Beautiful Things: The items on our shopping list this month, from instant cameras to invisible teapots May 23, 2016 Votteler Chair £POA, walterknoll.de This Walter Knoll armchair, based on a 1956-design by Arno Votteler, is a perfect example of Scandinavian objectivity and austerity. The angular volume of the upholstery rests on a delicate tubular steel framework, while the armrests are made from elegantly shaped solid wood. German industrial designer and academic Votteler, who founded [...]
Blame Brexit: International investors shun prime London property May 23, 2016 The proportion of international buyers and sellers in London property fell in the first quarter of 2016, according to research released today, despite a fall in sterling making UK property relatively attractive. The effect was strongest in central London, but there has also been reduced activity in overseas nationals across the whole of London. The research [...]
UK landlords bet one bedroom flats will produce the best capital returns this year May 23, 2016 UK landlords expect one bedroom flats to produce the biggest capital gains this year, with two bedroom flats set to provide the biggest rental yields, a study has revealed today. Research showed that 25 per cent of UK landlords said one bedroom flats would offer the highest capital gains over the next year, followed by student [...]
Now you can live on the site where Star Wars, ET and Superman were produced as Denham Film Studios is converted into homes May 23, 2016 Weston Homes has bought the legendary Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, and is transforming the studio once used by Hollywood film directors into a £120m Art Deco residential address. Directors including Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg have used the site for crafting their blockbusters – and soon you could live there. The "mini-Beverly Hills" will provide 224 converted [...]
Commercial development approvals stall in 2016 as lack of finance for small developers bites May 23, 2016 Planning permissions for commercial property developments across the UK hit their lowest level since 2009 last year. The dip has been blamed on a lack of available finance for smaller developers, according to peer-to-peer property funding platform Saving Stream. Large developments have held steady at 2,000 per year since 2010 though the number of smaller [...]
Barclays tightens buy-to-let properties lending rules May 22, 2016 Barclays is to tighten rules on lending for buy-to-let properties, increasing minimum rental covers. The decision to tighten lending criteria means that rental payment must exceed mortgage costs by a factor of 145 per cent, up from 135 per cent. The affordability rate will also be reduced from 5.79 per cent to 5.50 per cent. The [...]
Labour derides London housing costs as “biggest single blight” on city May 21, 2016 Labour launched a stinging attack on London housing costs, describing them as the "single biggest blight on this city". Speaking at a conference to set out Labour's new vision for the economy, shadow chancellor John McDonnell promised to help people "who are at the mercy of an unforgiving, unrestrained housing market and landlords". Read more: Shadow chancellor [...]
Chancellor George Osborne warns again Brexit will hit house prices May 21, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne again warned Brexit will hit house prices, as an immediate economic shock hits financial markets. Speaking at the G7 finance ministers’ meeting in Japan, he said: "There would be a hit to the value of people’s homes by at least 10 per cent and up to 18 per cent … first-time buyers are hit because mortgage rates [...]
One in three young people are moving back home after being priced out of London rent May 20, 2016 Over a third of young adults in London are opting to live at home with their parents because they can't afford rent, a new study has shown. The new study from online retailer Direct Blinds showed 36 per cent of young adults in London could not afford to move out and pay rent, while more than 40 [...]
A trainspotter’s paradise? This converted Great Northern railway station in Lincolnshire has gone on sale – and comes complete with a train and a section of track May 20, 2016 What do you buy the trainspotter who has everything? How about their own station? A converted Great Northern railway station in Rippingale, Lincolnshire, has been put up for sale by its owner. For £600,000, not only do you get a three-bedroom house and 1.2 acres of land – but you'll also get a section of track, and [...]