Rogue landlord crackdown, plus the U-turn on pension annuities

The snowy peaks of Mont Blanc on view from the wide wooden balconies of this apartment block in Combloux, Haute-Savoie. Photograph: Erna Low Property Ltd

Hello and welcome to this week’s Money Talks – a roundup of the week’s biggest stories and some things you may have missed.

Money news

UK towns and villages running out of hard cash, says report

Crackdown on rogue landlords to include new minimum bedroom size

15,000 apply for 78 jobs to drive new Virgin trains

UK has ‘worst quality of life in Europe’

Treasury carries out major U-turn on pension annuities

Touts using bots to buy tickets could face jail

Feature

Is the Bank of England to blame for shrinking your pension pot?

Critics of the Bank of England argue that low interest rates and quantitative easing are the root cause of the ballooning deficits in the UK’s £1.5tn final salary pension plans. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

In pictures

Homes with spectacular balconies

A flat with a view in Kotor, Montenegro. Photograph: Tranio

In the spotlight

The government is cracking down on rogue landlords by introducing a minimum size for bedrooms. Gavin Haynes remembers his debut foray into the rental market.

‘The smothering, claustrophobic, low-ceilinged coffin has visited many of us.’ Photograph: worstroom.com

Consumer Champions

Hertz car hire bills us for a £3,000 repair that had never been carried out

EE failed to help me out over poor credit score which threatened my mortgage

DVLA’s go-slow robbed my mother of her independence

Money deals

Be covered for winter holidays with the Guardian’s flexible travel insurance, provided by Voyager.

Get competitive exchange rates and expert guidance for sending money abroad from Moneycorp, provider of the Guardian money transfer service.