Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Can you recommend some lamps (floor and table) to brighten up autumn evenings? And what do you think about cordless versions?

Oh, I love a lamp. Give me a surface and I’ll pop a lamp on it in no time at all. My biggest bugbear when visiting people (some, not all, obviously, because let’s be honest — I know quite a few interior designers) is that there are never enough lamps for my liking. 

I’ve mentioned many times in this column my aversion to overhead lighting. But not in all circumstances: a ceiling light above a dining table, naturally, can be useful and look great. Although even in this scenario I’d prefer very dim bulbs or candles — it’s more of an atmosphere thing than actually wanting light to be cast down from above. No, I don’t need that. What I do need is to be surrounded by lamps and a warm, orangey glow diffused through lampshades. After all, everyone looks better in soft lamplight.

So, what lamps to go for? At home I like a heady combination of materials, styles, colours and ages, so we have old porcelain lamps, newly made plaster ones, a bit of glass, a little brass . . . Here are my current favourites on the market, some more traditional in style and others more contemporary:

Stockholm’s Svenskt Tenn sells some of the most beautiful lamps around. (Full disclosure: I have worked with the company on collaborative collections in the past.) Its Table Lamp 2483 (€768) was designed by Josef Frank in 1936, and, with its swooping brass arms, is a very good example of the elegant, airy design that he gave all of his lamps. I also particularly like its Floor Lamp 1838 (€1,360) in nickel-plated brass with cognac-coloured leather wrapped around the base. I’m very much enjoying Soane’s new Curlew Floor Light too: taking its inspiration from a Swedish design in Soane’s collection dating from the 1930s, it has an elegant, curved arm, reminiscent of the curlew’s slender beak.

Zara Home makes some affordable options: its Table Lamp with Tripod Base has something of 1920s France about it, with its elegant three legs and iron construction. I’ve seen similar antique iron lamps as well as versions made by designers that are perhaps more beautiful and intricate, but at £79.99, this is a steal.

When shopping for my own home, more often than not I buy antique lamps. Hampshire’s Max Rollitt is a great port of call, particularly in reference to my point about hankering after a mix of materials in a room. Rollitt is currently selling a very lovely 19th-century glazed porcelain baluster vase (£980), which has been turned into a lamp and wired. The colour naturally appeals to me: proper, eye-searing acid yellow. 

I’m also drawn to an early 20th-century glass bottle lamp (£440). It’s sort of the opposite of the yellow porcelain lamp — a sober, humble number, I like it just as much. Its shape is elegant, as is its treacly greenish-brown colour, which will look wonderful lit from above.

It’s interesting to note that neither of these lamps started their lives as lamps. The bottle got a massive upgrade. So think imaginatively — if you come across an old bottle or piece of pottery at a junk shop that you can’t live without but perhaps don’t quite know what to do with, consider taking it to a specialist to convert.

Think imaginatively — if you find an old bottle or piece of pottery at a junk shop that you can’t live without, consider converting it

Let’s talk about portable options. In the past few years many more options for cordless lamps have appeared on the market, and I’m grateful. There are spots in all houses in which it would be difficult or impossible to have cords trailing. At home I have a cordless lamp on my bathroom windowsill, and it’s a godsend on dark evenings because I’d much rather bathe with the glow of a lamp and a couple of candles than switch on the ceiling light.

Zara Home’s Monochrome Touch Table Lamp (£39.99) comes in six colours (I like the red and green options) and is very slick. It switches on and off by touching the top and has three light intensities. I’m also very much into Hay’s Mousqueton Portable Lamp (£165), named after the French word for carabiner. Designed by Inga Sempé for the Danish brand, the lamp is made from spun-steel. A multipurpose carabiner hook enables the lamp to be suspended from a branch or rope — a great option for gardens, or, if you fancy braving it in the winter, camping.

Last but not least: bulbs. I admit that I find bulb-buying rather tricky. It’s all that talk of lumens and kelvins. When I start trying to understand it, I realise I’d rather be doing literally anything else. Luckily there is much advice to be found online. Thermodynamic temperature is measured in kelvin and relates to the colour of light emitted from a lightbulb, ie whether it is warm or cold. Bulbs with 2,700K–3,000K emit a warm white light, my recommendation. A higher number means a colder light. Dowsing & Reynolds makes a range of filament lightbulbs in different shapes and sizes, and has produced a very handy guide to buying bulbs for different rooms in a house (this can be found on their website). A bright idea!

If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at lukeedward.hall@ft.com. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall

Find out about our latest stories first — follow @ft_houseandhome on Instagram

WITH the cost of rent increasingly outstripping average salaries, young people are feeling more and more left behind.

I’m 21, and after three years of living away from home at university, I had no choice but to move back in with my parents rather than get my own place due to the rising cost of renting.

1

My parents live a three-hour round-trip from my office in London – a commute that costs me £600 a month. But it’s somehow still more viable than renting a room nearer to work.

With the cost of renting ever rising, and no prospect of a rent cap happening any time soon, there’s just no way I could live comfortably anywhere near the Capital.

I certainly wouldn’t be able to budget for other expenses like travelling, setting aside savings, or maintaining any kind of a social life.

You might think 21 is a pretty normal age to be living at home. But the problem is, the prospect of moving out keeps seeming further and further out of reach.

The average age for a young person to move out of their parents’ home in the UK is now 25.

Last year, it emerged that over 620,000 adults in the UK were living with their parents.

And it’s clearly not always been this way.

In 1997, more than half of 21-year-olds had moved out of their home.

The Office of National Statistics has now ruled that anyone living at home in their 20s is an “adult child”, suggesting there is a stigma around it, too.

But it’s not that I don’t want to move out. Living away from home for most young adults just isn’t feasible, or at least sustainable, anymore.

The numbers aren’t adding up

In London, the average salary for someone aged 18-21 is currently £22,693, according to recent analysis by The Times.

For comparison, the average annual rent for a property in the Capital is currently around £2,121 – or £25,452 over 12 months, according to Zoopla.

Even for a single room, London renters pay an average of £983 a month, or £11,796 a year. That’s more than half of the average young person’s salary – before bills and any other expenses.

Of course, London is more expensive than other places.

But rent prices all across the UK are constantly being hiked up, with the average cost of rent having increased by 9% in the last year – the highest annual increase since records began.

It’s not just the cost

And it’s not just the cost of finding a room that’s making moving out even harder.

If you manage to get past that hurdle, renters face the daunting task of sifting through Spare Room, a website which allows you to “browse” rooms to rent – except the strangers you’ll be living with have to choose you, instead.

Even if you have the money, you’re now also assessed on your personality and lifestyle choices.

In one Spare Room advertisement I came across, my fellow renters requested I was “an open-minded, kind and considerate person”, as well as being vegetarian – and preferably also a “qualified musician”.

In another, they expected me to be “willing to go on nights out with them”.

Embracing being an “adult child”

On TikTok, there is a flourishing trend of people moving back in with parents, ranging from their 20s all the way up to their 30s.

One user explained that she had recently moved back in with parents to save money after living in London for two years, and that she felt “down” as she worried she had “moved in the wrong direction”.

Another woman’s TikTok gained thousands of views, recounting the reasons why she “said goodbye to London and moved back with parents at 27”.

And in the comments section is an echo chamber of acceptance, all sharing their own experiences of having made the same move in the current cost of living crisis.

One user said: “With this economy now, if your parents are okay with you living with them don’t take that for granted and use it as an advantage to save up!”

Another said: “Times have changed. We should be living at home as long as possible, travelling, working, saving. And then move out.”

Saheena Dhanda, an acount executive at Wildfire, admitted she also felt relieved to move back in with her parents.

She said: “I feel that a break from the city lifestyle, whether this is for financial or mental health reasons, can be beneficial for anyone.

“I can think a lot clearer by not being so caught up in the social aspects of London life and feel less pressured to keep up with my peers – for example, attending events that I may not have had the budget for but feeling like I’ll miss out if I don’t go.”

What’s next for young people?

But, while we may be happy to embrace living at home for a while, young people quickly grow tired of not being able to sustain living independently, and they won’t put up with the way things are now forever.

More and more people are feeling that London and the UK in general have lost their glamour and have packed up entirely, with a new flood of Brits jetting off in search of greener pastures in Australia.

Last year, it is estimated 19,230 more UK citizens migrated to Australia than emigrated here.

While the cost of living is much more expensive in Australia, the wages are also higher – British doctors can earn as much as 50% more than they could in the UK.

I am at peace with the fact that I’ve got to stay at home for a while to save.

But with my £600 a month train prices, the fear of how long it will take me to save enough money to move out is playing on my mind. I don’t want to wait another four years before I can afford to be independent.

In rebuilding our economy, Sir Keir Starmer’s government should consider why young people want to leave Britain and focus on making it feasible to live independently here instead.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

“It is definitely physically gruelling — we’re not even that old, but you can get fresco burnout,” says Rosie Hastings, sitting with partner Hannah Quinlan in their studio in the vast Thames-Side complex in Woolwich, south-east London, where their lives and art intertwine as one. Two large, recently completed frescoes, painted on to lime plaster on wooden panels, hang on the studio walls, ready for their forthcoming solo exhibition at Arcadia Missa gallery in London.

Their chosen method is demanding — the morning’s division of labour has Hastings preparing the ground (plaster with lime) and Quinlan mixing the paints for the day from scratch. The painting has to be done before the plaster dries, meaning long hours in the studio. “The adrenaline is addictive — it’s so magical, it’s the agony and the ecstasy, that’s our life!” says Hastings.

Their technique might be drawn from antiquity, but the subjects feel more personal and present. In one image, a queer couple wearing billowy angel wings are locked in a late-night discussion, seemingly walking home from a party. There are unsettling details on closer inspection — white crosses made of sticky tape on the windows of the building in the background are based on an archival photograph of the fascist demagogue Oswald Mosley’s house, the crosses an attempt to protect the windows from shattering during second world war bombing. Mosley has been a figure the duo has returned to in allusive ways — Hastings’ grandfather belonged to the radical Jewish anti-fascist 43 Group and was imprisoned after a failed attempt to murder one of Mosley’s Blackshirts. “It’s a sticky bit of history,” Hastings says.

Quinlan and Hastings, both 33, met 11 years ago as students at Goldsmiths and have been inseparable since. At first, their practice involved hosting parties and reading groups in their bedroom, which evolved to drawing together. They now work symbiotically from concept to execution. “Sometimes I look at something and think, ‘Did I do that?’” Hastings says. “When we started working together, we had some ego problems, we had to fight for space — but now we’ve thrown our egos in the bin.”

The focus of Quinlan and Hastings’ frescoes has been street scenes of figures exploring the power dynamics of class, gender and sexuality as they play out and are performed in public spaces. Adhering to the tradition of frescoes, their complex and dynamic scenes are coded with symbols, queering and questioning the dominant moral order of things.

Perhaps predictably, it was an encounter with the Sistine Chapel that turned them on to fresco. “We were 23, but we felt that anything we saw in art history, we could also do,” Quinlan reflects. “I guess that’s the power of art — the sublime moment.” They were promptly on the case to demystify and learn the art form by searching for a teacher online — and they ended up in a barn in a forest near Toulouse, painting into the night under the strict instruction of Fleur Kelly, one of the only remaining teachers of fresco painting. In fact, she had stopped teaching — but the pair proved persuasive enough. “Fleur taught us discipline and rigour, and that you need a hardcore, punk attitude if you decide to dedicate yourself to this,” Hastings explains.

Quinlan and Hastings’ latest public work, however, adopts another ancient technique favoured for public art through the ages — mosaic. Their piece for Art on the Underground, a scheme that commissions work for the Tube network, will be unveiled on November 28 at St James’s Park station in the heart of London. “Angels of History” will be installed for posterity in the atrium of the Grade I-listed station at 55 Broadway, joining the ranks of sculptures by Modernist masters, including Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore, that are carved into the building’s stone facade.

Quinlan and Hastings translated their work into mosaic for the first time as it proved more durable and better suited for the dirt and vibrations of a train station. The limitations and constraints of mosaic, as well as its Roman roots, however, felt natural to the fresco artists. They still produced the designs as frescoes on a 1:1 scale before having them fabricated by Gary Drostle, a mosaic specialist who is also based in south-east London.

“Angels of History” features six panels arranged as two triptychs. As ever, each work is richly coded and leaps through the history and myths of centuries. “Given the location of St James’s, between Whitehall, where the future is decided, and the royal palaces, where history is preserved, we wanted to create something to watch over people,” says Hastings. The duo took cues from the watchful presence of gothic gargoyles, designed to ward off evil spirits; Michelangelo’s oracular Sibyls in the Sistine Chapel; and angel figures in the Old Testament, both intimidating and protective.

To either side of these angels, landscapes conjure a more fearsome and dystopian atmosphere — a tree ravaged by the weather, ominous open grassy plains, Art Deco skyscrapers and postwar council houses, as well as a model of 55 Broadway itself. These images also allude to Walter Benjamin’s ideas on the “angel of history” from his 1940 essay “Theses on the Philosophy of History” — a figure who is propelled by the forward motion of progress, characterised by Benjamin as a storm, while looking back at the debris and destruction left in its wake.

The gaze of Quinlan and Hastings’ angels too is directed away, towards something we can’t see. As commuters hurry by below, they are poised, with excitement and uncertainty, to see what will emerge from the rubble of the past.

November 1-December 17, arcadiamissa.com

PENSIONERS are facing a tough few months after access to the Winter Fuel Payment was slashed to only those who claim Pension Credit, but thankfully, other help is at hand.

There are 12 freebies and discounts you can claim if you are over state pension age and on a low income that could help boost your budget.

1

According to charity Age UK, billions of pounds’ worth of benefits go unclaimed every year, so it’s worth checking what support you might be entitled to.

The support available covers everything from help with rental costs, assistance for those requiring care, pension top-ups and discounted transport.

If you are eligible for these benefits or freebies and discounts, you could find yourself thousands of pounds better off this winter.

Pension Credit

Many people who found themselves losing the Winter Fuel Payment this year could actually still be eligible.

This is because they may not realise they could actually claim Pension Credit.

It’s estimated that more than 800,000 people who qualify aren’t claiming the benefit.

Pension Credit is a tax-free benefit that will top up your income to a minimum limit.

The weekly benefit comes in two parts – guarantee credit and savings credit – and is completely separate from your State Pension.

You can claim Pension Credit if you have reached State Pension age and your weekly income is less than:

• £218.15 if you’re single
• £332.95 if you’re a couple.

Pension Credit tops up what you are currently receiving to meet the above amounts.

If you’ve saved money towards retirement this amount is topped up further via the savings credit part of the benefit.

Pension credit is described as a “gateway benefit” because it also opens up a host of other perks.

This can include help with housing costs, council tax or heating bills and even a free TV licence if you are 75 or older.

It will also give you access to the winter fuel payment, worth up £300.

You may also get additional pension credit if you are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.

Applications can be made on the Government website or by calling the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.

Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance is a benefit which helps with extra costs if you have a severe disability that requires someone to help look after you.

It’s paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need.

The lower rate is worth £72.65 a week, while the higher rate is £108.55 a week.

Those who receive the lower rate must require frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night.

Those who require supervision throughout the day and night will receive the higher rate.

There are 56 categories of medical conditions that enable you to make a claim, including heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

You are also entitled to claim if a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live.

To apply online, visit www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/how-to-claim.

Council tax reduction

If you’re on a low income or receive certain benefits, you can get help towards your council tax bill from your local authority.

The amount your bill might be cut by depends on your circumstances.

But, if you receive the guarantee element of pension credit your council tax could be written off in full.

If you live alone, you will get the 25% reduction, even if you’re not entitled to any other benefits.

To apply for a council tax reduction you need to contact your local council.

State Pension

State Pension is paid to both men and women from the age of 66.

Not everyone gets the same amount, with the payment rate based on an individual’s National Insurance (NI) record.

Workers must have 35 qualifying years of NI to get the maximum amount of the new state pension.

You earn NI qualifying years through work, or by getting credits, for instance when you are looking after children and claiming child benefit.

If you have gaps, you can top up your record by paying in voluntary NI contributions. 

To get the old, full basic state pension, you will need 30 years of contributions or credits. 

You will need at least 10 years on your NI record to get any state pension. 

Last month, it was confirmed that the maximum payment for the new State Pension will rise from £8,814 to £9,167.

You won’t automatically get the state pension – you need to claim it once you’re eligible.

You should receive a letter no later than two months before you reach state pension age, explaining what to do.

Housing benefit

Housing benefit can cover rental costs, if you’re of state pension age or over and on a low income.

To receive the benefit you will also need to have savings of less than £16,000.

If you live with a partner you both need to be of state pension age to claim housing benefit, if not you’ll need to make a Universal Credit claim.

Housing benefit is means tested, so the amount you will receive depends on your income and how much you have in savings.

But if you get the guarantee element of pension credit, your income and savings won’t be taken into account – so you may get your rent paid in full.

To apply for housing benefit, contact your local council.

Cold weather payment

Cold weather payments are made to eligible residents in areas where the temperature is recorded at zero degrees Celsius or below, for seven consecutive days.

A £25 payment will be made for each seven day period of very cold weather between November 1 2024 and March 31 2025.

You may be eligible for the payments if you receive:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest

Payments are made automatically, so you do not need to apply for the benefit.

Warm home discount

The £150 warm home discount is available to pensioners and those on low incomes.

Those who qualify for the discount will have £150 deducted from their energy bills by the end of March 2025.

You’ll be eligible if you receive the guarantee credit element of Pension Credit, or are on a low income and have high energy costs.

The discount should be automatically deducted from your energy bill this winter if your eligible, but those on low-incomes living in Scotland need to apply through their energy providers.

If you were eligible for the payment last winter and did not receive it, contact your energy supplier.

If your energy supplier is unable to help write to the warm home discount scheme on 110552 Warm Home Discount Scheme,
PO Box 26965, Glasgow, G1 9BW.

Carer’s Allowance

Carer’s allowance is available to those who look after someone who would find it difficult to manage without their support.

You don’t need to be related to the person you care for to make the claim.

Carer’s allowance and the state pension are overlapping benefits, so you can’t claim both independently.

But if you receive less than £81.90 through your state pension, you can claim carer’s allowance to top it up to that level.

To be eligible you must spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone who is ill or disabled.

To apply call the Carer’s Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0297

Free TV licence

You can claim a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and either receive Pension Credit yourself or live with a partner who gets Pension Credit.

You can apply for a free licence when you’re 74, but will still have to pay until the end of the month before your 75^th birthday.

You can apply for your free licence online or by calling 0300 790 6071.

If you’re not entitled to a free licence, you could still receive a discount.

You could be eligible for a discounted TV licence if you live in residential care or sheltered accommodation, or if you’re registered blind.

If you live in sheltered accommodation or residential care and are over 60 or disabled you can get a licence for just £7.50.

Your housing manager should be able to check if you’re eligible and will apply for you.

If you’re registered blind, or live with someone who is, you’re in line for a 50% discount.

The licence must be in the name if the person registered blind, but if your existing licence is not in their name you can make an application to transfer it.

You can apply for the discount on the TV Licensing website.

Transport concessions

In England, you can get a bus pass for free travel when you reach the State Pension age.

Plus, if you live in London, you can travel free on buses, tubes and other transport when you’re 60, but only within London.

In Wales, you can get a bus pass when you reach 60.

You get an older person’s bus pass when you’re 60 if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

You can apply for the pass via your local council’s website which will have more information.

Pensioners can also apply for a Senior Railcard to get discounted rail fares.

There is an annual cost of £30 for the card and gets you 1/3 off train travel.

People with a Senior Railcard save on average £142 a year, according to the government.

The Senior Railcard is available to travellers aged 60 or over.

You can apply for the card on the National Rail website.

Free prescriptions

Once you reach 60, you can get free prescriptions from your local pharmacy – prescriptions usually cost £9.90 each in England.

So if you usually buy a single prescription each month you could save £118.80 over the year.

This benefit is automatic and there’s no need to apply.

If you’re 60 or over you’re also entitled to a free NHS sight test, so you should let your optician know when you reach 60 if you haven’t already. 

Eye tests can usually cost between £20 and £30.

Household Support Fund

Struggling households can get help with the cost of living via the Household Support Fund (HSF).

The fund has recently has been extended for the sixth time, with £421million set to be made available to regional councils to distribute from this month.

The support you can access depends on where you live, but funds can be paid out as shopping or fuel vouchers, cash payments or other means.

Under the previous round of funding, households in Leicester could apply to receive £300 payments to help with utilities and essential costs.

In Plymouth eligible residents could receive a maximum of £740 in vouchers.

This included £240 in supermarket vouchers, £200 in energy vouchers as well as an essential item of household furniture or white goods or £300 of clothing vouchers.

Schemes vary across the country, but every council will receive funding to distribute.

To see what’s on offer where you live, contact your local council.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

UK workers will have to wait until late 2025, or even 2026, for some of the main measures in the government’s flagship employment reforms to kick in, as ministers accept the need for long consultations on the contentious package.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds will meet business and union leaders on Tuesday ahead of the government’s self-imposed deadline to publish the draft legislation.

Labour has promised an Employment Act within the first 100 days of the party taking office, with the legislation expected to be released on Thursday. 

The package of some 75 measures is central to Labour’s programme to “make work pay”, and includes protection against unfair dismissal from day one of employment, new rights on working hours, flexible work and the right to “switch off” outside contracted hours.

The government is seeking to reassure workers that it is on their side in the run-up to the Budget on October 30, which is expected to deliver tough decisions on taxes, benefits and public spending.

Officials said it will take more than a year to bring some key measures into effect, and much longer to complete more complex reforms. 

“I don’t think we’re seeing a lot of this before 2026,” said the leader of one business group, adding: “There is a sense of, let’s get this right first time . . . The mood is to use secondary legislation on anything contentious to give time for consultation.”

People involved in the meetings with officials expect the bill published next week to be a bare bones framework that allows ministers to boast they have hit the 100-day target. 

The bill is expected to contain powers for ministers to pass regulations that will eventually fill in policy blanks. 

It could take three months for the legislation to get through parliament, followed by consultations that could last another 12 weeks — with more time needed for the relevant secondary legislation.

Two government figures said it was realistic to think it could be a year or 18 months before some of the key measures were applied in the workplace.

“By the time that is all sorted it would be at least next year, maybe longer,” said one. 

This would apply to provisions such as day one protection against unfair dismissal, the “ban” on zero-hour contracts and a clampdown on employers using “fire and rehire” tactics. 

In a few areas, changes are relatively straightforward and faster to implement. These include the repeal of antitrade union legislation, a stronger right to work flexibly when feasible and the extension of statutory sick pay.

Clarifying the right to bereavement leave and strengthening protections for pregnant workers could also be done swiftly. 

But some far-reaching reforms — including a separate review of the UK’s parental leave system, a rewriting of workers’ employment status and the introduction of collective bargaining in the care sector — will not be part of the legislation and are likely to stretch into 2027.

The promised right to switch off may also be dealt with in a later code of conduct. 

Ministers had “made themselves hostages to fortune” by setting the 100-day deadline, a lobbyist at a second business group said, adding: “There is a wide range of very significant stuff that is not easy to design — they have found how much there still is to work out.”

One of the most contentious issues is how to design a statutory probation period to ensure employers follow a fair process when they dismiss new hires, once the current two-year qualifying period for protection is scrapped. 

“We still don’t know what a fair dismissal process might look like in that period and what rights might apply,” the second lobbyist said, adding that it would “take a couple of years before anything comes into effect”.

He noted ministers were alert to the risk of a surge in claims to already overstretched employment tribunals if there was any ambiguity over the new rules.

“Some businesses are really worried about being sued,” said another business representative.

Colin Leckey, a partner at the law firm Lewis Silkin, said a change to the unfair dismissal qualifying period could take effect in the first half of 2025 but was more likely to come later in the year, if ministers were willing “to consult with businesses and allow time to adjust”.

“Slippage to 2026 is also possible,” he added.

The so-called ban on zero-hour contracts could also take time to refine. Labour had planned to deliver it through a new right to a contract, to reflect the number of hours a worker regularly does over a 12-week reference period.

But businesses and unions are concerned that this could cause problems in sectors where there are big seasonal spikes in demand. 

James Bore and Nikki Kopelman are around £12,000 better off after ditching their estate agent and selling their three-bedroom bungalow themselves.

The couple decided they would rather arrange their own viewings at times that suited their work schedules which led James, 41, to think – what else would they need an estate agent for? 

1

“It didn’t really add that much [value] to have the marketing done by the agent compared to what we could do ourselves,” said James, owner of security and technology consultancy Bores who lives in Stanmore, London. 

“I’m not saying estate agents are worthless, but they weren’t in a place to add much value to us, they just gave us added hassle and took extra fees.”

The couple had been quoted between 1% and 2% commission from local agents to sell their £650,000 home.

James and 36-year-old Nikki, a translator, used a combination of marketing techniques to get their property noticed by the local community. 

They posted their home in the local neighbourhood WhatsApp group, placed a classified advert in their local paper costing £35 and made their own for sale sign which also cost £35.

To widen their reach the couple also used Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor.co.uk – a platform for buying and selling items and sharing tips with people who live in your postcode area. 

“The sign got us more attention than anything else,” said James. 

A neighbour saw the sign and told their friend who wanted to move house.

Two months after listing their home for sale and more than 20 viewings later, James and Nikki accepted an offer of £625,000, £25,000 below the asking price. 

Their sale completed at the end of September.

Lewis Buckley, co-founder of house selling platform Hiizzy, said: “Selling your own home requires motivation. You must take responsibility for the process.

“But, those who do can benefit from significant cost savings. It is up to 95% cheaper than traditional estate agents.”

How to sell your own home for cheap

If you do decide to sell your own home, getting it noticed is your main goal. 

First you need to create an online listing that you can post on social media. 

If you’re using marketplaces such as Facebook, Gumtree or Nextdoor.co.uk you must create your property listing on their platform following some simple steps.

To maximise the number of people who see your property you can pay for extra advertising.

Gumtree, for example, charges £9.99 for a basic listing and £19.99 for premium advertising. 

Nextdoor.co.uk recommends advertising your listing in its For Sale and Free section as well as posting your property in the general news feed. Its free and can reach users in a 100-mile radius.

If, like James and Nikki, you want to advertise in the local paper and use a For Sale board as well, you can create your own online listing and add the URL link address to your adverts. The couple used a website called Canva to design their free listing. 

Your advert should include the price, high quality photos, a video of your home, floor plans and a description. 

If you lack the know-how, you can use Purple Bricks’ free service which lets you build your listing and promotes your property through Zoopla. The team also value your home.

Or, for £395, you can use new platform Hiizzy. Once your property advert is ready, you can promote it through your own social media channels as well as the Hiizzy marketplace. It provides sold price data to value your home and gives prompts to help you describe your property. 

If you are flying solo, invite three estate agents to view your property to tell you how much it would sell for. Choose the valuation in the middle. Be prepared for lots of follow up calls to win your business.

Search through the sold prices on Zoopla and Rightmove to find out how much local homes like yours are selling for.

Or, pay for a valuation. James and Nikki did all three to get the most accurate price, paying £600 for a valuation. 

The positives of DIY selling

With the average estate agent fee coming in at 1.42% of the selling price, according to consumer group HomeOwners Alliance, sellers stand to save £4,153 on a property with an average price tag of £292,505. 

You have direct contact with your buyers instead of waiting for messages to be passed through a middleman which could speed up the sale. You are also in the best position to sell your home as you will be more familiar with its features.

Drawbacks of ditching an agent

If you’re advertising your property across lots of different social media channels you will have to create multiple listings which is time consuming. 

It’s likely that less potential buyers will see your advert without using the big property portals, which private sellers are blocked from. 

Without a good grasp of technology, you could struggle to create and advertise your own property listing and keep on top of the enquiries about your home. Speedy responses are essential to avoid losing buyers.

Most buyers will want to haggle over the asking price so you need to be a confident negotiator, something not all sellers may be comfortable with. 

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, said DIY sellers risk missing out estate agents’ expertise.

“Only when you go through the sales process will you find that just listing a property on a portal may not be enough,” she said. “This is even more so when the market is subdued.

“Local estate agents will have a list of serious buyers looking in the area,” she said. “On receipt of your instruction, they will contact them before the listing pops up on a portal and when a sale has been agreed they will chase all parties to help get the sale over the line.”