are tough times for first time buyers trying to get a foot on the first rung of the property ladder. The high loan to value mortgages of the noughties are consigned to banking history and these days, a deposit of 15% – 20% will need to be raised, along with legal costs, survey costs and all of the other expenses associated with moving in to a new home. In reality this means that first time buyers are needing to raise at least £15,000 to £20,000, often much more to have a hope of buying their first home.

Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’re becoming a landlord for the first time or just looking to maximise the income from existing properties, there are a number of things you can do to protect your investment.

Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing the right mortgage is possibly the biggest financial obligation most people make in their lifetime, so it’s imperative that you do your research before making your decision.

With an abundance of selections of mortgage options and an endless array of financial institutions offering their own programs, you can be left feeling overwhelmed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Landlord insurance is an extremely important thing for people in the property rental industry to have in place. Sometimes referred to as “buy-to-let insurance” for this exact reason, this form of cover is taken out as a means to protect a landlord’s property.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was reading about Nick Clegg’s proposal at the Liberal Democrat conference to impose an additional tax on empty homes the other day with the aim of stimulating the housing market and it got me thinking about a couple things. Firstly, why oh why did I think voting Liberal was a good idea and secondly, what could be done to stimulate the housing market?

Read the rest of this entry »

You would need to have been living on Mars for the past ten years not to know about the rise and fall of the UK Housing Market. From the incredible price inflation of the early 2000s to the near collapse following the 2008 banking crisis, house prices regularly make for headline news. So what’s next?

Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a lot of hubbub in the news lately surrounding the argument about whether social landlords are going to be given the power to evict troublesome tenants that caused mayhem during the riots last week. Ministers have revealed that they would back the decision for councils to evict tenants that were involved in causing wanton destruction on our streets. The general consensus of the public also seems to be that social landlords should be given powers to boot out unwanted, violent tenants.

Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’re selling up or staying put, it is important to be aware of factors that will increase and decrease the value of your property. The renovation process involves careful financial planning to ensure that the return on investment will push up your property’s price, while avoiding the risk of half finished projects and poor workmanship.

Read the rest of this entry »

Flooding is now a major problem for many parts of the UK, and as our climate changes, the problem is growing. As well as putting lives in danger, a flood can destroy homes and property in no time at all. If a property is found to be in an area at risk from flooding this can have a seriously negative effect on its value and increase insurance premiums.

Read the rest of this entry »

With the recession still in full swing many people are struggling to get onto the property ladder. People across the UK have found that they simply cannot afford to invest in the property market at the moment, yet, of course, they still need somewhere to live. So what is the answer? Simple, more and more people are choosing to rent properties instead of buying.

Read the rest of this entry »