Labour Party Conference: Critics slam Miliband’s mansion tax plans September 23, 2014 Ed Miliband today confirmed Labour's plans to introduce a "mansion tax" on homes worth more than £2m – but his plans have already met with criticism. Nick Leeming, chairman of national estate agents Jackson-Stops & Staff, has dubbed it the "Downton Abbey view of politics" claiming it is "distorting" the view of who owns homes [...]
No more UK house price bubble? Mortgage approvals fall to a 12-month low in August September 23, 2014 This could be the end of the house-buying frenzy of early 2014. New mortgage approvals hit their lowest since September last year in August, figures by the British Banking Association showed today, with just 41,588 new mortgages approved during the month, down from 42,715 in July, and 14.1 per cent lower than January's 76-month high [...]
Miliband to tax mansions to fund new NHS splurge September 22, 2014 ED MILIBAND will today deliver a key pre-election speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, in which he is widely expected to announce a funding boost for the NHS. Miliband is thought to have found a way to pay for a budget increase for the health service as he seeks to position Labour as [...]
UK house prices soar as lack of homes fuels cost of living crisis September 22, 2014 House building in the UK has been in a continual state of decline since the 1970s, making it harder to own a home and to pay rent, according to a report released yesterday. In the several years preceding the financial crisis, just under 200,000 houses were completed per year – half the number that [...]
Ed Miliband to announce mansion tax to improve NHS health and social care September 22, 2014 Ed Milliband is set to announce a "mansion tax" to fund new an NHS spending increase. In a speech tomorrow to party activists in Manchester the Labour leader will announce the plan to tax properties worth more than £2m, with the proceeds paying for improvements in health and social care. With the election fast approaching, Miliband [...]
Every Lidl helps when it comes to boosting local house prices September 21, 2014 Living close to a discount store such as Lidl can increase the price of your property by almost £30,000, according to research released today. Research by online estate agents Housesimple.co.uk looked at the location of Lidl supermarkets in some of the major towns and cities across the UK and found that, in 80 per cent [...]
UK house prices hit record highs and are now 11.4 per cent above the pre-crisis peak September 16, 2014 The average house in the UK cost £284,000 in July – an increase of 11.7 per cent over last year. This takes the index score (February 2002 = 100) to 206 – a new record and 11.4 per cent above the January 2008 pre-crisis peak. The latest statistics from the ONS have shown that house [...]
London house prices: Average asking price in the capital reaches £558,000 September 15, 2014 The latest figures from Rightmove show London's average asking price grew by 13 per cent over the last year, the biggest rise anywhere in the country. Look at the breakdown for the rest of the UK here ONS data sees house prices reach record high It didn't top Rightmove's tables over the last month, but [...]
Scottish independence: Uncertainty over the referendum could dampen UK house price growth September 15, 2014 House prices across England and Wales were up 7.9 per cent over the last 12 months, according to data from Rightmove. The company, which surveys a sample accounting for 90 per cent of estate agents, does not seasonally adjust its figures and so one-off monthly trends are difficult to analyse. Nevertheless, the 0.9 per cent [...]
London property market: Why a mansion tax could be disastrous for government coffers September 10, 2014 The threat of a mansion tax still looms large over the prime London housing market – despite the fact it could end up cutting the amount of tax paid to the government, according to research from property consultancy Savills. A mansion tax has been suggested by both the Liberal Democrats and Labour, and has proven [...]