Unite COO heads for the door September 29, 2011 THE CHIEF operating officer of Unite Group, Britain’s largest listed student landlord, will leave the company as part of a management shake-up designed to save £2.5m a year. John Tonkiss (pictured), who has been with the firm for 10 years, will leave on 31 December as a series of changes are introduced. The moves, which [...]
Weak demand keeps house prices steady September 29, 2011 PRICES increased slightly in September compared with August’s level but fell over the last quarter and year, a leading poll showed yesterday. Nationally, prices rose by 0.1 per cent on a monthly basis, but declined by 0.1 per cent over the past three months, and by 0.3 per cent over the year to September. The [...]
Homes that offer jolly good sports September 29, 2011 THE hype around the Glorious Twelfth this year was enough to get even life-long townies interested in shooting. There is something quite exciting about going out to the “country” to pad about in wellies and a Barber jacket. “People love buying outdoor sporting homes,” Luke Morgan, a partner at The Buying Solution, tells me, “it [...]
DARTFORD, KENT September 29, 2011 HARDY’S GATE Price: £375,000 This four bedroom home would be ideal for a family. It has an open-plan kitchen and breakfast room, a separate living room and a large bathroom. The master bedroom has an en-suite and fitted wardrobes. Contact: Crest Nicholson on 0870 757 8188 or go to www.crestnicholson.com MAPLESCOMBE OAST Price: £995,000 This [...]
SELL September 29, 2011 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY, KAY & CO Q.I have a small patio garden at my house in central London but am considering putting up a conservatory in the space so that I can use it all year round. Will this help me when I sell? A.On the face of it this seems [...]
PROPERTY NEWS September 29, 2011 BUYING NOW CHEAPER THAN RENTING Falling house prices and increasing rental demand has made it cheaper to buy than rent in 45 of the 50 largest towns across Britain. The cost of renting is now 13 per cent higher on average than the cost of owning, according to the latest research from property website Zoopla.co.uk. [...]
Winterbottom: Highlight at the BFI London Film Festival September 29, 2011 TICKETS are selling fast for events at this year’s 55th BFI London Film Festival. With the glitzy premiere, 360, starring Rachel Weisz, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jude Law opening the fortnight on 12 October, no wonder the event is proving popular. Last year, all eyes were on the King’s Speech, which went on to pick [...]
Great for kicks, not for thrills as spooks get sentimental September 29, 2011 THE DEBT Cert: 15 Dame Helen Mirren has swapped comic Russell Brand’s antics for serious action as secret agent, Rachel Singer. An English remake of an Israeli espionage thriller, the Debt flits between the 1960s when three Mossad agents capture the Surgeon of Birkenau, one of Hitler’s henchmen, and 1997, when Singer, celebrated for the [...]
St Modwen says trading is on course September 28, 2011 UK REGENERATION specialist St Modwen Properties said yesterday it was making good progress in a tough climate, as rental income, trading profits and cashflow all stayed in line with management expectations. “We continue to make good progress in the year to date. Even in this challenging market,” said Bill Oliver, chief executive of St Modwen. “We [...]
Life in your hands: smartphone apps September 28, 2011 RIGHT, you’ve got the latest kit, the iPhone 4, iPad 2, BlackBerry Bold Touch perhaps, but your smartphone’s home screen is looking ever-so bare. Remedying this involves a trawl through app stores and user reviews without even knowing what you’re looking for. Fear not. We look beyond the social necessities of Facebook and Foursquare, and [...]