Many home owners have decided to rent their homes out instead of selling their property.  This is because they can’t sell or they don’t want to sell in the current slump of the property market which is costing & affecting millions of home owners across the country.

To ensure you say the right side of the law contact Empire via email or call us on 02476 551 400 to arrange a FREE NO OBLIGATION property appraisal and rental valuation.

And remember we offer  NO LET NO FEE on every property with competitive rates.

The Bank of England has delayed tackling rising inflation and kept interest rates on hold at 5%. Food and energy price rises had put pressure on the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee to raise rates to slow consumer spending, but it voted to keep rates steady for a fourth consecutive month. Steep rises in energy bills, such as British Gas's record hike last week, have added to inflationary concerns and calls for the Bank to raise rates, despite the risk of a recession also looming large. Economists had highlighted the risk of a rate rise, pointing out that one MPC member had called for a hike at July's meeting - sending a clear signal on the Bank's determination to control inflation. However, the real economy is also looking decidedly grim, with news earlier this week that activity in the manufacturing sector fell at its fastest pace for nearly a decade during July

The demand for rented properties remains strong as rising mortgage bills and calls for larger deposits put many buyers off, a report has claimed.

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents (Arla) said that 39% more agents reported that demand had outstripped supply in the last three months.

The Arla research, based on responses from 444 letting agents, showed a fall in the average length of time that a property remained empty between tenants, dropping from 24 days to 22 during the last three months.

It also found that 77% of landlords said they were not planning to either buy or sell properties in the near future.

A new compulsory Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), initiated by the EU in January 2003, will after extensive consultation and delays finally be introduced into the UK housing market from October 1st 2008.

The Energy Performance Certificate will be part of the Home Information Packs, and will detail average costs for heating, hot water and lighting in the home. It will also quantify how energy efficient the home is and how to cut costs with energy efficiency measures.

The reports, prepared by qualified home inspectors, will advise consumers on which energy measures - ranging from thicker loft insulation right through to solar panels - could cut carbon emissions from their home and improve their energy rating.

What buildings must have an EPC?
All residential, public and commercial buildings, including offices, hotels, schools, hospitals and leisure organisations will require energy certificates.

Suffering homeowners were offered a ray of hope yesterday with a prediction that house prices are likely to rise by 25% over the next five years.

In defiance of a welter of doom-laden figures on the property market, research for the National Housing Federation claimed the downturn would be over by 2010, leading to a return of rising prices.

Its optimism was based on the shortage of property being so acute that the decline will not become a full-blown bust.

But in the short-term there is no relief. The research, carried out by Oxford Economics, forecasts prices falling by a further 2.1% next year before beginning to rise in 2010, edging ahead by 1.3%.

It predicts a rise of 5.2% in 2012 and 9% in each of the following two years.