London house prices: Capital would be hit disproportionately by mansion tax January 20, 2015 The extent to which London will be disproportionately hit by a new mansion tax has been revealed by new research looking into the most expensive properties in the UK Labour has proposed a tax on properties worth over £2m, which, according to research by Knight Frank, means 2.5 per cent of properties in London would [...]
UK house prices come roaring back in January: Mortgage rates, stamp duty or just an outlier? February 5, 2015 The night is always darkest before the dawn, but house prices have skipped the daybreak formalities to come bouncing back. According to Halifax, the figures are bullish: 1.9 per cent quarterly growth hasn’t been seen since September, and the two per cent monthly bounce hasn’t been bested since last February. Annually, and perhaps most reliably, [...]
Russian no-show – but Mipim 2015 shows the UK property sector is back on form March 10, 2015 It's that time of year again: Mipim is the European networking event and conference for global property investors. Sound dull? Well, after the film festival it's the largest event held in Cannes, with over 25,000 attendees. Three years ago, it reached the front pages when investigators arrested the Tchenguiz brothers on board their private [...]
Focus on Hammersmith: The town where prices have grown by half February 26, 2015 When it comes to neighbours, Hammersmith has struck lucky. There can’t be another location in London that’s surrounded by such a cluster of affluent residential neighbourhoods. With Kensington to the east, Chiswick to the west, Fulham to the south and Shepherd’s Bush to the north, it’s a wonder this area is still known primarily as [...]
Only greater personal accountability at all levels will rebuild trust in banking June 1, 2015 Like other football supporters up and down the land, I was really pleased that Prince William, in his role as president of the FA, spoke out at the weekend about Fifa. The issues he raised – particularly around personal accountability – are central not only to those who lead our great sporting institutions, but they [...]
Focus on Earlsfield: The hidden wonder near Nappy Valley February 12, 2015 A few years ago, I’d say where I lived and no one would have a clue where it was,” says Rupert Grieg, sales manager at Foxtons’ Earlsfield branch. “But then you said, it’s between Wimbledon and Balham, and suddenly it made sense.” For most people, this is probably still true. Swamped by popular neighbours – [...]
London house prices: Can stamp duty save the capital from a demand crisis? January 14, 2015 Demand for houses has been falling in the housing market for six months, or eight if you live in London. It doesn’t feel so long ago we were talking about booms and whispering of bubbles, but that's gone for now. The latest figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors reveals that 10 per cent [...]
Mortgage lending drops again – but BBA sees light at the end of the tunnel January 27, 2015 Mortgage lending in the UK fell in December for the six month in a row, with gross borrowing levels 12 per cent lower than they were a year ago. Figures published by the British Bankers Association this morning show that the total figure for mortgages stood at £10bn last month. House purchase approvals dropped [...]
Paddy Power share price jumps on €392m payout to shareholders after record profit March 3, 2015 The figures Paddy Power is paying out – this time to shareholders – to the tune of €392m (£285m) after record pre-tax profit of €167m in 2014, up from €126.6m and a rise of 21 per cent. The cash of 800 cents per share will come from surplus cash and planned debt raising. The windfall sent shares surging nine per [...]
London house prices to drop as surveyors see slowdown January 14, 2015 SURVEYORS are predicting a fall in London house prices in 2015, new survey data shows today. Surveyors in London are anticipating a decline in prices of two to five per cent, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The price falls are expected to go along with a five to 10 per cent [...]