Cold houses affect the health of one in ten people over 50: Property news update

Just over half of over 50s are concerned about the expense of heating their home this winter

New research by Saga shows that just over half of over 50s are concerned about the expense of heating their home this winter, while 11 per cent say their health has been affected by living in a cold house.

In the poll of more than 10,000 over-50s, three in ten say they will heat only the rooms they live in and four per cent will reduce their spending on food in order to afford heating.

"In this day and age people should not have to make the choice between eating well or heating their homes," said Saga's head of communications Lisa Harris.

A third of renters have no home insurance

Figures from The Co-operative Insurance reveal that a third of renters have no home insurance to protect their contents.

Around 44 per cent of the 2,049 people polled said they simply couldn't afford it, while a quarter believe they don’t need insurance as they rent rather than own a property.

The research also showed that the average value of contents estimated by renters is £16,644.

Key to the door

Figures from Sainsbury's Bank show that one in 10 people admit to leaving their front door unlocked despite the property being unoccupied. Another eight per cent hide a key outside somewhere. The bank’s research also reveals that 16 per cent of homes have three or more sets of keys held by people that do not live in the property, such as cleaners or neighbours.

Britain's 'part-time' landlords

One in 20 British adults now rents out a property to supplement their main income, says LV= landlord insurance.

Its latest report estimates that landlords in London and the South East collect the highest rents at £1,079 and £816 respectively, followed by the West Midlands (£678) and East Anglia (£676).

John O’Roarke, Managing Director of LV= landlord insurance, said the trend was being driven by people moving to a new home and then renting out their old one - more than half of these landlords are renting out properties that they never intended to.

Household numbers to rise in Scotland's National Parks

Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that over the next 25 years the number of households is forecast to increase in Cairngorms National Park by 12 per cent, while Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park's will fall by four per cent.

"Scotland’s population is ageing, and the effect of this is greater in rural areas such as the National Parks," said Tim Ellis, the Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland. "By 2037, around half of households in Scotland’s National Parks are projected to be headed by someone aged 65 or over, compared to around a third of households in Scotland as a whole."