<p>Housing starts during the second quarter of the year stood at 46,800, down 5% on the same period last year according to latest figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).</p> <p>But planning applications continue to rise, according to NHBC figures, which show 49,482 new homes applications in the quarter, up 4% on 2005.</p> <p>House prices in the second quarter rose again, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), with a balance of 31% of RICS’surveyor members reporting price rises, for the ninth successive month.</p> <p>The DCLG reports that house prices have risen by 5.2% so far this year. Research by mortgage lender Abbey has revealed that 23% of first time buyers now expect their parents to give or loan them money for a deposit. It also found that 12% expect parents to act as a guarantor on their mortgage, and 13% expect their parents to pay for furniture or whitegoods. The Bank of England has hinted at another rise in the base interest rate, following the quarter point rise in August, and the HBF’s monthly survey shows that less than half of developers are now confident about higher sales this year.</p>