"For the most part, I dress in 25 layers and I don't put my heating on." Essential housing costs - rent or a mortgage, council tax and fuel - set single people back £7,974 a year on average ...

The amount you pay as a down payment can influence your mortgage interest rate. Generally, larger down payments result in lower interest rates, as lenders see these as a sign of strong financial ...

However, by longer-term standards, affordability continues to be "stretched" with first-time buyers with a 20% deposit spending around 36% of their take-home pay on mortgage payments. That's well ...