Forget a penal mansion tax: It’s archaic council tax that needs desperate reform October 7, 2014 WHILE the party conference headlines have focused on Ed Miliband forgetting to mention the deficit, both the Labour leader and David Cameron were also guilty of only referring to “investment” twice in their conference addresses. When that happens, you know political minds are on next May’s general election, rather than on what is best for [...]
London house prices could fall next year after booming 2014 October 6, 2014 The boom in London house prices will not only end next year, but could even fall, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Their own forecast puts the decline at 2.6 per cent for 2015, which would be the first annual fall since 2009. House prices in the capital are expected to [...]
UK house prices could fall due to stricter mortgage lending rules October 5, 2014 House prices could fall next year due to stricter rules on mortgage approvals and potential buyers being put off by rate hikes, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). A combination of rising interest rates and tougher mortgage eligibility could depress demand significantly – enough to cause house price growth to hit [...]
The Queen would pay Labour’s mansion tax, as would 2,724 of her Westminster neighbours but which London borough would pay the most? October 5, 2014 The Queen would be subject to the Labour party’s proposed mansion tax shadow chancellor Ed Balls said today, along with other wealthy property owners. The Queen’s residence in London, Buckingham Palace, is said to be worth more than £1bn what with a sought after central location and let’s say, a comfortable amount of space. However, [...]
Most of London’s mansion tax properties are flats October 2, 2014 Three quarters of London properties which would fall into the so-called “mansion tax” bracket are flats or terraced houses, according to Knight Frank figures. The property consultants analysed sales data to see what type of “mansions” would fall into the £2m plus category Labour leader Ed Miliband would target if his party came to power. [...]
Mark Carney wants power to limit your mortgage if house price boom threatens banks October 2, 2014 The Bank of England wants major new powers to cap mortgage loans, yesterday arguing it may need to rein in the housing market if the price boom starts to endanger banks. Officials want the ability to cap the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of mortgages, as well as the debt to income ratios of some borrowers. The demands [...]
Sol Campbell may join Tories in battle against Labour’s mansion tax October 2, 2014 Sol Campbell may join the Tories to fight against Labour's mansion tax. The former England football player recently made his opposition to the tax known via Twitter but has gone into even further detail about the problems with the policy advocated by both the Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Speaking to the Telegraph, he slammed [...]
London house price growth slows: How do the other regions compare? September 30, 2014 UK house price growth slowed to 9.4 per cent in the year to September, figures published Tuesday showed, down 11 per cent from last month. Between August and September, monthly growth fell 0.2 per cent – the first drop in 17 months, the figures from Nationwide showed. As the building society's chief economist, Robert Gardner, [...]
UK house prices drop for the first time in 17 months September 30, 2014 UK house prices have dropped for the first time in 17 months, dipping 0.2 per cent between August and September. In price terms, this means a drop of £931 for the average residential property, from £189,306 to £188,374. The data, from Nationwide, shows the annualised growth rate also slowed to 9.4 per cent from 11 [...]
Conservatives: 20pc off house prices for first-time buyers under 40 September 27, 2014 The conservatives have announced that if they are voted in at the next general election in May, people under 40 will be able to buy their first homes for 20 per cent less than market value. Prime Minister David Cameron revealed the plan ahead of the Conservatives' annual party conference starting tomorrow. He said [...]