Home REIT receives takeover approach as it confirms rent collapse and ‘wrongdoing’ investigation February 16, 2023 Home REIT revealed it is the subject of a potential takeover bid this morning as it confirmed its rental collection had collapsed and swathes of its property portfolio were in need of refurbishment. In a statement, the troubled social housing investor said it had received an unsolicited approach from London-based investment firm Bluestar regarding a [...]
Are house prices really going up? London had lowest change across UK with average in capital now £543,000 February 15, 2023 The average UK house price ended last year £26,000 higher than when 2022 started, although the annual pace of growth in property values is slowing. Property values increased by 9.8 per cent in the 12 months to December 2022, which was weaker than the 10.6 per cent annual growth recorded the previous month. London’s average [...]
Post-Grenfell, second staircase for London buildings taller than 30 metres now mandatory, says Sadiq Khan February 13, 2023 All new London buildings taller than 30 metres will be required to have a second staircase, Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. All planning applications will need to adhere to the building safety measure, which comes into force with immediate effect, before going to the GLA for sign off. The requirement for a second staircase in [...]
Double stamp duty surcharge for overseas buyers to ‘level’ UK property market for locals, urges lobby group February 13, 2023 The UK government should double the stamp duty surcharge overseas buyers must pay when purchasing a property in England, an industry lobby group has said. The National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) said doubling the stamp duty surcharge would “level the playing field” amid an influx of “wealthy foreign buyers”. Under current rules, overseas buyers [...]
Home REIT’s top tenant looking to offload leases as cash troubles continue February 13, 2023 The biggest tenant of beleaguered property investor Home REIT is looking to offload its leases to other housing providers after warning it can no longer pay rent to the firm, City A.M. has learned.
Bank of Mum and Dad: Over half of Londoners depending on parents’ inheritance to get or stay on the property ladder February 10, 2023 Over half of the Londoners who took part in a Zoopla survey admitted they were relying on their parents’ wealth to get them on the property ladder or pay off their mortgage. The UK-based online estate agent found that seven in ten of those it spoke to planned to pay off their mortgage and move [...]
House prices and sales fell in January as buyer inquiries dropped February 9, 2023 House prices are starting to reflect the shift in demand in the market, according to surveyors. Agreed sales, house prices and new instructions to sell homes remained on a downward trend in January, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said. Property professionals’ expectations suggest this picture is likely to remain in place for a [...]
UK house prices slow to three-year low as cost of living crisis drags down London and South East property market February 7, 2023 In London, house prices fell from £541k to £530k iin January, with annual house price inflation flat at 0.0 per cent compared to 2.9 per cent in December.
UK in the dark about real owners of £6.7bn worth of British properties February 7, 2023 The UK government is still in the dark about who owns tens of thousands of British properties, after thousands of offshore firms failed to comply with new transparency laws, which campaigners said exposes the UK property market to huge money-laundering risks. There are almost 52,000 properties in Britain, worth a combined sum of £6.7bn, that [...]
House prices are poised to slide in 2023 but straight into the hands of the lucky few February 7, 2023 There’s a pretty wild variety of house price predictions doing the rounds. Capital Economics have forecast they could fall 12 per cent, while experts at property search site Zoopla are a bit more optimistic. The consensus seems to be somewhere around a six per cent fall in 2023. One thing is certain: house prices are [...]