Although the vast majority of us never have to worry about crime in and around our area, others are not so lucky. All over the country Police Surgeries are being set up so the residents can meet their local officers and also share any issues they have. A police community support officer said: "You can talk to us ...

While many parents are helping their kids to get a foot on the property ladder there is now another option available, which could ease the burden. First-time buyers could see an increase in numbers due to the reintroduction of higher loan-to-value (LTVs) mortgages, it has been asserted. With banks such as Abbey curre...

Many of us are struggling to make ends meet but for some the point of no return has been reached and they can no longer make mortgage payments. This could be a serious problem and if left could lead to eviction and house repossession. Now help is out there in the form of temporary government grants. The Homeowners Mor...

New market research has revealed that parents will be left with a £2 billion clean-up and repair bill after dealing with their little darlings through the long summer holiday. Home accident claims, ranging from broken windows to trashed furniture, leap up almost 25 per cent over the school summer holidays. More...

Many of us look forward to the warm summer months. Things always seem to be better when the sun is shining and the weather is clement. The warm nights full of friends and wine in the garden can be a real tonic for some. However, we should be careful not to invite unwanted company into our homes in the summer. Accordin...

Having a garden is so important to many homeowners that they would give up additional rooms in order to get one, says a new survey. Two thirds of homeowners say that they would give up a utility room for a decent outside space, while more than half would go without an extra bathroom or bedroom. The supply of propertie...

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called for new regulations to "design out crime" in new properties. This would benefit up to 400,000 homeowners in the first year alone and save the economy £3.2billion over the next 20 years. The ABI estimated that simple measures such as burglar-proof doo...

The floods a few years ago took many of us by surprise not least those that were tragically affected. However, it has lead to an insurance back-lash and now insurance companies are refusing to insure without adequate flood defences in place. Half a million homes in the UK are still at high risk of flooding, home insur...

Students should ensure that their personal items are insured under the contract of their house insurance, warn experts. Research by a well known insurance firm has shown that student theft is a rapidly growing phenomenon with stealing on campuses across the country costing £126 million a year. Nearly half of al...

Britain's homeowners are not concerned about the threat of burglary despite living in the most burgled nation in Europe, according to new research. A survey in a well known Sunday newspaper showed that the UK has a burglary rate of almost double that of its European neighbours but research from an insurance firm repor...

We all know that where you live can influence choices in your lifestyle. For example, which schools your children go to or which train line you use. However, it seems that our postcode can also make a difference to our home insurance premiums as well. A recent survey has found that people living in some areas of the c...

The interest in owning a house on a carbon-free development is growing, says a green housing official. More than 2,000 people have expressed their desire to buy an environmentally friendly house claims a company specialising in zero energy development. If the home insurance industry were to follow the example set by ...

Spring is typically the time of year when unseasonably warm spells are interspersed with cold snaps; being the peak time for domestic leaks. When temperatures drop below freezing, frozen water within pipes expand, causing the pipe to swell and crack. Once this thaws, water can leak from the cracks, causing considerable...

We are all trying to do our bit to save the Earth. Whether it is recycling our household waste or trying to buy goods without too much packaging it all helps. It seems that we are also prepared to spend a little more as well. New research has found that people in Britain would be willing to fork out more for environme...

More than a quarter of energy customers in the UK owe money to their energy suppliers, according to new research. Statistics from an online comparison site show that 6.8 million households are currently in arrears, with the average debt owed to firms being around £114. This amount of debt will prevent consumers ...

In these days of itemised phone bills and transparent online banking, it may seem strange that, when it comes to utilities bills, a significant proportion of UK consumers are still not being charged for what they actually use. Instead, some of the Big Six suppliers offer their customers the chance to pay a set monthly...

Just a year after claiming that they were struggling to cope with dwindling supplies and soaring wholesale prices, the UK's biggest utilities firms seem to be doing alright for themselves again. Despite increasing profits, consumers have been warned to expect rising costs for the next two years at least. Global wholes...

Recently, much has been made of the potential long-term benefits of smart energy meters. Not only will they help save consumers money, their supporters argue, but they will also help the UK to dramatically reduce its overall carbon emission levels and reach ambitious European Union-wide environmental targets. However,...

Despite the fact that nuclear power continues to split opinion as much as ever before, British households may face no choice but to stump up for a new generation of reactors, with the money being added onto their utilities bills. That is according to new plans being considered by ministers keen to address the dual iss...

Though a majority of struggling consumers are more likely to be worried over how they are going to pay their next bill than they are over party politics, plans have been announced that could endear MPs to many homeowners. Speaking at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, the shadow energy and climate...