The average cost of a letting in Britain rose by an inflation-busting rate of 2.6 per cent during in 2019, property website Zoopla says.

As thousands of country pubs, shops and post offices have shut down over the past few decades, loneliness has become an increasingly serious problem for village folk.

The average price paid by a first-time buyer in Britain last year was £231,455, up 9% - or £18,252 - on a year earlier, according to research by Halifax.

More of us are renting. That won't come as a surprise given the struggle first-time buyers have when scrambling on to the property ladder.

East Hertfordshire includes market towns such as Bishop's Stortford and Hertford and was given the title after scoring well on several factors, such strong exam results and happiness scores.

Ranked above the hot-spots of the South East, such as Fareham - and the North's most sought-after districts of Selby and Hambleton - the No 1 spot to live has been awarded to East Hertfordshire.

The first Build to Rent development in London's Canary Wharf - where the flats were built for renting only - has opened to tenants, with rental prices starting at £2,123 a month for a studio.

We've outlined six things to consider if you've found a home that you want to buy, covering everything from budgeting for stamp duty to checking on the legal access to a property.

From spring cleaning your home to putting out fresh flowers and removing any pets, here are seven tips to make the most of the upturn in the property market and get your home sold quickly.

The decline of the great British pub is nothing to raise a glass to, but the growing trend of converting old inns into new homes means it's not last orders yet.

Being stuck in the house for a few weeks could be the ideal time for a spot of spring decluttering. In fact, it's already wildly popular: the hashtag #decluttering has nearly 300,000 Instagram posts.

Thousands of estate agents have accelerated plans to use digital technology to show off homes to buyers who they hope will remain interested until the virus outbreak subsides.

While dressing to impress for a video call seems to be all the rage, it's also giving us the chance to peek into other people's homes. So getting your walls primed for the camera is a worthy project.

We're trying to make sense of our lives in lockdown, hoping that a clear picture will emerge. But that's nothing new for dissectologists - as jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts are known.

A balcony in the heart of bustling South West London proved to be an unusual but perfect place to transform into a workout space for Kirsty Hendey.

The luxury facilities in the basement include a swimming pool, cinema room, a sauna, steam room, plunge pool, and sunken terrace, a gym, a bar and a wine cellar.

Concerns about cladding across Britain followed the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 as lenders refused to provide finance on homes made of combustible material - leaving flat owners unable to sell.

NEIL TWEEDIE writes about how owners of isolated country homes that were flooded in the aftermath of Storm Dennis received no help from authorities in areas including Worcestershire.

Tailored interior design has long been the preserve of those with deep pockets. It tends to attract those who live in the kind of homes where driveways are gated and AGAs come as standard.

The house is in the heart of South East London's Peckham, a trendy hotspot with railway arch bars and old-school pubs that offer a vibrant nightlife. It has two bedrooms and is for sale for £625,000.

The three-bedroom property has a bright yellow kitchen, wooden slats on the dining room ceiling and an avocado bathroom suite.

The property in London's affluent Pindock Mews in West London's Maida Value has fallen into a state of disrepair and needs a complete renovation.

Agents have called for more guidance as those due to move home, whether completing on a purchase or having committed to a rental are left unsure what will happen. 

Those in the middle of the buying process, such as Susanna Wood and Tom and Daniella Matthews pictured, told us they are now unsure whether they will be able to move as planned.

Craig Aynsley, 46 from Northumberland, has been unable to work for five years after two separate battles with cancer - but thought his life had turned a corner last year after finding his dream home.

Making home improvements to save money is still possible with a little bit of imagination - and online ordering. Toby Walne looks at all your options.

Andri Ragettli, who is a 22-year-old professional skier, was keen to stress that others should not try such moves at home as it is extremely dangerous.

Charlie Bubear and his family were spring cleaning their Hampshire home during lockdown when they found a German hand grenade from the First World War.

The stunning Georgian property in the capital's exclusive Hampstead spreads across four levels and comes with three bedrooms - but comes with a meaty price tag.

A private garden has become a highly desirable feature during the coronavirus breakdown, with homes in Barnsley, Doncaster and Burnley most likely to have a one, according to research.

A creative Australian mum has shared images of the jungle-inspired bedroom she decorated herself for her son. Posting online, she used wall prints, rustic styled furniture and orange and green colours.

Demand for rental properties has bounced back 30 per cent in the first two weeks of April after plummeting 57 per cent in the last two weeks of March, Zoopla said.

The house is in Devon's Torquay and was built in the 1930s, with curves, railings and windows that pay homage to the ocean liners of the time it was built.

My lease suggests that I must get permission to do this from the freeholder, but what happens if I don't?

Paul Hurton and Anthony Dunn, from County Durham, came up with a fantastic plan, taking a fence panel and fitting it with a hinge to form a table. The video has more than 1.8 million views.

Emma Cox, 37, from Lincolnshire, revealed how she transformed her kitchen walls using nothing more than 6,500 pennies, adhesive and grout.

We step inside seven homes around the country to find out what their interiors are like - and to find out if these match the external appearance of the properties.

The stunning house in Surrey's Kingston-Upon-Thames featured in the retailer's 2014 Christmas advert, which showed an inseparable boy and a penguin playing hide-and-seek together.

House hunters crave bigger home and prize open green spaces more than before, due to lockdown, according to a new survey by Savills.

Eriviat Hall, in Henllan, Denbigshire, Wales, has been designed to run as both a private home and a wedding venue as well as a house for rent, and has been put on the market for £1.65million.

How the property market will emerge from its deep freeze is not completely clear, but it is expected to look very different to home buying as usual.

Dettol and Lifebuoy promote hand washing with soap, setting aside their differences over hand hygiene standards