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UK house prices rise for first time since April, says Nationwide
According to the Nationwide index, UK house prices increased by 0.2% in August to reach an average of £275,465. This marks the first monthly rise in the property market since April, occurring while participants await upcoming interest rate decisions.
This modest price increase signals a temporary stabilization in the UK housing market as it navigates anticipation over impending interest rate changes.
My abusive and aggressive partner left me but O2 insists I meet him in person
Following the abrupt departure of her abusive partner, a customer sought to remove his phone line from her shared O2 family account. However, the telecommunication company informed her that both parties must participate in a joint call to make the account changes. This requirement left the customer financially burdened with his bills and unable to sever the account ties independently.
Solar cuts ‘at least £400 from bills in even the cloudiest British areas’
Recent research indicates that British households in regions with low sunlight can still achieve annual energy bill savings exceeding £400 through rooftop solar panels. This financial benefit is driven by a combination of rising wholesale energy costs and decreasing installation expenses.
Price rises gather pace in UK shops amid higher energy costs
In-store inflation rises to an annual 1.5% in August, according to a survey for the British Retail ConsortiumThe pace of price rises in UK shops rose to its highest level in two years in August, a trade body index shows, with higher energy costs pushing up the price of food and AI chip demand making technology more expensive.In-store inflation stepped up to 1.5% year on year in August, up from 0.9% in July, led by prices for tinned and packaged food which increased by 2.5% against 1.1% in the pr...
Child trust fund firms face review over efforts to find who owns £1.5bn worth of pots
Exclusive: FCA pressures firms to do more to sort 760,000 accounts as watchdog urges families to use free tracking serviceChild trust fund providers are being put under the spotlight to check they are treating savers fairly and doing all they can to reunite young people with lost accounts.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said about 760,000 accounts worth an average of £2,000 were yet to be claimed – more than £1.5bn in total – as it launched a review of the market. Continue reading...
OnlyFans and AI training: why gen Z doesn’t care where our money comes from | Alice Lassman
Young people see traditional goals such as homeownership as unattainable, leading them to focus on immediate consumption. They describe a "financial nihilism" where money is directed toward speculative assets, meme stocks, cryptocurrencies, and modest luxuries. The piece explores how this mindset shapes both earnings and spending, including the role of platforms like OnlyFans and concerns about AI training data.
From plastic-free lunchboxes to foolproof coffee makers: 14 things you loved this month
Whether it’s homemade ice-cream or a skirt you can wear as a dress, your August favourites suggest you’re holding on to summer for as long as possible• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAfter five brutal heatwaves we’d expect you to be sick of summer by now, but judging by your August hitlist, many of you can’t get enough of it. An ice-cream maker, packing cubes and travel wardrobe heroes suggest you’re determined to embrace every last drop of sunshine before summer 2026...
First-time buyer Isa v lifetime Isa – which one should you choose?
Financial experts recommend that prospective property buyers open a lifetime Isa immediately rather than waiting for the government's proposed first-time buyer account. Although plans exist to eventually scrap the lifetime Isa in favor of the new savings vehicle, professionals advise utilizing the current account now to save for a home.
UK households will take £2,400 financial hit from Iran war, analysis shows
Centre for Economics and Business Research calculates effect of inflation and wage stagnation to end of 2027UK households will have suffered a £2,400 financial hit, on average, from the Iran war by the end of 2027, new analysis shows.The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has calculated that the jump in inflation since the conflict began, and weaker wage growth, will knock £1,100 off the real income of the average UK household in 2026, and by a further £1,300 in 2027. Continue rea...
Properties in UK national parks command 24% premium, study finds
Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and WalesHousebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain’s biggest building society.Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for...
Why solar bonds are a bright idea | Letter
A financial model that could cut the cost of installing solar panels for many homeowners is welcomed by Alexis AbramsonThe UK proposal to use “solar bonds” to make rooftop solar more affordable is a smart solution to a fundamental problem: the rising cost of capital (Cut cost of loans for solar panels on UK homes, ministers urged, 21 August).A household that can pay for solar upfront saves money from day one. For everyone else, high-interest financing can consume much of those savings and ultima...
ProCook outdoor pizza oven review: a budget-friendly model that brings the pizzeria home
This no-frills pizza oven gets the basics right and is more than good enough for most people• The best pizza ovens – tested • Ooni Koda 2 reviewThe market for pizza ovens tends to be dominated by a handful of specialist brands, so it can feel like a gamble to buy from a lesser-known manufacturer or a retailer that offers a wider range of goods.The ProCook outdoor pizza oven is no gamble, though. It’s every inch a capable, compact and versatile pizza oven, despite being just one product in an off...
UK asks banks for feelgood stories about keeping out dirty money
City firms tapped for case studies to try to convince global watchdog that London has cleaned up its actThe government is asking bankers and lawyers to provide feelgood stories about how they blocked dirty money from entering the UK, as ministers try to prove the UK’s money-laundering controls are working.The Treasury’s call for evidence is meant to illustrate that the UK has upped its game when it comes to preventing financial crime, particularly since its last dismal assessment by the Financia...
Pet owners at risk of being ripped off by private equity firms as vet ownership rules change
Critics say changes by CMA will allow multinationals to obscure their ownership of vet practicesPet owners have been warned that they could be unknowingly ripped off by private equity firms who have bought local vet clinics, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) removed requirements for multinational companies to disclose which practices they own.The CMA recently ran an investigation into the monopolisation of vet practices, and found that the lack of competition and transparency of...
New payment set up? Get in touch! The bank scam where your ‘bank’ is the scammer
Impersonation scams – where callers or texts claim to be from trusted entities such as banks, HMRC or even the police – are rife … and growing‘I’ve £80k in the account, here’s my pin’: turning the tables on scammersYour phone pings and it’s a message from your bank about a new payment being set up on your account. If you do not recognise the transaction, it says, you should get in touch. There’s a number for you to call.The person on the other end of the line tells you that your account has been...
‘Simple, creamy and crunchy’: the best (and worst) supermarket coleslaw, tasted and rated
Too cloying, too sweet or just right? Our tester works through the shop shelves to find the best slaw for your next barbecue, picnic or packed lunch• The best supermarket veggie burgersI find shop-bought coleslaw hard to stomach because it’s sharp, gloopy and often made with copious amounts of poor-quality mayonnaise and spirit vinegar. Pungent ingredients, such as cabbage and onion, are better eaten fresh, otherwise they break down and give off a disconcertingly sulphurous and sweaty aroma.I ju...
‘I’ve £80k in the account, here’s my pin’: turning the tables on the scammers
Plagued by bank impersonation scams, one Guardian Money reader got even by stringing the fraudsters along … for hoursNew payment set up? The bank scam where your ‘bank’ is the scammer“A couple of Sundays ago at just past 11am my mobile rang. An automated message purported to be from Barclays Bank, querying a payment to Argos for more than £1,000. Not only had I not made a payment to Argos recently, nor do I bank with Barclays.I am plagued with these kinds of calls. Usually, when possible, I make...
Households could save up to £173 a year by switching to fixed energy deal
Moving tariffs will cushion the blow from the October price cap rise and the increase widely predicted for JanuaryWith higher energy bills looming and warnings of worse to come in the new year, many households could save up to £173 a year by switching to a fixed deal.Millions of households in Great Britain will face the highest energy charges in three years after it was announced that the government’s price cap will rise again in October. This will be the second increase in three months. Continu...
UK petrol prices hit highest level in almost four years as bank holiday getaway looms
Average cost of petrol reaches 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs average of 183.4p, according to the AAUK petrol prices have hit their highest level since 2022, piling more financial pressure on motorists before the bank holiday weekend.The average cost of petrol has reached 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs an average of 183.4p a litre, according to the AA breakdown company. Continue reading...
Homes for sale with kerb appeal in England and Scotland – in pictures
From the arched windows and decorative chimneys of a Victorian police station to a white seaside cottage highlighted in vivid blue Continue reading...
