Four years after the 2008 financial crisis, average house prices in Britain are more than six times the average wage. In London and the south east, they are over 13 times the average wage. As banks and other mortgage providers demand deposits of between 20 and 50 percent, aspiring home owners find themselves trapped in an ever-shrinking private rental market.

Traditionally, private property rental in Britain was a relatively small market niche. Most Britons lived in government-owned social housing or bought their own homes. The private rental market contracted during the 1950s and 1970s with increasing social and private housing developments.

Today, the construction of new housing – whether social or private – is at its lowest level since the 1920s. Property rents are 30% more and rising than a mortgage for the same home. Unless tenants have significant financial help from family, inherit money or win the lottery, many of them in their 20s, 30s and even 40s cannot afford a deposit on a new home.

There is a major north-south divide in the property rental markets. The average monthly rent for a one or two-bedroom flat is Elmbridge, Surrey is between £1,000 and £1,500. In the Midlands and North of England, monthly rents average £500. The house price and rental bubble in London and the whole region within the M25 motorway has its roots in the central London market. House prices and rents were boosted by the purchase of luxury properties in London by high net worth individuals and international corporations. The price rises rippled out to the London suburbs and the commuter belt beyond.

Home repossessions following a mortgage default have been lower during the present economic crisis than during the previous crisis in the late 1980s and early 1990s. According to government estimates, banks have deliberately avoided repossessions in order to protect their own vulnerable balance sheets. A repeat of the early 1990s repossessions would have resulted in more property on the market together with a significant housing price drop.

Rental property scarcity has generated signs of growth in the private buy-to-let market. Mortgage providers are creeping back into the lending market to offer new deals to existing homeowners who buy a second property as an investment. This private rental sector will form the core of new rental property growth in Britain, analysts say.

In contrast to most of Europe and the United States, institutional investors are a very week presence in the British housing rental market. As dominant providers of property to rent in Europe and the United States, institutional investors have smoothed the rental market volatility. In Britain, small investors are returning to the buy-to-let market to supplement their incomes, usually pensions. These small investors will pass expected interest rate increases to tenants as higher rents.

Property market analysts expect that housing rents will account for an increasing proportion of a family’s outgoing. Landlords will still face constraint on rent increases as these may trigger arrears. Two months of rent arrears can wipe out the annual earnings of a buy-to-let property landlord.

If your dog misbehaves, good pet insurance companies may offer some financial assistance for corrective behavioural training. Check with your insurance provider to confirm this is insured in your policy – cheap pet insurance may not include it. Pet insurance could then cover the cost of behavioural lessons, professional behavioural advice and other help for your dog.

As well as helping with behavioural problems, pet insurance can also assist with the financial costs of resolving other illnesses that can lead to poor behaviour. If your dog is biting, chewing, gnawing or behaving in other ways out of character, it could be a symptom of a more serious condition. Pain or discomfort can often manifest in destructive behaviour if left untreated, and you may want to give your dog a full health check at the vets just to be sure.

To protect your home and your pet, you may also want to make sure your dog is as comfortable as possible so he or she does not damage your furniture. One way to do this is to give your dog their own bed or sleeping mat. This will make your dog feel territorial and proud of his or her special area of the house, and therefore less likely to start jumping on the sofa or trying to occupy your bed.

If your dog does try to damage your furniture, you should teach him or her the correct way to behave using rewards and responsible discipline. Give your dog a treat when he sleeps in his own bed, for example, and use a firm voice if you catch him misbehaving. Do not use force with your dog if they damage your home, as you will find a positive system of treats and rewards is more effective and kinder to your dog.

In fact, it is part of your duty as a pet owner to ensure your dog shows proper behaviour. The 2006 Animal Welfare Act states that pet owners are legally obliged to ensure their pet has the ability to express normal behaviour.¹

So whilst pet insurance cannot directly cover the cost of damage to your home caused by your pet, pet insurance can financially protect you against other elements of this problem.

[1] – www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/changingthelaw/whatwechanged/animalwelfareact

About John Lewis Insurance

John Lewis Insurance offers a range of insurance services selected by the John Lewis Partnership. These include car, pet, life, travel, wedding, event and home insurance products, details can be found online: http://www.johnlewis-insurance.com/homepage/home-insurance.html.

For more information about John Lewis Pet Insurance please visit the website here – www.johnlewis-insurance.com.

The inclination here is to throw ones hands up in the air and say, well if even the pro’s think it’s a challenge, I’m doomed. A little dramatic don’t you think. Stop take a breath and acknowledge that you don’t really want to admit defeat before you even really get the lay of the land. As is true with most decorating conundrums there is a formula of sorts to be followed. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the approach you’ll be smiling to yourself, and wondering why you ever doubted your ability.

Here you go, let’s assess what we know. Resources are limited, especially the big ticket items. Perhaps you are dealing with a sea of tartan covering armchairs, sofas, loungers, table chairs and anything else that involves upholstery. While we mean no disrespect to tartan material at all, very few people want it everywhere, and even fewer want a mixture of furnishings in differing tartans. The key is to choose one piece in which one of the colours is of a modern feel, even if it is the least prominent of all those displayed. In fact, the smaller the amount of your profile colour the better because it is that colour that you are going to repeat in the soft furnishings you acquire.

If you are not feeling confident in this plan, let’s look to an example of how this is used in art to build your sureness. When you take a work of art in to be given a matt and frame, a talented assembler will look to a colour that is not prominent and “pull it out” by pairing it with a matt that is the very same shade. Did that boost your belief in the process?

Take a sample of the fabric with you every time you head out for more decorations and furnishings for the house. You will want to look for pillows, throw blankets, rugs, in that colour, and shades of it. Careful now, that doesn’t mean get everything else in that colour, intermingle it with neutrals such as the proper white (beige / cream /eggshell) to really get a balance.

Trends, and hot styles come and go with the seasons, but no one I know is ever going to try and switch things out every time they do. Well, that is unless they have a changeable fabric headboard. Long gone are the days when we would cringe at the term slipcover. They were once ill fitted, premade accessories intended to conceal worn, tattered furnishings. Since, the slipcover has come leaps and bounds from that entrée into society.

Now, they are beloved and can be found in well made visually stunning forms. Think of them as clothing for your furniture, no longer to hide, but to define a piece. Whether you decide to have them specially made, or prefer those already made you can obtain gorgeous fabric covers for little expense. You can be a member of that small elite group that actually converts a space according to trend, and do it for little out of pocket. This is what I call super-duper.

The best advice is to start with a chair that is mainly wooden, or does not require all over fabric. Choose one that has a seat that can readily be popped out. Remove it from the rest of the chair, undue the tacks or furniture staples and get rid of the unwanted fabric and old foam. Cut new foam to match the old one, then get a longer batting piece to secure the foam in place with a staple gun on the underside. Finally cut the fabric so it is long enough to wrap around the edge of the cushion, leave more than you think you will need. Always better to be safe than sorry. Staple the fabric in place on the underside, and you are finished.

Designer Look

You can make adorable curtains for a little girl, or boys room with ribbon. To make such playful curtains all you need for supplies are a café rod with the measurements to fit the space you are filling. Then decide upon four different ribbons, but each one should coordinate with the others. For example, get them all in different strengths of navy blue, and some with sailboats, some with moons, some with stars, and others with stripes.

The length of each should be based upon the height of the rods placement, and the sill involved. Alternate the ribbons, and tie on to the rod like you would a necktie. To ensure they are all identical lengths, cut after each is in place. When the window is opened, and a breeze is out these ribbons will come to life.

What has held my attention the most recently is the use of colour by professional designers in these challenges. Even in cases where the homeowners have larger than life personalities, it is not uncommon for them to waiver on the use of colour in their houses. They seem to stick with what is safe, even though what would be preferred is something unpredictable. This has pushed me to take a look at my own home and to evaluate whether or not I too could bring in some unanticipated

I was completely oblivious to the amazing properties in good old baby powder to safeguard against stains. But, after reading about it, I tested it and have seen it in action, and it really works. You are meant to sprinkle the powder onto the underarm and collar sections of white shirts, then follow this by ironing. Apparently, the powder creates a barrier that keeps icky stuff from seeping into the material.

As I mentioned, I did a test run on this, but next I am going to see how powerful it really is against my main laundry nemesis, sunscreen. It is ruining the white clothes we wear with sunscreen on us. It is unsightly, and I would be spellbound by anything that prohibits the damage from occurring. It would save us from having to replace items, and eliminate the disappointment of having to chuck clothes we hoped to keep for a long while.

No matter how you decide to get this unfortunate situation under control, whether it be vacuum, sponge, damp cloth, lint roller, or brush just concede that it will take effort. By testing all of these methods you will soon find out how much effort. Much of your choice will be dependant upon the amount of hair that is left behind on your duvet, pillows and rugs. However, you spent all of that time on collecting and organising your pretty furniture, and you want everyone to love your pets as much as you do so it is a necessary chore.

That is why I am recommending to anybody prepping a baby room consider retro colours and patterns. The retro waves, bubbles and squares are so undeniably happy, and often involve a wide range of colours, so that things are in no way banal. Nor is it too girly or boyish. Instead these are frequently lively, but still maintain a sense of calm. These are exactly what I believe a baby, and parents want in such a space. I mean who doesn’t smile when they see bubbles, and if ever their was meant to be a happy room, this is it.

The best part, is that these different retro patterns somehow seem to work well together, with little effort. Thus, shapes and colour are a part of babies world from the get go.