London house prices: What £500k gets you in tube zones 1 to 6 February 23, 2021 For London workers, it can be an unsettling dilemma whether to spend more on a house near the office or upsize further out but spend more time and money on tubes. House prices differ considerably, even between adjacent tube stations. The average house price in Knightsbridge will set you back around £1.6m but hop on [...]
UK housing transactions slump in January as lockdown implemented February 23, 2021 UK housing transactions slumped last month due to the impact of national lockdown restrictions, according to the latest figures. HM Revenue and Customs data showed the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in January was 121,640, a drop of 2.4 per cent compared to the previous month. The month-on-month drop is a typical [...]
Foxtons confirms talks to buy rival Douglas & Gordon February 22, 2021 London-listed estate agent Foxtons has confirmed it is in talks to buy West London-based agent Douglas & Gordon. In a statement, Foxtons said the discussions “reflect the company’s stated ambition to acquire high quality businesses with strong lettings books.” Douglas and Gordon, which is run by former Foxtons executive James Evans, has 17 branches in [...]
Central London rental demand suffers sharp drop as fewer workers move to capital February 18, 2021 Demand for London rental properties has plummeted across all areas of the capital, with central neighbourhoods suffering the sharpest drop as fewer people are moving to the city for work. The capital is the only major UK town or city facing a decline in demand, reflecting the shift to working from home that has seen [...]
Property giant Grainger appoints new finance chief February 18, 2021 The UK’s largest listed residential landlord has announced that Robert Hudson will be appointed as its new chief financial officer. Hudson currently heads finance and operations at St. Modwen Properties, where he became interim CEO in April last year. He has more than 26 years of experience in the industry, having worked as group financial [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest pace since 2014 – but London property slumps February 17, 2021 UK house prices grew at the fastest pace in more than six years in December, but property price growth in London slowed, according to the latest official data. The average price of a house in the UK increased 8.5 per cent in the year to December, up from 7.1 per cent in the previous months, [...]
Countrywide shareholders approve £223m Connells takeover February 16, 2021 Shareholders of estate agent chain Countrywide last night approved a takeover offer from rival firm Connells, valuing the company at around £223.1m. Countrywide, which owns high street estate agent brands including Bairstow Eves and Hamptons, said 99.58 per cent of scheme shares backed the proposals, while just 0.42 per cent opposed the deal. In December [...]
UK house prices record surprise jump despite looming stamp duty deadline February 15, 2021 UK house prices recorded a surprise jump this month as buyers were undeterred by the looming stamp duty holiday deadline. After three consecutive monthly falls the average price of property coming to market increased 0.5 per cent – or £1,511 – this month. The number of new buyers has continued to grow despite the fact [...]
London property developer Avanton launches £500m build-to-rent fund February 15, 2021 London property developer Avanton has launched a £500m fund to build new rental homes in the capital. The company said the fund will be used to buy land in inner London boroughs and deliver 5,000 build-to-rent homes by 2023, in a vote of confidence in the city’s recovery after Covid. It said that “despite the [...]
Rishi Sunak mulls six-week extension to stamp duty holiday February 13, 2021 Rishi Sunak is said to be considering a six-week extension to the stamp duty holiday to prevent thousands of house sales from falling through. The chancellor is mulling a time-limited extension to mid-May in a bid to ease fears that buyers could be caught in a “completion trap” as the current March 31 deadline looms, [...]