Ms A.F. writes: I am sending you a copy of correspondence between me and an insurance company. My question is this: can you legally take out an insurance policy without authority and then make the insured person responsible for it? The simple answer to your question is a clear 'No'. While it is legal to arrange insurance for someone else, you need their permission to do it and if the person named in the policy does not even know the cover exists, then you cannot make them foot the bill.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond this week promised that this government will be the one to get Britain building again. But will a few billion pounds solve decades of neglect that have left Britain in a housing crisis?

While 95 per cent of customers for the Italian maker's grand tourers, sporty coupes and softtops are male, British bosses say they expect up to 40 per cent of the takers for its Levante 4x4 to be women. The Levante is expected to be a popular sight around upmarket shopping areas.

The housing market traditionally begins to slow in the run up to Christmas as people postpone life-changing decisions until the New Year. But you can still proceed with your sale in December by following these seven tips - and with a shortage of homes going up for sale it may stand out more.

The gender pay gap in the UK's high tech sector is 25 per cent - significantly higher than the national average of 18 per cent. Consultancy Mercer, which analysed data from 66,000 employees across 153 countries, found small firms had the largest pay gap, with a 30 per cent difference in median pay between men and women, and 26 per cent for mean base salaries. The difference fell as the size of companies grew.

UK-based companies accounted for 13 out of the top 20 highest rated companies, including pharma company GlaxoSmithKline, supermarket Waitrose, banks Barclays and Natwest, Pets at Home, Thomas Cook and British Airways. The opportunity of moving up in a company, flexible working hours and perks as well as a fun environment are what got companies the highest scores, according to job site Indeed.

The average easy-access Isa now pays a miserly 0.73 per cent, according to figures from personal finance site Moneyfacts.   This spells more bad news for savers: prices are currently rising by 0.9 per cent a year and with a sharp rise in inflation on the cards according to predictions, savers could soon begin to see the value of their savings pot severely eroded.

Buyers typically pay an extra £119,000 to live in a property based in a National Park, with the New Forest being the least affordable in Britain and Snowdonia being the most affordable, according to the latest report by Lloyds Bank.

Leaked details of a forthcoming housing White Paper revealed that, among the options being considered by ministers confronted by a chronic housing shortage, is targeted support for prefabricated or 'modular' homes. There are plenty of middle-of-the-range prefabs which do hold out the promise of affordable, acceptable accommodation - and which were being built in increasing numbers even before the Government signalled its interest in prefabs.

Landlords are always ripe for a kicking in some circles, so it should come as no surprise that they were swiftly painted as potential future villains in the ban on tenant fees. But landlords have as much right to be angry as tenants over letting agency fees and it is easy for them to fight back.

After several years of low inflation, the weakness of sterling post-Brexit, and a Donald Trump win means it could rise as high as 4 per cent by the end of 2017, according to NIESR. How can savers combat inflation and can investors use it to their advantage?

Three quarters of British homeowners have stuck with their mortgage lender despite the fact that switching provider could save them an average of £2,800 a year. Research by YouGov and mortgage broker firm Trussle found mortgage holders were more than twice as likely to have switched energy provider than their current mortgage lender - despite the annual savings from doing so being far lower.  Switching energy provider can lead to savings of around £200 a year, a trifle compared to the £2,800 the average UK household could save by shopping around for the best mortgage, claimed Trussle.

Though the year is not quite over - and the stock market could yet go into meltdown - the managers of Kames UK Equity Income are already organising a quiet pre-New Year celebration in their home city of Edinburgh. They will be raising their glasses to the fact that for the seventh consecutive year, they have managed to increase the fund's annual dividend payout. What joint managers Iain Wells and Douglas Scott have achieved since launching the fund in summer 2009 is no mean feat.

Donald Trump is investing in it, the UK Government has announced a raft of spending, and experts say it's what will keep global economies growing. Infrastructure has been the buzzword of recent weeks. What it actually is can be hard to pin down, but it's essentially anything - be it road or office, house, hospital, school, power lines, internet cables - necessary to keep society functioning.

Philip Hammond's first mini-Budget provided some cheer with increases to tax allowances, the National Living Wage, and a new savings bond. The state of Britain's finances were laid bare, with Mr Hammond confirming the government is no longer seeking a budget surplus in 2019/20, and he also announced plans to abolish the Autumn Statement - only to convert it into an Autumn Budget with a Spring Statement!

Hammond has backed recent HMRC proposals for a crackdown on using the loophole for smartphone and gym contracts, buying cars and TVs, or private medical insurance. But work-related benefits deemed more worthy, like pension saving and advice, childcare and bicycles, will still be allowed. 'Salary sacrifice' allows employers and their staff to reduce their National Insurance payments legally, through workers taking pay cuts in exchange for work-related perks.

One event that will be hard to forget as Americans reflect on 2016 is the unexpected election of Donald Trump earlier this month. Here, a selection of UK investors reveal what their hopes and fears are for a Trump presidency - and how they intend to deal with the market moves that his leadership could bring.

I sold something on eBay in March for £273 but the money went into my son's account, who sadly passed away four years ago. I've sent the death certificate and my identification to Paypal but it's now asking for a legal letter to release the money to me, which will cost £200-£300.

There are legitimate and important new ways to earn more cash and beat the taxman. Canny money-makers can end up with thousands more in tax free earnings every year than the average UK take home pay. How? Here is our step-by-step guide of what you need to know and do.

Stock markets have confounded forecasts and risen on Donald Trump's election to US President, but will the Trumpflation trade run out of steam? Trump's spending, tax cuts and tearing up of regulations have been seen by traders as spelling good news short term for many US companies - but will he prove to be a good President long-term for investors?

Richard Sibbald never imagined the mole he found was anything serious and because he failed to tell his travel insurer, Insure & Go, that he had been referred to a specialist before booking his summer holiday, the insurance was invalidated and when he cancelled his holiday he wasn't able to claim for a refund.

Mortgage rates are at record low levels, but they are unlikely to stay there. The cost to banks of funding mortgages has leapt since Mr Trump's surprise win, and experts expect these rises to be passed on to homeowners. That could mean the best fixed-rate deals will disappear in the coming weeks.

Dozens of major High Street retailers now harvest customers' email addresses - including Debenhams, Mothercare, Argos, Halfords, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, New Look, Next, Selfridges, Wickes and Joules. Typically, shop assistants tell customers this is to email them a so-called 'e-receipt', rather than printing one at the till.

To clear the average national household debt of ?13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of ?100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

Despite endless media coverage of the political wrangling and financial speculation, the average Briton can be forgiven for remaining confused about what 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit really mean. About the difference between the 'Norway model' for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the UK and the 'Swiss solution'. But a clever table put together by HSBC in a report called 'Is Brexit Getting Harder?' cleaves some clarity from the murk.

An interest rate cut before the end of the year looks less likely following the plunge in the pound. However, the Bank of England has indicated that higher inflation driven by rising import costs won't make it lift rates.

Musicians have seen pay rises averaging nearly 20 per cent in 2015, while cleaners are getting 17.8 per cent more, and window cleaners 12.3 per cent. Artists in general are earning 14.6 per cent more in 2015 than 2014, according to the huge annual data dump of pay scales by the Office For National Statistics highlights.