Homes & Gardens

Wages must double to keep up with house prices

Most people earning average wages in the South West would need to more than double their annual salary just to keep up with out of control house prices, new research by homelessness charity Shelter shows.

In the study, released today, the charity looked at wage and house price inflation since 1997 in every area of the region. This was then used to calculate what average annual earnings...

Plymouth says ‘yes to homes’ as work starts on Council land

Building work is set to start on one of the Council-owned sites set aside for desperately-needed homes.

The former Astor Centre development at Dartmoor View, Mount Gould is the first site to see construction begin as part of the Council’s Get Plymouth Building and Plan for Homes initiatives.

The initiatives aim to bring forward more home building in the city at a time when the...

South West tenants get worst value for money

Tenants in the South West of England feel they get the worst value for money from their rent than in other parts of the UK, according to a recent poll by the UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA).

Just over half (57%) of tenants in the region rated their rent as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ when asked their opinion on whether it represented value for money. However, a third (33%) perceived...

Don’t go on overload!

Electricity is a major cause of accidental fires in homes. Faulty electrics, appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets all cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year.

Many people have extension leads in their homes, often using four-way bar adaptors to increase the number of appliances that you can plug into a wall socket.

Devon & Somerset Fire &...

South West house sales at highest in six years

The number of house sales in the South West has reached its highest point since 2007 according to a survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The survey showed that sales in December were more than double that f the lowest point of the downturn.

Prices are also rising with a net balance of 56 percent more chartered surveyors reported growing prices in the...

Beware cowboy builders taking advantage in flood-hit areas

Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service is warning people affected by the recent floods to be aware of rogue traders and cowboy builders.

Previous floods and severe weather in the UK have seen rogue traders offering a range of flood and damage recovery services as well as tarmacking, driveway cleaning, roof cleaning, guttering and garden maintenance.

Devon and Somerset...

Bigger team to tackle rogue landlords in Plymouth

Plymouth’s expanding its team to get tougher with rogue landlords in the city and improve support for tenants.

£68,000 of funding has been awarded to the City Council by the Department for Communities and Local Government. A new support worker will be recruited to help tenants who are suffering at the hands of unscrupulous landlords and the inspection programme will be extended....

Bin collections over the holidays

Plymouth folk are being reminded to keep up the good recycling work over Christmas.

With most people due to enjoy a few well-earned days off, the Council is asking people not to forget to recycle their wrapping paper and other items while they relax.

The bin collections have been changed to allow the crews to enjoy time off with their families, so residents should check their...

What to do if you've suffered flooding

As river levels rise following last night's torrential rain, the Environment Agency has issued advice about what to do if you've suffered flooding in your home.

*Take care. There may be dangers in the water such as sharp objects and raised manhole covers.

*Flood water may have caused structual damage to buildings.

*Flood water can contain sewage, chemicals and...

Devon residents saving thousands on their heating oil

Members of a scheme to tackle rising energy prices have saved a staggering £23,000 off the cost of their domestic heating oil, this year.

Devon County Council says it’s a great example of communities working together to get a better deal on their heating bills.

The Devon Oil Collective works on the principle of buying heating oil in bulk through consolidating its members’...

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