Landlords who took West Bromwich Building Society to court after it raised tracker rates in December 2013 have won at appeal arguing the move was unlawful. Tracker mortgages are meant to rise and fall with any movement of the Bank of England base rate, which has been glued at 0.5 per cent since March 2009.

Certain times of the year can prove more fruitful than others when it comes to selling your home, with one particular period preferred above most others - but when is it? Our top tips will help navigate you through this property minefield.

Unwary first-time buyers could be pushed needlessly into smaller properties or different areas due to the 'dark art' of mortgage affordability calculators. Using a joint income of £75,000 and a deposit of £25,000 our investigations uncovered a near £200,000 difference between lenders' calculators' mortgage amounts.

The typical home cost £292,000 in March, a rise of £8,000 compared to February, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. This is the biggest monthly price leap since the recession gripped the UK and hit property values hard. The rise was driven largely in London and the South East. Annual house price increases were registered at 13 per cent in London, 12.2 per cent in the South East and 12.1 per cent in the East of England.

New buyer demand slumped 46 per cent in April, said national estate agency Haart and its boss warned sellers need to now be 'more realistic with their asking prices.' Paul Smith, chief executive of Haart - which has 100 branches nationwide - says there is 'trouble in paradise' for Britain's property market.

Surveyors in most parts of the UK recorded less interest from homebuyers, with a net balance of 22 per cent reporting a fall in new buyer enquiries. However, a shortage of homes on the market means prices are set to keep rising over the next few years, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors report said.

A string of cities across England and Wales are rapidly becoming 'unaffordable hotspots' for first-time buyers. In Brighton, property prices have increased by 463 per cent in the last 20 years, leaving only 9 per cent of homes in the coastal city in the 'affordable' category, compared to 100 per cent in 1995. Across England and Wales, the average cost of a home has risen by around 306 per cent since 1995, with a typical property selling for 5.51 times more than the average first-time buyer's annual pay packet, the Post Office Money Mortgages said.

Tougher conditions for the buy-to-let market could backfire and result in amateur landlords selling their properties on to bigger players -  reducing properties available to home movers and first timers. Despite hopes that small landlords selling up in response to tax changes would increase the number of homes on the market, a mortgage expert has warned of the opposite.

Borrowers could be in something of a sweet spot, with lenders keen to lend, house prices rising and a first rate rise still considered a way off. We look at the best mortgage rates and whether now is a good time to fix your home loan.

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

There has been a big rise in the number of first-time homebuyers taking out mortgages with a longer term than the traditional 25 years, as they try to keep up with property prices. This may deliver lower monthly payments but a £150,000 mortgage over 40 years rather than 25 will end up costing £63,000 more.

This is becoming an attractive option to secure a property - but could leave you paying more than £30,000 extra on a home loan. Additionally, with the average age of a first-time buyer now at just over 30, many borrowers could end up saddled with mortgage debt well into their retirement. Aston Carter and his fiancee Emma Shuker opted for a two-year, fixed-rate deal over a 40-year term.

Families who own homes with 'granny flats' could be forced to knock them down if they want to sell their houses after being hit by a new tax. As many as 33,000 homeowners live in properties with a self-contained flat for an elderly relative. Under tax rules introduced yesterday, they will be classed as owning two properties if they try to sell up.

But the 'time to save' report by estate agents Hamptons International found that buying with someone else as a couple typically shaves around 10 years off the time it takes to get on the housing ladder. Couples in London face an eight-year wait to save enough for a deposit, compared with single people who face a wait of around 45 years and nine months, it found. Meanwhile, although the majority of Britons want to own their own home, 'generation rent' is giving up on getting on the property ladder, according to housing charity Shelter.

My sister and I are wondering whether to sell our late mother's house or let it out. If we sold now, would it be liable for capital gains tax? What would be the situation if we sold in ten years' time? Our mother spent the last two years of her life in a care home, so the house wasn't her main home.

A greenhouse not only provides a weatherproof outdoor sanctuary but a practical space where you can grow plants that will help you knock hundreds of pounds off your annual grocery bill. Those put off by the expense may find someone local who is willing to donate an old greenhouse for free. It will save the donor the effort of taking it away when no longer required.

Our son is currently renting a flat with his girlfriend. We want to transfer him £15,000 for a house deposit so he is not needlessly paying money to a landlord every month. But how do we protect it from his partner in case they break up in the future?

Houses are expensive. The average home in the UK costs £268,000, according to the Office of National Statistics. Unless you are very wealthy, you are unlikely to be able to buy a home outright. Instead, you can use a mortgage to fund the bulk of the purchase. We explain the essentials.