Purplebricks fined £260,000 for breach of money-laundering rules August 18, 2020 Online estate agency Purplebricks has been fined more than £260,000 by HM Revenue & Customs for violating money-laundering rules. Under UK regulations implemented in 2017, estate agencies are required to ensure customers are not using their business to launder money. The legislation says estate agencies are responsible for carrying out financial checks on their clients [...]
Persimmon’s first-half profit slumps before market rebound August 18, 2020 Housebuilder Persimmon’s pre-tax profit tumbled 42 per cent in the first half of the year, but the company said it had had an “excellent start” to the second half as market sentiment improved. The figures Persimmon’s profit before tax fell 42 per cent to £292.4m in the six months ending 30 June, down from £509.3m [...]
James Bond penthouse in former MI6 headquarters on sale for £5.5m August 17, 2020 A penthouse apartment in the former MI6 headquarters that was once home to the real-life inspiration for James Bond’s boss M has gone on the market for £5.5m. The bombproof flat, located in Whitehall Court in the heart of Westminster, is part of the original London base of the Secret Intelligence Service. It also served [...]
UK housing market surges in busiest month in 10 years August 17, 2020 Brits have turned to home-buying to fill the summer holiday void post-lockdown as the UK housing market’s “mini-boom” accelerated in August. Rightmove’s latest house price index released today reveals the highest number of monthly sales in more than 10 years in August. It is up by 20 per cent on the previous high, and with [...]
UK tradespeople remain optimistic despite pandemic uncertainty August 17, 2020 Tradespeople in the UK continue to remain optimistic for near-term workloads despite the economic havoc triggered by the pandemic. A survey of over 1,300 tradespeople conducted by builders’ merchant Travis Perkins, found half of the respondents believe their workloads will increase and will have to buy new materials over the next two months. The first [...]
UK house prices move out of negative territory for first time since March August 13, 2020 UK house prices gained momentum last month, moving out of negative territory for the first time since lockdown began as the government’s stamp duty holiday motivated buyers. However the bounce is not expected to last long, as government support schemes wind down in the winter. UK house prices firm up Across the UK in aggregate, [...]
London house prices fall despite market’s coronavirus recovery August 13, 2020 London house prices continued to fall in July, new data revealed today, despite an increase in demand from new buyers. Respondents to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Residential Survey also do not expect this demand to continue, as wider government support measures begin to be phased out later in the year. Buyers [...]
More than 3m older people can’t downsize due to lack of suitable housing August 13, 2020 More than 3m people in the UK over the age of 65 want to downsize to a smaller home but can’t due to a lack of suitable housing and a competitive market. Ahead of the Autumn Budget, a report by Homes for Later Living called for ministers to set a goal of building 30,000 retirement [...]
Bellway shares dip on low July house sales August 11, 2020 Shares in Bellway fell this afternoon as the housebuilder revealed that sales were down in July despite the easing of lockdown restrictions Private customer reservations were 140 per week last month, down from 162 a week in July 2019. The developer’s share price fell 4.17 per cent as it said it completed the sale of [...]
Derwent London hikes dividend as landlord expects resilient office demand August 11, 2020 Property firm Derwent London this morning said it expects demand for office space to be resilient despite the coronavirus pandemic, saying there is “no substitute” for face-to-face collaboration. The landlord hiked its dividend for the first half of the year as it said it is confident about the future of the role of the office, [...]