Faisal Islam
Hundreds of new homes from Help to Buy: at what cost?
It’s the centrepiece of the government’s plans to get the economy going after three years of meagre growth.
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Do Shelter’s housing claims stack up? FactCheck
Shelter has released startling figures for how many families could find themselves homeless if they lose their job. Are they right?
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FactCheck: Has Osborne hit home on the budget?
Are plans for the help to buy scheme likely to live up to government expectations? Based on previous housing policies, FactCheck isn’t so sure.
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FactCheck: Cameron’s claims on housing are a non-starter
David Cameron’s found figures showing housebuilding starts are up since 2009. There’s a reason he chose that year as his starting point, FactCheck discovers.
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Jackie Long
Is it common sense to sell off our social housing?
It is a blindingly obvious idea, according to the housing minister, Grant Schapps. What’s not to like?
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FactCheck: The shaky foundations of the government’s latest grand design
“All these things would take a toll on your wallet, not to mention your marriage, sanity etc.”
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FactCheck: Ken v Boris on affordable housing
As the bitter battle for London’s City Hall rumbles on, Ken Livingstone threw in an old claim about affordable housing. But was it a good one? Team Boris didn’t think so. Pinging an email through to FactCheck, Boris’ camp labelled Mr Livingstone’s statement as a “false claim”. They added: “The London Development Database reports that there were actually 2,240 affordable starts over the same six month figures (April and September 2011)”. Who’s right? FactCheck homes in.
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Faisal Islam
Housing plans ignore astonishing numbers
It’s rare that the government serves up a truly astonishing statistic. But the latest affordable housing stats certainly qualify, writes Economics Editor Faisal Islam.
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Faisal Islam
Mass house-building and localism: a difficult marriage
Yet another housing initiative is announced, but will it make up for the 260,000 planned homes that have been pulled by councils? Marrying local planning with the free market is a risk for the UK’s housing market.
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Jon Snow
The shocking truth about Britain's housing crisis
Ahead of Monday night’s Dispatches programme – “Landlords from Hell” – Jon Snow compares his last encounter with a crisis in housing – and the new 21st Century version.
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Robbing Waltham Forest to pay Waverley? The New Homes Bonus, brick by brick
FactCheck has taken ministers to task before on local government funding. Are they robbing from the poor again in an effort to curb the housing crisis?
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Are the Conservatives the party of urban regeneration?
David Cameron has repeatedly committed his party to urban regeneration, but has his government’s decision to shelve the “Pathfinder” programme broken that commitment?
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Jon Snow
The House That Jack Didn't Build
Jon Snow asks if the UK would be in a welfare crisis if the housing sector was more healthy.
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Faisal Islam
How buy-to-let was bailed out, is back, and may be bad for Britain
The buy-to-let property market is back, thanks to the bailed out banks – but it comes at a price and there will be winners and losers, writes Economics Editor Faisal Islam.
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Faisal Islam
‘Monster’ one month fall in house prices
What a monster of a figure. A 3.6 per cent fall in house prices in one month. That is off the scale. I was not aware that such a fall was even feasible. It has never happened before in the entire history of the landmark Halifax House Price Index, since it started in 1983.