Polish billionaire Dominika Kulczyk snaps up Knightsbridge property for £57.5m February 19, 2020 Polish billionaire Dominika Kulczyk has reportedly snapped up a luxury property in Knightsbridge for £57.5m. Kulczyk, one of the richest people in Poland, bought the Georgian redevelopment near Harrods from residential developer Mike Spink, after taking control of the Farringdon Property Trust, Bloomberg reported. The deal signals a pickup in London’s luxury residential market transactions. [...]
Housebuilders boosted by HSBC stock upgrade February 19, 2020 Shares in housebuilding firms jumped today after HSBC upgraded its view on the stocks, saying the decisive general election result “unleashed pent-up demand” in activity. Berkeley’s share price rose 3.2 per cent to an all-time high this morning after HSBC upgraded the stock from “hold” to “buy”. The bank now has “buy” ratings on all [...]
London house prices: Did your borough benefit from the Boris bounce? February 19, 2020 The increased political certainty offered by the Conservative General Election victory in December has been credited with giving London house prices a “Boris bounce”. This morning the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that UK house prices jumped 2.2 per cent on an annual basis in December, with London house prices [...]
London house prices rebound with 2.3 per cent growth after election February 19, 2020 London house prices grew at their fastest rate in 15 months in December following Boris Johnson’s election win, official figures showed today, as UK house prices also rose. Homes in the capital enjoyed a 2.3 per cent rise to £484,000 after a 2019 full of falls, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]
Remortgages jump as owners invest in home improvement projects February 18, 2020 The number of homeowners remortgaging their properties to access additional cash jumped in December, as Brits took advantage of low interest rates to invest in home improvements. Remortgages with additional borrowing increased 5.9 per cent at the end of last year as homeowners borrowed money for DIY projects. The average additional amount borrowed in the [...]
Why the housing minister merry-go-round is hurting the industry February 18, 2020 When Boris Johnson sacked housing minister Esther McVey last week, people working in the sector could have been forgiven for reacting somewhat wearily. Her replacement, Christopher Pincher, is the tenth person to hold the job in the last decade, and the nineteenth since 2000. It is, by some distance, the worst churn experienced by any [...]
Rapid expansion drives losses at hotel startup Oyo February 17, 2020 Indian budget hotel startup Oyo reported widening losses last year as it ramped up its international expansion. Losses deepened to $335m in the 12 months to 31 March, rising to 35 per cent of revenue compared to 25 per cent the previous year, driven by expansion in China. Meanwhile, revenue reached $951m in the year, [...]
Barings sells listed St James’s office building for £71m February 17, 2020 Real estate investment manager Barings has sold a Grade II listed office building in St James’s to a German property investor for £71m. Cara Real Estate, the property investment arm of Cara Investments, has acquired 7-10 Waterloo Place, in its second London deal following the purchase of 20 Soho Square for £117m in 2018. Barings [...]
UK house prices: Buyer boom sets scene for record-breaking spring February 17, 2020 UK house prices are expected to break records over the coming months as buyer activity outstrips the number of new sellers, according to new research. The average price of property coming to market jumped 0.8 per cent – or £2,589 – this month, just £40 short of a new all-time high. The house price boom [...]
Intu seeks to raise boss’s bonus amid financial troubles February 16, 2020 Beleaguered retail landlord Intu could face a showdown with investors over executive pay, as it seeks to hike the potential bonus of new chief executive Matthew Roberts. Intu is seeking to bring the the potential share awards in its long-term incentive plan back up to 250 per cent, after the scheme was cut back to [...]