Live upside down in the cool new-look Battersea November 19, 2009 SOMETIMES the oldest ideas are sensible. But sometimes we just keep on doing the same things for no good reason. Why should the living room be on the ground floor and the bedrooms upstairs? Well, they aren’t at the Ipsus03 development in Battersea, where they have decided to “invert” the normal living arrangements. The properties, [...]
Six random thoughts to start your day November 23, 2009 THERE is something appealing about random musings. Here are mine for the day – the first in what will become an occasional series. 1. Governments don’t have unlimited borrowing capacity. At some point, the markets will stop extending loans to them. Countries such as Greece are starting to be penalised by investors and the credit [...]
Rental markets start to stabilise September 27, 2009 The residential rental market is beginning to stabilise with property oversupply decreasing across the UK, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). The latest ARLAsurvey shows the decline in numbers of tenants, which has led to a surplus of properties to rent, is coming to an end as 83 per cent of members [...]
Defence helps WS Atkins to report profits June 17, 2009 WS ATKINS, the engineering group, said yesterday its full year pre-tax profits had risen nine per cent to £100.2m, beating analysts expectations and sending its shares to their highest level in more than a month. The company – which is helping build the Olympics, construct Crossrail and upgrade the M25 – said its defence, oil [...]
FOCUS ON: RICHMOND, SURREY October 22, 2009 MILL PLAT, TW7Price: £1.45m This imposing six-bedroom property comes with high ceilings, wood floors and plenty of period features. With a large garden that backs on to the river Crane, it has an enviable and quiet location. The nearest station is Richmond, which offers both Tube and mainline trains into central London. Contact: Foxtons on [...]
Grainger asks for more cash November 5, 2009 GRAINGER joined its property peers yesterday by announcing it will raise £250m in a rights issue to boost its ability to snap up acquisition opportunities. The group, which said it had swung to a £3m pre-tax loss in the year to 30 September, compared to £12m profits the year before, said it will issue 277m [...]
Buy-to-let is back as rents stabilise and low prices attract landlords December 3, 2009 BUY-TO-LET is starting to look like an attractive proposition once again, as lower house prices and a stabilising rental market result in more enticing yields. Data from LSL Property Services – the company that owns Your Move and Reeds Rains estate agencies – shows that annual returns on landlords’ investments have turned positive for the [...]
British Land executives to set up firm October 8, 2009 PROPERTY group British Land is set for a boardroom shake-up after it emerged that its star director Andrew Jones was quitting the group, taking two committee members with him to set up a rival firm. Jones, 40, had already confirmed he was considering leaving but his decision to bring on board colleagues Valentine Beresford and [...]
British Land executives to set up firm October 8, 2009 PROPERTY group British Land is set for a boardroom shake-up after it emerged that its star director Andrew Jones was quitting the group, taking two committee members with him to set up a rival firm. Jones, 40, had already confirmed he was considering leaving but his decision to bring on board colleagues Valentine Beresford and [...]
Housing will feel the loss of bankers October 18, 2009 A WINDFALL tax on banks and a clamp down on bonuses could den the recovery of the ravaged house property market, industry experts said yesterday. Knight Frank head of research Liam Bailey said: “In the recent past bonuses have had the impact of increasing demand for top London properties. A tax on bonuses will undoubtedly [...]