Money Box

Rent controls are common across Europe - but do they work? And could they work in the UK? It's a popular idea with voters but detractors say it could destroy the private rental sector. Nearly a third of private tenants had problems paying their rent, according to a recent report published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Amid rising concerns about the cost of renting, there are renewed calls for some sort of price cap to limit cost increases - a policy already in progress in Scotland. For this edition of Money Box Live Adam Shaw examines how bad it's got for tenants and whether rent cap schemes in Germany and Sweden have helped or hindered the market for both landlord and tenant.CONTRIBUTORSSeb Klier, Generation RentAnna Clarke, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of CambridgeDavid Smith, Residential Landlords AssociationReiner Wild, Berliner Mieterverein (tenants association)Billy McCormac, Fastighetsägarna Stockholm (landlords association).

Black Box technology is regularly touted as a way of reducing car insurance premiums. If the box shows your driving is safe then you qualify for refunds on your premiums. But how does the box determine that your driving is safe? Money Box reporter Tony Bonsignore has discovered that every company has a different way of assessing safe driving and that the digital readings are not always as accurate as they could be. The Government has published a draft bill to cap energy prices. What will that mean in practice for energy consumers? While two thirds of people who stick with the same supplier will see bills come down, those that "embrace the market" and regularly switch to the best deal may pay more than they otherwise would. Meanwhile some mid-size energy suppliers with many customers on the highest tariffs - the so-called standard variable tariff - may well go out of business. And is it the end for peer 2 peer lending? One expert warns that risks to investors have 'intensified significantly'.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Tony Bonsignore Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Andrew Smith.

What was troubling the tax man back in 1977 when Money Box first broadcast? Chairman of the Board of the Inland Revenue, Sir William Pile took the hot seat in our first ever programme, quizzed by presenters Louise Botting and Peter Hobday. Simplifying tax, competence and the sensitivity of tax inspectors were all on the agenda. So what's changed in the last 40 years and have HMRC got to grips with these early challenges? Adam Shaw and guests listen back to Sir William's Pile's interview and talk tax then and now. On the panel are:Yvette Nunn, Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Jane Moore ,Technical Manager, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. John Whiting, former Tax Director, Office of Tax Simplification. To let us know your thoughts, call 03700 100 444 between 1pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 4 October, standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply. Or e-mail your questions and experiences to moneybox@bbc.co.uk (Photo: Denis Healey, Chancellor of the Exchequer with wife Edna beside him)Presenter: Adam Shaw Producers: Lizzy McNeill and Diane Richardson Editor: Andrew Smith.

In October 1977 Money Box made its first appearance on Radio 4. Hear presenters Louise Botting and Peter Hobday cover the big personal finance issues of the day including where to invest your money, the lack of opportunities for children to learn how to manage cash and a new breed of interest free loan. They also interview the then Chairman of the Board of the Inland Revenue Sir William Pyle.

More than 90,000 graduates were refunded hundreds of pounds last year after HMRC took payments for their student loan even though they had paid it off. Money Box has discovered these overpayments are routinely taken for many months because HMRC fails to communicate properly with the Student Loans Company. The programme hears from graduates who've experienced this and from tax expert Graham Farquhar at RSM.The UK's biggest doorstep lender is in trouble. Shares in Provident Financial plummeted 65% at the end of August. They have recovered slightly but now the company has issued another profit warning after trying to modernise its business and save costs. Doorstep lending began over a hundred years ago. Local agents arrange loans in customers' homes and collect repayments weekly. The sums involved are often small. But the interest charged is very high - more than 500% on a six month loan. A former Provident Financial Agent Ian sheds light on how the business of doorstep lending works. And Peter Tutton from the debt charity Stepchange outlines his concerns.Big changes are coming in the way that investment funds treat their clients. From January they will have to bill customers separately for the cost of research - at the moment it is bundled into the annual charges. Some funds - like the US mutual Vanguard - have said they will absorb all research costs. That could bring charges down. But there are other changes all being brought in under a European Directive that could put charges up. Louise Oliver, Chartered Wealth Manager and Director of Piercefield Oliver and Gina Miller, Director of fund manager SCM Direct, debate the issues.

For many people, the workplace pension has been the crux of a decent income in retirement - a guaranteed sum paid for the whole of your non-working life. Stockmarket fluctuations, our increasing longevity and well-meaning changes to pensions policy by successive governments have helped make these sorts of schemes unaffordable. At the same time, something equally fundamental has been happening to the structure of the workplace as well as the nature of the relationship and expectations between employer and employee. The last 10 years has seen the closure of 60% of schemes which would guarantee you a 'wage' in retirement. Since 2012 a system of auto enrollment has instead required all employers to offer a pension that employees are opted into by default. But these come without any assurances about future pay outs and contribution rates are low.So what role do employers' pension schemes now have in providing us with a comfortable retirement? Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Andrew Smith.

The current State Pension system - guarantees anyone with requisite NI contributions a pension of £150ish a week (in real terms. It is protected by the "triple lock" and guarantees a minimum income on reaching State retirement age. But....it's not enough to live on - it's only it's only remotely enough for those with no housing costs and no-one believes the triple lock is affordable for much longer. How much can we rely on the State to fund a retirement. Presenter:Paul Lewis Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Andrew Smith.

Louise Cooper would like to hear your views, experiences and questions about being a buy to let landlord. Call 03700 100 444 between 1pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 28 June or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now. Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply. The end of mortgage interest relief, the loss of the so called wear and tear allowance and additional stamp duty charges on new property purchases may mean that landlords have to rethink their financial plans. Some landlords are being encouraged to set up a limited company to avoid the charges but how does it work and could it end up costing you more? Stricter mortgage affordability assessments will also apply to landlords who own four or more properties from September 2017, limiting the overall amount you can borrow.And what are the rules about tax and mortgages if you're a landlord thinking of letting a property through Airbnb?Joining Louise Cooper to talk through the business of buy to let will be:Carolyn Uphill, Chairman, National Landlords Association. Anil Mohanlal , Chartered Accountant and Managing Partner, Kumar & Co. David Hollingworth, from Mortgage Broker London and Country.We'd love to hear your ideas. Call 03700 100 444 between 1pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 28 June. Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply. Or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk with your thoughts and experiences.Presenter: Louise Cooper Producer: Diane Richardson Editor: Andrew Smith.

Around 75,000 travellers were left facing long delays and cancellations after a British Airways computer system failed over the Bank Holiday weekend. Helen Dewdney, founder of the Complaining Cow consumer advice blog outlines how affected passengers should approach the compensation process. Ahead of next week's general election Chris Philp from the Conservative Party and SNP spokesperson for work and pensions Ian Blackford set out their personal finance manifestos. What might the policies mean for your money?

The savings that energy companies promise customers are in many cases fictional and never will materialise. Those are the findings of a Money Box investigation. We found that the savings energy companies have been quoting to urge large numbers of customers to switch tariffs are phantom and can never be achieved. We have discovered that this is down to the way that Ofgem makes suppliers and comparison websites work out potential savings using the standard variable tariff as a basis for comparison even though customers may not even be on it.This week the Financial Conduct Authority outlined a new approach for regulating the promotion and distribution of Lifetime ISAs which will be available from April 2017. LISAs are intended to allow people aged under-40 to save for a home and retirement simultaneously with a cash bonus worth up to £1,000 a year being added to every £4,000 saved in to the scheme. Lifetime ISAs have come under criticism from the industry so will this new approach make any difference?As of next spring the UK will have a new main measure of inflation. The Consumer Price Inflation including Housing (CPIH) includes the costs of owner-occupied housing. We discuss its pros and cons.And Sweden's central bank is currently considering launching a digital currency in a move away from hard cash. We ask the bank's Deputy Governor how a central bank supported digital currency could work and what challenges it would create.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Michael Robinson Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Andrew Smith.