This is Money Podcast

It's been a long time in the making and the idea has run through successive governments, but a new law to improve the life of those who rent their home has finally kicked in.Whether it's much-needed or much-feared depends what side of the landlord fence you are on, but what's not in doubt is that the Renters' Rights Act is a massive shake-up.The assured shorthold tenancy system that has been the backbone of renting a home for almost 40 years has been torn up and replaced with rolling contracts that tenants can get out of with two months' notice.Landlords, however, will find it much harder to get their property back, put the rent up, or even turn down pets.So, is this what the rental market needs, or is it likely to backfire as some property experts warn?With decades of experience of renting, covering the property market - and even helping with a family business that's involved in it - Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert dig into the Renters' Rights Act.Plus, on this episode, the Bank of England held rates but could it really need to raise them three times this year and what's behind the rocketing number of 45p taxpayers and why isn't it Rachel Reeves' fault?And finally, travel experts this week revealed where is still cheap to fly to for summer, so do you fancy a holiday in Cork, Dortmund or that old Wags' favourite Baden-Baden?

A new campaign has been launched to turn Britain's savers into investors. In this bonus episode, This is Money's Simon Lambert speaks to Karen Northey, of the Investment Association about the Take The Next Step campaign, backed by members of the investment industry and supported by the government and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.They discuss why investing matters, how it can grow people's wealth and why Britain's savers can seem reluctant to dip their toes into something that has the power to substantially improve their chance of beating inflation and improving their finances.

Is the younger generation going to end up worse off than their parents?A new survey shows young people aged 18 to 29 say the events of 2026 have left them feeling particularly pessimistic about the future, and the number who believe they will be worse off than their parents has doubled in the past year.Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss whether the idea the next generation will have it better than previous ones is now bunkum.Elsewhere, what do you want to see less of on the high street? And how can they improve?A student loan interest cap kicks in later in the year... for some. Simon explains what it means.And do you use a dodgy fire stick for watching TV, films or football? We discuss whether the net is closing in on their illegal use.

A new government-backed campaign to get Britain to become a nation of investors is about to kick off.The message that you can be making more of your money will be spread in adverts that we know will feature a squirrel... but not much more about.It's a campaign being led by the Investment Association, the fund management industry body, and backed by 20 financial firms, ranging from investing platforms to wealth managers.So, will it make a difference - and why are we being told to invest?On the This is Money Podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert dive into the reasons for investing, the easy ways to do it and why it doesn't have to be an all or nothing affair.Also in this episode, will the Bank of England really raise interest rates, Crane on the Case tackles a terrible tale of a holiday refund that should have been made, we look at the supermarket tactics to ge you to spend more... and Helen takes us down memory lane to a Midlands supermarket in the 1990s.And finally, how much would an A4 sheet of paper worth of a new home cost you - and why on earth would you want to know?

Many younger adults think they are substantially less well-off than their parents.But while there are inequalities, new research suggests the wealth gap may be far narrower than previously reported - and it is largely down to the cash those in their twenties and thirties have stashed in their pensions. On this week's episode of the This is Money podcast Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost discuss why official figures got it wrong, and whether property versus pension is a pointless comparison. The team also ask what will happen to interest rates and mortgages due to the fact that - for now at least - a ceasefire in Iran appears to be holding. Elsewhere, Lee reports on a ferocious best buy battle at the top of the fixed cash Isa tables, where even the high street banks are getting involved. And finally, another Chinese pretender to Amazon's retail throne has entered the UK. Is Joybuy any good, how did it fare when our reporter put its delivery service to the test - and do we really need another place to buy bargain toilet rolls online? 

A solar revolution is on its way to Britain and can help save us from volatile and high energy bills, if you believe Ed Miliband.Plug-in solar panels are popular across Europe but currently rules in the UK mean that we can’t buy them and, as it says on the tin, simply plug them into our home’s electricity supply.But changes are afoot that will mean we could soon be buying individual panels that cost £400 and simply plugging them into a three-pin wall socket, where thanks to the magic of an inverter they would put power into your home.And we might even be able to nip down to the middle of Lidl to buy them, with the discount supermarket among those talking about offering them – in its famous middle aisle.In Germany, Ikea sells panels and there and in other European countries they are popular, so could they transform our homes? How long would it take to get your money back – and what’s the prepper angle on the interest in all this?Georgie Frost and Simon Lamber talk plug-in solar panels and energy bills on this episode of the This is Money podcast.They also discuss summer holiday flights and what the massive disruption triggered by the Iran war will do to prices and demand – and how to target a cheaper break.Plus, with the government announcing its new town locations, where do property experts think the best one will be.And, there are rumblings in the finance world over private credit, with the Bank of England among those warning about what’s been dubbed shadow banking. What’s going on, could it trigger a financial crisis and should you be worried?