The Independent | House and Home | Latest House, Home and Property Information

Paradise lost: A garden in Marrakech, where property purchases must be approved by all members of the owning family

Do you really own your place in the sun?

Finding the perfect holiday home can be a dream come true – but if you don't know exactly what you're buying, it could turn into a nightmare. Graham Norwood reports

Inside House & Home

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Around 46,000 people lost their homes in 2009, up 15% on 2008

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Scrape away the muck and start planting bright-white snowdrops to give your garden new life

The bad weather over the past month hasn't yet finished making a mess. Even after the snow has retreated, you are left with a garden that looks as if a rotting plague has just passed through it. Something about the combined action of frost and wind has the effect of reducing all last year's planting to a blackened muddy mess that might well have been leaves once, but frankly, who knows.