What do people leave behind when they move house? Property news update

Plus, mortgage deposits, self build figures, and boiler concerns

(Alan Cleaver)

Pet snakes, cash, and swords are among the items left behind by people moving house.

The report from online estate agent PerfectAgent shows that just over half of nearly 1,000 movers admitted they had left personal belongings behind in the rush to move out.

Nearly two thirds even said they had forgotten to take money carefully stashed in a 'hiding place' - a fifth of these said they had nearly lost more than £500 this way.

Around the country, Londoners were most likely to leave phone chargers and vacuum cleaners behind, while it was cutlery and sweets for those in Birmingham. In Bristol, bicycles topped the list and in Cardiff it was Christmas decorations.

However, a third of people also said they had deliberately left things behind with heavy safes topping the unwanted list.

Self build figures down

Self build planning applications in 2014 have fallen since 2008.

The Barbour ABI figures reveal that 16,792 self build planning applications were submitted in the first three quarters of 2008, compared to to 12,159 this year. In the Midlands and East Anglia, applications are down 35 per cent and in Wales by 62 per cent.

The Government announced new measures in the 2014 Budget to increase the amount of self build projects including giving custom builders the right to a suitable plot of land for self build housing.

Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: "Given the economic conditions in the UK over the past six years it is perhaps unsurprising that the appetite to build your own home has diminished. However, there are currently six million people in Britain who would like to commission their own house according to the National Self Build Association."

Boiler woes

A new survey from Gocompare.com suggests that a quarter of householders are concerned about their boiler breaking down - and that many would struggle to pay for repairs.

Only just over a quarter of the 2,000 people surveyed said they had money set aside for a bill of up to £300, while another quarter had taken out specific boiler cover.

Jeremy Cryer Gocompare.com's energy spokesperson, said: "Boilers are one of the most expensive items in your home to replace or repair but many people don't give them a thought. Several energy suppliers offer specialist boiler insurance which covers you against the cost of emergency repairs and the price usually provides an annual service. If you are considering insurance, you should check your household buildings insurance policy for home emergency cover first because your boiler might already be protected."

Mortgage deposits

The average Help to Buy mortgage guarantee deposit fell to just under £9,000 in September, according to the Mortgage Advice Bureau, a fall of three per cent compared to August.

"The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme continues to fill a void in the market in terms of affordability, offering a realistic way into the property market for buyers who are unable to save a large deposit," said Brian Murphy, head of lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau.

"Our data shows that even those aspiring owners who haven’t begun the task of saving until now can still feasibly become homeowners through the scheme in a relatively short space of time, while sharing the deposit with a partner or friend could reduce this period of saving to under a year."