Government's measures still leave households strapped

The government's measures to aid homeowners have been met with a lukewarm response so far, with many criticising them for not going far enough to protect owners from their homes being repossessed.

After weeks of lobbying from UK estate agents, the chancellor Alistair Darling finally confirmed yesterday that he is to instigate a 'buy and rent back' scheme, in which homeowners that cannot keep up repayments will be able to sell their home to a social landlord, who will then lease the property back to the residents.

Yet many families are more concerned about rising living costs, which have put a strain on household finances, and have often led to certain expenses being missed.

Expenses such as home insurance could easily be put off for a few months to help ease monthly outgoings, but if a boiler or oven were to break and the owner had no contents insurance, the financial fallout could be huge.

September 03^rd 2008

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