BBA: UK high street banks approved fewer mortgages than expected in April as stamp duty surge ends May 26, 2016 The number of mortgages approved by high street banks last month fell more than expectations, after a surge in the start of the year driven by the rush to buy before new stamp duty charges came in. BBA figures out this morning show that the number of mortgages approved in April fell to 40,104 – [...]
Should we blame empty foreign-owned apartments for London’s housing crisis? The data says no May 26, 2016 London's housing crisis is worsened, maybe even caused, by wealthy foreigners buying up properties and leaving them empty. Right? It’s an attractive argument, identifying a specific and unpopular culprit (the global rich) while spreading the notion that they are to blame for most of today’s social and economic problems. Unfortunately, in this case, the figures [...]
Buy to let investors are feeling the heat: What are the alternatives for gaining exposure to residential property? May 26, 2016 The buy-to-let boom of recent years has fed the stereotype that Brits are uniquely obsessed with property. Yet statistically this appears to be little more than a myth. The latest data from Eurostat show that 64.8 per cent of the UK adult population lives in a property they own compared to an EU average of [...]
How Artisan brought craft to rapidly gentrifying Fitzrovia May 25, 2016 They say that when you walk the streets of London, look up. And when you walk down Tottenham Court Road to the corner of Goodge Street, definitely look up, because there’s a remarkable piece of architecture unveiled this spring that has revitalised this centuries-old street corner. From the outside it cleverly blends what had been [...]
New homes on sale in London this weekend: from garden squares in Bayswater to mews houses around a 200-year old oak tree May 25, 2016 Triple One Collection, Elephant & Castle From £655,000 An exhibition was held at The Shard today to launch the latest set of homes at the heart of Elephant & Castle’s regeneration area in Zone One. Set in a 41-storey tower at Two Fifty One Southwark Bridge Road, The Triple One Collection comprises 42 one to [...]
Revealed: Elephant & Castle’s shiny new town centre May 25, 2016 Elephant & Castle has a reputation of being one of London's grimmest areas – but developers behind its £3bn regeneration have just unveiled further plans for its shiny new overhaul. Developers Delancey, DV4 and APG said the new "must-visit" town centre will include a music venue for 500 audience members, as well as an integrated campus for [...]
Property of the Week: Sanctum is a rare floating home in Putney and it’s full of bespoke furniture and antiques May 25, 2016 Finding a property that meets all your requirements in London is no easy task. In fact, it’s such a bother that Charles Nicholson decided it would be easier to build one himself from scratch – on the Thames. Admittedly, Nicholson had a little help from his friends as he’s the managing director of The Contract [...]
London house prices: More than £12bn worth of properties are lying empty in the capital – and guess which borough is the worst May 25, 2016 We're used to hearing about how overpriced London houses have become – so research claiming that the capital is home to more than £12bn-worth of empty properties should be a wake up call. Across England, more than 200,000 properties are vacant – equivalent to £38bn. But while Bradford has the biggest vacancy rate of anywhere in [...]
This is just how misleading the figures are for London’s “average” house price May 25, 2016 Ever wondered why you can't actually find a decent property in London at the city's average house price – which we're often told is £550,000? Research released today suggests that figure is actually quite misleading: less than half of London's property is at this price – and even less in prime central London locations, Emoov research shows. The [...]
Shaftesbury hikes dividend after adding to its West London portfolio May 25, 2016 Shaftesbury posted strong half-year results this morning, with an increase in net property income, EPRA earnings and an interim dividend increase of 4.8 per cent. The property firm's net income was up by 8.8 per cent, to £42.1m, compared with £38.7m at the same point last year. The interim dividend per share for the West End property company [...]