The UK property market’s secret north-south divide: It takes three times as long to sell your house in London’s Kensington or Mayfair than in Carlisle or Glasgow November 23, 2015 Selling a house in London? Good luck: it’s likely to take you three times as long as the average house sale in northern Carlisle, according to new figures revealing a different kind of north-south divide in the UK’s property market. House sellers in Carlisle, Cumbria, can expect to seal the deal after just six viewings. [...]
RBS admits no fault but settles with US regulator over selling of toxic products September 28, 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has agreed to pay $1.1bn (£845m) of penalties to US authorities in order to settle claims that it mis-sold mortgage-backed securities to corporate credit unions. The US National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) announced the settlement overnight but stressed that under the arrangement the embattled British lender did not admit [...]
ZappiStore’s Stephen Phillips explains how he got through his first VC raise December 13, 2016 Stephen Phillips may have worked in market research for most of his career, but now he’s swimming against the tide. “Market research is full of smart people who care about understanding human behaviour, but profit margins are slim and processes are very intensive.” At a recent Leap 100 roundtable, Phillips explained how his firm ZappiStore [...]
Peer-to-peer lender LendInvest on track to back £1bn of new properties by 2016 November 30, 2015 Peer-to-peer (P2P) property lending and investment firm LendInvest said it has doubled the number of properties it has supplied finance to over the last year, as developers scramble to keep up with demand for more homes. The alternative lender, which aims to plug the funding gap left by high street banks, has backed 1,222 new [...]
“I am not in control of the process”: Philip Green denies trying to blackmail the Pensions Regulator over the BHS Pension scheme September 9, 2016 Sir Philip Green has hit back at allegations he has tried to blackmail The Pensions Regulator in his ongoing negotiations over BHS' pension deficit. The retail tycoon – who sold BHS to serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell for £1 – said he was "not in control of the process". He said: There have also been suggestions [...]
How to put your children onto the property ladder (without acrimony) November 9, 2016 With rising house prices and tighter lending criteria, it is increasingly difficult for young people to get onto the housing ladder. In most cases, they will need to call on the Bank of Mum and Dad. Parents who want to help their children are often uncertain about the best way to provide the funds, the [...]
A tale of two cities: Sales of London new-build homes have plunged as sky-high prices put off buyers August 15, 2016 New research suggested sales of new-build homes in London have almost halved – despite the fact the city is in the grip of a housing crisis. Research by London Central Portfolio (LCP) using figures from the Land Registry has shown only 1,491 new-builds in inner London have been sold so far in 2016 – 43 per cent [...]
Focus On Bermondsey: River views, great food, warehouse conversions – what more could you want in SE1? October 28, 2016 This ancient town, first mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bermundesy, has had a colourful existence on the south bank of the river Thames. For centuries condemned as a slum, this centrally located area in Zone One has blossomed in the last ten years into one of the most artistic – not to mention delicious [...]
Don’t tell the black cabs: Brits can’t get enough of Uber as UK profits and revenues double in 2015 October 10, 2016 Uber drivers in the UK raked in more than £100m in fares last year, doubling revenues and profits at the disruptive transport app. The taxi service's holding company in Britain, Uber London, recorded a 105 per cent uplift in turnover to £23.3m in 2015, according to records filed on Companies House. This was up from [...]
New homes on sale this weekend at one of the tallest residential towers in Europe and a historic mansion in Hampstead September 30, 2016 South Quay Plaza, Canary Wharf From £695,000 The arrival of Crossrail trains at the latticed Foster + Partner-designed train station in Canary Wharf will be a “gamechanger” for the area, according to Berkeley Homes. That’s why the developer has chosen the business hub– and the station’s Sterling Prize winning architects – to create its tallest [...]