Middle class run on equity release: Cash-hungry home owners squeeze nearly £5bn out of their properties April 9, 2022 Equity release payments in the UK increased by almost £1bn in 2021, as more and more people look for alternative ways of ensuring healthy and happy retirements. Between 2020 – 2021, the amount of money released in the UK rose from £3.9bn to £4.8bn, an annual increase of £940 million, or 24.4 per cent, according [...]
Solicitor and bar partner sentenced to years in prison for money laundering in organised crime timeshare scam April 8, 2022 A former British solicitor and his partner, a bar owner on the Costa Del Sol, have been sentenced to a total of four and a half years for laundering organised crime money related to a fraudulent timeshare scheme. Judge Cambell sentenced St Helens based Anthony Lea to 3 years in prison, and Ian Hollis to 18 months, [...]
LendInvest feels lift of buoyant housing market April 8, 2022 Fintech lender LendInvest has reported a boost in assets under management today as a buoyant housing market drives demand for its buy-to-let products.
Cladding bill nears £2bn mark as Bellway, Vistry and Countryside Partnership pledge to fix homes April 7, 2022 Housebuilders’ pledges to repairing unsafe cladding has neared a bill of £2bn as Bellway pledged £485m to fix homes on Thursday. According to analysis from AJ Bell, the total bill now stands at £1.8bn, with FTSE 100 developer Berkeley yet to declare how much it will provide. The department for levelling up, housing and communities [...]
Impact Capital Group snags approval for £350m development in Romford April 7, 2022 Impact Capital Group has snagged the first stage of approval for an ambitious £350m development in the heart of Romford, which will create new homes close to the forthcoming Crossrail station in Romford. Proposals will next be forwarded to the GLA for the second stage of approval and are subject to the finalisation of a [...]
House prices jump to record £282,753 amid highest inflation since mid-2007 April 7, 2022 The average price of a home has jumped 11 per cent over the past year to a new record figure, according to the Halifax House Price Index. The average price of a house is now £282,753, a steep increase of £43,577 in just two years after the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown. Prices have increased 1.4 [...]
Cladding repair bill hits £1.5bn as Redrow and Barratt latest builders to sign up to fire safety pledge April 6, 2022 The total cost for cladding works for the big nine listed housebuilders has hit £1.5bn, as London-listed firms sign up to a government fire safety pledge. According to analysis from AJ Bell, the country’s biggest builders are planning to set aside another £802m in total to tackle unsafe buildings in the wake of the Grenfell [...]
Camden building becomes first ‘net zero carbon’ residential home in the UK April 6, 2022 Camden is home to the first ‘net zero carbon’ residential house in the country, marking a watershed moment in the drive for cleaner energy. Max Fordham House uses a mixture of saving measures, including insulation and renewable energy, to achieve net zero. The building, designed for and lived in by designer Max Fordham, was validated [...]
Anytime Fitness eyes 20 new gyms as high street welcomes fitness tenants April 5, 2022 Anytime Fitness is planning to open 20 new gyms this year as it will reap the benefits of the post-lockdown real estate landscape. The gym operator said it had seen landlords drop rents and view the sector more favourably after the pandemic. Anytime Fitness UK’s Ben Dixon said: “It’s fair to say that we’ve often [...]
London property director hit with 11 year ban after conning investors out of millions April 5, 2022 A London property director has been given a 11-year ban from the top position, after scamming investors out of millions. Sam Eustace, from Sutton in south London, was formerly director of Kingsman Property, which promised landlords guaranteed rent all year around. The company also offered investors the opportunity to receive annual returns of 30 per [...]