Homes and Property ES have recently released figures for rental investments and below shows a quick snapshot of how quickly you may be able to find a tenant for your property, if you choose to rent it out:

• London: properties are being let within 12 days of going on to the market - four days quicker than at this time last year.
• South West: properties let within an average 13 days, with more than six tenants vying for each home.
• South East: more than five tenants per available home, which let within an average 13 days.
• North West: four renters compete per rental property.

In 2012 London will be hosting the Olympic Games, when thousands of visitors will need a place to stay in the city.

With demand for accommodation set to far exceed the capacity of hotels, this is a fantastic opportunity if you have a spare room or property you would like to rent out.

EventRent is a new service which will enable you to advertise your property to potential tenants for the Olympics.

Anyone looking for accommodation will be able to search by location, property type and price to find the perfect place to stay during the Games.

EventRent will be launching soon.

Get the ball rolling with a free, no obligation property valuation from one of our countrywide auctioneer partners.  It doesn't matter where your property is located, or what time of property it is, if the price is right, selling property at auction is faster, cheaper and more straightforward than through an estate agent.

We only work with the best performing auctioneers in your local area, who have been selected due to their ability to value and sell properties quickly and efficiently. Finding out the true value of your house in the current market will put you in the best position going

Further signs of a steadying in the UK house market have emerged after figures from the Halifax showed prices rose by 0.3% in July.

The bank added that prices were up on a quarter-to-quarter basis for the first time in 14 months, following a 0.5% rise in the three months to July.

With little change in either the level of house sales or the number of properties on the market since late 2010, Halifax said the steady market conditions have helped to stabilise house prices.

Halifax housing economist Martin Ellis said: "This pattern is expected to continue over the rest of the year with

According to latest research conducted by Paragon Mortgages, half of mortgage intermediaries reported that buy-to-let applications increased during the second quarter.

The Financial Adviser Confidence Tracking (FACT) Index, carried out by the specialist buy-to-let mortgage lender, found that, on average, the intermediaries interviewed conducted 5.4% more buy-to-let business in Q2 than in the first quarter.

Availability of buy-to-let finance also improved significantly during the past three months. Of the intermediaries surveyed, 64% thought that availability improved and just 8% felt

The aggregate loan-to-value (LTV) ration on mortgaged property in the UK is less than 60 per cent, new research has shown.

New figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders revealed most individual borrowers continue to have a substantial cushion of equity in their homes, with almost half of them having outstanding mortgage debts that calculate at less than 70 per cent of the value of their abode.

Moreover, a further quarter revealed they have a bumper of between ten and 30 per cent of their dwelling's worth.

Paul Smee, director general at CML - which is a not-for-profit organisation -

First-time buyers are being offered £600 when they buy their home through the Halifax if they saved their deposit in one of its accounts.

Those hoping to buy their first property who save £150 a month in any Halifax account other than its Christmas Saver will qualify for the bonus when they take out a mortgage with the bank. They must have made a deposit in the account for ten of the previous 12 months, and the offer is open to those who have been saving since before this month.

Halifax offers 2.24 per cent after tax (2.8 per cent before) on its Web Saver Reward or 2.6 per cent tax free

Just a quick to note to remind you that the majority of the UK Auction Houses will be having a couple of weeks off from this week. There are a handful of auctions taking place in August (these properties will be in our database), however over 95% of auctioneers will begin their auctions from early September. Catalogues will start being released again from 20th August, so keep an eye out for new lots on line. In the meantime check out the available properties that are in our database, unsold from the July auctions... there may be a bargain to be had!

It has been reported today that home improvements have been put on hold for the majority of households, as high costs involved and lack of disposable income fail to see the job through from start to finish.

Jason Orme, editor at Homebuilding and Renovating, claims the current economic situation means that the "significant investment" involved with DIY and other improvements is just not an option for many.

"Over the past year it has been an incredibly difficult economic climate for everybody and people have been hankering down and certainly putting off major expenditure," Mr Orme states.

Get the ball rolling with a free, no obligation property valuation from one of our auctioneer partners.

We only work with the best performing auctioneers in your local area, who have been selected due to their ability to value and sell properties quickly and efficiently. Finding out the true value of your house in the current market will put you in the best position going forward.

Please complete the property auction enquiry form http://www.ukauctionlist.com/selling/property-auction-enquiry-form as thoroughly as possible to help us complete a valuation of your property. On receipt of the