The UK housing market appears to be gaining momentum as Halifax announced house prices have risen by 1.3% in January 2013 compared to January 2012. This is the first annual improvement in 27 months.

The pensions and insurance advisory company, Friends Life, have revealed findings that nearly two in three would-be pensioners over the age of 50 have never increased the amount they contribute to their pension pot.

The survey of 1,606 people aged 50-64 across the UK, found that 90% of future retirees had not even considered increasing their pension contributions. Of those surveyed, one in four stated that they believed they had already saved enough in their earlier years of work, thus providing them with a comfortable retirement fund. For some, this may be enough. As the expected retirement age will rise to 67 by 2028 for both men and women, many people may be expecting to work longer, therefore being able to save more for their retirement.

A Merseyside district has topped the list of UK's most lucrative areas for landlords.

Bootle is now the most profitable area of the country for those investing in buy-to-let properties, research reveals. The Merseyside district offers the best return on investments, with landlords obtaining an annual yield of 8.3% on their initial purchase, data from Home.co.uk has found.

The low numbers of first time buyers in the current market is ‘cause for concern’, according to Nationwide. Concerns have been raised as the building society report there were only 20,000 first time buyers per month in recent years, compared to 32,000 per month before the economic crisis.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders have responded to Labour leader Ed Milliband's call for longer tenancy agreements by warning that such agreements could lead to a rise in rent arrears. They have indicated that a build-up in rent arrears would not only take money out of the landlord's pocket in the short-term, but also that this short-term loss could also affect the landlord's ability to pay their mortgage.

The UK economy shrunk by 0.3% over the final quarter of the year, according to the latest numbers published by The Office for National Statistics (ONS). The following figures are worse than the  0.1% negative growth expected, further adding to fears that UK economy may re-enter recession in 2013.

Confidence in the 2013 buy-to-let market among landlords is apparently less ‘bullish’, according to a survey by Upad. This comes as the amount of landlords feeling optimistic about the private rental sector in 2013 has fallen to 63%, down by 10% at the start of 2012.

Interest on five year fixed rate mortgages are at a 6 year low since 2007, according to one Mortgage Advice Bureau. The average interest on a five year fixed deal is now 4.27%, down by 0.34% from the start of 2012.

Lending in the UK housing market will rise by 9% by the end of 2013, according to predictions by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).