A woman's place is in the home - with her name on the title deeds. That's the conclusion of a survey which shows a new generation of women homeowners blazing a new millennium property trail.

Independent women are no longer waiting for a so-called Mr Right to come along before buying a place of their own. The survey of first-time buyers by giant lender the Woolwich shows 73% of women bought their first home on their own - compared to just 48% of men.

Young women are itching to get away from the parental nest - 28% say leaving the family home is the biggest motivation for buying a house. But although they want to put some distance between them and their families, they are still grateful for some financial help.

Women are almost twice as likely to rely on a financial leg up the property ladder by funding their deposits with cash gifts from their family - 32% of women have a handout, compared to just compared to 17% of men. And they are more likely to consult their parents rather than their partner when it comes to buying a property - 54% of women value parental advice, compared to 31% of men.

The survey reveals 63% of first-time buyers save for their deposit themselves, 27% use a cash gift from family or a windfall and 10% borrow their deposit.

Other poll findings show nice neighbours come second only to location when choosing a first home. One in five rate nice neighbours as the single most important factor in buying their home. And a great garden is more important to men than women, with 20% saying this is a deciding factor, compared to 12% of women.

You shut the front door on the world and feel safe in your own home - but your confidence could be misplaced, according to a new study.

Shocking accident statistics reveal more people are killed in the home every week than die in road accidents. In the United Kingdom 76 people are killed in domestic accidents every week compared to 66 who die in road accidents. The causes of death included fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, drowning, accidental collisions and DIY accidents.

In 1999 more than 2.8 million people needed hospital treatment following domestic accidents compared to 320,310 after road accidents. Consumer Affairs Minister Kim Howells describes the figures as ``worrying'', adding that all the deaths are completely unnecessary.

``People are suffering from unnecessary accidents in the home,'' he says. ``These are worrying figures which can be reduced simply by changing behaviour. ``The most vulnerable people are the elderly and the very young. We have launched specific campaigns to target these groups to make sure that the home becomes a safer place.''

The figures are part of the Department of Trade and Industry's annual Home Accident Surveillance System report. It shows that:

:: 76 people are killed in accidents in the home every week

:: More than 1.2 million people a year have to visit casualty after a fall in the home. This year one in 12 people aged over 75 will go to casualty after a fall

:: Every day 55 pre-school children go to casualty with burns and scalds sustained in their own home, mostly from spilled cups of tea

:: There are 99,000 injuries every year in DIY-related activities - 40,000 involving ladders

:: 590,000 people a year need emergency treatment after colliding with an object or another person in the home.

``It is worrying to see that so many people are still being needlessly injured in the home each year,'' says Sarah Colles, Home Safety Adviser for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. ``Home safety is everyone's responsibility and we should work together in a bid to raise home safety awareness.''

Your kids are usually happy when they live at home - but are they heading towards a nightmare when they share a flat for the first time? Nearly a quarter of young flatmates are so traumatised by their house-sharing experiences that they go out of their way to avoid ex-flatmates, according to a new survey.

Some 22% of those aged 16-24 who have lived in a house-share evade contact with at least one of their former flatmates, the survey shows. More than half (55%) of young adults interviewed say they found the flat-share stressful and 43% did not get on with one or more of their fellow housemates.

The report, commissioned by Abbey National's student banking team, shows 17% are still chasing ex-sharers for unpaid debts. The research says that, in flatmates of all ages, nearly one in five (17%) complain their fellow residents are noisy, smelly and generally offensive. Nearly a quarter (24%) criticise their flatmates for not pulling their weight and 7% claim fellow housemates have stolen food or drink from them.

It seems clear you should be very wary when sharing a flat. Do not assume good friends will make good flatmates. However much fun they are on a night out, the morning after they may have different ideas about living arrangements.

When you enter into a lease with your new flatmates, you are all liable under that lease, so it may be a good idea to agree to some basic rules in a ``flatmate understanding''. Joint liability means any or all of the flatmates can be held liable when just one of the flatmates fails to meet obligations under the lease, such as late rent or damage.

The flatmate understanding should detail each one's obligation to the other members of the household. All flatmates should sign and date the understanding to show good faith. The understanding could cover a whole range of issues but the biggest one is the rent. Agree whether each flatmate will pay their share of the rent separately, or whether one member of the household will be responsible for paying all of the rent on time.

Do such privileges as a pet, larger room, or parking mean that one person will pay a larger share of the rent? Check who will be responsible for the phone, electricity gas and other communal bills and how everyone's share will be calculated.

Local Homes & Property 2002
Highgate Village: neighbours' spat
Camden Council seizes home
A guide to the neighbourhood
Property Search in Camden
Property Prices
Council Tax Bands

2001
Homes & Property News & Features