The number of mortgages being granted by Britain's banks has fallen by 16% over the last year - the latest sign of a slowdown in the housing market.

According to the banking industry body the BBA, in October home-buyers had 37,076 mortgages approved - the lowest figure for 17 months.

The value of those mortgages fell 13% over the year to just over £6bn.

Separately the Halifax predicted that house price inflation will moderate to as little as 3% next year.

The figures from the BBA show that mortgage approvals peaked at 48,649 in January this year.

"The BBA data adds to now pretty widespread and

It's important that you view a property before you bid for it at auction. There are so many things to consider and often the most important questions are forgotten.

Ask the relevant questions by taking our helpful checklist with you on your viewing. It may also be useful to take along the property details supplied by the auctioneer to ensure that their information is accurate.

Also check the property for signs of subsidence and confirm that the exterior is in good condition especially the roof and drainage. Double check the boiler, electrics and plumbing in the property and make sure they are

Remember, if you've decided on the property that you want to bid on, and have everything in place in order to attend the auction, then the final piece of advice, in the run-up to the auction, is to keep an eye on the 'guide price' (this is the price listed in the catalogue). Before the auction, contact the auction house just to make sure the property is still available.

Also make sure you have made a decision on what your maximum bid will be. This will be based on your view of the property's value (having carried out viewings and local searches) rather than the guide price, and on the money

A property auction can be a thrilling way to buy property, and snap up a bargain. 

As well as being a quick and relatively hassle free way to buy a home, the auction process is easy. You simply look through the auction catalogue, find a property you like, arrange a viewing and do some research, and show up prepared on auction day.

They aren’t just good for buying repossessed homes, it’s now possible to buy all kinds of properties at auction. However it is essential that you do your homework before trying to buy a property at auction, and you need to put a number of important things in place

People buy at auction for lots of reasons. They may want to move quickly or they could be looking for a plot of land to build on, a repossession, or quite simply they want a quick purchase without the risk of gazumping. Also, many buyers looking for investments buy at auction as a catalogue full of properties gives them lots of opportunities to choose from.

Buying a property at auction is both exciting and potentially profitable. It avoids all of the lengthy purchasing procedures that you usually have to endure and the risk of everything falling through at the 11th hour. At an auction, as soon

The value of property owned by landlords in Britain will smash through the £1 trillion pound mark in mid-2015, says a new report.

Figures's from Kent Reliance, part of the OneSavings Bank Group, show that currently the total value of property in the private rented sector is £930.7bn, up £109.5bn compared to last year.

London accounts for 41% of this value followed by the South East (15%) which itself is larger than the North East, Wales, Yorkshire & the Humber, and the West Midlands combined.

New figures from Savills out last week suggest that 1.2 million more households in England and Wales

Property investors looking for the next hot spot should pay attention. Knight Frank has identified the next up-and-coming part of London, and it's really central. W2 – specifically Bayswater, Paddington and Queensway - has “arguably the strongest development and regeneration potential of any prime central London residential market,” according to Knight Frank's head of London residential research Tom Bill. He argues that W2 has been relatively unloved by investors and residents alike, leaving the area north east of Hyde Park with a much lower premium than its southern neighbours such as

Derby-based property auctioneer Bagshaws Residential will be selling the historic control tower and ancillary buildings of a former RAF site in Wainfleet at its upcoming auction on 26 November to be held at Derbyshire County Cricket Club. This unique lot, which is expected to attract attention from property developers and collectors alike, is steeped in history being the training site used by 617 Squadron, the ‘Dambusters’, ahead of the famous raids in 1943.

Located in Friskney, Lincolnshire and with a guide price of between £300,000 and £350,000, the former Wainfleet control tower site

London house prices are set to rise 54% over the next six years, leaving the rest of the UK’s property market even further behind, new research claims.

A typical home in the capital will be worth more than £700,000 in 2020, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

This rapid rise compares to a forecasted 28% increase to £307,000 in the country as a whole over the rest of the decade.

The figures come a week after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors predicted a 35% in British property prices by 2020.

While prices will pause for breath when the Bank of England

Demand from new buyers slowed for the fourth consecutive month in October, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said. Sales also declined during the month in all but a few regions of England and Wales.

However, surveyors said they were confident the market would pick up in the medium term.

The survey suggested that buyer inquiries had fallen in all regions of England and Wales. As a result, sales also fell in every region except south-west England, Yorkshire and Humberside.

Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Rics, said that potential buyers across the UK were being a "little