Cash boost for first-time buyer scheme

First steps

HCA drops £200m single agent plan

The Homes and Communities Agency has ditched plans to raise £200 million for affordable homes by creating a single agent to manage shared ownership products next year.

Housing strategy receives mixed reaction

Reaction to the government’s housing strategy has been mixed with some welcoming it while others have attacked it as being ‘far from radical’.

Councils broach mortgage market

A growing number of councils are looking to become mortgage lenders in a bid to enable first-time buyers to get on the property ladder.

Government launches mortgage guarantee scheme

The government has pledged to support first-time buyers by offering security on low-deposit mortgages.

Ready for lift off

House builders must be ready to react if government initiatives deliver a boost to the sector, says property expert Rebecca Kibby

Solving the land puzzle

If organisations share buildings the leftover sites can be pieced together for development, says Alan Stokes

We mean business

Landlords can boost revenues and put something back into the community by setting up a social enterprise, as Anita Pati finds out

The legal aid lifeline

Cuts to legal aid and new spending restrictions mean tens of thousands of tenants will no longer be eligible for free housing advice. Jess McCabe visits a law centre to investigate the likely impact of the changes

The right combination

Landlords should ensure the benefits of combined heat and power systems outweigh the burdens, says Nnenna Morah, senior associate in the housing team at Lewis Silkin