Property: For what it's worth

It seems that the imagination of the super-wealthy can still be fired by an unusual scheme. The chance to buy an apartment on a giant cruise liner has kept the phones at Savills, the estate agents marketing the project, ringing non-stop since the press launch this week. Within hours inquiries were coming in about plans to build the World of ResidenSea, a luxurious floating apartment block where prices will start at pounds 800,000, rising to pounds 3.5m. Crucial questions have ranged from "Can I bring my cat?" (out of the question) to "Is it possible to knock three apartments into one?" (quite feasible).

For those who like to look beyond the millennium - the date set for the liner's completion - and for whom travelling the world is an everyday affair, excitement can be found in strange places. The Norwegian company behind the scheme has had one request from someone who wants the experience of staying on board when the ship goes into dry dock.

Even though it is generally agreed that the Budget was a breeze for the property market, and that the extra stamp duty is affordable, not everyone will pay it willingly. Fixtures and fittings are a perfectly legal way of making it less painful. Estate agents predict an increase in the number of buyers taking out of the offer price the value of such things as carpets, curtains and fridges. For instance, the pounds 250,000 figure triggers stamp duty of 1.5 per cent, so if the vendor agrees that a house selling for pounds 256,000 has fittings worth pounds 8,000, the house could sell for pounds 248,000, the outstanding amount being for asked for the fixtures. It is a good saving, given that a pounds 250,000 house now has an extra pounds 1,250 charge.

For anyone thinking of becoming a do-it-yourself tenant or landlord, the Which? Guide to Renting and Letting has produced a new tenancy agreement. The author of the latest version of the guide, and of the agreement, Peter Wilde, hopes that it will give a solid, working base to the many people who rent or let privately, on flimsy terms and without agents. It is written clearly, without confusing legal jargon. Since the Housing Act 1996 came into force, all tenancies have been assured shorthold, whether they say they are or not. The agreement, says The Consumers Association, is even- handed and covers all the key issues, clearly defining each party's obligations. It will need adapting to particular properties. The agreement is free with copies of the Guide or separately for pounds 1 from Subscriptions Dept, Consumers Association, PO Box 44, Hertford X, SG14 1SH.