High street lenders have been increasing the number of loans and deals available to first time home buyers, but this could still fail to stimulate the market, amid fears that credit scores will need to be near perfect.

According to This Is Money, 332 deals are currently available to buyers with a 10% deposit, whereas two years ago the figure was 114, and last year it was still only 199. The average two-year fixed-rate is lower, at 5.51%, when it was 6.10% last year and 6.48% two years ago.

These figures, according to Moneyfacts, represent a saving of £89 per month on a £150,000 loan, when compared with the same borrowed amount two years ago.

HSBC has said it will lend a massive £3 billion in order to find 27,000 first-time buyers, whilst Halifax and Nationwide are also offering deals intended to spark and stimulate interest through appealing investment opportunities.

However, these deals are entirely dependent on the credit checking process, and many buyers find themselves falling at this hurdle. It can stem from simply avoiding the electoral roll, or never managing a credit card, and whilst many will feel this shouldn’t work against them as a potential buyer, they are stumbling blocks for gaining credit.

Having a proven financial history will help a lender to recognise you as a responsible borrower, capable of managing finances and paying back the owed instalments and interest payments on time and in full.

As a first time buyer you may also want to check home insurance deals, as comprehensive buildings and contents cover is popular among home owners.

Loyalty appears to be costing UK residents, as research conducted by moneysupermarket.com suggests that we are wasting a combined total of £937 million simply by refusing to shop around for our home insurance renewal.

Comparing home insurance quotes, instead of allowing the auto-renewal, could save each household £132 per year; the independent research has also concluded that 29% of UK homeowners automatically renew with their existing provider.

The survey revealed that 15% of those loyal customers do not believe that a better deal can be found, whilst 14% simply cannot be bothered to try.

A UK resident will, on average, stick with a home insurance provider for 3 years, whilst ultra-loyal over 55s stay for an average of 3.6 years.

Shockingly, around 10% of Brits have been with the same provider for at least ten years.

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Research by moneysupermarket.com has revealed the UK hotspots for cheaper home insurance.

Lucky southerners living in sunny Bournemouth have the cheapest average premium of £103.98, which is £60 less than the national average.

York and Glasgow are the runners-up with an average of £109.22 and £110.73 respectively, closely followed by Tidworth, Nottingham and Leicester.

The data, based on a year’s worth of home insurance premiums quoted to over 2 million people, also shows that Greater London postcodes are the most expensive, but there are no surprises there.

The top 10 most expensive average premiums were all quoted in Greater London areas; Stanmore, in Harrow, topped the list with £286.50, closely followed by Golders Green with 280.59, and Dulwich with £279.07. This unenviable list also includes Mill Hill, Northwood and Edgware.

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With all this snow and ice freezing up car engines cooling systems, you’ll want to crack open the anti-freeze. However if you’re a pet owner as well as a driver, you’re going to want to make sure that you you screw the lid back on tight or clean up any accidents. According to the RSPCA and the Feline Advisory Bureau household pets, and cats in particular, are very fond of the taste of anti-freeze and will happily lap up any spillages.

Unfortunately it’s also extremely damaging to an animals’ kidneys and ingesting even the smallest amounts can prove fatal. The RSPCA has published a list of symptoms of antifreeze poisoning in pets and recommends that you contact your local vet immediately if your pet shows any of the following:

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House insurance could become more expensive as a result of climate change, an insurance body has said.

The Association of British Insurers warned that insurance companies would have to pay out more for flood and windstorm damage as temperatures increased. The extra cost would in turn be passed on to policyholders in the form of higher premiums.

Wales and the south-west of England would be worst hit, the report said.

The ABI report, which used predictions from the Met Office, studied the financial effect of temperature increases of 2, 4 and 6 degrees Celsius.

A rise of 4 degrees could see the average annual insured losses from river flooding and flash floods in the UK rise by 14% to £633m by 2060, while wind storm losses could increase by 25% to £827 million each year.

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Homeowners who decide to take a lodger may need to increase their level of home insurance cover, the Halifax has warned.

Halifax senior claims manager, Martyn Foulds, recommends that homeowners get reliable references before allowing someone to rent a room in their house, to ensure the trustworthiness of a potential lodger.

He added that lodgers are usually expected to take out their own insurance policy, since the homeowner’s cover does not often include their possessions.

Mr Foulds said: “Getting a lodger in is a great way to earn some extra money to help with the household budget, but it’s important to seek advice from your home insurer beforehand.

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One in seven motorists has lied to their car insurance company in order to reduce premiums, a new survey has revealed.

According to research by insurer Salaam Halal, some 14% of drivers admitted that they or their partner had deliberately submitted false information in order to benefit from cheaper insurance.

The worst culprits came from Wales, where 21% of drivers admitted they were likely to lie when applying for insurance. People living in the East of England were most truthful, with only 10% of motorists providing false applications.

People most commonly lied about the location of their car when applying for insurance, with 39% of those who had been dishonest claiming they parked their car in a garage, when in fact they kept it outside.

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Fake injuries, fictitious stolen goods and exaggerated claims for car repairs are all ways in which policyholders attempt to defraud their car insurance provider, according to Admiral Insurance.

The FTSE 100 company is the latest insurer to warn that it has seen a significant increase in fraudulent claims from individuals and criminal gangs in the first half of the year.

David Stevens, Admiral’s chief operating officer, said that the company had received “roughly a third” more suspicious claims during the period than in the first half of 2008. He added that Admiral, which specialises in car insurance, had discovered several instances of false or exaggerated claims such as fake whiplash following minor prangs, as well as policyholders lying about the number of people they were driving in their car at the time of an accident.

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Loyalty does not pay when it comes to buying home insurance, as new figures reveal that those who renew their cover with the same company may be overcharged by a total of more than £500m a year.

According to the Telegraph, homeowners who renew their cover rather than shop around for better deals could potentially waste up to £180 a year. Many policyholders mistakenly believe that they will receive lower premiums by staying with the same company. However, the paper found evidence of widespread price hikes that could easily be avoided by looking at a range of providers for a better quote.

The research found that a quarter of policyholders could save money by switching home insurance providers rather than renewing their current cover. But according to market research firm Mintel, 70% of household insurance customers - or around 11.7 million people - receive only one quote before signing up to a policy.

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Millions of people could be invalidating their home insurance by leaving windows open during the summer months even when they are away from the house. One leading insurer has said.

In a survey of 2,000 people by Swinton Insurance, 81% of those interviewed were unaware that leaving windows open when out of the house could invalidate their home insurance, and 72% admitted to leaving windows when they were away from the house in the last month.

23% said they were worried about leaving pets alone in unventilated rooms in the hot weather, and left a window open to let some cool air in.

Steve Chelton, from Swinton said: “Each year there are thousands of burglaries as result of people not carrying out basic safety measures, such as locking window and doors.

“Even though the hot weather makes us relaxed, we should not become complacent with the safety of our homes. At Swinton we advise everyone to ensure that their windows and doors are locked before leaving the house, even if just popping out for a few minutes.

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