The office is not dead – far from it, say City insiders April 26, 2021 As the economy starts to reopen, the City is slowly coming back to life. A range of banks and Square Mile-based firms have started to formalise work from home policies and implemented flexible working arrangements. Businesses in every sector have been debating concepts of what the post-Covid office could look like with pessimists doubting its [...]
House prices: New build homebuyer demand explodes on England’s south coast and in Wales April 26, 2021 Homebuyer demand for new build homes has climbed 9 per cent in the last year, with coastal towns in the south of England and Wales leading the charge. Across Britain, 38.7 per cent of all new build homes are already sold subject to contract or under offer, a 9 per cent jump on the same [...]
Westfield unveils updated plans for £1.3bn White City residential scheme April 26, 2021 Westfield has revised its planning application for a £1.3bn residential scheme in White City, adding several hundred new homes to the proposals. The proposed scheme will include up to 1,760 new homes, up from the 1,093 granted planning permission in 2017, and will also involve the construction of a 1.4 acre public space and new [...]
More UK home sellers are getting above asking price than at any time since Brexit vote April 26, 2021 The number of UK properties that sold for more than the original asking price jumped to the highest level in more than six years last month. The latest research showed that 16 per cent of homes sold for more than their initial price tag in March, compared to 11 per cent in February. This is [...]
Boost for first-time buyers as more ultra-low deposit mortgages hit the market April 24, 2021 In a further boost to first-time buyers, more lenders are bringing 5 per cent deposit mortgages onto the market. New deals announced by Metro Bank and Cambridge Building Society are not part of a new government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme which was launched this week to increase the availability of 5 per cent deposit loans. Major [...]
One in five aspiring first-time buyers lives with family or friends to save cash April 22, 2021 More than a fifth of aspiring first-time buyers have moved in with family or friends since the coronavirus crisis started, according to research published this morning. Some 22 per cent of people hoping to buy their first home in the next two years have moved in with parents, in-laws or friends since March 2020, Halifax [...]
Top-end homes in Mayfair and St James’s offloaded at 20 per cent below asking price April 22, 2021 Several prime central London postcodes are seeing homes sell at a considerable discount of up to 20 per cent per square foot, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. In many areas there is a notable difference between the expectations of home sellers and the price that buyers are willing to pay, [...]
Commercial landlord AEW UK to pay dividend as science and medical properties boost portfolio value April 22, 2021 Commercial property landlord AEW UK Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) has announced a quarterly dividend payment as life sciences and medical sites recorded a jump in value during the pandemic. AEW, which mainly owns industrial sites across the UK and has some exposure to the retail, office and leisure sectors, said it will pay an [...]
Pandemic impact: Another 100,000 UK businesses tumble into financial distress April 22, 2021 Almost 100,000 more UK businesses have tumbled into financial distress in the past three months as the impact of the pandemic continued to weigh on firms, according to new research published this morning. The latest quarter Red Flag Alert report by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor found that around 723,000 businesses were in “significant financial distress” [...]
Hammerson completes retail park exit with £330m sale to Canadian private equity player April 21, 2021 Property giant Hammerson has confirmed that it has sold seven retail parks to private equity firm Brookfield in a £330m deal that completes the retail landlord’s exit from the struggling sector. The £330m price tag represents an eight per cent discount to the 31 December book value of £357m, and the deal concludes Hammerson’s disposal [...]