First-time buyers suffer from cuts to higher loan-to-value lending June 28, 2015 THE HIGH loan-to-value (LTV) end of the mortgage market is in decline, according to figures published today by insurance firm Genworth and comparison site Moneyfacts.co.uk. The value of loans with a 95 per cent LTV ratio, where 95 per cent of the value of a property is borrowed, dropped by £147m year-on-year during the first [...]
Could fintech be opening the door to more financial crime? December 8, 2017 Fintech startups aim to disrupt current practices and to do it fast. The emerging business model requires product managers find a buyer need, put out a minimum viable product, and iterate change in response to customer use. However, all this innovation—especially with entrepreneurs who have more tech savvy than experience in financial services—opens opportunities [...]
New homes on sale in London, from an old Tudor Palace to Chiswick townhouses October 21, 2016 Brandon House, Borough From £735,000 Live on the site of an old Tudor Palace right next to London Bridge. This week, 77 new homes went on sale at Brandon House on Borough High Street, named after the Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon, who lived in a mansion there in 1518. It comprises one to three [...]
House prices under threat in Tower Hamlets due to ballooning development and Brexit September 22, 2016 House prices could be set to fall in Tower Hamlets due to the rapid development of the borough, according to new research. Data collected by property consultancy Propcision shows Tower Hamlets makes a decision on more planning applications than any other London borough, and approves far more developments than other boroughs, which could lead to a downwards [...]
These are the 10 most and least affordable London boroughs for buyers on an average annual wage October 8, 2016 London may have fallen out of the UK's top three regions for house price growth, but gaining a foothold on the capital's property ladder is still out of the range of many first-time buyers – and is unlikely to change anytime soon. The average London house price is 14 times higher than the average annual wage [...]
Focus On Rotherhithe: A £34m investment has brought a new town square, library and cultural centre to the Docks November 11, 2016 Rotherhithe, a conservation area in the Docklands in south east London, is one of the prettiest and most rapidly gentrifying places in the capital. With a long and proud history as a major trade port, it was a working dock right up until the 1970s. It was also home to the first under-river tunnel in [...]
Berkeley Group just had a massive rant about London’s housing crisis, saying it “poses a risk to deficit reduction” September 6, 2016 Housebuilder Berkeley Group had made its feelings on London's housing crisis very clear this morning, slamming government housing policy and saying the problems "pose a risk to deficit reduction". Berkeley Group said this morning: "What is increasingly clear is that government policy, which has been helpful outside London, has had a negative effect on the [...]
This new proptech startup wants to help generation rent buy their first home September 22, 2016 Zoopla and top investor Robin Klein are backing a new property technology venture designed to help first time buyers hop on to the incredibly difficult first rung of the property ladder. Wannabe homeowners can invest in a property Isa with Bricklane.com which launches today. Cash will go into a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which will invest in rental [...]
House price growth in London to drop to six per cent this year September 23, 2016 House price inflation in UK cities is set to slow to 8.2 per cent – and annual growth in London is predicted to fall to six per cent by the end of this year. According to Hometrack, house price growth has slowed in cities across the south of England especially, due to the weaker demand for homes after the Brexit [...]
Bank of England steps up to push along Co-op Bank rescue plans, amid worries buyers might be shying away from the struggling lender March 19, 2017 The Bank of England's regulatory team has begun making plans of its own for Co-op Bank, as they become increasingly impatient with the troubled lender's sale. The Co-op Bank, which is currently 20 per cent owned by the wider Co-operative Group, revealed last month it was looking for a buyer for the whole of the business. [...]