The Barrister’s clerk is the essential component in a Barristers successful career. A good clerk can make (or break) a successful career and the nature of this symbiotic relationship is well understood in legal circles. Whilst the stereotype of today’s barrister is one of intelligence, high IQ and a privileged background, that of the clerk is unfairly seen as the backroom broker, the uneducated, the wheeler dealer. It remains of interest that nothing can be further from the truth at the modern Bar. Successful Chambers employ clerks from a diversity of backgrounds and recruit Barristers from all walks of life. The rich tapestry of society is now reflected in many Chambers through their staff and tenants.

This week saw good news for pensioner mortgages as the mortgage regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), set out its rules for the mortgage market from 2014 onward.

New figures from the Land Registry indicate that September house prices have risen by 1.1% on annual basis.  This brings the average house price to £162,561 in England and Wales. It seems that London Mortgage Brokers continue to see the most mortgage  enquiries as the capital has again has experienced the biggest  increase in property values which over the last year have movements of 5.5%.

There has been a great deal of publicity, regarding the growth figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The announcement indicates that the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games served to increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.2%. This increase, coupled with 1.1% growth in the production industries providing an additional 0.2% growth has served to accelerate the UK out of the second recession.

There are many reasons why some buyers prefer new-build homes over older properties – including the convenience of being able to move straight in.

A large aspiration gap exists amongst potential first-time-buyers in the UK, according to LSL Property Services. London Mortgage Brokers Capital Fortune, report that the organisation found that 94 per cent of registered tenants want to become homebuyers, but only 7 per cent expect to buy this year. Furthermore, only 54 per cent believe that they would be in a position to make a purchase within five years.

Shelter in association with British Gas are commissioning the largest ever census of the state of private rented accommodation and it is estimated the study will help over 1 million UK households improve their housing standards. Initial research has found that 1.4m private homes, those in private rental do not meet basic standards and if such properties were in the public sector, they would be deemed unfit under the Government's Decent Homes Standard, whether they have landlord building insurance or not.

The CML, Council of Mortgage Lenders has just reported disappointing news on the levels of UK lending. New research indicates that lending in September has been 15% lower than September last year and is 10% lower than last month, estimating total borrowing was only £11.6 billion last month.

New research from the Bank of England indicates that approvals for residential mortgages have fallen in the 3 months  to August when compared to the three month period before. This appears in contrast to the figures produced on the availability of secured lending to households which appears to indicate a significant increase in  the 3  months to September. The economic conditions in the wholesale funding markets deemed longer term funding markets has improved during quarter three of 2012 however the availability of finance across  businesses of all sizes remained the same, the Bank has said.

In England alone, there are more than 200,000 properties that were bought as holiday lets or second homes. Beauty spots such as the Lakes, the Peak District, Wales and the Norfolk coast are very popular locations and some people choose to buy a holiday let abroad.