Lower mortgage rates prompt property firm to change its outlook from 3% drop to a 2.5% increaseA decline in mortgage rates has prompted a forecaster to reverse its predictions of a fall in UK house prices in 2024, instead suggesting the average cost of a property could rise by £61,500 over the next five years.The property company Savills had forecast...

Most of 32,500 properties back online after mains pipe burst but hundreds to go without for another nightAbout 2,000 homes in Hastings are into their fifth day without water and will probably have to wait until at least Tuesday for their taps to be flowing again.On Thursday, 32,500 properties in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea were left without water...

Threatening to withdraw personal independence payments will only ramp up stress on unwell peopleThe best thing that can be said about the latest proposals from ministers to reform disability benefits is that they are unlikely ever to come to fruition. A consultation closes in late July, so the work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, can be expected...

As a bloke, I have been met with disbelief and suspicion when I’ve applied for part-time work. Didn’t I realise this was women’s work?The job I was applying for was three days a week. It was a backwards step, career-wise, but the hours were attractive. By that I mean that the role’s part-time nature would allow me to continue meeting my KPIs as majority...

Motorway will be shut both ways between junctions nine and 10 from 9pm on Friday until 6am on MondayDrivers tempted to bypass the official diversion for this weekend’s M25 motorway closure have been warned of potential ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) charges if they stray off course.The London orbital motorway is having its second ever planned closure,...

Affording a home has become a political issue as rents and prices soar and supply plummetsFix Europe’s housing crisis or risk fuelling the far-right, UN expert warns‘Everything’s just … on hold’: the Netherlands’ next-level housing crisisDecades in the making, Europe’s housing crisis is being felt from the Netherlands to Portugal, Greece to Germany,...