Welcome to Money, Sky News’ consumer and personal finance hub. Today: a lender has launched a sub-3% mortgage for landlords; another supermarket is hit by a cyber-attack; we look at new British Airways routes and whether they offer cheaper holiday options; our weekly Savings Guide.
Wednesday 30 April 2025 18:55, UK
Homeowners will be able to claim government grants for a bigger range of options to upgrade their heating systems, it has been announced.
The government’s new plans for its boiler upgrade scheme – which provides up to £7,500 off the cost of heat pumps – could be expanded to include other technologies, such as air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries.
New purchase and ownership models are also being considered, which would spread the cost of a heat pump over several years or give households the opportunity to lease one for a monthly fee.
A consultation on the proposals is being launched today, with the government saying it hopes to give households that want to shift to low-carbon heating the opportunity to choose what works best for them.
Heat pumps, which use electricity to draw heat from the air or ground to warm homes and provide hot water, are seen as a key technology in cutting bills while replacing gas boilers to reduce climate emissions.
Their popularity has been growing, with a record 4,028 applications received in March – up 88% on the same month last year, according to government figures.
But a recent Heating Trades Network survey found the upfront cost remained a major barrier to uptake.
Just one in seven private tenants (13%) have a negative relationship with their landlord, according to a survey.
Some 66% said they had a positive relationship, while 21% said it was neutral, Aldermore Bank found.
Under two-thirds (63%) said their landlord was easy to get hold of if there was an issue.
“Being a good landlord isn’t just about collecting rent. It’s about creating a safe and well-maintained property, coupled with open communication that creates a professional and respectful relationship with a tenant,” Jon Cooper, director of mortgages at Aldermore, told Your Money.
“Despite some negative reports of the tenant-landlord relationship, our data shows that the majority have positive experiences.”
Approximately a third of tenants said they were allowed to make cosmetic changes to their home or to keep pets.
£10 for a magazine sounds like a lot, but it might be worth it if you enjoy visiting the UK’s colourful gardens. 
Next month’s issue of BBC Gardeners’ World comes with a pass that gives you 2 for 1 entry to 382 gardens for a year. 
You can use it to visit sites such as Leeds Castle, Haddon Hall, Shakespeare’s Family Homes and Hillsborough Castle. 
It’s also valid at 69 National Trust gardens, 26 National Trust for Scotland gardens and 12 English Heritage gardens. 
You can see the full list of sites you can visit with the pass here.
You can use the pass as many times as you like until 2 April 2026, but it’s worth noting that some gardens need to be pre-booked. 
The magazine can be bought from 22 May at newsagents and supermarkets, or you can order it online at Mags Direct – this option does come with a postage fee. 
You’ll also get two free packets of Eschscholiza Orange King and Lettuce Salad Bowl Mix seeds, which usually cost around £5. 
A major lender has launched a sub-3% buy-to-let rate, but brokers have warned it’s important to read the small print.
The Mortgage Works announced cuts this afternoon to the majority of its BTL rates, with the headline rate at 2.99%.
But Ben Perks, managing director at Orchard Financial Advisers, warned the “eye-catching” product will “whack you with a 3% fee for the privilege”.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it often is,” he said in comments provided to Money by industry news agency Newspage.
“Still, it’s good to see rates dropping in the buy-to-let space, which is often neglected these days.”
Harps Garcha, director at Brooklyns Financial, agreed it was “important to read the small print”.
“If you are comfortable with a 3% lending fee, this could be an excellent product. That said, a 3% fee is now fairly common in today’s market. 
“Recent weeks have seen mainstream buy-to-let lenders either launch more attractive rates or relax their lending criteria. As a result, many landlords may finally feel able to lift their heads above water and take a much-needed breath.”
The government has frozen prescription charges for the first time in three years.
Medicines will stay at £9.90, saving patients £18m next year, according to the Department for Health and Social Care.
Meanwhile, a three-month prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will be frozen at £32.05, while a 12-month PPC will remain at £114.50.
These can offer better value for those who need a lot of prescriptions.
NHS prescription charges apply in England only, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales abolishing the fee after devolution.
Around 89% of prescriptions in England are already dispensed free of charge, including for children, over-65s, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions.
By Mickey Carroll, science and tech reporter
Hackers have attempted to break into Co-op’s systems, forcing the retailer to shut down some of its operations to block the criminals.
In order to stop the hack, Co-op told Sky News it took “proactive steps” that “resulted in a small impact to some of our back office and call centre services”.
Co-op’s shops and funeral homes are trading as usual and Co-op members and customers are not being asked “to do anything differently at this point”, said a spokesperson.
“We will continue to provide updates as necessary.”
The attempt comes as M&S grapples with an ongoing cyberattack on its systems.  
For more than a week, the British retailer has been unable to accept contactless payments, fully stock its shelves or let customers shop online.
The M&S attack has been linked to the notorious young hacking group Scattered Spider.
Read why they’re so infamous here…
Almost two-thirds (62%) of couples argue about money, according to new research.
Spending, the balance of financial responsibilities and short-term planning are the most common topics causing disagreements, financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown found.
Other significant bones of contention include giving money away, missing bills, debt and investment choices.
“Some perfect couples never row about money. They agree on everything, and live in a beautiful, harmonious bubble of joy,” says Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown.
“The rest of us are a bit more human, clashing over anything from spending to saving and debts to investments. If this is how you live, the art is to find a way to tackle these subjects and come to an agreement that leaves you both better off.”
People aged 18-24 are more likely to row about money and less likely to compromise, the research found.
Couples with children living at home are also more likely to argue.
Disputes are resolved with a compromise by 53% of people, while 21% say they do what they want regardless.
Coles suggests conversations should cover goals and general attitudes to money, not just immediate issues.
“It can help you highlight any differences, so you can find ways to work around them, rather than letting them lie at the heart of every argument you ever have about money.”
Most common heated topics
 The founder of Mumsnet has said men are to blame for the difficulties faced by mothers returning to work – and that fathers who don’t do their fair share should be shamed into doing more household chores.
PwC reports that a woman entering the workforce is paid around 5.2% less than a male counterpart on average – but that this increases to almost 13% by the end of a woman’s career.
The so-called motherhood penalty – which refers to the unequal share of childcare responsibilities taken on by women – is cited as a major factor in this.
Justine Roberts, who founded the parents’ network in 2000, told The Telegraph: “There is a problem in the home. When we ask our users about this, they say the mother is still taking on the bulk of the domestic responsibility. So 90% of the interactions with the school, 90% of the play dates being organised, 90% of the holidays and the packing of packed lunches.
“Until that changes, we just have to accept that women are doing too much. They’ve also potentially got caring responsibilities the other way as well with ageing parents.
“In the end, whatever employers do, it’s just not a fair equation. I think the single biggest problem is that and the way to solve it is to get men more involved. Part of that is cultural, part of it is shame and I’m happy to shame dads.”
Tenants in a Buckinghamshire postcode are paying the highest rents in the country – more than London’s prime real estate.
Renters in HP9 pay £5,920 a month on average – a staggering 279% more than the wider South East, property software firm Cohab found.
Its analysis reveals the most expensive postcodes in each region of England and Wales…
HP9 was 359% more expensive than the average across both nations, £1,291.
SW7 in the Kensington and Chelsea/Westminster area of London was the second most expensive, with renters forking out £5,438 a month on average.
TR11 in Cornwall was the most expensive postcode in the South West, charging £2,845 – 125% more than the regional average.
SA2 in Swansea was the costliest area of Wales, setting tenants back £1,510 a month.
The data comes as property website Rightmove said the average advertised rent of new properties coming on to the market across Britain, excluding London, reached a record of £1,349 a month in the first quarter of the year.
Average advertised rents in London also rose to a record of £2,698 a month.
Rental homes across Britain are receiving 12 inquiries typically, Rightmove said. 
While this has cooled from an average of 16 at the start of last year, it is still more than double the average of five over the first three months of 2019.
Tesco has increased the price of its Tesco Finest dine-in meal deal by £3.
The offer, which includes a main, side, dessert and drink (alcoholic or alternative) for two, has increased from £12 to £15.
At the same time, the dine-in menu has expanded, with nine new products, including pork crackling joint with cider jus and manchego stuffed chicken.
Tesco said it was improving its ingredients and that the meal deal still saved customers up to £22.50.
“We have worked to improve the quality across our Finest Dine In range, investing in the ingredients and recipes, and introducing an updated menu,” a spokesperson said.
“Finest Dine In offers great value and is a delicious, convenient alternative to dining out at a fraction of the price.”
Asda’s meal deal is a cheaper option, including a starter, main, side and dessert for £9.97.
Meanwhile, at Waitrose, it costs £12 for a main, side and either a starter or dessert.
M&S offers a variety of different dine-in options at different price points.
For example, the gastropub dine-in menu offers a main, side and a starter or dessert for £15, while the rotisserie dine-in serves up a main and three sides for £12.
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