For years, Channel 4 and others were blindly assisting the inflation of the housing bubble. Shows like Location, Location, Location and Property Ladder gave people the impression that the only way was up for house prices. The banks obliged, everyone was having a party.

Now we see a new breed of housing show, one that tells a different story - Property Snakes and Ladders. It's a bit sad that it's taken a recession for some balance to be evident in property programmes. We wonder if Kirstie Allsopp will change her spots too.

After Yvette Cooper, Caroline Flint and Margaret Beckett there is another new Housing Minister -John Healey. The question must be asked, why no continuity in the housing job? Does the government take the post seriously?

This latest expenses story illustrates why the Tories did nothing to stop rampant house price inflation:
Eleanor Laing paid no capital gains tax on £1m profit

MPs need to feel the pain of high house prices just like everyone else. That way, they may be inclined to do something about it. The Tories recognise the problems cause by a dependency on house price inflation (see their Housing Policy) but will they actually do anything about the problem? It's up to you and PricedOut to make sure they do.

Property is inflexible and illiquid: you can't get your money out at short notice or in small amounts.
Property is not tax-efficient: you will have to pay income tax on the rent and capital gains tax when you sell.
Property is not easy to manage: tenants can and will contact you in the middle of the night or when you are on holiday to sort out plumbing problems or a lost key. But if you employ an agent to make life easier, you will reduce your rental income.

All private landlords would have to be registered before letting residential property under government plans to curb abuses in the growing rental market. PricedOut supports any move to make landlords more responsible to their tenants and discourage speculative investment in buy to let.

Recent reports have shown confusion in the direction of house prices. As this article says. don't be fooled by any small upward movements in prices. Remember that after several years of house pirce inflation, the public psyche is condition to expect house price hyperinflation. The last five or so years have put massive pressure on people to buy at any cost for fear of losing out. The resulting house price bubble cost us all dearly. Don't be pressured into buying yet, prices have further to fall.

PricedOut - the campaign for affordable house prices, welcomes the Financial Services Authority’s move to introduce greater regulation for mortgages.

Read the full press release

Tenant Evictions
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Protect tenants from eviction by their landlord's mortgage lender.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/tenantevictions/

Lending Reform
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to state the Government's aspiration for mortgage lending in 12 months time in terms of Loan-To-Value (LTV) ratio, multiples of annual income, and loan duration.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/LendingReform/

Bank Greed
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to prevent bonuses or over-inflation salary increases being paid to employees of banks where the government now has a majority shareholding.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bank-greed/