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Adding an extension or a loft conversion to your home could increase its value by almost a quarter, new research by Nationwide Building Society reveals. For cash-strapped and space-starved homeowners it might actually be more cost-effective than moving, as the company’s research found that creating extra space can cost a lot less than trading up to a bigger property.

The research shows that nearly one in five further advances made by to its mortgage customers this summer was to fund structural work such as extensions.

Nationwide’s House Price Index Special Report looked at the additional value

Inflation hit a three-year high of 5.2% in September, thanks largely to price hikes from the UK's biggest energy providers.

That's according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed that consumer price index measure of inflation had risen dramatically from 4.5% in August. As state benefits are linked to September's CPI figures, the government will be forced to pay out a pretty hefty sum in additional welfare.

However, the increases are lower than those the government would have had to face had they not changed the rules earlier this year. Earlier this year the

Home sales in northern towns have been escalating significantly over the first six months of 2011, it has been found.

According to new research from Halifax, the region is home to the four areas that witnessed the largest rises in residential property purchases across this time.

These were Leigh, Rugeley, Houghton Le Spring and Bury, the latter of which experienced a 44 per cent jump and emerged as the number one dwelling sales hotspot in the nation.

Suren Thiru, housing economist at Halifax - which is a division of Bank of Scotland - said: "Many of the top performing towns are in the

Private rents have become unaffordable in more than half of local authorities in England, research from Shelter has found.

The charity said average private rents are beyond the means of "ordinary" families in 55% of local authorities. Homes were found in these areas which cost more than 35% of the median average local take-home pay - the level considered by the Shelter Private Rent Watch report to be unaffordable.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of the housing and homelessness charity, said: "We have become depressingly familiar with first-time buyers being priced out of the housing

An increase in repossessed properties hitting the auction rooms in the coming months is being forecast as The Council of Mortgage Lenders predicts a total of 40,000 homes will be repossessed this year, up from 36,300 in 2010.

National lender Auction Finance Limited says the trend is leading to an increasing number of repossessed properties ending up in the auction room. It has lent more than £14m to buyers across 188 transactions in the year to date, a 34% increase on this time last year. The figure is forecast to exceed £20m by the end of the year.

Chris Baguley, director at national

There is to be a renewed effort to increase the number of affordable homes in Scotland, it has been revealed. Housing minister Keith Brown has said increasing the number of affordable homes in Scotland will stimulate the economy.

He claimed such targeted capital investment will boost this amount, which in-turn will serve to stimulate economic growth and protect jobs. The politician confirmed a commitment - backed by an investment of £600 million - to deliver 30,000 completed affordable dwellings by the end of this Parliament.

Mr Brown explained this approach is being undertaken despite

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Houseladder today reported that house-building projects throughout the UK may be among the programmes continuing to be hampered by government cutbacks.

Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), has suggested the construction industry is still feeling the effects of such action undertaken by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

The industry figure blamed reductions in public expenditure for a number of building schemes being placed on hold.

And this trend was recently highlighted by a Glenigan report, which showed such projects being

House prices continued to slide last month with a 0.1% fall - the 15th consecutive drop in a row, a key survey has revealed.

Property analyst Hometrack's monthly report predicted that the downward trend will accelerate as supply has grown at double the rate of demand.

The number of new properties coming on to the market in the nine months up to September grew by 22% - but demand increased by only 11%. The survey suggested national and Eurozone uncertainty would dent consumer confidence further and see demand drop off even more. Elsewhere, new demand for housing weakened last month as