More than half (54pc) of Britons questioned in a poll commissioned by Grainger, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, expect that in 15 years more people in the UK will be renting their homes than owning.

The split today is around 30pc rented and 70pc ownership. With social renting expected to stay fairly stable at 16pc, the survey implies that private renters – currently representing 17pc of the market – will double by 2016, said Grainger.

“There is a new housing reality dawning on Britain: the financial crisis has tightened mortgage lending; house prices continue to be uncertain; and, frankly there are simply too few homes for the demand,” said Nick Jopling, the company’s executive property director. “More and more people are renting.”

The survey found that 40pc of people now see renting as a first step on to the housing ladder. In addition, 92pc of young people polled (18 to 34-year-olds) said they saw renting as the only way they can move out from their parents’ homes.

The younger generation was also less likely to say that owning a house was an important today as it was 25 years ago. Grainger saw this as evidence that the “stigma” of renting is dissipating over the generations.

The company wants the Government to speed up the process of unlocking land for new developments, to implement their controversial proposals to reform the planning system and to back the private rented sector as an acceptable form of housing tenure.

“The shortage of housing is set to continue – more needs to be done to avoid the growing crisis and close the gap between supply and demand,” said Mr Jopling.

Shelter, the homeless charity, warned that the shortage of housing already means that private rents are now “sky-high”.

“As well as this, almost half the properties in the sector are in poor and substandard condition which people have no other choice than to accept,” said Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter.

“This raises some very serious questions about how we create a decent stable private rented sector that meets the needs of the 1m families with children currently living there. We urge the Government to address this in their upcoming housing strategy.”

The survey polled more than 2,200 people.

Report by By Emma Rowley – The Telegraph

Uk house prices increased slightly last month, according to a major lender – but estate agents in Northern Ireland said there was no evidence of increasing prices in Northern Ireland.

Elsewhere in the UK, prices were 1.2% higher month-on-month in June with the average home costing £163,049, Halifax said.

Housing economist Martin Ellis said low interest rates, an increase in the number of people in employment and some tightening in market conditions earlier in the year are likely to be the main factors behind the recent improvement in price trends.

But Northern Ireland estate agents said the Halifax view did not reflect their experience.

Richard McCulloch, from Stanley Best Estate Agents in Cookstown, said he has noticed a “slight decrease” in house prices.

“We are noticing more sales, but at the lower end of the market,” Mr McCulloch said.

“The Halifax sample size is not large enough to show the entire market.

“There are more buyers out there, but that is linked to prices being at an affordable level.

“We are expecting a slowdown in July and for things to pick up in August.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed for that.”

According to the latest University of Ulster house price survey, the average house price in Northern Ireland in the first quarter of 2011 was £143,918 – down from £240,408 at the peak of the boom in 2007.

Gary Best, from Best Property Services in Newry, said the majority of his sales were for property priced under £120,000.

“House prices at a local level are fairly static,” he said.

“The sales volume has increased from where we were a year or so ago.

“June has been a fairly active month, but July is expected to be sluggish because of the holiday situation.”

Keith Mitchell, from Templeton Robinson in Belfast, said there is uncertainty regarding prices over the next two or three years, but said quarterly results should not put people off buying a home.

The Bank of England is set to give homeowners breathing space today by keeping interest rates on hold at their historic low of 0.5% amid further signs that the UK’s economic recovery is faltering.

Report by Amanda Poole – Belfast Telegraph

The price of the average French home is likely to go up by between 3% and 6% this year, a new report from FNAIM, which represents property agents, says.

The capital Paris is predicted to see the biggest gains from property investment, with four other major French cities not far behind.

Buyers are making the most of a stable market in Paris and property prices have been going up at their fastest rate since 1991. The capital saw a hike of at least 18% in 2010, reports suggest.

A property investor with assets in Paris would have seen prices appreciate by 40% since 2005, in spite of global financial problems. French property prices in general have reportedly stayed level over that period.

Report – Press Association 2011

See our Guide to Property in France

With headquarters in Paris and offices in 14 countries around the world, BNP is in a good position to handle the needs of some of those foreign direct investors who are sustaining Ireland Inc at the moment. (Clients here include Kellogg’s, IBM and Yahoo.)

It can also source property investments for any Irish clients turning their gaze abroad.

The mood at BNP’s annual real estate conference in Paris last week was in marked contrast to the gloom here in Dublin.

A few thousand agents and clients packed the auditorium at the Palais de Congres in Porte Maillot in Paris (that’s where the bus gets in from the flights to Beauvais) to hear BNP chiefs talk about real estate recovery.

French property markets have more or less regained ground lost since the crash – and in Paris, residential prices are strong because there’s a shortage of supply according to residential chief Olivier Bokobza.

So things can get better – even if it won’t be here for a while. Still, a scrap of good news for all those Irish investors with some French property in their portfolio.

Report – Irish Times