Money Box

Four students studying at Durham University received a surprise bill for Council Tax. They were billed hundreds of pounds for a period when no -one was living in the property over the summer. The local authority said that as students they were exempt from the tax but only when they were actually living there. We speak to the editor of the Council Tax Handbook. Police forces across the UK have seen a recent spike in cases of what is called courier fraud. Criminals persuade older people to take cash out of the bank and then give it to a courier to keep it safe. What can potential victims do to avoid being scammed? Earlier this year we looked at the history of financial mistakes. We asked listeners to get in touch with their biggest financial mistakes. A number of people told us theirs was buying a flat with Grenfell-style cladding and then being billed tens of thousands of pounds for its removal. We hear from people in this position. Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

For many young people buying a home can seem like an impossible dream. High property prices, no way of saving for a big deposit and worries about paying for a hefty mortgage. But it's not all doom and gloom. Plenty of people are buying their first homes and the programme will hear from some of them. There are some cautionary tales though and we'll hear about those too. Felicity Hannah is joined by - Kate Faulkner, property market analyst and commentator, Ella Cheney, shared ownership programme manager at the National Housing Federation and BBC journalist Thea de Gallier who focuses on housing issues. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Council tenants on Universal Credit are much more likely to be in rent arrears than those who don’t get the benefit. That’s according to research carried out by Money Box. We surveyed local authorities for 12 of the largest cities across Britain and found tens of thousands of people having to manage this debt. The numbers also suggest not only are people on the benefit more likely to be in arrears, but they’re likely to owe much more too. We find out why. Proposals about how to reform leasehold laws in England and Wales have been described as 'nothing more than tinkering' by campaigners. We speak to Professor Nick Hopkins the member of the Law Commission responsible for this report. And foreign exchange company Travelex is still closed for business after a ransom attack eleven days ago. We find out what this means for its customers. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Howard Mustoe Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

The world of the influencer is a lucrative one. Online stars made $8bn in 2019 and it's not just household names that are earning money. Louise Cooper and her guests explain how you can make money from your social media presence. Louise talks to - Beckii Cruel who posted videos of herself dancing to Japanese pop music in the late 2000's and ended up 120,000 subscribers to her Youtube channel. Sara McCorquodale who has written a book (Influence) about the rise of the social media influencer and runs her own influencer marketing agency Corq. Kate McCabe who turned to social media when she lost her job a couple of years ago and now posts videos of her spotting bargains at car boot sales and antique Mike Parkes from Go Simple Tax who explains how influencers - whose remuneration comes in the shape of income, gifts and experiences - should complete their tax returns. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

History is littered with tales of financial error – many instantly familiar even though they may have taken place several centuries apart. Why do we keep on making the same mistakes with our money and what can we do to stop making them? Paul Lewis discusses with Russell Napier, the Keeper of Edinburgh's Library of Mistakes, Prof Nicky Marsh who is writing a book on the history of financial advice and Dr Joe Gladstone from UCL's School of Management who helps people make better behavioural choices with their money. Picture: General Gregor Macgregor - Scottish soldier, adventurer and confidence trickster. Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon